Vectors

     This past week in physics we learned about vectors.  A vector is a quantity that involves both direction and magnitude.  The way we add vectors is by measuring from tail to tip.  An example of that in a real life situation is in football.  

     When a receiver runs a route, he is running a vector.  If he runs straight 10 yards, then two yards back then the distance that the ball would travel is 8 yards and thats how to add two vectors together with each other.  

Quarter 1 Summary

Quarter 1 Summary

In the first quarter of physics we have learned many things.  The firs thing we have learned was the importance of standards, and more specifically the standards in measurements.  We used an example from old Hawaiian measurements like the pia which is the distance from your extended thumb to your extended pinky.  Another thing we learned was kinematics and motion.  All motion is relative.  So in order to know if something is moving, the question is always, “relative to what?”.  If two cars are going the same speed, they are not moving relative to each other but relative to the road, it is defiantly moving.  Another thing I learned is that the acceleration on Earth is 9.8m/s2.  We also learned the correct way to create a position vs. time graph, a velocity vs. time graph, and acceleration vs. time graph.  We learned how to calculate displacement from a graph and how to sketch the three graphs from information given by the other graphs.  Also we learned about pendulums and periods of time.  We learned how mass and length affected the time it would take the pendulum to swing back and forth five times.  Overall this is the major things we have learned in physics this year.  

Introduction

My name is Keenan and i am a student at Kamehameha Schools.  I have been at Kamehameha since kindergarten.  I really enjoy science as it is one of my favorite subjects.  In science courses thus far, I have been achieving great things.  I believe that I have learned a lot and I have achieved good grades.  I am currently in algebra 2a. From this course, I hope to achieve a greater understanding of physics and how it applies to the real world.

This is a picture of my sister and my little cousin.  This represents me as an individual because it shows that I am a happy person, who likes kids, and that I love my family.  This is a picture at the ice palace for someones birthday.  

Acceleration

       Acceleration is defined as the rate or speed of something.  If a car is accelerating at 1m/s then in 10 seconds, it will be going 10m/s.  When something is accelerating, it means that it is constantly getting faster or slower as long as the acceleration is not zero.

        If I were to drop this ball, its acceleration would be 9.8m/s because that is the acceleration of gravity.  So after 2 seconds the ball will be accelerating at 19.6m/s.  This ball would continue to get faster and faster.

Kinematics #3

          In this unit of kinematics, we learned about displacement.  Displacement is not how far you traveled, but how far you traveled from your starting point at any given time.  Throughout one day, no matter how far you go, if you return to where you started your day, your displacement is zero.

          The series of pictures above is an example of displacement.  The hermit crab at the bottom of the picture travels about three inches to the right but suddenly goes back to the starting point.  So he traveled approximately 6 inches but his displacement is zero because he returned to the original starting point.

Kinematics #2

Kinematics is seen everyday and in almost everything. A great example of motion is the dots dots we see on the road.

Are they moving? Relative to the road, no.  However, relative to us they appear to be moving backwards. To be able to say what is moving is dependent on what is relating to what. If two things travel at the same speed, they are not moving relative to each other. ALL MOTION IS RELATIVE!

Kinematics

      Kinematics is the branch of mechanics associated with motion.  All motion is relative.  Two cars going 40mph are moving, relative to the road.  However, the two cars are not moving relative to each other.  Below is an example of motion.

    The fan above is completely still.  It is not moving relative to the room.  However, when I turn the fan on, 

suddenly, the fan blades, relative to the room, is in rapid motion.  The neat thing about motion is that it is always relative.  While the fan blades are spinning around in circles, they are not moving relative to each other.  Since they are moving at the same speed, relative to each other, there is no motion involved.