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?