Don't let four-wheel drive fool you, because any car can spin out on icy, snowy turns. In wintry weather, drivers must slow down or shovel their way out of a snow bank. Why must drivers slow down? The coefficient of friction between rubber tires and snow is much less than the coefficient of friction between rubber tires and dry pavement.
The coefficient of friction between pavement and tires is about 1.00; whereas, the coefficient of friction between snow and tires is about 0.30.
So, how muc
Around the holidays, people typically gain weight as cookies, candy canes, and other treats are around every corner. But, this Christmas, you can lose weight! Without a diet, and without exercise, there is one answer to the essential question: "How can I lose weight?" Simple. Go to the moon.
Here is the calculation to prove this solution really works!
1) Find g:
g=[G(mass of moon)]/[(radius of moon)^2]
g=[6.67x10^(-11) x 7.35x10^22]/[(1737000 m)^2]
g=1.62 m/s^2
2) Conver
Pale people of the world, beware of the shining, warm sunlight! UV radiation, with a shorter wavelength than visible light, is absorbed by skin causing a sunburn and long-term skin damage. The Earth's atmosphere filters the majority of UV rays before they reach pasty humans; however, UV rays still penetrate the atmosphere. Exposure to UV radiation changes based upon altitude, distance from the equator, time of day, season and amount of cloud cover. At noon, with the sun high in the sky, sunscree
As APs are nearing closer, caffeine seems like the secret to success. Staying up late takes a toll on the body, and drains you of energy. Therefore, in the morning, it is very common to see kids and adults carrying around a cup of coffee or tea for the caffeine boost. Nobody wants to fall asleep in class. For those who do consume these beverages here is a disclaimer:
Beware of water heated in a clean container in the microwave. Unlike when water heats up on the stove, water heated in a microw
In college, I plan to major in biomedical engineering. Biomedical engineering combines biology, chemistry, physics, and math into one field of study. The field is very broad; so a biomedical engineer usually focuses on one specialization, some of which include medical imaging, biomechanics, bioinstrumentation, genomics, robotics, clinical engineering, tissue engineering... I am not sure which specialization I will follow yet; however, I think that tissue engineering is extremely fascinating. Tis
When an adventuresome IHS student ventures out of the school building to the turf field, he or she passes the WindTamer and solar-powered lights. I do not know how much energy the turbine actually harnesses, but it is cool nevertheless. How does the WindTamer work? The WindTamer turbines create two vacuums which suck air through the blades, and the blades rotate (creating rotational kinetic energy). One of the vacuums is behind the blades, and the other is behind the turbine. The blades used in
A couple games ago, my soccer team had ample opportunities to score against Gates Chili. We managed to sky the ball over the net from the six yard line, in the first five minutes of the game. After thinking about how hard it is to miss the goal from this distance, I thought I would compute the angle, theta, needed to clear the crossbar (8ft off the ground) from the 6-yard line. Given:
*average velocity of shot ~45ft/s
(this value varies between male/female, and level of play)
*delta x=18ft
*
This weekend, my brother was flipping through the TV channels, and a very interesting sport came on. The Dutch sport of Fierljeppen, similar to pole vaulting, involves a person sprinting, jumping onto a long pole at an angle, climbing to the top of the pole while it tilts over, and hopefully landing on sand on the other side of a pond. This sport is also known as canal jumping, as the athlete clears a body of water. In terms of the energy of Fierljeppen, here it goes. A person of mass, m1, and v
As senior year comes to a close, brain space previously reserved for memorizing lists of vocab or challenging physics concepts has been filled with plots for senior pranks, senior runs, and so on. As of now, our senior runs have been quite brief, but I remember the senior runs of the past being both long and successful. As a freshman, I remember being caught in the hallway as I heard the shouts and footsteps of hundreds of seniors coming my way. Senior runs, or more like senior stampedes, can be
As graduating seniors, we are getting old. No more high school, it's off to college! But, just how old are we? On the earth we are about 18 years old, give or take a few months. Because the other planets are different distances from the sun, they have different periods of revolution. Therefore, in relation to many planets we are very young (Neptune) or very old (Mercury).
A planet's period is given by:
= distance from planet's aphelion to sun
= distance from planet's perihelion to sun
Yesterday, the Girls' Varsity Soccer team started out with our first win! We scored a late goal with less than 2 minutes left in the game to make our way into the finals (of the tournament) on Saturday. After the celebrations and high fives, the referee came up to me and asked, "Have you taken Physics?" A bit taken by surprise, I responded "Yes." She went on to compliment the power and velocity of my punts, but she questioned the height. She believed, given the power behind the punts, tha
This is my first blog post with nothing to do about soccer! Tonight, when my dad was reading the Democrat and Chronicle, and I was doing my Calculus homework, he read me a blurb about an American and French Physicist who just won a Nobel Prize in Physics. The paper didn't explain much of anything in terms of what these physicists did to merit the prestigious award. I think the brief description was because the physicists, Serge Haroche and David Wineland, studied quantum physics and applications
Opening a fresh jar of pickles can be challenging. If you are somebody who struggles opening jars, don't be discouraged, physics can help. If you run the jar under hot water, the lid will become easier to turn. But, why? Metal has a higher coefficient of expansion than glass does. So, as the jar stays under the hot water, the metal expands a tiny bit, and the glass stays the same. There is no longer a need to workout, just run your tricky jars under the faucet, wait a minute, and let physi
As we are in our second independent unit, I thought I little review picture couldn't hurt. Remember:
1.) Max acceleration is achieved when the spring is at -amplitude or +amplitude.
2.) Max velocity is achieved at equilibrium.
And, along with this, we must know:
KE= (1/2)kA2sin2(wt) w= angular frequency, k= spring constant, A= amplitude, t= time
PE= (1/2)kA2cos2(wt)
These equations are useful when finding the Potential or Kinetic Energy at time, t, in the oscillation.
In early September, in the very beginning of my time in AP Physics C, I was hesitant about the workload and difficulty of the course. When Mr. Fullerton introduced integrals to us for the first time, I knew from then on that the class would be no piece of cake. The funny thing looking back is that I enjoyed the calculus parts of physics by the end of the year very much. With a solid calculus background, the "hard math" aspect of the AP did not seem so hard. For me, the hardest part of the class
So, this first blog entry is an introduction to me, goalkeeper0. As seen in my username, I obviously am a goalkeeper (for soccer)...I will soon post a blog entry about a recent soccer/physics encounter of mine. So, about me. I am interested in a combination of all three sciences, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. Thus, in college, I hope to study biomedical engineering-- which brings together both engineering and medicine. Biomedical engineering appeals to me, because of its many different career
In the realm of “big” things there is the world, the solar system, the universe, and then the…? Some scientists, primarily physicists, now believe in the existence of a multiverse. The idea of a multiverse has not been proven, but there is substantial evidence toward the theory. Some of the main points include:
1.) The observable universe goes on for as long as light has had the opportunity to get in the 13.7 billion years since the proposed Big Bang. Beyond the visible universe there can be
Displayed in his videos for our current independent unit, Professor Walter Lewin has a strong interest in magnetic monopoles. Lewin repeatedly stated that proof of the hypothetical magnetic monopole would win the brilliant scientist a Nobel Prize. Because of his excitement toward this topic, I have researched a bit about the mysterious magnetic monopoles.
Currently, it is believed that a magnet must have a positive, and a negative pole; the existence of magnetic dipoles has been elementary a
Population concerns on Earth are leading scientists to inquire whether colonizing Mars is possible. As of now, over 78,000 people have applied to leave Earth forever and live on Mars. Mars One, a nonprofit organization, is sponsoring the colonization with a take-off date sometime in 2023. Out of the applicant pool, four will be chosen to send first to Mars. The first four will lay the groundwork for a permanent colony. Two years after the first four land, Mars One would send up more people to th
Most people think of magnets as a solids. But, think again. A "liquid" form of magnet exists.
Ferrofluids contain magnetic particles in a liquid carrier, and act like a "liquid magnet." Ferrofluids do not clump together to form solids because of a surfactant, which coats the magnetic particles. The surfactant overcomes the magnetic forces between the particles and keeps the solution a liquid. A ferrofluid is primarily made of a liquid carrier, and contains relatively small amounts of magneti
Circuits with resistors:
In series:
Req=R1+R2+R3+R4+...
I=I1=I2=I3=I4=...
V=IR1+IR2+IR3+IR4+...
In parallel:
1/Req=1/R1+1/R2+1/R3+1/R4+...
I=I1+I2+I3+I4...
V=V1=V2=V3=V4=...
Note: Replacing resistors in parallel with one resistor of equivalent total resistance is very useful when analyzing circuits
Circuits with capacitors:
In series:
1/Ceq=1/C1+1/C2+1/C3+1/C4+...
Q=Q1=Q2=Q3=Q4=... (Conservation
Obvious connections between Physics and Calculus, or Physics and Chemistry exist. However, what about Physics and Humanities? Recently, in Humanities class, we continued our Middle Ages unit with a lesson on medieval architecture. We focused on the Gothic Cathedrals built in the Middle Ages, and the advances in architecture which were necessary to build such tall structures.
The first major advance was the transition from the rounded arch to the pointed arch. The pointed arch distributed the
Physics separates the good from the great goalkeepers.
1. The Understanding of Momentum- A goalkeeper must keep his weight shifted forward, standing on the balls of his feet. When a shot comes, the goalkeeper will try to save the ball while moving forward. Therefore, due to conservation of momentum, any rebounds will deflect away from the goal. A flat-footed goalkeeper (weight on heels) will deflect shots backward, into the goal.
2. The Analysis of Vectors- While preparing for a shot, a go
The Law of Conservation of Energy: Energy may neither be created nor destroyed.
One of the most simple transformations of energy occurs when a ball is dropped from height, h. Before being released, the ball possesses potential energy equal to mgh with m=mass, g=gravitational constant, h=height. While the ball is in motion, before it reaches the ground, its kinetic energy= (1/2)mv2 increases and potential energy decreases. When the ball hits the ground, some energy is converted to friction. So
If you ever find yourself in Las Vegas with nothing to do, $100 to burn, and gambling isn't your forte, head over to the Stratosphere Casino/tower.
At the Stratosphere, you can experience the thrill of free fall as you descend 108 floors to the ground. After taking the elevator to the top of the building, you receive a brief "safety lesson." Then you saddle into the harness, say a prayer, and jump! (Ok, this isn't true free fall. A long cord is attached to your back which slows you down for th
