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AlphaGeek

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Everything posted by AlphaGeek

  1. Great job on the truss! Lol there are people in that pic... We should add a "tag your friends" feature to aplusphysics
  2. AlphaGeek

    The last...

    "I've never done so poorly on so many exams before in my life." I totally agree with you! This course and calc were doozies in terms of exams. Cheers to conquering them both! Happy summer!
  3. AlphaGeek

    the end

    Haha, I saw your Kerbal creations! It's a good thing that Jebediah regenerates each launch, or else the number one cause of death on Kerbin would be by rocket ;]
  4. Haha I agree! The blog posts were a way to explore the realms of physics, whether it be the possibility of reaching temperatures below 0 Kelvin or simply the physics of a toaster
  5. Right! It's funny to look back and reflect upon how scary integrals were at first. Happy last day! We will miss you, Mr. Fullerton! Thanks for all of the help
  6. yay toast physics! There's also physics in the springs, because they hold potential energy when displaced ***this blog makes me want a slice of toast***
  7. I hope you're able to post it, Charlie! It was painful to watch though ^^;
  8. You're one to talk! "Gravity."
  9. It's too late for the first one, but this one is still unsolved
  10. Nope! Hint: it's one of Jool's moons.
  11. I can't believe it's the last day! I'm going to miss this class so much D:
  12. Hahahaha, this is the most in depth blog post I've ever seen. Well done, Dave!
  13. Hahaha, your daughter is the coolest 3 year old on the planet and I've never even met her.
  14. Soooo, because this is my last blog post for this year ( ), I thought it would be fitting to do a course reflection on the AP-C physics class this year. I thought I'd do it in a "bests-vs-worsts" top 5 format, kind of like you could find on collegeprowler.com when viewing different schools. Top 5 Bests: 5.) Blog Posting [i thought this was really fun! I've never done anything like this before for a class. It brought up interesting physics applications and I thought it was fun to converse with classmates on the site ] 4.) Independent Units [As uncomfortable as I was at first, independent units forced me to manage my time, work harder than usual to learn the topic, and was great preparation for college. I feel like everyone sould experience this kind of a unit before graduating] 3.) Assigned practice problems from the readings [Assigned problems were REALLY helpful. I would've struggled a lot more than I did had I skipped doing the sample problems] 2.) Units with Lecture & book follow-up [This is my favorite way to learn things! The read-then-lecture method] 1.) VIDEOS <3 [Hands down the most helpful resource in Physics] Top 5 Worsts: ...I think this is my biggest beef. I really don't have 5 things to complain about. 1.) Readings weren't assigned [When life gets busy in the middle of the year, especially with a number of APs, sports, etc., readings are the first thing to get cut out for me if they're not assigned. Confession: when the going got tough, I would often skim or not read. I reccomend assigning readings in the future. Kids will complain, but they'll thank you when they see better grades and their AP score.] Overall, this was a successful year. A note to future students: This is by far the hardest AP course I've taken throughout high school. If you want to succeed, you must: A.) Read the textbook and do some practice problems B.) WATCH THE VIDEOS. Whether you're confused or simply want review, these are soooo outrageously helpful. It's like being in class a second time, except in 15 minutes or less instead of 42. Plus, you can skip over any sections that you feel you know solid. C.) REVIEW THE EQUATIONS AND FREE RESPONSE BEFORE THE AP. I went through most of the E&M free response questions as well as both E&M and mechanics equations before the exam. KNOW THE EQUATIONS! I swear equations and key concepts are the majority of the test when it comes to the multiple choice Qs. Any favorite parts of the year? Things you wanted to change? Post below with your opinion! ...I can't believe we only have 1 more day of physics
  15. Yes! Mathgeek15 has a cookie coming her waaaay!
  16. Pre-Launch Design Release Team Name: Kailzah Available Funds: 143,841 Vehicle Name: Space Heifer I Vehicle Parts List and Cost: Standard Nose Cone (680), Command Pod Mk1 (600), SAS adv. (1,100), RV-105 RCS Truster (4x450), FL R25 RCS FT (800), FL T200 FT (2x225) LV-909 Liquid Engine (750x1/2), TR-18A Stack Decoupler (600), Rockomax Brand Adapter (50), Rockomax Jumbo 64 FT (5x12,500), Rockomax "mainsail" Liquid Engine (6x850x1/2), FTX-2 External External Fuel Duct (5x250), EAS4 Strut connector (40x250), TT18-A Launch Stabilizing Enhancer (200x5), Protective Rocket Nose Cone (5x1000), Landing struts (3x240), Parachute (2x700), rockomax FT (6,600) Total Cost: 97,025 Design Goals: The Space Heifer I is designed to go to the Mun in order to explore and search for easter eggs. We used 5 large engines that surround the core, which has 2 decouplers. Using multiple stages will allow us to have enough power and fuel to break the atmosphere. After decoupling, the Space Heifer 1 will be light and have a smaller fuel reserve, making it easier to menuver and land on the Mun. Launch Goal: This will be our first technical landing on a mass other than Kerbin, which is very exciting! It will test both our flight skills, our utilization of fuel and our landing skills. Our main goal is to land a manned craft safely on the Mun, which has already been done but will help develop our orbiting/landing skills. Though getting to the Mun is our main goal, it would be cool to find an easter egg and achieve one of those three easter egg- launch goals on the way. Pilot Plan: 1. Turn on SAS and go full throttle 2.) During overheat, turn down throttle to avoid overheat 3.) Decouple and loose the first 5 tanks when fuel is low/out 4.) Go full throttle with first core engine 5.) Turn on propgade 6.) After exiting the atmosphere, cut engine and enguage the RCS 7.) Expand orbit to intersect that of the Mun, forward time to get closer to moon 8.) full throttle & widen untill path is suitable for orbit (when first fuel tank runs out of fuel, decouple to second core tank and engine) 9.) When close enough to moon, shorten path to orbit Mun 10.) Enter atmosphere, SLOW ship down, orient ships engine toward ground 11.) When closer, deploy parachutes (and cross your fingers for Jebedah!) Illustrations: Safety Rep: Charlie E.?
  17. For those of you who don't know, there is a video section of the Aplus site that features videos of physics-y origin. You can get there by clicking the word "videos" on the top blue bar of the site. http://aplusphysics.com/community/index.php/videos/view-340-vector-despicable-me/ When I first saw this video, it was floating among intense brain-teasing physics vids and real life examples of the science. I thought it deserved some defense for its place on the site, so let me explain what this despicable me mini clip has to do with physics. The most notable physics-feature of the video is that the geeky character's name is Vector, as he explains both verbally and through body language. A vector quantity is a magnitude with direction. For example, velocity is a vector quantity. A velocity of 3 m/s to the right has both units (meters per second) and direction (to the right). 3 m/s alone, a speed, is not a vector quantity because even though it has units, it does not have a direction. We call this a scalar quantity. I hope that explains Vectors joke, "I'm committing crimes with both direction and magnitude!" If he were the evil Dr. Scalar, it would only have magnitude. Haha! Ha. Ha... Ha. ...And I didn't notice this before, but when Vector first comes into the scene he crosses his arms while doing the "vulcan salute," which is actually the nerdfighter salute (You know! Vlogbrothers on youtube). I thought that was really cool. I wonder if it wasn't even supposed to be there in the first place, but some nerdy producer put it in Not familiar with vlogbrothers? Do acquaint yourself via nerd humor: ...Just for the record, my favorite part of the movie is as follows:
  18. Anybody else having trouble with orbiting other planets? Docking? Space planes even? I was on youtube the other night and came across a user who developed a number of Kerbal Space Program tutorials. They're long, but are thorough and walk you through processes step by step. He trouble shoots often, so you can clearn from his mistakes to address your own issues. Plus, he has an accent. Strangely enough that makes him fun to listen to. Here's the link to his Kerbal Space Program Playlist: There are a few intro videos, but he also has at least three for docking, a handful for orbiting various planets, and a number on space planes. I watched a few on the planes (just for kicks) and jeez they were complicated! The docking videos were loooong but helpful. If Kailzah makes it to the Mun before school ends, I'd really like to give docking another shot. Has anyone else found resources/tutorials that they've found helpful? Only three days left! It's Mun or bust for Kalizah ]
  19. You sure? I think 9 parachutes would really help with your time...
  20. Haha, a different form of water torture.. Thanks for sharing
  21. I agree! Though independent units weren't my favorite, I think they prepared us well for college, too. Three more days! D:
  22. On the Kerbal Space Program Wiki, it states, "Kerbals can survive for years with minimal or no food and oxygen supply." How about that? I wonder if they undergo photosynthesis or filter feed or something... If I were an astronaut, I'd be all over that Mac and Cheese.
  23. Yay! Just made an account. This'll be useful for college I'm sure. Thanks for the heads up! :3
  24. Lol, in Physics C we're playing an astronaut game. It's okay if none of this makes sense... Thanks for trying
  25. {I added a second cookie Q to buy you guys more time. Hopefully Charlie won't answer both before someone else in the class answers one..} You are a Kerbal physicist for Kow Jumperd Over the Mun, a company that excels in anything spacey or astronaut-y. After ending an argument between two colleagues, you decide to take a lunch break. The cafeteria guy, Louie Eeloo, has a thing for riddles, which started out amusing and grew annoying as the years passed. You were hoping that the line would be long and Louie would be busy, seeing as how its Flungus day in the small cafe (who doesn't love a heaping plate of Flungus?). No such luck. The cafe is a ghost town. You turn to avoid Louie and order out, but he's already spotted his next victim. Louie offers Ooglie Cookies to all riddle solvers. Because you have nothing better to do until the next launch, you decide to humor him. Louie says, "I have four friends, we run 'round Jool happy as can be. A 50 kg Kerbal on Kerbin weighs 3 kg on me. What am I?" Your stumach grumbles. You could really go for an Ooglie right now. What's the answer to Mr. Eeloo's riddle? It's actually not the day of the dead. I just like this photo. Have a feliz day anyway --Alpahgeek
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