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!