In
this unit I learned about........
Machines, work, power, and energy. I learned
that machines are devices used for multiplying force or simply changing the
direction of the force. Machines are pulleys, ramps, etc. Work is the transfer
of energy. It also is a huge factor for power. I learned that force x distance
is the equation for work and that these two factors must always be parallel.
Work is related to power because power is the work done over time. In other
words, power is how quickly work can be done. Energy comes in many forms. There
is PE, which is potential energy. There is KE, which is kinetic energy. There
is also heat, electricity, etc. The equation for PE is MGH, which is mass x
gravity x height. The equation for kinetic energy is ½(m)(v)2. Due to the
conservation of energy, energy cannot be created nor destroyed. Therefore, the
total amount of energy never changes. Energy can be transformed into heat, but
it is not destroyed.
What I
have found difficult about what I have studied is.........
Pulleys. I found pulleys to be very difficult to
understand. I didn’t understand and wasn’t able to explain myself how a pulley
could make a job easier. All I saw was a rope that went around wheels, I
couldn’t grasp the concept. I couldn’t understand how they worked either.
I overcame
these difficulties by…….
Studying. I went back into my notes to find the
definition. After class I found myself asking friends for help. I did look on
the internet for an explanation once. After all this work I finally found out
why pulleys work. They work because they multiply force but do so at the
expense of distance. So basically the more rope you have, the smaller the force
will be. This is because work= force x distance. If the distance is huge, the
force must be small.
My
problem-solving skills and effort........
My efforts towards class during this unit were
about the same as last. I understood all of the work so I was more motivated to
try and do work. My self-confidence for this unit was fairly high because I
understood the work. Most of the work in this unit had a lot of mathematical
work included in it. This made understanding topics much easier because after
learning the definition I felt like the only thing left was plug and chug. My
homework was good for the most part except for the blog pictures. I never knew
the due date so they were often late. When I finally completed them I could not
send you the actual picture file on time.
If we don’t count those as blog postings, my blog postings were
definitely completed on time all the time. This unit I didn’t want to work in
groups of 3’s because I felt like the work distribution was unfair during the
last podcast. This time around it was much better. Everyone did an equal amount
of work and no one felt like they drew the short stick and had to do all the
work. When it comes to activities in the class I am pretty persistent. During
the Horsepower lab I made sure that my group got the best info and I think I
ran up and down the steps 5 or 6 times.
I always work hard in labs and activities. For example, when we pulled
you car I did so much pulling, but on top of the I was one of the main
contributors to the creation of our successful pulley machine.
* My goal(s) for the next unit
is to ………………. by doing …………………
Keep working hard and to bring my grade up. I
will do this by doing what I am doing and not slipping up. I will be on top of
blog posting and pictures from now on. I also need to do better on test because
that Is one of the main reasons my grade is low.
I play this video game called hill climber. I
think about physics because when going from a big hill to another big hill I
have enough energy to make it over. If I go from a small to a big, if I don't
use gas it is impossible. It just makes me think about roller coasters and how
as long as every hill after a big hill is smaller or equal to the hill, the car
or cart will be able to make it over.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MANrogVHArA
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