Egg Drop Project

On Monday we finished our lab on kinetic energy. In this lab we calculated the kinetic energy of objects such as a marble,tennis ball,and golf ball. We finished collecting our data that we started last week. We consistently dropped the balls from different heights and calculated their velocity,potential energy, and kinetic energy.

On Tuesday we finished our calculations. This alone took up the majority of the class because we still were collecting some of our data. We partially started our graph but ran out of time at the end of class. We did not have to finish this lab though because we had to move onto our egg drop project.

On Wednesday we did a demonstration in class. In this demonstration a person dropped two balls that looked the same but they were made of two different materials. Both balls were dropped at the same time and there was a dramatic difference. One ball seemed to bounce and the other just hit the ground and did not move. The energy of each ball was not created or destroyed but took a different form. Have you ever noticed how when you drop a ball it never comes back to the same spot you dropped it from. That is because the energy may be transformed into heat or sound. We learned this lesson to help us understand some of the physics going into our egg drop project. Our egg drop project is a project where we will have to construct a contraption to hold an egg and not have the egg break when dropped from various heights. After finding out what the project was we got into our groups and made a checklist of what we needed to bring. 

On Thursday we started constructing our egg drop project. Our group members brought items such as memory foam, silicone swim caps,bubble wrap, hot glue, a container and marshmallows. We started out by gluing the foam around the exterior of the container. We then cut a block from the foam to sit on the inside and cushion the egg under impact. We wrapped a silicone swim cap around the outside to hold the foam steady while in motion. We used silicone swim caps because that type of material has the ability to bounce and flex.    

On Friday we worked on finishing our egg drop project. To begin our group started on filling some of the holes we missed the previous day with memory foam. We found that our design was good but needed something to stabilize the egg. We came up with the idea of ooblek. Ooblek is a mixture of cornstarch and water. It has the ability to be solid and liquid. We thought if the egg was submerged in the mixture then the ooblek would absorb most of the shock caused by the drop. It took a while to finish the mixture. We had to measure the water and cornstarch exact. After it was done we tested a raw egg in the mix. The egg kept rising to the top. We filled a bag with ooblek and put it on top of the egg. It finally stayed down and sunk to the bottom. 

One thing I need to improve on is remembering to log my Science Olympiad hours. I always do the hours but forget to log them.

For this link it is some cool things you can do with ooblek http://www.sciencebob.com/blog/?p=608 

 

New Unit and Lots of Prep for SO

On Monday we started the week out by reviewing for our test on Tuesday. This test was on centripetal acceleration, work, force, power, and the material that was on our quiz. We started by completing the last of our study guide questions. This helped me review the topics I had trouble on in the past. It also helped me to apply the concepts a lot better. After we reviewed our study guide we played grudge ball. During the game I wrote down the questions I didn't understand. Some of the topics were easier than others. Grudge ball definitely lives up to its name because everyone has a grudge against each other by the end of the game. To play grudge ball each team has the same amount of x's on the board if you get a question right you can erase the other team's x's.

On Tuesday we had our test. I understood most all of the questions and after the test I felt like I had done well. I guess my instincts were right because I got a 99 on the test! The one point I missed was because I put a direction on a scalar quantity. I thought because in the problem an object was falling meant it needed the direction down. Overall everyone seemed to do well on this test so we must have all studied very hard and understood the material.    

On Wednesday we started unit three conservation of energy and momentum. To start out the unit we did the unit vocab to understand some basic terms before reviewing the vocab. I was familiar with some of the terms before reading the definitions.The two terms I was mostly familiar with were potential and kinetic energy. I learned many new things while reviewing notes but one thing that stood out to me was mechanical energy. This is when all the energy is combined.

On Thursday we started a new lab. This new lab will teach us about kinetic and potential energy. To test this we are testing both types of energy on a golf ball, tennis ball, and a marble. Our group tested the potential energy and part one of the kinetic energy.  We tested potential energy from different heights. We tested it from the floor, the desk, and a group member's head. To test the kinetic energy we dropped the balls at different heights. We did heights ranging to .5 of a meter to a full meter. We tested each trial three times and then took the average.

On Friday we didn't have school because it was a teacher workday.

This week I think I can definitely improve on getting ready for Science Olympiad and telling my brain that it is not over until after states. These few weeks we haven't really practiced for long periods of time for picture this but on Monday we will have lots of time to practice.

Pink is the Color of Victory

On Tuesday we worked on our lab. this lab taught us about centripetal force. Centripetal force is force moving in a circular motion. Centripetal means center seeking.  We tested the force by swinging nuts on a string. For each part of the lab we tested something different by simply adjusting the radius or weight. To adjust the radius you would make the part where you hold it in the center smaller or bigger. To adjust the weight you would add more or less nuts tied to the end of the string.

On Wednesday we started a new lab. This lab dealt with work, force,and power. We started on part one which was to calculate the newtons of a fishing weight. We had to get the mass of an object in newtons two ways  by calculating it with an equation and weighing it with a spring scale. Both of our weights were the same so that means there was no error in our procedure. The goal of this was to get the most accurate weight in newtons and the ultimate goal is having them be the same which is what our group did.

On Thursday we worked on the other half of our lab. We tested the power, force and horsepower of our arm. We did this by timing someone from our group as they wounda weight tied to the end of the string of a stick. We then used that data to determine things like power, force and horsepower. This part helped me learn how to calculate things like power and force and also learn some of the equations.

On Friday we worked on finishing our lab. For homework the previous night we tested our leg power. We calculated the distance of our stairs by measuring one step and multiplying that number by the number of stairs. We then timed how long it took us to walk from the first step to the last. No ones horsepower was very high so that means our legs aren't as powerful as I thought they were. We also finished lab questions. These lab questions helped us prepare for our next test and helped us learn how to use the equations.

One thing I can improve on this week is not forgetting my glasses at home. Ever since science Olympiad  they have been in my room and I cant seem to remember to take them out. I still cant believe states are just a few weeks away. I cant wait to win again.

For this week's link it is the footage of WAAS science olympiad team on the news.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1fifczDCbA&feature=youtu.be

One week away from VICTORY!!!!!

On Monday we finally tested our catapults. I had been waiting to test our catapult all weekend so the suspense was high. We did three events that tested power,accuracy,and distance. Our catapult did the best in the accuracy round. We got four out of five cotton balls in the bucket every time. We did okay in the other tests but not as well as the accuracy round. After we tested our catapult we worked on our data sheet. One way our group could have improved on the catapult was by changing our design completely. Our design had too many flaws because we had to replace the spoon twice and cut out the back panel of the bow for it to even work.

On Tuesday we had a"snow day" I put snow day in quotes because it was more ice than snow. I don't really care if we had snow or not I am glad we didn't have to go to school.

On Wednesday we worked on finishing our lab. One thing I learned from this lab is projectile motion. I learned that a projectile has both horizontal and vertical velocity. We also reviewed our unit two notes. We reviewed terms such as terminal velocity, free fall, and weightlessness. Aside from what you may think free fall is, free fall is when the only force acting on you is gravity. You can only be in free fall when in a vacuum or space. Weightlessness is when you have no force of support on your body. Have you ever been on a roller coaster and you feel like your stomach is jumping for a split second? This feeling is considered being weightless.

On Thursday we worked on a new lab. In this lab we tested terminal velocity by dropping a coffee filter from different heights. We dropped it in intervals of 25 cm. For each different height we had to calculate average speed and velocity. After we had our data we did two graphs. I think two things we could have improved on this lab is keeping the coffee filter steady and keeping the meter stick straight.

On Friday we  worked on finishing our coffee filter lab. I had a hard time with the graph because it was different than some of the graphs I had done before. In this lab we learned about terminal velocity. Terminal velocity is when the net force on an object is zero so it stops accelerating. I think this lab helped me see visually what terminal velocity is.

For Science Olympiad this week we all worked extra hard because we we are only a week away. We took another trip to Panera Bread to make sure we were prepared. I worked on Picture This for almost all of the time we were there. I worked on Picture This for about 2 hours. I worked for bout an hour redesigning some features of my rocket and then met on Sunday at the park to shoot off the bottle rockets. We met for about an hour launching rockets.

For this week's link it is all about SO. http://www.sciencenc.com/

Catapults and more

On Monday we had time in class to print notes and finish vocab. After that we reviewed notes. At our tables we then did an activity where we tried to balance a soda can on its side by pouring just the right amount of water into it. It took some groups longer than others. It took our group very long but when it worked it felt so good.

On Tuesday we learned about projectile motion. We watched a video on the punkin chunkin event. The punkin chunkin event is an event where teams launch pumpkins from their highly engineered catapults across a field. I am glad I am not a pumpkin being launched a mile across a field. We then went over our  next lab. This week we will be building a catapult to learn about projectile motion. We were put into groups and began to brainstorm ideas on building a catapult. Our group found an idea online that looked like it would work. It was a fairly simple design made out of pencils and a tissue box.  

On Wednesday we actually started constructing our catapult.  To build our catapult we used our box and pencils to act as the base. We used rubber bands to bond the pencils together. Then we glued a cap to the top of the pencils. We poked holes in the sides of the box so we could slide the pencils through. We need to create tension so we used a rubber band to pull the pencils back. We needed something for the rubber band to latch on to. At first we tried gluing a wooden stick to the middle of the box but it proved no match to the rubber band. After that we tried  gluing a wooden spool in the center to hold the rubber band. Once again the rubber band won. We finally came to the conclusion to use a clothes pin to pull back the rubber band and create tension.

On Thursday we worked on our catapults. By this point our catapults were almost done. While working on our catapult we found that the pencil design was not working. The rubber bands that held together the pencils were very flimsy and very inaccurate. We replaced the pencils with a spoon and it worked a lot better. We still used the rubber bands to pull back the spoon and create tension which created a very powerful catapult. This worked a lot better but we needed to use more glue for the spoon because every time we launched it it would break off. We also had to cut out a panel off the box because it was limiting the catapult's movement.

On Friday we did the last finishing touches on our catapult. We made sure that everything was working well. After that we started to test our catapult. I thought our catapult had distance but not accuracy. To help make our catapult have more accuracy we took off the rubber band. This allowed us to have more control on to where it was going to land. When we needed distance we put the rubber band on. We fired marker caps, wooden spools, and marshmallows to test our catapult. I hope our catapult does well in the competition.

This week I learned that group work is possible if work is distributed evenly among the group and if you have a good team.
One thing I can improve on is being a better listener when my coach is instructing me. It is very hard when the coach is my dad! I will definitely try to do better.
For Science Olympiad this week I spent about 2 hours on the bottle rocket, picture this, and the bridge.

For this weeks link it is a video and website. of what punkin chunkin really is.
         http://www.sciencechannel.com/tv-shows/punkin-chunkin/

                                                                       

Bowling for Forces

On Monday we started our bowling for forces lab. This lab taught us about Newton's Second Law. Newton's Second Law talks about how acceleration of an object depends on the net force. We tested this by rolling different size balls.  For each ball we rolled, we rolled it fast for one turn then slow for another turn. We rolled each ball eight meters. We weighed each ball in kilograms so we could figure out the force by multiplying mass times acceleration. After we got our results we recorded them in our data table. Some controlled variables that we kept the same in this experiment were the timer and person who throws the ball. If we did not keep these variables the same, then the results would be less reliable. After we collected our data we filled out our data table.

On Tuesday we worked on finishing our lab. We had to use what we recorded in our experiment to find force and acceleration. To calculate acceleration you have to divide velocity by time and to find velocity you would do distance divided by time. We had to calculate both of these things plus force for all of the balls on our data table.

On Wednesday we did something very different in science class. We broke a very heavy cinder block on Mr. Adam's chest with a sledge hammer.  I know you are probably thinking how does this relate to physics. This experiment relates to physics because the force is spread out instead of the force being concentrated in one area so it didn't hurt him when it broke. I thought watching the cinder block break was a great way of teaching us physics. At first I thought he was going to get hurt and I thought this could possibly never work. So I was very happy that it did work out.

On Thursday we learned about free body diagrams. Before today i did not know what they were were. When I first heard of them I thought they would be a lot like Lewis dot structures. A free body diagram helps you visualize the different forces being applied to an object. After practicing the free body diagrams they became a lot easier.

On Friday we had time in class to work on our study guides.  I am glad that we had time in class to prepare for the test on Tuesday. I think from doing the study guide in class and checking my answers I have a better understanding of the material on the test.  I think one thing I need to improve on this week is  remembering to print the chapter notes to help me in class. I always write it on my hand to remember but it always washes off and I forget. For Science Olympiad this week I spent about 15 minutes on Wednesday after school breaking the  bridge. Also on Thursday I worked on picture this for around 10 minutes in guided study.
 For this week's link it is a better explanation from Harvard of how Mr.Adams didn't die.
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~scdiroff/lds/NewtonianMechanics/FakirPhysics/FakirPhysics.html

It's getting complicated....Physics here I come!

On Monday we finished our worm lab for about 10 minutes and reviewed notes, then we started our bubble gum lab.  For this lab we were not tied down to a lab sheet with questions and an exact procedure which was my favorite part. We had free reign to make whatever experiment we wanted to test time and speed with gum. Our group tested if time would affect Nicholas's chewing speed.  We tested it in 30 second intervals. After each interval we recorded the number of chews in that time period. Our hypothesis was that the more time would result in a lower percentage of chews.

On Tuesday we actually got to test the experiment. I thought constructing our own experiment helped me to better understand and learn the scientific method. Before doing this lab we had to follow a lab procedure but in this we didn't because we got to make up our own experiment.  In our experiment we found that it did not affect his chewing speed but it increased over time .

On Wednesday  we had our first quiz in physics. For this quiz we had to study basic physics terms such as velocity, acceleration, distance and displacement. I often got these terms confused a lot. One thing I had trouble on during the quiz was applying what I knew to the questions. I knew what the terms meant I just didn't know how to apply them. I feel like if I had read the questions more carefully then I would have been more clear of what the question was asking a lot better. I can definitely improve on this for the next quiz.

On Thursday since it was our first quiz in physics we reviewed for most of the class on Thursday. Most of the topics I missed on the quiz were scalar and vector related. One thing I can improve on this week is learning the vector and scalar definitions and relearning the units so I can do better on my next test.

On Friday we did an activity where we went around the room to each table and did a different activity regarding physics. Before that activity we tried to balance a penny on a card that sat on our finger and if you pulled the card out from under the penny at just the right time the penny would sit on your finger. This works because you are moving the card not the penny. I know it's hard to believe but try it you will be surprised.

Next week we will start Newton's laws so the activities we did were mostly based around that. I didn't get to do all of the activities but I got to do most of them.  For Science Olympiad this week I spent about an hour building and testing  two more bridges.  We learned from breaking the bridges that the "new" design we had tried out had not been working because it broke almost instantly when the sand was being poured.
This week I can definitely say there is a lot of things I need to improve on but I have also learned a lot.

For this week's link it is all about Newton's Laws https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn34mnnDnKU