Week 5 Blog

 

1. This week in lab we started out with the pendulum simulator that we have on ICON and answered the question of "Why does a swing stop swinging?" After completing this simulator I found that friction and air resistance were huge factors when thinking about this question. Over time, the combined effect of these energy losses reduces the swing’s kinetic energy, causing the amplitude of the swing to decrease until it eventually comes to a stop. Without an external force, like a person pushing the swing, there’s no way to add more energy to counteract these losses, and the swing ceases to move. After we completed this question we went on to the experiment of modeling a child's fall using an egg and various types of substances as cushion. With this we used the same setup for both the 1m and 2m drop. Using tire on the bottom as a bouncy substance, we thought this would be a good idea for a base. Next we went in with sand as a way to fill some of the gaps between the gapes within the rubbing. Finally we topped it off with a loose layer of hay on top of it all to ensure a cushion top to the mix. Within all of our trials that we did for both heights, we found, as seen in the videos, that our mixture was a perfect mix as our egg never broke. Even when the egg bounced out of the bowl, we found that most of the force was take by the bowl mixture. 

2. On playground slides and swings, motion is clearly observed and can be measured in terms of distance, time, speed, and velocity. For instance, when children go down a slide, their motion starts from rest (at the top) and accelerates due to gravity. On a swing, the periodic back-and-forth motion involves oscillation, where the highest points correspond to the lowest speed (rest) and the midpoint corresponds to maximum speed. The motion of children on slides and swings is influenced by forces like gravity and friction. On a slide, the force of gravity pulls a child downward, while friction between the child and the surface resists this motion, affecting how fast they go down. On swings, gravity and tension in the chains create the pendulum-like motion. Friction in the air and at the swing’s pivot point can slow down the swing’s motion over time. Swings function as pendulums, demonstrating potential and kinetic energy transformations. When a child reaches the highest point of the swing, potential energy is at its maximum, while kinetic energy is minimal. As they swing downward, potential energy decreases and kinetic energy increases. This cyclical exchange of energy continues, though the total energy reduces slightly due to air resistance and friction.Playground equipment provides tangible examples of how forces like gravity, friction, and tension shape motion, while energy transfers from potential to kinetic energy in real-world settings like swings and slides. 

Week 4 Blog

 1. During lab on Monday, we began the class by finishing the discussion of slides and the types of friction we see when sliding. Also during lab, my group and I addressed the idea of how long it would take to swing a certain amount of times depending on the length of the chain the swing is on. We found out that the longer the chain on a swing, the longer it will take to complete a full swing. This was quite interesting to us as it was several seconds apart from each other. It was interesting to set out with a question/hypothesis to fulfill a conclusion. 

2. During the lecture on Thursday we talked about the period of a swing, what period in this case means, as well as some possible factors that could effect this period. Another thing that we went over was Newton's first and second law. Newton's first law states that without an unbalanced external force, the object in question will maintain its speed and direction of motion. The second law states that the force acting upon an object is increased, the acceleration of the object is also increased. Another thing that we talked about is the energy lens on motion. 

3. During the reading Pendulums and the Energy Lens on Motion, something that I learned was the pendulum is a key example for understanding the principles of motion and energy. It demonstrates the transfer of potential energy (at the highest point) to kinetic energy (at the lowest point). The thing that was most helpful for me during this reading was the visualization of energy transformation between potential and kinetic energy. The clear, step-by-step breakdown of how energy is neither created nor destroyed, but transferred in predictable ways, was essential in making the concepts accessible. Another thing that was really helpful was the use of real-world examples, such as how a clock pendulum functions, made abstract physics principles relatable and engaging. With this being said, somethings I need more information on is the deeper understanding of how air resistance and friction influence the motion of the pendulum, especially in real-world scenarios. A question that I have is how does the introduction of damping (energy loss due to friction) affect the long-term motion of the pendulum, and at what point would it completely stop?

Week 3 Blog

 1. This week during lab we had to test whether a variable affects how fast something will go down a slide. Our group chose to text different weights for our experiment. We had 3 different balls that were all different weights, but were the same size and shape. This was so that the different weights would all go down the slide without any unfair advantages such as dents. We found that the results were closer than we originally thought they would be and so it made it hard to come up with a clear conclusion. Things such as timing and error of our phones might have been a factor. Another factor we thought of was reaction time for people to click start on the timer. Another thing we talked about was how the object slowly gained speed as it went down the slide. 

2. During lecture on Thursday we talked about a few big ideas. These ideas include force, friction, and gravity. For each idea we talked about what it was and why it is important or what impact it has on items. Our knowledge was shown through conversations for each idea as well as the formative assessments we took on why things fall as well as friction. 

3. This weeks reading talked about the relationship between force and motion, highlighting concepts such as Newton’s laws of motion, friction, gravity, and how different forces interact with objects to cause or resist movement. I learned how force affects acceleration, velocity, and inertia, and gained a clearer understanding of concepts like net force and balanced/unbalanced forces. The thing that was most helpful for me was the breakdown of Newton’s laws and their practical applications in real-world scenarios was probably the most helpful aspect. Visual aids, diagrams, or examples may have clarified how forces cause objects to start or stop moving and how mass and acceleration are related. However, something I could've gotten more information on is how frictional forces work in different environments or on more complex examples of combined forces. A question could be how these force concepts are measured or demonstrated in various engineering or technological applications, such as in vehicle safety or sports. One concern might be ensuring the application of these physics principles in problem-solving scenarios or understanding how to calculate force vectors more confidently.

Week 1 Blog

1. The big question addressed in lab, and a description of what you did.
During our lab I feel as though we covered 2 really big questions. These questions are how can we ensure students are learning science as well as why is it important that they learn science and the second question being how can we ensure a race is exciting. For the first question we talked in our groups about the different aspects of a playground and how science can be related outside while they are playing as well as inside in the classroom. For the second question, we watched videos about the question and then proceeded to go into our groups to experiment with how we can ensure a race is exciting. For my group we chose a distance of 8m and began to time ourselves to see how long it would take to walk 8m for each person. We then chose a walker when talking to the other group as we learned one of our group mates could walk a meter a second! This made the math easy to figure out what kind of head start she might need when competing against another class mate.

2. A description of what you learned in Thursday's lecture.
During lecture on Thursday we went over a few things. To start off, we briefly went over some topics we talked about on Monday. This was answering the question of how to support play that is exciting but not dangerous. After this we went over the NGSS for the lesson at hand as well as the ideas of what we would talk about next. Finally we ended class with learning the equation of speed equals distance over time. We got to put this into example by figuring out 2 different problems of what head start each example should get based off of the distance and time. We ended lecture by talking about the patterns that are important to notice when talking about motion.

3. Answer questions about the weekly textbook reading.
In the Pressbook reading on "Describing and Measuring Motion," I learned about the fundamental concepts related to motion, including how motion is described in terms of distance, displacement, speed, velocity, and acceleration. I also learned about how motion is measured using units like meters and seconds and how velocity differs from speed because it includes direction. The most helpful part of the reading was the clear explanation of the differences between speed, velocity, and acceleration. The examples and visuals really helped me within these explanations. I need more information on how to apply these concepts to real-world problems, especially when it comes to calculating acceleration and understanding its implications in different contexts. One question I have is about the practical applications of these concepts in everyday life. For example, how do these principles of motion apply to things like sports or transportation systems? I'd also like to know more about the historical development of these concepts.