The Tides Come and Go

Well, it's the last unit before our semester ends. It's crazy to think of all we've learned. WE started out this unit by studying Newton's 3rd Law, which basically says for every action there will be an equal and opposite reaction. This is when the action-reaction pairs came into play. To give an example of this, let's say that I push up against the wall. Well, the wall also pushes against me. Another example is if a baseball bat hits the ball, then the ball will hit the baseball. One of the concepts we used to demonstrate this law is a horse and buggy. The horse pulls the buggy so therefore the buggy pulls the horse. However, there are other action-reaction pairs that go along with this. The horse pushes the ground backwards, so therefore the ground will push the horse forward. The same thing happens with the buggy; the buggy pushes the ground backward and the ground pushes the buggy forward. The ultimate reason that the horse moves the buggy is because it pushes against the ground with a greater force.

The next thing we learned about is vectors. Now, this is a little hard to explain without pictures, but I will do my best. Basically, a vector causes an object to move in a certain direction. For example, if a boat is faced straight ahead, it will end up going in a diagonal downward because of the current. We represent vectors with parallel lines. Where these lines intersect shows what direction something will be going in. We used vectors to explain why a sled will go down a hill. Vectors also helped explain how to make a rope with a weight on it completely straight. We can figure out the various tensions in the ropes, by making a parallel line that corresponds with a side of the rope. This will also help explain which side of a rope has more tension than another.

Universal Gravitation Force gave us the ability to measure forces between any two objects anywhere. We know that anything with mass attracts all other things with mass. We also know that force depends on the mass of an object, making this two proportional to each other. The distance between between objects will be indirectly proportional to the force, making it 1/d. In this instance, we use an inverse square law, which means that the distance will be squared. This helps us set up our equation. Based on the above information, our equation will be F=G(m1m2/dd). G represents the gravitational force on an object. This number will not be the same because the distances between the objects will always vary. This number will be given to you.

The Universal Gravitation Force helped set up our next lesson, tides. We know that the moon is closer to the Earth than the sun is. As a result, there is a very large force between the sun and the Earth. We know that there are two different sides of the Earth; For our purposes, lets call them side A and side B. The force between the two sides of the Earth and the moon will be different. When side A is the closest to the moon, there will be a greater force, because the distance is smaller. The opposite happens when side B is further away from the moon. There will be a larger distance between this side and the moon, which will therefore cause a smaller force. This is the ultimate cause of tides. The different forces cause an oval shape to form around the Earth called a tidal bulge, which represents the high and low tides. Each high and low tide will happen twice a day, totaling four times a day. Between a high tide and a low tide or vice versa, there will be a six hour difference. Accordingly, between a high tide and a high tide or a low tide and a low tide, there will be a twelve hour difference. High and low tides will not happen at the same time each day, because the moon is constantly revolving around the Earth. It takes the moon approximately twenty-seven days to make a full circle. We have two different phases of tides called spring tides and neap tides. During spring tides, the moon will either be full or in the new moon stage. The tides go to the extremes as the high tides will be much higher and the low tides will be much lower. Hurricane Sandy hit during a spring tide, which meant there was much more damage because the tide was so high. In neap tides, there will be half a moon. During this time, the tides won't be as high or low as usual.

We spent the next half of the unit focusing on momentum, changes in momentum, and the impulse. Momentum is defined as inertia in motion. The equation to represent this is mass times velocity. However, when the direction is not important, we use mass times speed. It is possible for momentum's to equal zero; this will mean that this object is in a state of equilibrium. When anything with mass moves, it has momentum. Moving on, impulse is best defined as force multiplied by a time interval. When a change in momentum occurs, this will be a change in the mass times velocity. If the mass stays the same, then the velocity will change and acceleration will occur; this is most common that will happen. The more force, and velocity, then the greater the momentum. We know that change in momentum will be the final momentum subtracted from the initial momentum. Based on the equations, we know that impulse will be equal to the change in momentum. A question we answered during this section is, how do airbags keep us safe? Well we know that the momentum will be the same no matter the collision, and the change in momentum will be the same, so the impulses will be the same. Airbags increase the time impulse occurs, which means the force will be less. A smaller force will lead to less injury. We learned that bouncing can negatively effect this. When things bounce, the impulse will be greater, which will cause a greater force, and ultimately a greater impact.

The last thing we learned about is the conservation of momentum. We learned through a lab, that if two cars collide, the initial momentum will be the same as the final momentum. If we add the initial momentum's together, we should get the answer to be zero because one of the momentum's will be negative since it will be going in the opposite direction. This is the law of the conservation of momentum. We had several equations for this unit. When two objects collide head on, then we will use, momentum before=momentum after. When two objects collide and stick together we will say that the momentum before=the masses added together and the Vab (which represents the velocity of A and B stuck together.)If two objects collide, one in moving in a vertical direction and one in a horizontal direction, we will use vectors to find the new velocity. We draw the parallelogram and will find the hypotenuse of this box by using the Pythagorean Theorem.

This unit has presented various different challenges. Certain concepts have been hard to understand at times, such as vectors. It took me a few times to correctly draw a picture to show how a box slides down a ramp. I didn't really understand what all the various lines represented. The pictures seemed to cluttered and too confusing. Vectors didn't come easily at first, but I spent time each day studying them, and redrawing pictures. Once I had drawn my tenth vector, things seemed to click in my brain. I understood the f-weight, and the f-support. Things began to seem a lot simpler. It also helped taking quizzes on these concepts, as I got to practice my drawings even more.

I definitely feel that as Physic's continues, I have more confidence and seem to understand more. My brain has been rewired to comprehend the world of Physics. Because of this new-found confidence, it is much easier to solve problems with patience and accuracy. Problems that originally would have left me awe-struck now seem much easier, and make much more sense. Also, I really think the voice thread and pictures for each unit help think of Physics in a more creative way. The podcast also challenges me to think in creative ways to present an interesting concept to the class, which will help them better understand what we learned.

My goal for the semester exam is to go in with confidence, and study ahead of time. It really helps to pace yourself considering there are four other exams to worry about. My plan is to have a concept to study each day. Also, I need to ask questions when I have them. I feel like this unit has been the most relatable to real life. We learned about the tides and can now answer the question if you made a sandcastle at night during low tide, would the sandcastle be there in the morning? We also learned about the universal gravitational force. Out of all units, this has been the most intriguing.

Sunrise, sunset

This picture is a picture of me and my mom at the beach. We used to go a lot when I was a kid. I always watched the tide throughout the day. It’s funny how we can see the tide as much as we want and not remember that it is related to physics. Without the moon, and the force between it and the two sides of the earth, high tides and low tides wouldn’t happen. Both high and low tides happen twice per day, in intervals of six hours. A particularly important concept to understand about tides is the various stages such as the neap and spring tides. Neap tides occur either when the moon is full or there is a new moon. At this time, the tides will be particularly higher and the lows will be lower. Hurricane Sandy occurred during a neap tide, which was unfortunate because the high tides intensified its destruction. Spring tides occur when there is a half moon. So next time your at the beach, think of the physics in your life!

Physics of Football

While these videos might be cheesy, they really help describe the concept of impulse and momentum. They're short, sweet, and to the point. It really helps that it applies it to something interesting like football. The demonstrations done in this video really help show what is going on. For example, when the melon is thrown to the ground by itself, and then when it is protected by a helmet. This is the same concept we used during our egg toss. Hope you enjoy!

Teacher Teaching Tides

This video is very informative about tides. This teacher kind of teaches the way we learn in class, by going through a demonstration and then explaining the concept. I thought that this video was especially helpful because of the model of the sun moon and earth. It helped to get a visual on where the moon is which directly correlates with the tide cycle. I don't know if the tide chart is something we will be learning about. It might be something that you should just skip over in the video for now. Besides that, I hope you find this video useful!

Another Season Come and Gone

Another unit down! Time really does fly at the Asheville School. It's hard to believe that we already have test on Unit Two material. There's definitely a lot we covered. In this unit, we focused of various different subjects. One of the many was Newton's 2nd law. We learned that the acceleration is directly proportional to the net force but indirectly proportional to mass. We also covered various concepts on falling, and the affect it has. In the first concept, we learned that free fall is when there is no air-resistance; basically, gravity is the only force acting on it. Therefore, the acceleration will always be 10m/s^2. To figure out how tall something you can use the equation d=1/2gt^2. G stands for gravity, t stands for time, and d stands for distance. To figure out how fast something fell, we can use the equation v=gt where g stands for gravity, t stands for time, and v stands for velocity. The next concept we learned about was throwing things up at an angle. This is similar to free fall, except you have to account for the inertia and time it takes for the ball to reach the top of its path, and then start falling into free fall. We count backwards from the velocity by 10, until the velocity is zero. Then, we can use the same method as we did in free fall, and count forward from zero on the velocity. Next was the idea of projectile motion, which gets a little more complicated. In projectile motion, something is dropped from a certain height, and falls in the shape of a parabola. To figure out how many second the item is falling, or how far away it needs to be dropped to land on a certain target, we need to calculate both the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. The vertical direction is set up the exact way we would set up a free fall equation. The horizontal direction isn't that hard either. The horizontal velocity will always be constant, so if something has s velocity of 10m/s, then it will stay uniform in the horizontal direction. Throwing at an angle also uses both the horizontal velocity and vertical velocity. The velocity will still be constant in the horizontal direction, and we can still calculate various factors in the vertical velocity by using similar methods as we did in throwing at an angle and free fall. However, if we want to figure out the velocity of the ball throughout, we need to use some geometry, namely, Pythagorean theorem. It can seem complicated, but after a while it seems pretty simple. Finally, we learned about falling with air resistance. We learned that air-resistance is directly proportional to velocity. Also, air resistance is dependent speed. The greater the speed, the greater the air resistance. If a parachutist jumps out of an airplane, eventually they will reach a point where air resistance is equal and opposite to the weight and they are at terminal velocity, or, as we know, equilibrium. In this concept, acceleration will not always remain 10m/s^2. To figure out the acceleration, we use the equation a=fnet/mass or a=weight-air resistance/mass. Something that has challenged me this unit is remembering all the various elements of each different concept. An example of this is remembering in free fall and throwing things up at an angle, the acceleration will always be 10m/s^2. Unfortunately, this is one concept we mixed up in our podcast. I've gotten so used to the concepts we learned in the first unit, so it's definitely an adjustment trying to rewire my brain to understand unit two. Even though I have faced some challenges during this unit, I've also found some ways to overcome these obstacles. One way to help keep things straight in my head is by writing a study guide of everything we learned about this unit. I read over it multiple times and make sure I understand what I am saying, and also check for errors. Something else that helps too is re-watching the videos. It might seem tedious, but it really helps to refresh our mind. I feel like this has been a successful unit in physics. Whenever I had a question about what we were learning, I always talked to Ms. Lawrence. I also feel that my confidence when solving physic's problems has increased. I don't get as flustered as I did in the beginning when an equation didn't work out. I have more patience, and feel more secure in my skills. My goals for the next unit are to keep studying, keep re-watching the videos, and keep a positive attitude. I've found in the past it's almost impossible to achieve a goal if you constantly have a negative attitude about it. To achieve these goals, I will make sure to ask questions when I have them, review, and better prepare myself for test and quizzes than I did in the first Unit. Hopefully, all these qualities will help me keep a great year of physics going strong!

Jump Around

Whenever my cousins and I are together, we tend to get a little insane. On our recent family trip to Pennsylvania, we decided to jump off the ledge of a nearby bench. Each jump, we tried to land on a manhole about 5 feet away. Not only did it make for a great picture, but also demonstrated falling at an angle. This is one element of projectile motion we learned about. Remember the rolling ball lab? Yeah, that thing that we learned about two weeks ago. To figure out the exact spot something will hit when it is falling at an angle, we have to calculate both the vertical and horizontal distances and velocities. Think of it as an equation. Say the bench was 2 feet tall and we were jumping at a velocity of 5m/s. How long would it take me and my cousins to reach the manhole? Think you can figure it out?

Wow, did I really just see that?

Talk about daring. In a new scientific feat, a man named Felix Baugartner achieved what seemed like the impossible, flying at supersonic speed. He was lifted up into space, in a helium filled balloon, and from there he jumped. That takes some serious guts. Not only did Baugartner help in the scientific world, but he also demonstrated the concept of falling through the air. Just like the parachutist in Ms. Lawrence's video, Felix falls to earth's surface, and doesn't pull his parachute until he reaches terminal velocity. This is the exact scenario we had on a recent class worksheet. Only this time, the stakes are higher, and everyone is on edge.

We're Free-falling.

I decided to take a break from musical resources and instead used an informational video. The experiment these boys undertake is similar to the one that we preformed when we tried to get the height of 3rd Anderson. They went about it in the same manner that we did, although their equation was a little different. The video helped make the concept of free falling more interesting for viewers. Also, the dramatic music added an extra touch. It can be a little over-the-top at times, (aka when they demonstrate with someone "jumping off of a building") but they still take a very sensible route to find their solutions.However, my one concern for this video was instead of throwing a ball of the cliff, they threw a television. I hope it was broken or else some parent might have gotten a little ticked.

Newton's Song

Wow,that's all I have to say about this video. Based on Taylor Swifts "Our Song" this physics project sure is memorable. It definitely helps put Newton's 2nd law into simple context. This song goes through all three of Newton's laws, so you have to start at about a minute through to actually hear the part about Newton's 2nd law. I think that things like this are catchy and easy to remember. Unlike websites and other things, they make learning fun. It's definitely easier than memorizing formulas the old fashioned way!

Just swinging around

It might make me a dork but I love to swing. There so much fun! You can pump your legs to make yourself go higher or jump off the swing to stop yourself. Swings also help demonstrate inertia. When you first get on a swing, the swing will stay still until you start pumping your legs back and force, providing a force. Then, the swing goes higher and higher because of the force your legs are providing. You will keep doing this, until you drag your legs through the sand to slow down the swing. This helps demonstrate Newton’s 1st law. An object in motion will stay in motion or an object at rest will stay at rest until a force acts upon it.

The end has finally come-well at least for this unit anyway

Wow this unit has really gone by fast! It's hard to think that I've only been in this physics class for a month, let alone living in Asheville. We definitely learned a lot in physics. For one, we learned about the concept of inertia and that it is the property that states an object at rest will remain at rest or an object in motion will remain in motion unless acted on by an outside force. We also applied this to real life situations like with a coffee cup on a car hood or a hovercraft (well, that's not really an ever day situation but you get what I mean). During this, we also learned about equilibrium and how it is when the net force is at zero, or, when an object is in a state of balance. To go even forward with this, net force is the sum of all forces acting on an object. This means that more than one force has to be acting on an object. Next, we learned about velocity and acceleration and how they are not the same concept. Speed is just how fast a certain object is going in a certain period of time whereas velocity is both the speed and direction an object is moving in a certain amount on time. However, these terms do have the same equation: speed=distance/time. After this, we added the concept of acceleration to our arsenal. Acceleration is how quickly an object's velocity changes in a certain amount of time. The equation for this is change in velocity/time interval. All these terms share something in common; they all have the ability to be constant as well. In speed, constant just means that the speed is the same throughout a given amount of time. Velocity is similar, but it goes both the same direction and speed throughout a given amount of time. Finally, constant acceleration is when an object is speeding up at a consistent rate. There are two equations that can be used when referring to constant velocity and constant acceleration. In acceleration the how fast equation is velocity=acceleration(time). The how far equation is distance=1/2acceleration(time)(time). For constant velocity, the how fast equation is velocity=distance/time. The how far equation is distance=velocity(time). Throughout this unit, it has been hard applying these terms and concepts to real life situations. I definitely had trouble understanding that a car could have a velocity that was going forward, but an acceleration that was going backward. Similarly, the differences between speed and velocity were initially hard to understand, but after some drilling in my head, I feel like I can understand a lot better. Like Naeem said, you definitely have to "rewire" your head from normal thinking and program it to think physics, like a calculator. It takes some work, but it can be done! As far as my problem solving skills and effort, I feel like it has improved as the unit has gone on. Unlike at my old school, I actually participate in class and feel confident even though my answer isn't always right. The trip problem definitely helped prove this. I initially got a completely random answer that had nothing to do with an actual equation and more with guesswork. However, once I calmed down and actually took the effort to try and solve the problem, I felt so much better and confident with my answer. Just like in other subjects, sometimes to get the right answer we have to get the wrong one. When we have homework from our book, I feel like I have a good grasp of the concept because of the review we already do in class the day before. Also, taking notes really helps because you can look back when you have questions on the lesson we had just gone over. Also, I think the concept of a unit blog reflection is really helpful. It is a way of studying without even thinking of it. You get to review all the concepts you learned in the unit, and also realize where your strengths and weaknesses are so that you can try to work with them come test time. I definitely feel that as this unit has progressed my confidence in my knowledge of physics has really increased. It really seems to all make sense now which is reassuring for the rest of the year. Also, collaboration with classmates has helped see their views on physics. It always helps to see something from a different perspective, and can at times make even more sense. Finally, I really think that physics can help with a life problem, patience. I'm one of those people who wants the answer immediately and gets frustrated actually going through the whole process of finding the answer. However, problem solving in physics isn't just math but also requires analysis. I've realized over the unit that it really helps to take time and actually think about the question being asked to you, and taking time to analyze. It's easy to miss simple details in a physics question. This unit has made everyday things make a lot more sense. For example, I have been guilty of forgetting the coffee cup on the roof of my car, but now I have a better grasp on why it is that the cup goes flying off the roof, and you never see your coffee cup again. Hopefully it will help me remember now so I don't have to keep replacing my coffee cups. It also has made a lot of sense when talking about things like sledding and driving a car. Acceleration seems a lot clearer now than it ever did. Throughout the next units, I will be more aware of concepts that apply to real life situations, and hopefully will have other epiphanies like I have during this unit!

Inclined Planes-The World's New Best Friend

        It's only September and we've already finished another lab! I feel accomplished. This lab really helped demonstrate how different constant velocity and constant acceleration are. It really helped to not only read about this concept, but also see it in front of you as well. It definitely makes this concept more understandable and it gave everyone an excuse to write on the desks without getting in trouble!
        Based on what has already been explained in class and what was just demonstrated toady in the lab, constant velocity is when an object is going the same distance, speed and direction in a given period of time. In other words these three factors are constant throughout the duration of the movement. This is where it gets tricky. It generally seems like constant acceleration and velocity would be the same thing, but they aren't. In constant acceleration, an object is speeding up or slowing down at a uniform speed in a given amount of time, but is NOT going the same speed throughout the duration of it's movement. These are two concepts that can easily be confused, but they couldn't be any different from each other.
       There was a lot that had to go into this lab for it to work. First, we had to mark a starting point for a marble to roll down a flat table. Then, we used a metronome to mark each half second so we could tally off time. From there, we released the ball, and for every half-second, marked the place where it was with a piece of chalk. Once this step was completed, we recorded the data in a table and made a graph out of it. Because the marble was rolling down a straight, flat surface, it exhibited constant velocity. It didn't speed up or slow down, but exhibited uniformity throughout the given time. Then, we propped up two legs of the table to create an inclined plane. From their, we implemented the same format as before, but got different results. As the ball rolled farther and the time got longer, the dashes got farther apart. When we plugged this information into the chart and then graphed it, it was obvious that the data was not going at a constant speed, rather, a constant acceleration. The data showed that the distance had a constant interval of increase for each second that was ticked off. Thus, this demonstrated the difference between constant acceleration and constant velocity.
        The formulas that were important during this lab were velocity=distance/time and distance=1/2(acceleration)(time squared). Transitioning, this lab helped demonstrate how important it is to use the right equations. Also, I learned that different equations such as these two can be plugged into the equation for a straight line (y=mx+b). Finally, I learned how important it is to listen to directions. It's easy to get confused when going through the procedure, but then data is incorrect and you have to go through the hassle of doing everything over again. It's much easier to do it right the first time!

If a car goes 90mph for 10 hours.....

           That trip problem definitely challenged my knowledge in Physics. My first answer to the problem was just to guess-I had a 25% of getting it right! It seemed way to complicated, and I started getting scared that this was truly what Physics would be; complicated questions that were almost impossible to answer without your brain hurting. But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to get the correct answer. I acknowledged that I had the average speed and the distance traveled for two sections of the full trip; I could just plug these two numbers into the average speed equation to get the time. Everything seemed to be going well, until I finished those two problems and was more confused than in the beginning.
          Why did this have to be so complicated? Why couldn't it just be a simple answer? I was stumped. I had two different times, both a half hour, but I still had to manage to figure out how fast the motorist would have to go, to catch up to his desired speed of 40km/h. It seemed the more I did, the more confusing I got. I thought of the information I had. The motorist had so far gone 30km and still had 10 more to go. He had already driven for one hour-but wait; wasn't the motorist supposed to go 40km/h? Didn't that mean that he had already failed his goal? He had already gone one hour, so to accomplish his goal, he would have to go faster than the speed of light. That was an answer on the sheet! I had finally understood what was being asked of me! The motorist couldn't possibly achieve this goal; he would have to be drive 10 km in less than 0 seconds. It was finally starting to come together.
          While it might seem confusing, the motorist would indeed have to be traveling faster than the speed of light. This is because it took him an hour to go 30 km. His desire was to go 40km/h throughout the duration of the trip. He still has 10km to go but no time left on the clock. To still achieve his initial goal, he would have to travel 10km in 0 seconds, and I don't think any car is that fast! To get this answer, you have to plug in the numbers into the average speed equation (total distance covered/time interval) and find the time. By plugging in both separate parts of the trip, you find out that it he has already gone 1 hour. It might seem complicated at first glance, but after really putting forth effort it seems so much more simple.
        This was definitely a good experience for me to look back on in the future. While it might have been easy for me to simply guess an answer that seemed the most reasonable, I was ultimately able to figure out the correct answer by using the equations that I learned in class. It helped me realize that everything is not as hard as it seems at a first glance. It definitely just goes to show that hard work pays off in the end!

You really can find anything on youtube these days...

I found this video just by googling "speed and velocity song." These guys must be pretty famous with physics students; they make complicated concepts seem like something a child could understand. They really differentiate between velocity and speed. Velocity is the speed and direction an object is going whereas speed is just the distance covered in a certain period of time. These are definitely two concepts that are easy to confuse, but after seeing this video I don't think I ever will. Their song really breaks down speed and velocity into it's simplest possible definition, which really helps a lot; I feel like I understand physics so much better just from seeing this one video. Who knew that learning physics could be so much fun!

Oh, you know I just rode on a hovercraft, no big deal

       You know you are going to have a great year in physics when your first lab is riding on a hovercraft.  That was possibly one of the most insane experiences I have ever had in my life. I thought it was going to be a high up experience with someone dragging me by a string, but that was the furthest from what it actually was. First off, the hovercraft only went about an inch up in the air. Secondly, it vibrated like crazy and made you feel weird after the fact. Finally, no one was dragging me along; once the hovercraft was given an initial push, it took off across the gym. For those of you that haven’t tried riding a hovercraft yet, be warned; it is a very awkward experience, especially while wearing a dress. You might think that it will be a quiet machine, but in actuality, once the air machine is turned on, you have to yell just to communicate to someone four inches away from you. If you think you might be prepared because you skateboard or sled, you would be wrong. A hovercraft is completely different because there is no friction to stop you. While on a sled or skateboard, you are able to stop yourself whereas on a hovercraft, nothing will stop you until someone catches you. It's thrilling and terrifying all at the same time.
       Besides being a great way to wake up on a Thursday morning, the hovercraft also helped demonstrate various different concepts such as inertia, net force and equilibrium. We already learned that inertia means that every object will either stay at rest or in motion unless acted on by a force, but this lab helped demonstrate that in an even more concrete way. The hovercraft would not begin to move unless someone pushed it along, and would also not stop until someone stopped it themselves. The hovercraft was in constant motion or rest until the force of a classmate helped it along. Moving on, we already defined equilibrium as a state of balance, but never quite knew when this would be best exhibited. The hovercraft helped explain when the hovercraft was best in a state of constant motion. The first example is when the hovercraft was at rest. No force was acting on the craft, and therefore it was in a state of balance. Similarly, when the hovercraft was at a constant motion, it was also in a state of balance, or, equilibrium, because it stayed at the same speed until a teammate stopped the craft or pushed it forward. Finally, we learned that net force is the combined forces that act on an object. An example of this is the force that was used to push the hovercraft or stop the hovercraft. Most vehicles have the force of friction working on them too; however, because the hovercraft is in the air, it did not have friction working on it. It simply had one force, working for it and that was the push or pull that each teammate gave to get the craft moving or have it stop.
        After experiencing this lab, it is obvious that acceleration depends on mass and speed of an object. For example, when I was pushed with more force than anyone else during the hovercraft ride, thus making it harder to stop me because my speed was faster. The force used is just one thing that affects acceleration. Another key factor is mass. Depending on how big a person is or how small they are, there will either be a greater acceleration or a smaller acceleration. These two factors helped demonstrate the sensitivity of a hovercraft; just a slight push too fast will send it flying across the gym.
       Not only did this lab show what factors affect acceleration, but it also showed when constant velocity is most likely achieved. The initial push by a team member caused the hovercraft to accelerate in motion. However, after the initial push, the vehicle eventually came to a point of constant motion while gliding down the gym. After watching this happen, it is clear that constant velocity happens when a force is not acting on it, and it is moving by itself. The hovercraft did not slow down or speed up when no one was pushing it around; it moved of its own accord.
       As I stated before, there were certain members that were easier to push than others. For example, I was one of the harder riders to stop because I was pushed down the court with a greater speed than others. Because of the speed, the hovercraft went a lot faster than before. Similarly, the boys were harder to push as well, because they generally have a greater mass than girls. In conclusion, it is plain to see that inertia is most affected by speed and mass.

The Inertia Rap

I always thought that learning could never be fun, but after seeing this video I am convinced it is possible. What a creative way to remember Newton's 1st Law! Come test time we will all probably be singing it. I hope there are other resources like this that can be used to help understand concepts throughout the physics year!

Beginning the Journey Through Physics

Everyone always says physics is terrifying, but I hope this year will be the exact opposite. I expect to learn the stereotypical subjects that pop into peoples brains whenever they hear that seven letter word; different laws of gravity, how the tide works, the force of inertia. At the same time, I know there are other subject matters out there, like how do both airbags and seatbelts work to keep you safe or how baseball players hit a home run. Also, I hope I learn that the clichéd idea about physics being scary is absolutely false.

If you asked me, I think that physics is important because it explains different phenomena such as how the tide rises or the lack of gravity on the moon. It’s different from any other science class there is. Unlike Biology, it doesn’t involve dissecting little animals or learning about the different flatworms. It gives simple solutions to some of the most confusing questions in life.

I understand that physics might help tell a baseball player how their home run happened or how the tide works, but what does that have to do with my life? I don't play baseball and I haven't seen the crashing waves of the beach for six years. That's the biggest question I have for this year. Also, is it really possible for physics to be a great learning experience and fun at the same time? I've always thought the answer was no, but I very well could be wrong. Finally,how on earth is it possible to make physics understandable to my small and simple brain? I certainly do not have an IQ with more than five digits. It’s always seemed that physics is the class that only super smart, high school valedictorians, MIT graduates can understand. Will I, plain, old Anna Bassett be able to understand too?

My biggest goal for Physics this year is to keep a positive attitude. Even though it is said regularly, it really is true that one of the secrets to success is staying calm and keeping an optimistic demeanor. I would love to come out of this class and truly comprehend the sometimes complicated laws that make the world go ‘round. To conclude, my final goal is to strive to do my best on all assignments. I know it’s easy to just brush assignments off and put them off till the last minute, but that is not the ideal way to start of the school year.