Week 34 Reflection: The Last

Well team physics, this is the end, the last blog of the year. Looking back at all the activities, experiments, and work we have done, we have truly covered many aspects of the physics world. We completed the boat races, speaker project, reflective light activities, experienced electrostatic electricity, and have learned from several other projects and units. I mean, we've even dropped objects off the roof...

Each week we blogged, which seemed kind of redundant, but I truly think that cognitively reviewing the lessons each week helped me understand and reflect upon them later. Most of the time, as I was blogging, I would come to a greater understanding of the standard and parts would slowly come together as I wrote. A lot of students complained about completing the blogs each week, but I feel that they helped me do well on my assessments. However, I don't think the daily tweets were as beneficial as the blogs because sometimes the question was not explored during class and I felt like I was guessing, which is not in my academic comfort zone. I think it would be better to tweet a reduced amount was week than the everyday routine schedule. 

Some of my peers were frustrated about not having "follow along" note taking sheets, but I did not have this problem in class. It helped be begin to understand what material to sort out for proper note taking skills and in my opinion, it helped us better prepare for college that is looming. Personally, I enjoyed learning through different experiments and activities than taking notes on them. It took off the stress of trying to memorize a sheet of notes, and it instead helped you understand the principles first hand. Like you said at the beginning of the year, you have to be present to win. 

I would like to thank my teacher for both a great year and for giving me new skills to help me in the future. The technological advances that we put to use will be extremely helpful in the future and his way of teaching made me realize that it's not about being perfect, it's about learning and growing as a person. For that I am grateful. 

So long team physics! You've been good to me. Wish me luck on my exam :)

Week 33 Reflection

This week in physics we continued to experiment more with the magnetic sphere and we were able to experience how the energy flowed through us when the class all linked together. We then moved on and focused mostly on creating the styrofoam speakers in class and completing our presentations for the upcoming demonstration in class next week of our project. This was our main activity for the week. 

Before starting our styrofoam plate speaker, we had to do some research to learn how actual speakers work and figure out the physics behind them. I learned that in order to translate an electrical signal into an article sound, speakers have to contain both a permanent and electromagnetic magnet. The electromagnet is a metal coil that creates a magnetic field when an electric current flows through it. This is why we had to coil the red wire around the paper for our styrofoam speaker. 

The permanent magnet is fixed in position, but the electromagnet is mobile. When pulses of electricity pass through the coil, the direction of its magnetic field is rapidly changed. This causes it to attract and repel from the permanent magnet, resulting in a back and forth vibration. The electromagnetic coil is connected to a material such as plastic (styrofoam for us), which amplifies these vibrations. The amplification pumps sound waves into the surrounding air and towards your hears, allowing you to hear the sound. 

Our styrofoam plate speaker has all the same parts that act the same way, but they are made of different materials. I'll let you know how it goes next week! :)

Week 32 Reflection

This week in physics we began looking at static electricity, air particles, and electrons. We conducted an experiment in which we put tape on top of each other, petted it, and then ripped the two pieces apart. We then took the tape and put it next to different materials and observed if they attracted or repelled. From this experiment we learned that only electrons, or negatively charged particles, can move from object to object. Protons, positively charged particles, stay in place. We then had a demonstration to  with boys and girls in the class to portray the different pieces of tape and their charge. The guys were positive and the girls were negative. They were to show of a piece of tape could be negative, positive, and neutral. I didn't know that it mattered where the electrons were in a object and that it affected the charge of the whole object. 

In addition to the tap experiment, we were also able to observe the magnetic ball that gives off static electricity. We jest started by putting bunny fur on the bulb, which resulted in the hair standing up. Then we had someone put their hands on the bulb and observed her hair begin to stand up in the front. I was then able to touch Emily and was shocked due to the transferred electrons. A group of students then formed a line holding hands and they could feel the energy of the electron transfer going through their body. I hope that we can experiment more with this next week. 

We also learned a little bit about conductors and insulators. Conductors allow energy to pass through them and are typically made of metal. However, insulators don't allow electricity to pass through them so efficiently. 

Sorry it's kind of sort Maggie, but we find cover that much this week :) 

Week 31 Reflection

This week in physics we began our new unit, which deals with light waves. We began by turning off the lights in the room and observing a laser going through different medium, including glass and water. We observed that the light of the laser can be reflected or refracted. This means that the light beam can remain straight or become bent due to how it reacts with the surface. For example, when he laser was shown through a glass of water, the laser refracted and bent when going through the water. 

We also looked at the electromagnetic system, it's different waves, and the visible color range. I learned that an electromagnetic wave is a transverse wave that does not require a medium to travel. The electromagnetic spectrum from greatest to least wavelength is radio waves, microwaves, infrared waves, visible light, ultraviolet light, X-rays, and gamma rays. As you follow the spectrum from left to right, the wavelength distance decreases, the frequency increases, and the energy increases. With the increased energy, the speed of the waves also increases. The visible color range from left to right is red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Humans see these colors because of three cells in our eyes that controls the colors of red, green, and blue. These colors mix to form other colors of the visible color range. 

In addition, we also learned about cancer and how it can be caused by light rays. The smaller the light wave, the more energy the wave has. The greater the energy, the greater the capability of the light wave to penetrate your skin and cells. If the light wave does penetrate a cell, it can damage the cell's DNA and cause the damaged cell to multiply other damaged cells. These defective cells can clump together and can form tumors in the body. When doctors attempt to kill the cancer, they have to kill the defective cells without damaging the healthy ones, which has proved to be very difficult. 

Week 30 Reflection

This week in physics we continued to study sound waves and began to discover the speed of sound. We held an experiment in which a person clapped two wooden blocks together and walked further and further away. The point where the blocks were apart from each other when you heard the clap of the blocks was the sweet spot. The time it takes for the hitting of the blocks and the clap is equal to the amount of time it takes to reach your ears. We found out that it takes .25 seconds to reach our ears from a distance of 83 meters. The actual speed of like is 300,000,000 meters per second, or 186,000 miles per second. 

In addition to our experiment, we also learned that the speed of different sounds is affected by the medium and temperature. A mechanical wave is a wave that needs a medium to travel. We experienced this with the Ruben's Tube, which was a tube that you could like that would show the sound of music moving through the fire in a wave. It was cool to see how different songs and beats went through the fire. It's nice to actually see things happening than talking about things you haven't visually seen. 

On Wednesday we began looking at a worksheet in preparation for our assessment that includes equations regarding wavelength, frequency, velocity, and the period. Velocity equals wavelength times the frequency and and the frequency equals one divided by the period. Also, the period and frequency are reciprocals. The greater the wavelength the less the frequency. The highest pitch is the wave that has the highest frequency and the lowest pitch is the wave that has the lowest frequency. Because I wasn't in class on Friday, I will take my assessment tomorrow on this material. 

Week 29 Reflection

This week in physics we began looking at oscillating systems, their energy, and their different parts. We started by looking at weights on a spring that would continually bob up and down when the weight was released. We discovered that the oscillating system with the weight was a mixture of all three types of energy transfer, including elastic, kinetic, and gravitational. At the minimum, the energy was all elastic and at the maximum, it was all gravitational. The stages in between we're a mixture of the three different energies (see picture below). The energy transferred up and down, which was in the same direction as the object. This classifies it as a longitudinal wave.

This lab led to our next activity, which was experimenting with a slinky stretched across the room and creating different types of waves. A longitudinal wave is a wave in which the energy get transferred on the same direction of the object. An example of this is the spring when we pulled a section back and let it go. The compression of the slinky was in the same direction. The compression is when the coils are close together and rarefraction is when the coils are not compressed and at at a normal position. You can see the compressed coils move through the slinky because of this difference.

A transverse wave is when a system has energy transfer that is perpendicular goth motion of an object. This creates crests and droughts in the waves. An example of a transverse wave is an actual wave in the water. The waves move up and down but the energy is in a horizontal direction.

In addition to learning about these two different waves, we also learned terms that have to do with them.
Amplitude- the maximum displacement from a zero point.
Wavelength- the distance between two successive points on a wave
Period- the time for one full cycle
Frequency- how many waves per second

Week 28 Reflection

This week in physics we began learning about impulse and continued talking about our knowledge about energy an energy transfer. We learned that to change the momentum of an object, you need a force exerted for some time. This is what impulse is. Impulse changes the momentum and is calculated by impulse = force *amount of time. We also learned that the change in momentum = mass *change in velocity. This means that impulse equals the momentum change and you can put the two equations equal to each other to find a missing variable. Force can also be calculated by multiplying the mass by the acceleration.

The more time an object has to collide into another object, the less the force exerted. It is an inverse relationship, which means the less time taken, the more force. This is why a helmet is so essential to safety. The plastic and foam prevents your head from hitting the ground so quickly and buys your head more time. Because time is added to your head hitting the ground, the force of the impact is lessened. If you didn't have a helmet on, your head would come into contact with the ground quicker and therefore would have more force with the ground.

This week we also did an egg lab in which we threw an egg a a sheet cradled as hard as we could in an attempt to crack/break the egg. However, no matter how hard the egg was thrown, the eg did not break. This is due to the surface of the sheet; it is not rigid and absorbs some of the energy from the egg when it hits. In addition, the sheet gives so it allows more time for the force of the impact to be lessened on the egg. I don't think the egg. will ever break despite how hard it is thrown due to the giving surface of the sheet.

We also had our newton's cradles due this week and I'm really happy with how mine turned out. The whole point of the project was to have the energy of one ball to continue to transfer to the others. You want to prevent as much friction as possible and the eye hooks I used really helped in that department. Totally satisfied with how it works :)

Week 27 Reflection

This week in physics we started our new unit: momentum. Momentum is a property is an object that depends on mass and velocity (P=mv). We began discovering momentum by observing two cars on a ramp collide. We also observed them when the cars had altering masses to see how that would impact the speed and momentum of the car after the collision. It was concluded that if the cars have the same mass, then both cars would have the same velocity. However, when car A had twice the mass of car B, car B traveled twice as fast. And when car A had half the mass of car B, car B went half as fast. Ultimately, the different masses of the two cars greatly affects the velocities of the cars.

While masses can alter the velocities, the momentum before and after a collision is the same because the momentum from car A transfers to car B. This is how we can figure out the velocity of car B when we draw rectangle area diagrams. Because the momentum is the same, you can plug in the mass and solve for the velocity. In addition, we also learned that there are two types of collisions: bouncing and sticking. The bouncing collisions is when the cars stay separated, while sticking collisions result in the two cars staying connected to each other.

The assessment today (Friday) went really well, as it was extremely similar to the Unit 9 Worksheet 1 we worked on in class yesterday. I felt that I knew how to do the rectangle diagrams, calculate the momentum, and calculate the missing velocities accurately. Overall, I feel really good on the results of this assessment and I feel that I have a good understanding of the material so far in this unit.

Off to work on the Newton's cradle project this weekend, which deals with both our energy and momentum units. :)

Week 26 Reflection

This week in physics we expanded more on our knowledge of energy and began exploring work and power with different examples from everyday life. My class found it difficult to define energy, this substance-like theory that assists on the movement of an object. However,energy is related to work and power because the work is equal to the energy and the power is the work divided by the time. Power is the rate of energy transfer, which is calculated by dividing the work (or energy) by the amount of time. This gives you the power in watts, in which you can convert to horsepower if needed.

We did a lab with these concepts in which we had different people going up the 10 meter stairwell at different speeds. We then calculated their gravitational energy (Eg=mgh), which I equal to the work. The next step is to divide the work by the time it took to climb the stairs and the resultant would be in watts. We converted the number in watts to horsepower by multiplying the power by 0.00134. It was concluded that mass played a factor in the final power of different people. For example, one person had a faster time, but had less horsepower than another competitor because he weighed less this surprised me, but it does make sense. The larger the numerator, the greater the result.

Today (Friday), we took the last assessment for our unit on energy and as a whole, it went pretty good. I was absent from school yesterday so I found that the things I was a little confused on we're discussed yesterday. But I do feel like I understand the material and can calculate the energy, work, and power effectively for different situations. The one thing I had to keep reminding myself was to multiple the mass by 10 to get the force for the equations, but I think I got it today on the assessment. I would personally like the assessment to be on the fourth quarter to allow time for reassessment because I wasn't here yesterday and I'm not sure if that will affect my assessment scores. But, whatever happens happens!

More to come next week as I'm sure we will tackle new material. Happy fourth quarter! :)

Week 25 Reflection

This week in physics we continued to review the three different modes of energy: gravitational, kinetic, and elastic, along with friction in different situations. We went over the assessment from the Friday before as a class, which happened to be extremely helpful for me. It was reassuring to know that I was on the right track, but I still needed some adjustments for the reassessment this Thursday (today). Overall, I feel pretty comfortable with the different energies and using the equations to help solve missing variables.

On the first assessment I competed the types of energies correctly in my LOL diagram, but messed up the system by putting both the spring and cart. I found this a little confusing because in the practices from the previous week we put the cart and spring as the system, but it was different on the assessment. In addition, for my pie chart diagrams I forgot to take friction into account and I needed to add su (surroundings) to one of the charts. I also got force and energy confused, which messed up my results for the graph, but I now understand the mistake and the difference between the two. After going over it as a class question by question, I feel like I was prepared for the reassessment today and I felt pretty confident while taking it. I feel that I know the concepts much more thoroughly now.

In addition to reviewing energy, we also began exploring work and power this week. We came to a conclusion that work is a transfer of energy over a distance in the direction of the force. For example, picking up a chair and putting it over your head is work. However, setting it back down on the ground is not work because the chair is not moving in the same direction as the upward force of your hands. The force has to stay connected to the object as well, so that it is the force doing the action, not the object's inertia. Throwing a ball is not work once it is in motion because it's continuing due to its inertia.

We also worked a little bit with power, a rate of energy transfer. Power equals the work divided by the time for the work to be completed. Power is measured in horsepower or watts, but we are going to use watts for class. To calculate someone's power, you have to find their gravitational energy and divide by the amount of time it took them to complete the action. This concept is still a but hazy for me, but we will be working with it more after break.

Happy Spring Break! :)

Week 24 Reflection

To tell you the truth, it's some what hard for me to talk about the cardboard boat regatta because I was so disappointed with mine in the pool. It was literally a 'shipwreck' in the pool after I worked so hard on its creation. The main cause with most of the boats was not having the correct amount of water displaced in order to float. This resulted in the boats sinking. In my boat's case, I don't feel the force of two people in the boat was distributed equally throughout the boat. Our boat was floating, but it was extremely tippy and it ended up flipping is out of the boat shortly after beginning to row. I feel that is the boat covered more surface area and was both longer and wider, it would have resolved this issue.

Despite my disappointing experience, team physics displayed some really awesome boats that did extremely well in the pool. The boats that did well displaced the equal amount of water as the force of the two rowers inside. Then, if the water and the boat exert the same amount of force, then the boat floats. It acts just like a force pair. In addition, knowing that the lowest center of gravity is the most stable, a boat captain could figure out how to position the rowers (on their knees, sitting down, ect.).

Like I said, I'm super bummed about my boat because I worked so hard on it and spent so much time hoping to ensure success in the water. Both Jenna and I got in the boat completely fine and our boat was floating as it carried us. The major issue was that it wasn't stable and flipped after we began rowing. The boat really needed to be wider to help steady it and help prevent any tipping. The boat was lined with two pieces of cardboard on the bottom and had cardboard tubing to add extra strength. Unfortunately, the flipping killed our chances, which is disappointing because I don't feel that the boat is a clear reflection of my knowledge of physics.

Although I wasn't able to row that much, from observing the other groups I found that it was most efficient to have one rower on each side to keep the boat straight. However, the rowing of each side needs to be equal in force to keep the boat traveling forward in a straight path. The time to have unequal forces on each side was when the rowers were turning the boat at the end of the pool. Depending upon the direction, one person had to row harder than the other.

Despite being disappointed, it was an awesome and exciting experience and I can't wait to watch again next year :)

Week 23 Reflection

This week in physics we focused more on energy, its path, and how it can affect velocity. We began the week talking about the three modes of energy storage: elasticity (Eel), motion (Ek), and gravitational field (Eg). We learned that elasticity is the ability for an object to return to its original state and the elastic limit is the maximum amount of elastic energy that can be stored in and object and still allow the object to return to normal. We focused most of our time on the spring analogy. When the apron was at rest, it contained no energy. However, when the spring was stretched by two people, the kinetic energy of the movement of the hands stretching the spring transferred to the spring in the form of elastic energy. The more the spring was stretched, the greater the amount of elastic energy it held.

After learning the three modes of energy storage, we moved on to energy bar graphs (LOL), a graph used to show the transfer of energy in a system before and after a situation. The system is some changed event an the system is the object in question. The first L displays what type of energy (out of the three) the system started out with and what percent of energy was present. The O represents the system in question and the amount of energy either going into it or leaving it. Finally, the last L shows the energy and its amount in the spring after the situation occurred.

Today (Friday) we completed a lab relating the compression distance of the car on a ramp to the car's velocity. The displacement went from one centimeter to five centimeters. It was concluded that if you double the compression distance, the velocity is also doubled. Therefore, it proves that the greater the amount of energy, the greater the velocity.

On a separate note, the cardboard boat regatta is Monday! My group's boat has been completed, but it needs another layer of tape just to better secure it. Wish us luck! :)

Week 22 Reflection

This week in physics was a bit messed up due to the testing, but we started discussing energy and what it is as well as some helpful tips for our boat construction. Today (Friday) we also completed a lab having to do with boats made of foil and the amount of mass they could hold in preparation for our cardboard boats.

On Monday we began discussing energy and different types. We came to the conclusion that energy is transferred to different objects. Kinetic energy, solar energy, and potential energy are different forms of energy, but they all actually has the same energy. For example, a check is in a different form than cash, but they're both money. It works the same way with energy. We also talked about the movement of several objects to display how energy transfers and is present in everyday life. If you kick a whiteboard, the potential energy from your foot turns to kinetic energy, which can turn to frictional energy (heat) as the board moves against the floor. I imagine that we will be talking more about this subject next week and will be expanding more on it.

Today we completed the foil boat challenge and my group's boat held 394.7 grams before sinking in the tub full of water. I learned earlier in the week the volume of the boat needs to be equal to the volume of water you want to displace. A boat floats in water because it displaces the same amount of water underneath it. It's also more likely to float if the boat is bigger because it has a greater surface area to distribute the weight. I am going to take what we learned in class with the equation to figure out the dimensions of our cardboard boat. To do this I will add both the rowers' masses, find out how much water weights that same amount, and play around with the dimensions so the volume equals the amount of gallons displaced. We're starting our boat construction tomorrow, but we need to figure out the specific lengths before we just start building.

Wish us luck!

Week 21 Reflection

This week in physics we truly started and explored our new unit, gravitational force. We began looking at the orbits of the planets, the forces they exert on one another, how distance can affect the force, and hypothetical questions if the orbits were to be altered. This unit is closely related to the centripetal force unit, as the orbits are just like a stopper on the end of the string, and the same rules apply in the solar system.

I learned that the closer the earth is to the sun, the greater the sun's gravitational pull on the earth. And because the earth orbits the sun on an elliptical path, the force acting on the earth changes. So as the earth is farther away from the sun, less gravitational force is pulling it in toward the center of the solar system. This relates to a pair if magnets. The closer the magnets are to each other, the greater the attraction between them, and the farther away, the less pull. In addition, the closer the earth is to the sun, the greater it's velocity. I always thought that we continued at a constant speed as we orbited the sun, but the velocity is actually changing depending on when the earth is in its orbit.

Hypothetical questions regarding the planets and their size/force changes proved to be a difficult topic for me to understand at first, but I now understand it after going over it with the class more. If you were to double the mass of the sun, it would double the sun's gravitational pull. However, if you double the distance between the sun and the earth, the gravitational pull would actually be a fourth of the initial amount. This is because the distance is squares in the equation, but the mass is not. This was confusing in the beginning, but I feel I have a good grasp of the concept now.

Something that really surprised me was that the moon in fact doesn't orbit the earth at all; it only orbits the sun. I couldn't believe I've gone my whole life thinking that the moon orbits both the earth and the sun. It's an illusion that the moon orbits the earth and it is actually a snake-like motion between the moon an the earth. You learn new things everyday :)

I attached the answer key that really helped me prepare for the assessment today!

Week 20 Reflection

This week in physics we tested and revealed four final result of the catapult projects. I have to say, this was the project so far that I personally enjoyed the most. However, I wasn't so clear on the catapult subject and accidentally made a sling shot (oops!) and had to go back and reconstruct it into an actual catapult. I felt that the project was difficult, as the marshmallow had to complete the distance of exactly three meters and had to land in the bucket. The overall project wasn't that difficult, but the distance limit proved to be an obstacle for me.

I constructed my marshmallow catapult mainly of wood with a rectangular base. It had two wooden pillars with springs connected to them. The springs then connected to a wooden arm that pivoted with the force of the spring. At the end of the wooden arm, there was a shaving cream cap that served as the resting spot for the marshmallow before being launched. A requirement for the project was that there had to be a mechanic for the catapult to be triggered; it could not be merely pulled back and released. I used a screw diver in between two o-rings above the arm board to set the marshmallow in motion. However, the distance depended upon how fast you released the screw diver and where you placed it across the board. This was another obstacle standing in between my marshmallow and the victorious bucket.

On my fourth try, my marshmallow want in the bucket and I then had to calculate its acceleration, force, and velocity from its distance and hang time. The picture below shows how they were calculated.

We also began our new unit, gravitational motion, on Wednesday and worked with it again today (Friday). I discovered that satellites must be launched with a certain velocity in order for them to orbit the earth and it stays up in motion due to both its inertia and the gravitational pull acting upon it. Its inertia pulls the satellite outwards, but the Earth's gravitational force pulls it back it. The balance between the pull and the inertia keeps the satellite orbiting in space.

More to learn with the new unit, but I'll get there! :)

Week 19 Reflection

This week in physics, we explored more with centripetal motion and the force needed for this "center seeking" movement. To recap, last week we discovered that the speed itself of the object is not changing, but the velocity is due to the change in direction. The only force acting on the object in centripetal motion is the force to the center of the circle; its velocity is not a force. However, the two directions form a component path, in which the object turns in between them, creating the circular motion.

In the beginning of the week we completed a velocity vs. radius lab and came to the conclusion that the data formed a hyperbola. We related this to our acceleration unit, as the graph had the same general shape. The points were mostly linear until the line hit some that were off. At first I thought this was skewed data in our experiment, but it actually wasn't. However, generally, the larger the radius, the greater the velocity of the object.

We also started looking at the factors that affect centripetal motion and the force needed to keep the object in a circular path. Centripetal force is the amount of force required to keep an object in centripetal motion and it depends upon the mass, radius, and velocity. In order to get an object to accelerate, it neds a certain force to act on its mass. We knew that force=mass*acceleration and that acceleration=velocity squared/radius. So we then substituted the acceleration formula into the force formula to construct the formula for centripetal force: force=mass*(velocity squared/radius).

Pictures are a little light this week, but I promise more for next week's blog!
Off to test my marshmallow catapult :)

Week 18 Reflection

This week in physics, we began our first unit of the second semester dealing with centripetal motion. Centripetal motion is the circular path of an object in motion an a centripetal force is a force that keeps an object traveling in a circular path. We first began looking at how to calculate the velocity of an an object in centripetal motion, which is circumference divided by the period. The period is the time it takes for one complete revolution of the circle, which depends upon the speed of the object.

We looked at the difference between the velocity and speed of the object in centripetal or "center seeking" motion. It was concluded that the speed is constant, however, the velocity is not. Although the object continues cover how many meters per second, the direction is constantly changing through the motion, which caused the velocity to be inconstant. Velocity has to do with speed and direction, and the direction is changing during the revolution, so it is not consistent.

The string hooked on the object exerts a force on the object to the inside, creating an acceleration in the direction of the center as well. You have the direction of the velocity and the force to the center of the circle, which are component forces. This results in the motion going in between those two forces, creating a circular path around the center.

In addition, we also began looking at the radii of the circles and how they compare to the velocities. We discovered that the faster an object moves, the more force it exerts on the counterweights and the slower it moves, the less force. Next week we will begin looking at the force compared to the radii and will learn new principles from that experiment.

Cheers to second semester!
#TmPhys12

Week 17 Reflection

This week in physics, our class focused on projectiles and their motion. To do this, we experimented with different objects launched in two different directions. We looked at the landing times of an object dropped and the other thrown to the side. It was concluded that both objects would land at the same time due to their gravitational pulls acting on their inertia. Their pull from the earth differs, however, it is needed to overcome their inertia, causing them to hit at the same time. We did this in the classroom with two balls and on the roof launching the rockets. We found it to result in the same position with both circumstances.

We also looked at the speed of the projectiles and how they have horizontal and vertical tendencies acting upon them. The object continues going straight due to its inertia, or tendency to continue what it's doing, but it starts to gradually slope downward due to the earth. However, when the projectile is in motion, it moves at a constant velocity. I also learned that the time it takes divided by the horizontal range equals the initial launching speed. Thus, the change in velocity over the change it time calculates the acceleration of the object on the ramp.

On Friday, we were to have our final assessment of the semester, but instead of having a normal assessment on paper, each group was assigned a number to complete on whiteboards. This way the class could discuss the answers an show they came to them. This personally took a lot of pressure off of me and prepared me for the midterm. For the midterm on Friday, I plan to complete the review study guide on google drive and put as min as I can on my note shirt. Due to studying for my other classes, I have not started my shirt yet, but it will get done.

Wish me luck on my exams! :)

Week 16 Reflection

This week in physics we expanded and experimented with free falling objects, the velocity at which they fall, and at what position they are at in specific seconds during the fall. We reviewed that objects fall at the same speed despite their differing weights due to the earth's gravitational force of -10 m/s/s. In addition, we also continued drawing position vs. time graphs, velocity vs. time graphs, acceleration vs. time graphs, and motion maps. We discovered that an object falling is speeding up in the negative direction with the velocity getting more negative and a constant acceleration.

We then looked at the path pattern of rockets being propelled into the air, which have the same tendencies of a free falling object. Because a free falling object creates a quadratic shape on a graph, it is half of a parabola. This means that the launching portion of the travel is symmetric to the ending portion. The rocket starts with an abundant velocity and continues to lose speed as it reaches its peak. At the maximum height, the rocket stops momentarily before reversing to a negative direction. As the rocket fall, it accelerates each second and covers more distance than the second before. As the rocket hits the ground, its velocity is equivalent to its starting velocity when launched.

On Thursday, we were able to go outside for the rocket experiment, in which we were able to launch rockets of different strength. It was interesting to see how long it took for the rocket to reach its peak and then hit the ground. My groups rocket, which was a super powered, took 7.1 seconds, which means that it took 3.55 seconds for the rocket to reach its peak. It was an exciting experiment and I enjoyed it. On Friday (today), we took our assessment on this unit. I though it went pretty well, but there were some parts that I was a but confused on. But, I cane arm further and reassess next week if need, so no worries.