Week 15 Reflection

This week in physics we focused mostly on acceleration, our current unit, in preparation for our final assessment for the unit on Thursday. On Monday, we further looked at position vs. time graphs, velocity graphs, acceleration graphs, and motion maps for different situations dealing with acceleration. Each group handled a different situation and we used the motion sensor to collect data for different parts of the experiment. For my group, we had an object going down a slope and then continuing for a flat portion. This consisted of us completing two different parts of the experiment with the ramp: the slope and the flat portions. We then had to construct the graphs using both parts of information and used a dotted line to show the separation of the two platforms.

On Tuesday, we practiced using our mouse-trap cars on the school floor surface, which can make a huge difference if your wheels don't provide enough grip to propel the car. I actually was the demonstrator for the class and had a great outcome with my car. I decided not to touch it anymore to avoid damage. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing. I was satisfied with my car and it propelled the whole three meters on the test-drive day. On Thursday we had our last assessment for the break, in which we had a group assessment. This meant that our group tables were able to work together and collaborate onto one sheet. Overall, the assessment went really well for our table. This unit can be a bit difficult because the graphs can get jumbled and confusing, but I thought we handled the test well.

And Friday was race day. I was excited, yet nervous because I had worked so hard on my car and I really wanted to watch it succeed. Unfortunately, as I was winding up my car, the fishing line broke on one side of the axel and I forgot to bring back up string. This meant that one of my strings would be shorter than the other, which would be an issue. However, I handled the situation well and made do with what I had to work with. Instead, I problem solved and make the longer string shorter. This meant that my car wouldn't be propelled as far, but I was hoping that it would at least get me to the three meter line. Although it didn't go much further, my car reached the three meter line despite the hardship. I'm actually really proud of myself looking back on it. Normally I would have been so stressed out, but I worked through it and made things work.

It's not just physics, it's improvement!

Week 14 Reflection

This week in physics we focused more on acceleration and an object's tendency to increase in velocity as it is free failing, due to only the Earth acting upon it (unbalanced force). On Monday, we went up to the roof of the school to observe how different objects fell and how long it took them to hit the ground. We dropped a bowling ball and a lacrosse ball at the exact time and it resulted in both balls hitting the grass at the same time. This is because the Earth was acting on both objects with the same gravitational pull despite their different weights. It was fun to get a fresh eye and witness physics in action outside of the classroom and the lab also demonstrated principals I had never though of before. For example, I would have thought that the bowling ball would have hit the ground first.

On Tuesday, we had our first assessment for the acceleration unit and I though it went really well for me. I understood that an object's velocity would continue to increase as it fell and I was able to use the quadratic equation accurately to calculate the final position and other missing pieces. I liked the fact that we were able to go over the questions on the assessment while having our paper in front of us to see where we went wrong and what we need to improve upon. Also, because we were grading our own, I was able to talk to my teacher and reach a better understanding than my words reflected on my assessment. This was helpful because I could show that I knew the material without having to come in to reassess due to a confusion of words on my paper.

At the end of the week, we began looking at velocity and acceleration arrows. We came to the conclusion that the closer the dots were to each other, the slower the object was traveling. And vice versa, the farther apart the dots were, the faster the velocity. The length demonstrates how fast the object was moving, while the arrow indicates the direction of the motion. Acceleration arrows tell how much and in which direction the velocity changes between the velocity arrows. There was also a demonstration in class of a line of girls traveling at both constant and unconstant velocities to come to a concensus about what the velocity arrows really represented.

And now off to my mouse-trap car!

Week 13 Reflection

This week in physics we continued to discover and study about unconstant velocities regarding both position vs. time graphs and velocity graphs. At the end of last week, we conducted an experiment with a car and ramp in which data was collected for the changing velocities and positions. The data was collected last week, but we ran out of time to debrief the lab, review, and understand its results. The force diagram for the car included the ramp pushing up, balancing the Earth pulling down, and the weight pulling to the right. This weight was considered the F(unbal), the unbalanced force, which meant that forces were not equal, and therefore would not be constant. The position vs. time graph swooped upward, indicating that the velocity was not constant, yet it increased as the time increased. The velocity graph showed that the speed was changing by the same amount each second, but was not a constant line like we are normally used to.

On Tuesday the class was challenged to to walk different position vs. time graphs and velocity graphs using meter sticks acting as the graph increments and a sensor at zero. Although we have walked graphs in the past, this was difficult for my group and the class as a whole. I'm still a bit confused because we didn't get to get through all the groups, but I'm sure I will have a better understanding after further explainations this coming week. Some moved in a positive direction and other in a negative direction and the position vs. velocity graphs confused me a bit. However, tonight I'm going to review my notes and try to come to a better understanding before class tomorrow.

Our class didn't meet on Wednesday due to a half day, so we were unable to complete the free fall lab from the top of the school, but we are doing it tomorrow. I'm excited to see the results from the experiment and get out of the class to experience physics in a real environment. It's nice to actually see what we're learning in action, rather than small examples in the classroom. I know that the old mobile devices that will be dropped will fall at an unconstant velocity due to only the Earth pulling on them, but I'm curious to see how long it actually takes for the object to hit the ground from the roof.

Wish us luck!
(P.S.- No pictures this week, but more to come after the lab!)

Week 12 Reflection

This week in physics we focused mainly on review material, which incorporated labs, class discussions, and whiteboarding activities. On Monday, we finished up our spaghetti bridges, which happened to be a success for the class as a whole. We then began flashing back to our first unit, Velocity, to continue our knowledge on position vs. time graphs, velocity graphs, writing equations, and analyzing the motion of different objects. It poses as a reminder that although we finished the unit and were already assessed on it, we still have to hold onto and apply the skills we learned as it pertains to other units.

We were given a worksheet on Google Drive to work on two days this week that included material that was already covered earlier in the year. In groups we worked on questions regarding constant velocities, calculating an objects weight (w=m*g), and drawing force diagrams for different situations. The following day we had a sub in class, but continued our work on the worksheets, whiteboarded our results, and shared with the class to come to a complete understanding. The worksheet personally went really well for me, but I did have to review some key concepts that I was a bit fuzzy on. We had an assessment on Friday on this material, and I felt that it went really well for me. Having the worksheet helped me a ton in reviewing for the assessment and I hope we use worksheets in the future to review.

In addition to reviewing and assessing, we also began a lab in which we used a car on a ramp with technology that recorded graphs of the position and velocity of our car. My group ended up receiving great, clear results that allowed us to interpret them with ease. For the position vs. time graph, the postion increased as the time increased, but they went up at a slope, indicating that the velocity was not constant. The velocity was actually changing by the same amount each second and continued to increase until the car came to a stop. We came to the conclusion that the car would continue to increase in velocity until it was stopped by an unbalanced force.

Until next week,
#TmPhys12