Jump to content

Cvankerkhove

Members
  • Posts

    57
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1

Everything posted by Cvankerkhove

  1. Dear Mr. Kennedy, I landed on the moon in Kerbal. I am a physics god. Please don't disrespect me -Chris Vank
  2. Hey Mr. Fullerton and anyone whos reading this, its been a pleasure grinding this year. Hope you enjoy this great video and maybe even chuckle a bit.
  3. Pre-Flight Briefing #2: In this mission we will be teaming up with Nicholas Enterprises to use our shared skills and to get into orbit. We will have a more in depth pre-flight briefing to ensure a more successful launch compared to last time. We are splitting the cost 50/50, but 30% of our reward money will go to Nicholas Enterprises. Available Funds: $50,000 (StackBnimble) + $210,000 (Nicholas Enterprises). We will be splitting the costs 50/50 Vehicle Name: yuh Parts: MK16 Parachute,Mk1 Command Pod, 2 18 A Stack decouplers, 3 Fuel Tanks, 4 Hammer Boosters, 4 Radial Decouplers, 4 Fins for aero dynamics, four aerodynamic nose cones, 2 swivel engines. Total Cost: $12,920 Design Goal: Our design goal in this mission is to have a rocket, with sufficient fuel and boosters to get us into orbit, and then enough fuel to be able to get out of orbit and back into the atmosphere. The rocket is composed of decouples to get rid of dead weight, and the command pod has heat shields and a parachute for safe landing back to earth. Launch Goal: On this launch, our ultimate goal is to get into orbit, and subsequently complete the milestones for launch and manned launch to 10k,manned launch to 50k, getting into stable orbit, manned stable orbit, and doing all this to return to land safely. Also, if we are in good shape, we will do a Kerbal EVA. Pilot Plan: Our plan for our pilot, Bob, is to use the SAS system to help us stay on track in getting into orbit. Also, with the piloting skills of Marcus Nicholas, he will help us with maneuvers getting into orbit, and getting back to earth safely. All illustrations for will be presented in our post flight briefing.
  4. Kerbal Space Program Pre-Flight Briefing #1: For our first launch we plan on just getting into the air very high, and if we can safely get into orbit we will achieve milestones, and get safely back to Earth. We will be using a simple rocket with boosters and fuel tanks to minimize cost, but maximize our success. Materials: Command Pod Mk 1: ($600) Parachute Mk16: ($422) 18A Stack Decoupler X2: ($800) Fuel Tank FL-T400 x3: ($1500) Swivel Liquid Fuel Engine x2: ($2400) Radiator Panels x2: ($300) Radial Decoupler TT-38K x4: ($2400) RT-10 Solid Fuel Booster x4: ($1600) Aerodynamic Nose Cone x4: ($960) Total Cost: ($10,982)
  5. So we are coming to a close of the third quarter in AP physics, and therefore it is time for me to write one last blog about how this quarter went in class. We continued with the E and M course, and moved rather quickly as the AP exam would be right after the end of the quarter. Electric Potential came directly after statics, and I found this quite interesting, paticulary derivations concerning Gausses Law. Furthermore, we moved on to circuits and personally this was probably my favorite unit of the course. I really enjoyed learning about RC Circuits and how capacitors and resistors interact in a circuit; we did a lab using a bread board and Logger Pro software and this was very interesting in seeing how a capacitor discharges. Lastly, we got into magnetism, and inductance. The main thing I got out of magnetism in this course is the chicken and egg paradox with electricity and magnetism. They are one in the same as a moving electric field creates a magnetic field, and a magnetic field can induce a current. It's all about moving charges! Furthermore, I enhanced my understanding with the Bio Savart Law and the more simpler Ampers Law. All in all, this course has been my favorite out of my high school career, and I am ready to kill it on his AP exam in may. I would also like to thank Mr. Fullerton for the extension on the blog assignment.
  6. I watched a video from the YouTube account MinutePhysics and it was very interesting about conservation of energy, and staying warm in a cold climate. This video was similar to the one I wrote about in an earlier blog about it it's better to run or walk in the rain. Anyway, the video basically explained that when a person is in a very cold situation, the surface area of they're body exerts almost a protective layer of heat around they're body, of course they will still feel cold in freezing temperatures, however they are warming than they should be. When runnning, there is a draft force and therefore air resistance on ones body, and not only does this cool air make a person cold, a person is running away from the layer of heat their body creates. It would seem obvious to stay put then to stay the warmest right? Not exactly. When humans run, approximately 80% of their energy exerted is converted into heat energy. This heat energy warms a body up, but is it enough to outway the new cold faced by the person, because he faster one runs, the greater he air resistance. Well it turns out in freezing weather a person would have to run about a 6 minute mile to stay warmer than staying put. Moral of he story, wear a parca! Here is the link to he video I saw this on
  7. 007 Night fire was my absolute favorite game of all time, except I played on the ps2. The best gun was the rocket launcher where you could shoot it and then control where the missile goes after you shoot it. Do a blog on that gun.
  8. I recall an episode of the Simpsons where Homer and Bart go in a "Zero Gravity Ride" on a jet. In the show, the way the ride works is the jet flies very high above the altitude of Earthy, then when it reaches maximum altitude, does a nose dive towards the surface of the Earth. If we analyze the physics behind this, we can understand that because the jet is in free fall, Bart and Homer are in free fall, and therefore its like "0 Gravity." In reality, there is still a gravitational force acting on them, but it feels like there isn't because of free fall, and the jet falls at the same rate as the things inside. This is the exact same concept of a space shuttle in orbit. When astronauts are in orbit, they aren't really in a place with Zero Gravity. They are actually in constant free fall around the Earth. Furthermore, we can analyze the motion and actions Bart and Homer make when in free fall. one thing they do it float, but in order to move themselves a net force needs to act on them. By pushing their legs off the wall, a normal force is exerted on them and they can thus accelerate in the x direction until hitting the wall across them. Also, at one point they have a race by burping. Because burping releases gas from the system, an equal and opposite force pushes Homer and Bart in the opposite direction. This force is of course exaggerated for the purposes of the show, but the idea behind it is correct, similar to using a fire extinguisher on a rolling chair to move. Now indulge yourself in this comedic video of the scene.
  9. Cvankerkhove

    String Theory

    So recently in physics class, we were talking about relativity and theoretical physics, and String Theory came up. Naturally, I was intrigued by this topic, and so I researched the topic a bit. Basically here is the run down: In physics, particles can be replaced by one dimension things called "Strings." These strings propagate through space and time to interact with each other. A string is basically a quantum particle that carries a gravitational force, and therefore is Quantum gravity. Quantum gravity uses Einstein's theory of gravity using quantum mechanics. Furthermore, I watched a video on string theory where it related the creation and fission of different universes to string theory. the video compared a universe to a bubble, and we are tiny, tiny bugs on this giant bubble. A universe could form in two different ways: through either the collision of two different universes forming a new one, or the fission of one universe into two. The forming of our universe is what we have come to know as the Big Bang. This implies that if there is a multiverse of universes, we could travel to different ones. In order to accomplish this task, theoretically, we would need to use a wormhole to take a shortcut to another universe. A great example of a wormhole is to bend a piece of paper and stick a pencil through it. A wormhole is similar in that it bends space and time to create a shortcut.
  10. That spring must have an absolutely enormous spring constant in order to launch a nuke!
  11. In gym class we are currently in the Floor Hockey unit, and it has me thinking about all the physics behind hockey, both ice and floor hockey. First of all, in ice hockey, skating is an important feature. The coefficient of kinetic friction between skates and the ice is very, very low, it almost acts as a friction less surface. As result, when hockey players exert a force on the ground to accelerate themselves forward, the only way to stop in time is to turn the skates sideways and let the sharp skates dig in the ice to create a strong force of friction. For similar reasons, when a puck is shot, it will not slow down unless acted on by another force (usually another player, or the wall). Finally, why do goalies where so much padding? The reason is because a goalie is expected to save shots fired at them up to 150 mph. If they stop it, it will of coarse result in a very high impulse over a short period of time and therefore deliver a strong force to the goalie. For protection, pads are worn to decrease the change in momentum of the puck.
  12. So i was watching a YouTube video and I came across an interesting concept. This gets into theoretical physics with parallel universes and stuff. So basically the Butterfly Effect states that the smallest action, such as the flap of a butterfly's wings can change the outcome of something in the world thousands of miles away. This implies then that if a person was able to go back in time, and they make one difference, they could change the future in millions of different ways. This leads me to think that there are thousands of parallel universes, some very different from ours and some virtually the same. When a choice is said to be made, both of those choices are made, kinda similar to the Schrodinger's Cat problem. As result, there are trillions upon trillions of different combinations of choices and events, each creating a different universe. Just something to think about.
  13. Its always awesome when you can apply stuff we learn in physics to a practical use. I remember doing that lab last year.
  14. Recently in our APC physics class we have been doing electricity and magnetism and therefore our labs include creating circuits with wires, resistors, breadboards and batteries. I believe one of the most important things I learned from this lab was that licking a 9-volt battery gives you a shock. I thank Mr. Fullerton for teaching me this trick. When you lick a 9v battery, your tongue acts as a conductor as it is wet and therefore electrons are free to move, both ends are touching your tongue and therefore a mini circuit is created. If you feel a slight shock, that's good: your battery is all charged up!
  15. Cvankerkhove

    Tennis

    As basketball season has come to a close, it makes way for tennis for me, and there is plenty of physics in tennis. First off, the tennis racket itself has engineering to allow the ball to fly with maximum velocity. Many cords are woven in the foundation of the racket, the strings have a strong tension in them and as result the hard tension allows for a ball to bounce of the racket and change direction. The rackets tensions are rated in force, specifically pounds (maybe newtons in Europe). anyway that's just a little bit on tennis. There is plenty more such as kinematics and momentum, but that's for another blog.
  16. So it has been break, and on a rainy day without school what can you do (other than read the physics textbook)? Go rock climbing. That's what I did recently and there is plenty of physics in it. For starters, when a person climbs up a wall, they are doing work against the force of gravity, or the gravitational field. Therefore potential energy is gained he higher one goes up. Now energy exerted is of course lost with sound and friction between rocks and hands. Furthermore, there are plenty of safety measures when rock climbing in a licsensed facility. Many places have people strapped to ropes in case of a fall, and to get down. Simply put, the rope is suspended over a pulley, with a person climbing on one end, and another person on the ground. The pulley helps redistribute the weight of the climbing. Once the person is ready to come down, the rope is pulled tight for the person climbing to be suspended in air. Therefore, the tension in the rope is approximately the weight of the person.
  17. Interesting bro. Cool when chemistry and physics cross over
  18. Our latest unit in gym class is archery and it has me thinking quite a bit about the physics behind a bow and arrow. For example, first of a bow is composed of a frame of some material that can stretch. Next a stein string like material is tied to each end. The tighter the string, the higher the tension. A bow with a higher tension applies a greater force and therefore the impulse delerviered to the arrow is greater, (which of course is change in momentum). Energy is transferred into the arrow which hits a target or deer etc. other factors that come into play include air resistance and the force of gravity. Lastly, there are bows with pulleys that redistribute the force, making it easier to pull back the arrow, but still have a great force applied. The compound bow was invented by a man with the last name Bear. Thanks Bear!
  19. Nate Stack can't guard me. If he trys he will get crossed over
  20. As midterms approach, quarter two is quickly wrapping up, and this means many things when it comes to Fullerton's APC class at IHS. For one thing, Mechanics is done. We are officially ready to take an APC exam (which will be our midterm, a scary and exciting thought). In this quarter, we got into rotational momentum, oscillations, pendulums and gravity. Personally I felt the gravity unit was pretty tough. We also got our first taste of E & M, in the Statics unit. The big thing about this unit: Gausses Law. This law helps us to determine the flex and magnetic field due to Gaussian objects. Anyway, it's been quite some work, but I hope everyone is ready for the midterm. Best of luck!
  21. Interstellar is a cool movie similar to this idea, although when they start talking about time travel it becomes sci-fi
  22. Cvankerkhove

    Mr.President

    It would be interesting to see how this glass would protect against a grenade. Where would all the tiny particles momentum go (because momentum must be conserved).
  23. In an earlier episode of what came to be an instant classic, Homer Simpson accidentally attempts to jump over the "Springfield Gorge" (most likely the Simpson's version of the Grand Canyon). Anyway, while this scene is extremely funny, there some inconsistencies to laws of physics. In this blog I am going to point out a few. First off, when Homer first goes off into the air, he stays at the apex of his motion for about 3-4 seconds while only having a horizontal velocity. In fact, it almost seems as if Homer's vertical velocity seems to oscillate up and down. Of course, any physics student will tell you that this is incorrect, force there should be a net force of the force of gravity acting on Homer, and therefore he should have been accelerating downward (not in vertical equilibrium). Furthermore, when we get a wide-shot of Homer, once he realizes he is not going to make the jump, the acceleration due to gravity acting on him seems to increase exponentially; it certainly was not a constant acceleration and while this makes for hilarious television, it does not meet real life physical standards. Lastly, Homer actually falls down the cliff twice, and the force of the gorge and rocks acting on his body would surely be enough to kill him, but of course he is Homer Simpson, and when he wants to, he gets to decide the laws of physics.
×
×
  • Create New...