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!