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!