Jump to content

PFowler

Members
  • Posts

    13
  • Joined

  • Last visited

PFowler's Achievements

Newbie

Newbie (1/14)

1

Reputation

  1. Reflection is the change in direction of a wave front at an interface between two different mediums so that the wave front returns into the medium in which it originated. Common examples of this include the reflection of light, sound and water waves. In acoustics, reflection causes echoes. This is why when you go to a school concert, there are those white barriers behind the performers. They are there to reflect the sound from coming from the instruments to the crowd. Acoustics also play an important role in understanding how waves behave because the angle in which the waves hit the acoustics walls, the angle remains the same as it bounces off the acoustics barrier.
  2. Physics is also used back in the times of WW2 where submarine warfare became used. There would be these submarine hunter ships equipped with sonar technology that would patrol the water s searching for submarines. They would send out constant pulses into the water and if they sensed something out of the ordinary, they would drop depth charges. By detecting the enemy submarine, you can determine the depth in which the sub is at and then you can set the depth charges to the nearest 10 meters of the sub and hopefully blow the enemy out of the water. YAY PHYSICS!
  3. The Doppler effect is where the frequency of waves sound different because of an approaching or disappearing sound. For example, a fire trucks siren is blaring as they drive down cooper. While driving down cooper getting closer to the school, the sound waves come toward the school and have a higher frequency. And as the fire truck passes the school, the sound waves move away from the school causing a different pitch in sound. The Doppler effect also determines the speed in moving cars. Radar guns measure the different frequencies between the emitted waves from the gun that bounce off the moving car. This determines the speed in which the car is traveling.
  4. PFowler

    Physics of Speakers

    When I first heard we were making speakers in physics class, I got pretty excited because I've never done anything like this before and I was very interested in how we could make them ourselves. First electrical energy from the in the Ipod turns into magnetic energy which converts to sound waves that travels through our ear buds or speakers and eventually hits against our ear drums which then converts again to pulses in our brain so we can understand the music. We made a very simple speaker out of an index card, a very strong magnet, insulated wires, and some glue. The vibrations created by the magnet and the wire created the pulses needed to create the sound. There you go. Physics of a speaker
  5. PFowler

    Physics of Waves

    Slinkeys and springs are a great example of the production and visualization of waves. First, there are two types of waves, transverse and longitudinal. By making bigger waves/ adding a bigger pulse to the slinkey, the amplitude will increase and by increasing the speed in which you produce waves, the frequency will also increase. Interference also occurs when two waves meet. If a person at the end of the slinkey creates a wave at the same time you make another wave, the waves will interfere causing constructive or destructive interference. by performing different exercises with slinkeys and springs, we can observe how waves and by understanding the different motions between transverse and longitudinal waves.
  6. I have always had the dream of one day skydiving somewhere in the world. And since physics is everything, there is physics involved in skydiving. As you fall towards earth there are a few things that are involved in pulling you towards the surface of earth. Your weight is something that is involved in your fall to earth. The greater you weigh (mass), the faster you will fall to earth. Another thing that is involved directly with that is gravity. With the force of gravity pulling on you too, you will continue to fall towards earth. Hopefully your parachute will work and you will land safely on the ground.
  7. When the first snow of the year comes, we all make that first snowball. And getting into a snowball fight is a staple of the winter season. A lot of people I know can't throw very well or cant throw at all. I tell them that because of all the things we learned in physics, we can fix the way they throw a snowball so they can become a better thrower. First, throwing the snowball at a 45 degree angle will maximize the distance of the snowball. Along with that, having a good follow through will ensure that you can hit your target. And finally, the greater the force that is applied into throwing the ball, the faster the ball will go and impact the target harder.
  8. PFowler

    Physics of Football

    There are a lot of different things within physics that apply to the game of football. One of these is momentum. In football, its all about hitting the guy with the ball or just hitting the guy in front of you to make the block. A tip that most people say is that right before you get in the collision, you must relax your body to reduce injury. This also helps the shift in momentum because when you do this, you are allowing all the energy in your body to be transferred into the other player (Shift in the momentum). If you tense up, you are allowing some energy to be stored in your body which will lower the power of the hit.
  9. PFowler

    Physics of Work

    I currently have a job at wegmans as a cashier and it is quite the job. meeting and greeting those who come through my line. It is easy to see that there is plenty of work being done. My manager came to me the other day with a fun face that I life about 700lbs or 317.5Kg. To determine the amount of work that I do at work, I can use the formula W=Fd. This formula also breaks down into W=(m)(g)(h). To determine the amount of work I do in placing the groceries into the cart I can use this formula. W=(317.5kg)(9.81m/s^2)(.6m) By doing this math, I was able to find out that my work output is 1868.8J. No wonder why I am so tired after my 6 hour shift.
  10. So in the past few weeks, I have witnessed a few car accidents throughout the Rochester area and I thought doing the physics of crashing a car would be quite the topic. When a car and a truck collide, there is a change in momentum. Momentum is equal to the mass multiplied by the velocity of the object. When the car with a smaller mass hits a truck with a higher mas but , there is a shift of momentum between the two objects. therefore an heavier object can cause a larger impact due to the greater mass.
  11. Throwing anything typically involves us to pick up that object and manually throw that object in any direction. As we learned in physics, if you throw an object forward at a 45 degree angle, the object will have a greater dstance. We used this method and smarts during the construction and launching of our catapults last week. My group members along with myself built out catapult to our belief that we were gonn shoot for 80 yards. ha...silly people we are. Once our dream became more relistic, we focused on the angle and the amount of force we would be throwing a softball at. We calculated a 45 degree angle where our arm would stop ans where the soft ball would come out. To apply force and thrust the arm forward, we used the tension in bungee cords. In order for the softball to fly the farthest distance, we had to find the right size bungee cords that would fit our catapult and also provide the right tension for the job. overall, there is a lot of physics behind throwing an object and to maximize your outcome, have your angle of launch be at 45 degrees with as much power behind it to thrust forward.
  12. PFowler

    Physics of Soccer

    Hello, my name is Paul and I am currently a senior at IHS and I am taking physics because i thought it would be an interesting and hands on class. So far this year it is living up to standards. Overall, im taking physics to help understand why acts the way it does like jicking a soccer ball. I've been playing soccer since I was 3 and now with the help of physics, I can now know what kind of forces and such act on a ball as its kicked. As we know physics is involvoed with everything especially in sports like soccer. Soccer deals with gravity, energy and momentum. For passing the ball, the type of surface that you play on can really have an effect on how the ball moves. Say you kick a ball on a grass field. It will go a little distance with little force/energy. And on a turf field, a little force/energy will cause the ball to go farther because there is less friction on a turf field. Both impact where and how far it is going. Shooting the ball involves force and power. As you go up to the ball and kick, the energy from your leg/foot is transfered to the ball which makes it go farther. As a soccer player, having a hard and accurate shot is needed to boost your team. Thankfully, physics can teach one how and why a soccer ball moves and now I know the inside details on how physics works in soccer.
  13. My name is PFowler and i am 17 years old. There is a lot to say about myself and I find that there isn't anything i can't talk about. In school, I am a hard working individual and i strive for success. I prefer to work in groups and to have a hands on enviornment so I can gain more knowledge about things and I find school fun experience. Outside of the classroom, I am many things. During my free time I play soccer and enjoy playing any sport and hanging out with friends. I am currently number 17 on the varsity soccer team and a returning player. One of the biggest things i can say about myself is that i am a proud Eagle Scout of Troop 231. I got my eagle award in the summer of 2012 and it has impacted my life in such a positive way. Problem solving skills, public speaking, and team work are all my strong suits thanks to scouting and it has made me who i am today. i am an all around great person and i have the highest respect for people and look forward to working with my peers in my classes this year. I am talikg physics because it was the next class that was put on my schedule. So far i have found that this class will be one of the more interesting and intriguing classes i will take in my high school career. I hope to learn about anything new and interesting. I don't know what Im looking for yet but i bet i will find something by the end of this class. Though i may have a rough idea for what I want to learn, i am up to the challenge of learning new things.
×
×
  • Create New...