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.
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.
Your blog was very impressive to say the least. You managed to perfectly describe each term; inertia, net force, and equilibrium, in a way that related back to the lab but were also very clear and precise at the same time. It shows that you have a clear understanding of the terms and the lab.
ReplyDeleteIn our lab, we were both expecting the hovercraft to float way up high and at least I thought it would look and sound a lot differently than it did in reality. I think almost everyone going into this lab was expecting a similar image to that of the hovercrafts in a cartoon like Jimmy Newtron. Although, most of us, in a way, had higher expectations than what the hovercraft looked like, it was still really fun and it definitely demonstrates Newton’s first law of motion. I agree with you on your point that its not at all similar to skate board or snow boarding because in fact there’s no friction unlike almost everything containing wheels.
You talked a lot about the causes of inertia which is one thing I could have better emphasized in my blog unlike my blog and you should a clear understanding that concept that the more mass and speed someone has the more difficult they are to stop.
Would you ride the hovercraft again?