Physics+Unit

=Psyched for Physics?=

6-5-07
Block head is a game that has been played for past times and more to come. Tricia starts out by placing a block down. Then its Claires turn. Mary tips it over by using a large roller and shes out of here. Colin now starts the stack. Tricia"s turn agian. Everyone waits in awe for Claire to make her turn. And it now balances. Colin is split between two different blocks, and he chooses the walk the plank. Claire quickley places the roller down. Then Tricia is faced with a huge problem. The wedge is having a problem balancing, and it balances. Claire then attemps to place the crown on top and it goes down. Its now in the top two. Tricia starts out with the crown. Then Colin with the roller. Here goes Colin again with the walk the plank. And he knocks it over!! Oh what a sport. Tricia goes home with the gold and Colin with the silver. Join us next time for Block head. Goodnight. ~EG

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**6/1/07 Objectives**
1. Locate the center of gravity on an object 2. Apply knowledge ofcenter of gravity forces to improve your "Block Head" skills Page 118 numbers 1-3 1. Four examples of force being exerted are rams hitting their heads, gravity pulling falling books toward the ground, kicking a ball, and lifting weights. 2. A balanced force means that the net force is zero while an unbalanced force means that the net force is not zero. 3. One of the sheep is stronger so the force it exerts is higher. The sheep move to the right because there is an unbalanced force and the net force is directed towards the right. ~FO


 * Finding the center of gravity!!!**
 * A very serious group.**

First we hung the plumb line from a screw. Then we hung the triangle from the plumb line from different point on the triangle to find where the lines cross and that is the center of gravity. After balancing the triangle using the center of gravity, some groups went ahead and started using shapes from the game to find the centers of gravity for "Block Head" shapes. This let most groups improve their skills at the "Block Head" so they can win the big tournament. ~FO
 * What we did...**



Balancing a triangle on a paper clip. A view of our predictions and results.
We started out by finding the balance point of irregular shaped objects. We found the plumb line by lining up the string against the triangle. ~NA
 * What we did...**

Interviews:
DB: How does a plumb line help you find the center of gravity? AC: It gives you a vertical line and where the lines intersect it is the center of gravity. DB: Do you think this lab is a waste of time? JM: It is a waste of time because it is not worth it to find the center of gravity. AC: I think it is a good idea because it can help someone win the blockhead tournament on Monday. DB:Here are some opinions of our class about this lab!

5/31/07 Objectives:
1. Know the formulas for speed and acceleration. 2. Know the difference between speed and velocity. 3. Distinguish between graphs of speed and acceleration.

Discussion in Period 2:
1. What is acceleration? -The rate at which velocity changes. Acceleration= v2 - v1/ t 2. Does a change in direction affect acceleration? -Yes, Acceleration depends on velocity and velocity depends on direction. Speed does not depend on direction. 3. How does deceleration differ from acceleration? -Deceleration would have a negative slope on a graph but acceleration would have a postivie slope. ~TJB


 * Activity**



We are playing blockhead. You stack the blocks on top of each other and see who makes it fall over. You have to try to balence the blocks on the block under it. Try to make it almost imposible to make the other person to stack it ontop. ~GR

What we learned...
1) We learned that weight should be balanced on the starting piece. 2) We learned that if we start with the smallest piece it is harder to build off of. 3) We learned that we could also start with the skinniest or most narrow piece. 4) We learned that a rounded piece is hard to balance on. 5) We learned that we should place the pieces on the side with the least amount of weight to make it balanced. 6) We learned that irregular pieces were harded to build off of. ~NA

In addition...
7) We learned that an easy way to make and unbalenced force is to stack circular blocks. 8) We also learned that it is more likely to tip on a narrow base than a wider base. 10) We learned that irregular shaped object it is harder to stack and more likely to tip over. 11) Things with a more perfect point are harder to balance. The eraser of a pencil is easier to balance a piece of paper than the point. ~TJB

Also...
12. irregular shaped blocks are harder to stack 13.Higher the blocks are stacked the weaker the tower will become. ~CZ