Torque

“Torque” popped out at me this weekend. I was helping my mom build cabinets when; I was faced with the problem of screwing something in. I could not do it at first because I was using a small screwdriver (with a small handle) so; I thought about this and after a few minutes of struggle I figured it out. I found what I just learned in Physics to be pretty handy. Because TORQUE = RADIUS x FORCE, I increased the torque exerted on the screw by increasing the radius of the handle (i basically used a screwdriver with a bigger handle). By increasing the radius of the handle, I reduced the amount of Force (exerted by my hand) required to tighten the screw. My knowledge of Physics made my task of building cabinets much easier this weekend. Thank you Torque!

Impulse and Momentum!!!

Physics appeared to me this weekend while playing tennis. I was playing a match when suddenly realized that this was all related to what I was just learning in physics class. It all had to do with impulse and momentum. While hitting the ball, the momentum remained unchanged throughout the system. My racket and the ball retained their same momentums before and after the collision. This is just like an inelastic, “bouncy” collision. Both the ball and my racket have initial velocities and final velocities; therefore, the momentum remains the same (conservation of momentum). Through this collision, the momentum remains the same however; the KE is changed because it is an inelastic collision where, KE is lost through factors such as, heat (of the collision), friction, air resistance, etc… I found tennis is related to many physics concepts, impulse momentum being two major ones. Physics just never ceases to “POP!” out at me.

WORK AND ENERGY

This weekend, while working out in the weight room, Physics suddenly appeared to me!!! I found myself on the bench press when, Mr. Kohara popped into my head. I was reminded of what we discussed in class about work and energy. He pretty much said that no work was being done when an object is held motionless in the same position because its kinetic and potential energies remain unchanged. So there I was laying on the bench, puzzled. I could not figure out how no work was being done as I held the barbell over my chest, with arms fully extended and practically motionless. It felt like I was doing a ton of work as time went on however; I remembered that I was NOT! As explained to the relationship between work and energy, no work was being done because the total energy (DeltaKE+DeltaPE) which is equivalent to the amount of work (W) was unchanged (0), thus for meaning the amount of work was (0) as well. Physics once again Popped Out and surprised me in an unsuspecting time!

First Quarter Response

This quarter of physics was fun yet very challenging. I struggled with the kinematic equations at first and trigonometry functions however, am getting a little better at them. I feel this course will continue to be very challenging for me but, will get easier after I get the jist of things. I am still worried about the mathematical parts of physics, because I now know that there is a lot of that, nonetheless, will come in for help or seek that from my friends. Hopefully second quarter will be a little easier then the first and my goal is to raise my test and quiz grades. I tried my best this quarter and will continue to do so.
I see physics as this graph: (this quarter= my grades were below what I expected; after,now= my grades will go up and I will do better) (:

Physics 3: Newton's Second Law

I experienced the laws of Physics or rather Newton once again this weekend at bowling practice. This hurt me a little more than my prior incident with friction however, brought Newton’s Second Law to mind. Just learning about this in Physics class I recalled that, “A change in motion is proportional to the motive force impressed and takes place along the straight line in which that force is impressed.” While swinging my ball and preparing for that fast, timed release, an obstacle got in the way. Yikes! I hit my ankle not only once but twice in a row! This as you would imagine brought great pain and suffering to me yet, Physics still came to mind. I mentioned to my fellow bowlers, this was Physics and knew I would use it for my journal. The net force that collided with my ankle was not just the mass of the ball(15lbs) but, that times its acceleration (recorded by machine at 18mph or 8.05m/s) which equaled a grand total of 120.75N! The lanes are oiled to reduce friction so, without friction as a factor, the net force of the ball when it hits the pins is the same as that of when it hit my leg. That net force is what accounts for knocking the pins down. Once again Physics presented itself into my life, with a BANG!

Physics 2: Newton's Third Law

While swimming one night this weekend, I began to ponder what was propelling me forwards in the water. Through some research and logical reasoning, I realized this was because of Physics! According to Newton’s Third Law, “To any action there is always an opposite and equal reaction; in other words, the actions of two bodies upon each other are always equal and always opposite in direction.” This means that for the force I pushed my hands and feet against the water, an equal and opposite force was created to push me forwards. The harder and faster I pushed then resulted in me going faster or creating a greater and equal opposite force. I am once again surprised to find another thing I always did to be related to physics, and have learned how to become a faster swimmer by grasping its underlying concepts.

Friction

This weekend at bowling practice, i experienced the properties of friction. It hit me when I hit the ground; friction is not to be taken for granted while practicing this sport. Friction is, "A force that resists the motion of one object sliding past another". In bowling too much friction creates the poblem of an unsmooth glide towards the pins, resulting in some bowling complications. Too little friction however suchas, if you step past the line onto the oiled lane creates more disasterous problems. I learned this through esperience at a bowling match when I accidentaly stepped over that forboding line. This creates the meeting of my already smooth bowling shoes (to resist drag) and the oily lanes. By doing so, the amount of friction was greatly reduced, resulting in embarassment as I slipped and fell. Friction is very important in the sport, bowling, and many other activities we take part in.