**This is a very important post for our physics class. I wrote it in an attempt to make my classmates lives a little easier if they don't get motion maps yet. But make sure to see the BOTTOM of this post when you're done so that you can read my new awesome features! (Also known as WIDGETS :)**
It's here. It's scary. It's confusing. But the code has been cracked! The secret discovered! The confusion unraveled!
MOTION MAPS (cue scary thunder music and a flashing picture of a spooky house with lightning striking through- you know what I'm talking about)
Now, many people have expressed concerns in class about their trouble grasping motion maps. But my table is evidently a group of secret geniuses (shoutout to Lisette, Akshil, Jakob, and Zuzanna!) because they explained it to me and all of a sudden I GOT it! So hopefully I can bestow the same calm understanding they have gifted to me over the worldwide web.
You have a set of data points. And a random line that strongly resembles a number line. You have no clue how to transfer those points onto the line in a way that conveys any logical sense. But do not panic! There is an easy way to fix this dilemma!
First- you have to think of the circles you see on motion maps as the TIME, and each dash on the line as a certain POSITION. My table figured out that it is muy facil (very easy, for my snooty French friends ;) to see it if you write the "t value," also known as writing t=1 under the point that is one second, t=2 under the point that is two seconds, and so on. PLOT THE POINTS FIRST. Do NOT even CONCERN yourself with the arrows yet. When you're done plotting the points, you should have each second (or whatever time interval you're using) at the position shown in the data table (or if you're looking at a graph, the coordinates). At this point in time, (see what I did there?) there should be no arrows.
Second- All you have to do know is connect the end of the arrow to the corresponding dot, so that it looks like the dot, a line connected to it, and the tip of the arrow close to the next dot. This totally covers the whole short arrow for slow movement and long arrow for fast movement thing! You wanna know why? I know you're dying to find out! It's BECAUSE, when you plotted the time, you already have how the time corresponds to the position. Therefore, if you only moved one meter per second, you'll have one dot at one meter, another dot at two meters, etc. But if you reached ten meters and started moving at THREE meters per second, all of a sudden the dots are much farther apart right?? Because you'd have one dot at ten meters, another at thirteen meters, and a third at sixteen meters! So when you draw the arrows, you'll get short arrows until ten meters, then they'll be longer! It just makes sense! Right?? (I seriously hope this is making sense right now.)
Try it! See if it makes sense! If you have any questions (I know sometimes I explain things and they totally work in my brain, but to everyone else it looks like crazy talk), ANY questions at all, I BEHOOVE you to leave them in the comments. I want to help!!
**Did you notice my new WIDGETS in the right sidebar? At the top of the page, you can vote on your opinion on my blog! I BEHOOVE you to vote "Definitely!" Also, under my archives, you can see that some people actually look at my blog! You're one of them! It gives me great joy to see those numbers go up, so I BEHOOVE you to visit back often to see my new posts. OR!! You can put in your EMAIL under the views, and then every time I write a new post, BAM! A new email will arrive in your email inbox telling you to COME VISIT ME! So you don't have to check back every day to see- though that's totally fine with me :) I know you all check this EVERY DAY because you love reading my ramblings ;).**
Have a great day and THANKSGIVING!
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Velocity, Positon, and Time- Oh My!
This week, we focused on three main graph types after doing the Dora Lab.
Position and Time Graph
These are easy peasy pumpkin squeezy- any simple algebra training makes these no brainers. It seems to me that everybody in class understands this- it's just simple x and y coordinate plane graphing.
Velocity and Time Graph
These can be a little trickier, though I personally am no longer having any problems with them. Velocity is on the y axis, with time on the x. Basically, what we needed to grasp is that the x axis is the reference point. If you have a positive steady velocity heading away from the reference point, it will be a horizontal line above the x axis. If you are stopped, it will be a horizontal line at the x axis. If you are heading back towards the reference point at a steady velocity, it will be a horizontal line beneath the x axis. How far below/above the axis depends on how fast/slow you're moving. My main issue was whether there can be a negative velocity, seeing as it depends on displacement yet we determined there can't be a negative displacement? Is it dependent on whether you're heading towards the reference point or away? I know now that if you're heading away from the reference point it's positive and toward it it's negative.
I know I can get the "right answer," and it feels like I do know what I'm doing, but- let me put it this way. This is harsh, but I can't help feeling like we are traveling a lot of distance right now, but our displacement is close to zero. In other words, we talk a lot, but never make any real progress. That has made physics one huge frustration for me lately. I've talked to some other people, and they feel the same way. I know this doesn't speak for the whole class, but the friends I've talked to and I just want to conclude a topic and MOVE ON. For instance last class, we were arguing for about 15 minutes, and both sides wanted the SAME. THING. I wish we would spend less time on whiteboards and get to actually doing more experiments, because that seems to help a lot of people. Actually seeing how things work. If only the people who don't really understand topics would speak up, because otherwise people who do understand are just randomly talking in circles. If we established the main concerns, people who get it could help, check back in with the people who didn't get it, and if they get it, move on and say, "What are the other concerns?" Say there were four issues people didn't understand. They throw one issue at a time out there, we resolve it, and move on. But when people don't say what they don't understand, the people who do get it don't know what to do and end up wasting the hour and a half talking about things either everybody understands or things that have nothing to do with anything or simply explaining the main concept ten thousand and two different ways, which sometimes confuses even the people who get it and then the class is over and we've made no ground (And that, my friends, is a run on sentence). Then, two whiteboards later, the people who didn't get it say, "Wait, I don't get this." This poses obvious problems. No one's going to laugh at you if you speak up! Don't pull a Melinda on us! (English reference) If you get the problems out there, we can fix them, but if you don't, well, we can't make you talk! We need a solid foundation of knowledge to continue on with other projects, but if we leave a hole in the foundation, when we try to build on it, it will just crumble!
Physics used to be fun. A class I looked forward to. Now, it's starting to be that we make no ground, and we don't have time to talk about fun topics that relate because we're behind schedule.
Sorry. I just needed to get that out there. I was planning on talking about motion maps, but that will have to be saved for another post. I hope when people read this, they either express their concerns in class, speak up when people say, "Is that it? Can we move on?," or help conclude a topic. I'm not writing this for people to just make up an issue to speak on- if we all get it, let's (say it with me now) MOVE ON.
Don't worry. I won't post depressing things too much- hopefully. ;) How about another picture of a cookie to cheer you up?
Position and Time Graph
These are easy peasy pumpkin squeezy- any simple algebra training makes these no brainers. It seems to me that everybody in class understands this- it's just simple x and y coordinate plane graphing.
Velocity and Time Graph
These can be a little trickier, though I personally am no longer having any problems with them. Velocity is on the y axis, with time on the x. Basically, what we needed to grasp is that the x axis is the reference point. If you have a positive steady velocity heading away from the reference point, it will be a horizontal line above the x axis. If you are stopped, it will be a horizontal line at the x axis. If you are heading back towards the reference point at a steady velocity, it will be a horizontal line beneath the x axis. How far below/above the axis depends on how fast/slow you're moving. My main issue was whether there can be a negative velocity, seeing as it depends on displacement yet we determined there can't be a negative displacement? Is it dependent on whether you're heading towards the reference point or away? I know now that if you're heading away from the reference point it's positive and toward it it's negative.
I know I can get the "right answer," and it feels like I do know what I'm doing, but- let me put it this way. This is harsh, but I can't help feeling like we are traveling a lot of distance right now, but our displacement is close to zero. In other words, we talk a lot, but never make any real progress. That has made physics one huge frustration for me lately. I've talked to some other people, and they feel the same way. I know this doesn't speak for the whole class, but the friends I've talked to and I just want to conclude a topic and MOVE ON. For instance last class, we were arguing for about 15 minutes, and both sides wanted the SAME. THING. I wish we would spend less time on whiteboards and get to actually doing more experiments, because that seems to help a lot of people. Actually seeing how things work. If only the people who don't really understand topics would speak up, because otherwise people who do understand are just randomly talking in circles. If we established the main concerns, people who get it could help, check back in with the people who didn't get it, and if they get it, move on and say, "What are the other concerns?" Say there were four issues people didn't understand. They throw one issue at a time out there, we resolve it, and move on. But when people don't say what they don't understand, the people who do get it don't know what to do and end up wasting the hour and a half talking about things either everybody understands or things that have nothing to do with anything or simply explaining the main concept ten thousand and two different ways, which sometimes confuses even the people who get it and then the class is over and we've made no ground (And that, my friends, is a run on sentence). Then, two whiteboards later, the people who didn't get it say, "Wait, I don't get this." This poses obvious problems. No one's going to laugh at you if you speak up! Don't pull a Melinda on us! (English reference) If you get the problems out there, we can fix them, but if you don't, well, we can't make you talk! We need a solid foundation of knowledge to continue on with other projects, but if we leave a hole in the foundation, when we try to build on it, it will just crumble!
Physics used to be fun. A class I looked forward to. Now, it's starting to be that we make no ground, and we don't have time to talk about fun topics that relate because we're behind schedule.
Sorry. I just needed to get that out there. I was planning on talking about motion maps, but that will have to be saved for another post. I hope when people read this, they either express their concerns in class, speak up when people say, "Is that it? Can we move on?," or help conclude a topic. I'm not writing this for people to just make up an issue to speak on- if we all get it, let's (say it with me now) MOVE ON.
Don't worry. I won't post depressing things too much- hopefully. ;) How about another picture of a cookie to cheer you up?
You enjoy that. Then head over to your pantry and grab one. You deserve it if you persevered through this blog post. :)
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Position vs. Displacement vs. Distance
This is a topic we've discussed for quite a while and I think we hopefully landed on some firm definitions for three key terms:
Position, Displacement, and Distance
Position:
Position is where an object is at the end of a time period in relation to the starting point.
Displacement:
Displacement is the length of the space between the reference point and where an object is.
Distance:
Distance is the amount of space the object traveled all together.
So, that's that. I know, short post, but this is an important topic and short and sweet can be best sometimes. :)
Have a good day!
Position, Displacement, and Distance
Position:
Position is where an object is at the end of a time period in relation to the starting point.
Displacement:
Displacement is the length of the space between the reference point and where an object is.
Distance:
Distance is the amount of space the object traveled all together.
So, that's that. I know, short post, but this is an important topic and short and sweet can be best sometimes. :)
Have a good day!
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Dora the X-Plorer
This week I experienced some frustrations concerning a worksheet. It involved position vs. time graphs. The slope was a main topic of discussion; at first the majority thought it was speed, then we decided it was velocity. I guess my main concern was how we got there, and how to solve for velocity. Some people kept saying, you can't divide position, and you have to consider instantaneous speed. To be honest, I was very confused with that. I tried to ask a couple questions, but I was not understanding and I just started getting increasingly frustrated- to the point where I excused myself to go to the restroom and calm myself down- I. Just. Didn't. Get it. I'm not used to that feeling- and to be fair, I was having a bit of an icky day, so I had a short temper. However, I did some research on my own, and found this site that really helped me! (I did this fancy shamncy pants thing where you click on those words and it takes you to the site I found! Wowzers!) Back to happiness! Basically, the slope is velocity- because it involves direction. It is very easy to find- it was getting over complicated in class. All you do is take the change the position and divide it by the change in time, using two distinct points. I felt much more at ease knowing how to solve it- and more importantly, the reason behind why I have to do it that way- it's simple. You just take the distance you traveled and the time it took and you're set. Now, if it is a negative slope, that means it is going in the opposite direction- in essence, you're traveling in "negative distance," because you're going in the opposite direction (towards the reference point). Easy peasy pumpkin squeezy.
We also started a lab this week that I will totally nerd out on and say I LOVEEE. We barely started, but I am already really excited! I think it's mainly because of the crazy awesome tools* we use- the main one being Dora the X-Plorer. She is much nicer and helpful-er (yes. I made that word up. Since this is my own blog I'm pretty sure there's a law that says I can do that. I estimate that's a thing. No, that's old now, right? Yeah. But I hereby declare I can make up words whenever I want to sheiebsklski.) than the real Dora. And Dora's evil stepsister Maraka who I love even though she has a slight 'tude. I will definitely update you on that when we get further! (Further in the lab I mean. Not Maraka.)
*Crazy awesome tools: We have Dora, obviously, who is a calculator- calculadora (omg, the word DORA is in there!!!)- shaped thing that acts like a totally ratchet computer- computadora. (There's DORA again. And yes. I just said ratchet in a science blog even though I have a very very vague idea of the real meaning. Isn't it nice? Or awesome? Or scallywag? Or lolly gagging? Or lacaidasical?**) But that's not all! We also have a motion detector, and this really cool software on the laptops that takes our data and turn it into a graph. We are really lucky to have all these awesome toys- er, tools. We just held a fundraiser where people bought cookies and other baked good products to support our science department to get more things like Dora. I bought Triple Chocolate Chunk cookies and Mini Brownies because I love science! And Dora! And cookies! Mainly the cookie thing.
Seriously! You can't resist 'em! Nom nom nom.
Enough said.
**So I looked up what ratchet means because I was taught never to use a word I didn't know the meaning of. (Which is good advice. Seriously. But then I'd never get to say scallywag! Or lolly gagging! Or lackadaisical!) By definition, ratchet means: a situation or process that is perceived to be deteriorating or changing steadily in a series of irreversible steps. I think us teens are using it wrong. I now change that word to cool. Yeah, cool is a safe word I think I know the meaning of. Cool.
EDIT: I know the cookie picture isn't really working :( That makes me sad. Because they looked GREAT. If you want to see them though, just Google "delicious cookies" and it's the third picture that comes up.
We also started a lab this week that I will totally nerd out on and say I LOVEEE. We barely started, but I am already really excited! I think it's mainly because of the crazy awesome tools* we use- the main one being Dora the X-Plorer. She is much nicer and helpful-er (yes. I made that word up. Since this is my own blog I'm pretty sure there's a law that says I can do that. I estimate that's a thing. No, that's old now, right? Yeah. But I hereby declare I can make up words whenever I want to sheiebsklski.) than the real Dora. And Dora's evil stepsister Maraka who I love even though she has a slight 'tude. I will definitely update you on that when we get further! (Further in the lab I mean. Not Maraka.)
*Crazy awesome tools: We have Dora, obviously, who is a calculator- calculadora (omg, the word DORA is in there!!!)- shaped thing that acts like a totally ratchet computer- computadora. (There's DORA again. And yes. I just said ratchet in a science blog even though I have a very very vague idea of the real meaning. Isn't it nice? Or awesome? Or scallywag? Or lolly gagging? Or lacaidasical?**) But that's not all! We also have a motion detector, and this really cool software on the laptops that takes our data and turn it into a graph. We are really lucky to have all these awesome toys- er, tools. We just held a fundraiser where people bought cookies and other baked good products to support our science department to get more things like Dora. I bought Triple Chocolate Chunk cookies and Mini Brownies because I love science! And Dora! And cookies! Mainly the cookie thing.
Seriously! You can't resist 'em! Nom nom nom.
Enough said.
**So I looked up what ratchet means because I was taught never to use a word I didn't know the meaning of. (Which is good advice. Seriously. But then I'd never get to say scallywag! Or lolly gagging! Or lackadaisical!) By definition, ratchet means: a situation or process that is perceived to be deteriorating or changing steadily in a series of irreversible steps. I think us teens are using it wrong. I now change that word to cool. Yeah, cool is a safe word I think I know the meaning of. Cool.
EDIT: I know the cookie picture isn't really working :( That makes me sad. Because they looked GREAT. If you want to see them though, just Google "delicious cookies" and it's the third picture that comes up.
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