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TheSigFig

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  1. TheSigFig
    ... Some Physics would still actually apply. In the wonderful world of cartoons, where the impossible is made possible, there are a few physics concept that hold true to an extent. maybe the world or cartoons just has its own set of physics, that just acts differently. Maybe when Elmer Fudd walks off that cliff in his attempts at "huntin' wabbit" (Bugs Bunny) and floats in the air until he realizes where he is, maybe gravity works kind of like electron diffraction: changing behavior when observed. Food for thought.
    Anyways, one of the big things I wanted to talk about here is that classic dropping of Acme anvils from the sky. used a lot in the Road Runner cartoons in attempts by Wile E. Coyote to catch the Road Runner, these large metal objects defy physics in many more ways than one, but let's look at an example where its behavior is actually a bit realistic. In this instance, Wile E. Coyote ends up accidentally hanging on to the anvil as it falls. the result: the anvil drops quickly, and he remains still until yanked out of the air by the anvil. Although realistically he would start to fall the second he was in the air, it isn't 100% unrealistic for one reason: air resistance. as the objects, he and the anvil, begin to fall, they should fall at the same rate neglecting air resistance, but because Wile E. Coyote is much lighter than the anvil, he has a greater drag force acting on him in the upward direction resulting in a lower terminal velocity reached at a faster time than the anvil. However because he is holding on to the anvil, which is moving faster, this would then cause another downward force to act on him soon after, dragging him down at the same speed as the anvil. of course, there are still many more questionable factors, but hey, its just a cartoon
  2. TheSigFig

    Hardcore Parkour

    By TheSigFig,

    Parkour: you've probably heard of it, maybe you've seen it, odds are you've seen it or a funny spoof of it somewhere on TV or the internet. Essentially it's people doing insane flips, jumps, and stunts off of buildings, rails, and really pretty much anything, and coincidentally there are some aspects of physics that make it possible. A while back, I got my first actual parkour experience. My older brother, who lives in Virginia, took me to a parkour gym he goes to when my family went to visit him. I was so excited, and had always wondered how people do all those crazy stunts, landing from two stories high and continuing to run like it's nothing. what I discovered was not only that it's a ton of fun, but what makes it work is actually quite fascinating. Basically it all comes down to one thing, keeping your momentum going. This is done through what I was told is one of the most important things in parkour: the roll, what you're supposed to do upon landing from a large height. just hitting the ground and stopping is, well, painful to say the least, as the momentum you build from the fall goes to zero the instant you hit the floor. that much of a change in momentum in such a short time means a very large, and painful force. instead, what the roll does is extend the impact time, and transfer momentum from the fall to a different direction. the downward momentum built up from the fall is converted to rotational momentum as the person lands, then back to translational as they get up and keep running. this combination of less of a change in momentum, and more time for the impact to occur, results in significantly less force felt by a person, making all these crazy jumps and drops possible
  3. TheSigFig
    with this being a physics blog, I figured why not combine two things I really enjoy: Physics and videogames. when it comes to a lot of videogames, for some reason or another the laws of physics tend to be thrown out the window, but that doesn't mean there's nothing at all realistic about what may seem or be impossible. in many instances impossible objects can follow at least a few real laws. Today I'm talking about the Nova Bomb from the game Destiny, a purple glowing ball of space magic that your character can conjure and launch across distances to destroy your enemies. while just the concept of forming something like this out of thin air is clearly impossible, there are some laws of physics that this purple ball of destruction still follows. first off, it behaves the way a thrown projectile would. it takes a parabolic path, and travels different distances when thrown at different angles, the greatest possible distance being achieved when it is thrown at an angle of 45 degrees. An upgrade in the game allows it to be thrown farther and faster, which, assuming Newton's laws of motion apply to it, means that it either has less mass, or is thrown with a greater force, resulting in a greater acceleration, and greater initial velocity.
  4. TheSigFig
    With everyone waiting for December for the new Star Wars movie to come out in theaters, I thought I'd talk about some aspect of Star Wars in this blog. in this case, something that's common to a lot of works of science fiction: Spaceships, and the many capabilities they possess. First is their ability to simulate gravity. In the original Star Wars movies, the Empire utilizes massive space battleships called star destroyers, and despite them floating in space, the people on board seem to have no problem traversing their corridors as if there wasn't a lack of gravity, but how can something like that be possible? the answer is simple, it's not with today's technology. in order for something in space like a station or ship to simulate gravity, it must be very large, and rotating so that gravity is simulated by the object's centripetal force. in the case of the star destroyers, they may be massive, but they don't seem to rotate at all, meaning if one was somehow made today, anyone on it would just be floating around aimlessly, pushing themselves off of walls attempting to navigate it. Another notable aspect of spaceships in Star Wars and other works of sci-fi is their ability to travel at "warp speed" taking them across entire solar systems and galaxies in a matter of minutes. not only is this impossible because nothing can move faster than the speed of light, this would also mean that the ships would have to withstand an impossibly high amount of force to accelerate them to such a speed. so unfortunately, in today's age, long distance space travel is far from possible. perhaps in the future when more technology is created, it will be more viable. 
  5. TheSigFig

    My first post

    By TheSigFig,

    Welcome to my physics blog! this is the first of many more posts to come throughout the year as I take AP Physics C. in my free time I enjoy many different activities such as being with friends, playing videogames, playing or listening to music, and watching movies. I am taking AP Physics C this year because I wanted to challenge myself in a subject I enjoy. I have a big interest in math and science, and hope to go to college for some kind of engineering. haven't decided which yet. I like how my physics class is taught through videos and reading on our own time. it lets me go at my own pace and learn things kind of on my own rather than sitting though a long lecture from a teacher in front of a board talking the whole time while you write down pages of notes. I look forward to the rest of this year in physics! (for those wondering about my username, I wanted to make it some kind of bad pun)

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