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.