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denverbroncos

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Everything posted by denverbroncos

  1. As someone who cannot juggle, I feel slightly better knowing how much science there is behind it.
  2. Who knew how hard it was to swim...I don't recognize the resistance equation, are we supposed to know it or did you look it up
  3. There would have to be someone outside that huge blast radius left to make the ruling though. What a cool idea, if slightly unrealistic
  4. I agree with both of you, it is trying to apply high level concepts in new ways within such a short time that makes it hard, once we have time while correcting to think the problems over they seem much easier.
  5. I am amazed by the complex physics behind sports, and how professional players have an innate, subconscious understanding of how to use the laws of nature to their benefit.
  6. So, for all our physics experience we should be dominating high school tennis this year... and Federer should be collaborating with Stephen Hawking already
  7. denverbroncos

    Friction

    Friction is a common place to lose points, its true, but if you can do it then it is an awesome way to gain an edge on the AP
  8. This is true, but it is also what makes math the hardest. Since it is the building block of science we have no frame of reference when doing math without applications, making it hard to conceptualize.
  9. In AP-C right now, we are doing an independent unit for impulse and momentum. I love this idea, and it is going very well. Being able to do things in the order which works best for me, first reading and watching the course material, then starting with a practice test to see where I am and then moving on to a lab, before doing practice problems is great and makes the unit feel more interesting and engaging.
  10. Halloween has come and gone, and I did absolutely nothing as usual. But if I could go back and participate how would I dress up? If you are a physics student in need of a costume for next year try some of these: Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, whenever someone asks you a question, you aren't sure of the answer; An electron, simply run in circles around the "nucleus" of normal people at the party; or perhaps an isochoric process. If anyone asks you to do something, simply reply that you do no work.
  11. Very cool, but also very scary. The coast was hit so much harder than the rest of us, if Sandy was throwing branches at 40 miles per hour while cooling off how dangerous would it have been to be out in the peak of the storm.
  12. Car crashes happen thousands of time every year, and while they can be horrific they also offer an excellent look at momentum and impulse. Cars are extremely massive, and therefore have very large momentum's even at very low speeds. This is why innovations such as seat belts and air bags are so vital, they increase impulse to help the human body cope as huge amounts of kinetic energy that the vehicles possessed is transferred to them though extreme force. So if you ever think about ignoring that seat belt before you start driving, just do the math. I guarantee you'll put it on.
  13. People truly are incredible. Take a simple act like throwing a baseball, something anyone can be taught to do quite easily. Yet this simple action involves two dimensional motion, rotational velocity, UCM torque and energy. From making sure your arm is fully extended to create more torque, which produces more velocity on the ball, to releasing the ball at an optimal 45 degree launch angle to get maximum distance. Not to mention the transfer of energy, from kinetic to potential as well as non conservative air resistance. Throwing a baseball is really proof humans actually have a very high level of instinctual understanding of physics, something I love to tell myself prior to every exam.
  14. Nuclear energy has long been, and likely always will be controversial. Its supporters cite the massive amounts of energy it can produce, while its detractors point to the radioactive byproducts of the fission method used now. And while events such as Chernobyl, Three Mile Island and the failing nuclear plants during the Japan crisis are all reasons to fear nuclear energy, it cannot be dismissed. That is because of Cold Fusion, the work being done to create energy by fusing hydrogen atoms at a temperature low enough to be done on earth. This process would have none of the harmful by products, but still eludes modern physics. For now the jury is still out on nuclear energy, but it is something to keep a close eye on as science continues to move forward.
  15. Science fiction novels are all about projecting the wildest possibilities for future technology to entertain readers, which is why it is so astounding how often what is written comes true and so interesting to think what will come true next. Robert Heinlein wrote of mechanical hands controlled by a human, a technology now used in medicine, which was only imaginary at the time he thought of it. He also is credited with the idea for the water bed. So, what will be the next technology to become real: laser guns, teleportation or speed of light travel, perhaps? With all the progress being made accelerating particles and understanding the fundamental workings of the universe, it is feasible humans will develop a method of moving across large distances in very short lengths of time, the kind of thing science fition once postulated. Beam me up Scotty?
  16. Ever since the announcement of a possible discovery of the Higgs-Boson by the scientists at CERN, I have been trying to understand just what it is. Scientists believe it is what transfers mass to objects as they pass through the Higgs field. Also theoretical, this field is what explains mass under the Standard Model of the atom and its use in particle physics. So, without the tandem of the Higgs field and Higgs Boson, there would be no mass. If they are real. I find this all very confusing, and the site following is the clearest explanation I can find. http://science.howstuffworks.com/higgs-boson1.htm
  17. As a fan of sports and video games, and a student of physics, it is very interesting to see the two try and merge. Every year Madden is boasting about how its new game will better incorporate momentum into creating authentic collisions between players, and yet every year the ball floats through the air like it is filled with helium. Also, the NBA games talk about incorporating momentum and weight into player movement while enabling players to make unrealistic changes in direction. Game companies need to realize that attempting to improve the physics of their games will not always improve the quality or authenticity of the product, and should leave innovation in physics to the scientists.
  18. Irondequoit High School physics students recently finished making catapults, and it was a blast. It was also an excellent way to look at how interconnected physics truly is. In our catapult, we used spring potential energy to create torque on the catapult arm, which generated angular velocity and kinetic energy, which in turn was transferred to the softball and sent it moving out over the football field. Seeing how the many topics of physics can come together to create a fun and practical (If you every find yourself in medieval Europe) lab was one of the best learning experiences I have ever had.
  19. Hello, internet (on the off chance everyone in the world reads this). I just started Physics C, mostly because I found AP-B to be entertaining and challenging. I'm an English oriented person so this is going to be a tough year, especially electricity and magnetism, which were very tough last year. I want to take Physics C because I find it to be an interesting science that also offers college credit. I hope Physics C helps me get ready for college math and science classes, and maybe even counts as one. I am excited to see if I can get a better grasp on the concepts I struggled with last year, but am worried that my shaky start with E and M will prove troublesome.
  20. I concur, electrostatics and magnetism were very hard to understand from a conceptual standpoint, hopefully a more in depth look at them will clear things up.
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