What Did You Learn This Semester??

In the beginning of the semester, I was excited about physics because I knew it could explain motion at a science point of view. It would also be relatable to everyday life and would allow me to understand why things happen. Once we started classes, Mr. Blake got me excited about learning because he made the content interesting with his various scenarios and character voices. My favorite unit this semester was unit six, also known as the energy chapter. I thought it was fascinating to be able to calculate how much energy an object has. Because it is something that we cannot physically see, it is still possible to determine the conserved energy whether it is calculated through potential energy of a spring (PEs=½ kd^2), gravitational potential energy (PEg=mgh), or kinetic energy (KE=½mv^2). During this semester, ultimately helped me realize how much fun and interesting science can be when you have a teacher that is passionate about what he teaches and the effect it has on his students. Although my grades weren’t as high as I expected them to be, I’m motivated for next quarter’s concepts and challenges that it will bring. 

Energy

Potential and Kinetic Energy are the two types of energy that can be described in physics. All objects, whether they’re inadament or adamant, they always contain energy. Energy is neither created nor destroyed. It simply is recycled and stays in the system. This means that when an object is at rest, energy will still be contained within the object even though it’s not moving. An example of this is a ball on the top of a ramp. Although its velocity is zero, energy is shown when it moves throughout the obstacle course. 

Egg Drop

For this blog post, I’ll be talking about our egg drop lab. This past week, we constructed our own egg drop that descended Akahi’s 3.5-story tall building. As seen in the video, our contraption was made out of three sponges. We made a hole for the egg in the middle of a sponge and two supportive sponges on either side of it. To secure it together we used two headbands to keep the sponges in place. In order for an egg drop to be successful (an egg with no cracks in it) it needs to contain a small amount mass, materials that may crush easily or absorb the shock to the egg, a protective casing for it, and a way for the contraption to generate an increase in its fall time. Without a doubt, the sponges allowed our egg to survive its ‘cliff of impending death’ with its light weight, absorbable shock media, and a big enough surface area to decrease the fall time (the time it took to reach the ground).

Static Equilibrium

In the picture above, static equilibrium is shown when both of them fight over the same toy. The angles shown using the arrows are a better view of what is taking place. When this happens there is an invisible arrow connecting the two. The force of the dog to the right + the force of the dog to the left =the resultant. But to place the toy into a state of static equilibrium, a third force would have to be added. Shown in blue, the static equilibrium + the force of the two dogs will balance out which also equals to zero.

Inertia in Motion

The dictionary definition of inertia is the property of matter by which it retains its state of rest or its velocity along a straight line so long as it is not acted upon by an external force. In the picture above, I created a home example to better describe how inertia works. In the picture to the right, a bottle cap is at rest on top of a post card. In the picture there are two forces acting upon the bottle cap, the weight that is going down (g down) and the N (normal force that pushes upward). It will continue to stay at rest due to these two balanced forces until an outside force acts upon it. As I quickly move the post card, the bottle cap falls into the cup. Hence, the reason for the change in velocity when an external force is acted upon it.

Momentum

The first impression of momentum that I have is of the pendulum ball. When you raise and let go of the outside ball it creates force that is transformed to the other side. I also think of a kick or battement (French for an outward movement which is also a dance term). The more force you push on the ground will allow the momentum of the battement to increase in height. Although these are only my interpretation of what momentum is, the real and standardized definition for momentum is a property of a moving body that the body has by virtue of its mass and motion and that is equal to the product of the body's mass and velocity; broadly: a property of a moving body that determines the length of time required to bring it to rest when under the action of a constant force or moment found in the Webster’s Dictionary. In simpler words, momentum is the strength or force gained by motion or by a series of events.

Impulse

In sports such as baseball, tennis, racquetball and volleyball, impulse is a big part in scoring points. The idea of following through relates to impulse and its intentions. When you follow through, you increase your contact time with the ball, making it travel farther. Impulse is a change of momentum and its m (mass) x v (velocity). The picture above this shows exactly what impulse is and what was explained previously. 

Newton's #2 Law

Newton’s Second Law states that the acceleration and speed of an object depends on the net force acting upon the object and the mass of it. In a supermarket, when adults push the shopping cart, it seems easier for them than if a child was pushing it. This shows that the more mass a person has, the faster and easier it will be to do work. Another example is the variation of weight the shopping cart has. The more weight, it has the harder it is than if you were to take everything out and push it around.

Newton’s #1 Law

Newton’s First Law explains that objects at rest tend to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. We’ve studied and found that this law is valid through our trials in our collision lab. Another example of this is when you have to shake the ketchup bottle to get ketchup out of it. Most times when you reach to put ketchup on your food, you’re caught with the situation of having to use Newton’s 1^st Law. As said before, objects that are at rest tend to stay at rest. (the stubborn ketchup) but when you add a force to place objects in motion, it stays in motion (ketchup placed in motion) unless it is encountered by an unbalanced force (the bottle cap that is at the top of the bottle).

Force of Nature

Also known as a quantity, vectors measure the velocity and the speed of how much things are. Vectors are also referred to as the “muchness of something.” This blog is about waves their properties through vectors. As the energy from the wind transforms to the surface of the ocean, it creates power, which transforms into waves. Waves, a force of nature, are never the same but can be recorded and measured through vectors. In relation to physics and mentioned in my last blog, vectors measure the magnitude and direction of a specific object. 

Car Vectors

Measuring size and magnitude outlines another week's focus on vectors. Vectors are apart of our everyday lives that are described as a change in speed and direction while in motion. As I was driving home from school one day, I noticed that the cars traveling in the same direction weren't moving much faster or slower than I was. This was because two objects that accelerate in the same direction will seem to not be moving at a great speed relative to each other. But over the median, where cars are traveling at the same speed in the opposite direction seem to travel at twice their actual speed. Although the speed limits were the same, an object that travels in the opposite direction will seem to be traveling faster than the original object. A vector ultimately illustrates the physics of force and matter in everyday life. 

Firework Vectors

A firework is a great example of vectors because it shows and measures the quantity and magnitude of the work. In one ariel firework alone, there are many physics relationships between the amount of velocities, their trajectories, and this unit’s vectors. Pyrotechnicians use formulas such as the Pythagorean Theorem, Trigonometric Functions, and graphs to determine the relationship between the initial velocity and the distance traveled, the height, and angle that these shells explode. This helps to maintain a safe environment and helps to create a wonderful  choreographed show. 

Acceleration through windsurfing

On the east side of Oahu, Kailua beach is a popular spot for wind surfers to go to due to the high wind velocity. The other weekend, I watched these windsurfers and while doing so, I observed them doing their tricks on the water and in the air. It seemed to be that each surfer executed their best trick when they were going at a high velocity or while their acceleration was at it's highest.

Accelerating Pull-Ups

In the video above, my brother demonstrates acceleration through a pull up. While hanging from a bar, he lets gravity pull his entire weight 9.8 m/s2 down. At the start of a pull up, he uses his strength to accelerate upward until his chin is above the bar. As he gets closer and closer to the top of the bar, his acceleration from start to finish would resemble an upside down parabola shape in a v/t or a velocity versus time graph. Speed and acceleration is how this world functions and without it, I don’t know what it would have turned out to be. 

Kinematics

The average American spends 21 hours a week driving in the car making that about 1,095 hours in an entire year. Velocity or speed is everywhere. It helps us travel to different places whether it is walking, jogging, running, or driving in a car. In physics, there are different formulas to measure and determine the trajectory of an object. In this picture my dog, KJ, demonstrates this. As he holds a yellow bucket in his mouth he increases from rest, to a slight jog, then to a vigorous run across the yard. At rest his speed and acceleration is zero and when as he increases his velocity to a slight jog and run, so does his acceleration. 

Kinematics

   The grandfather clock is apart of my everyday life, is owned by everyone on the planet, a great tangible technology or representation of duration, and is an example of kinematics or the study of motion. As the hands of the clock move around the face, it creates a circular movement. Also, as the clock functions it shows a displacement of “0” at every hour when it chimes. What goes around comes around. It is important to use this type of technology because it simplifies our lives and helps to keep us on track. They also help to make our lives as effective as possible with its efficiency to be measureable and moveable. It’s amazing how many inventions including the grandfather clock that fall under the category of kinematics.

Dance Through Physics #1

The human body is a major aspect to what is classified as physics. In everyday life humans go about their day leaping and jumping and as a dancer, it is considered our second nature to do these things. Although, most times we don’t realize that physics plays a major role to how high or far we can do a jeté or jump. Now being able to study the relationships through physics, I’ve been paying closer attention to what the factors are in executing a perfect jump. Through the pendulum lab, I’ve learned that a jump has characteristics of a parabola or a quadratic relationship graph. As showed in the video of a friend, the muscles in the legs pushes off of the ground and the swinging momentum of the arms propels the dancer in the air till she reaches her maximum high before she starts to descend from her jump. 

Hello!

 Hi, my name is Kanoe Sakamoto and this year I will be a junior. In the picture above I celebrated my dog, Nalu's first birthday. Besides my Nalu girl, my hobbies include dancing, collecting shells, making jewelry, swimming, and going to the beach. Last year, I took Mr. Kim’s rigorous chemistry class that really opened my eyes to science’s contributions to the world. It made me realize that getting to know the language of science is hard work, but can be a rewarding feeling when you finally receive that “A”. I’m excited to be in physics this year and learn the nature of science. I’m also taking college algebra and trigonometry. I’m so thrilled to finally have classes at the top of the campus, but now that I’m here it seems so surreal how fast time flies. After completing this course, I hope to gain knowledge about why things happen and hope to be able to apply them in my life. I also hope to take away studying skills that will make me a better and more efficient student.