In class we started to discuss about forces. As a class we talked about Isaac Newton, even though we didn't go into full detail about him, we still know he DID have SOMETHING to do with forces. Some people brought up Newton's Laws of Motion, which looked upon further, are 3 laws regarding motion and forces.
The 3 laws include:
The 3 laws include:
These 3 laws help understand forces better. Setting these laws aside, we also discussed of how a force could simply just be a push or a pull. Some key words brought up in the discussion include: push, pull, acceleration, mass, direction, friction, GRAVITY, matter, & motion. Using these key terms we carried on with a lab.
THE LAB
For the lab we had to hit a bowling ball with a mallet to make it do various tasks. These tasks included to make the ball speed up, make it slow down, make it go at a constant velocity, make it turn 90 degrees, and allow the ball to go in a circle.
Our group succeeded in all the tasks except the 90 degree turn. With a little help from Mr. Battaglia, we realized that where you hit the ball really affected the way the ball acted. Once the class got back to gather we talked about our lab and came up with an agreement about the acceleration in the lab.
What we came up with:
If the ball is not moving :::::: no acceleration
If the ball is moving with constant velocity :::::: no acceleration
If the ball is speeding up :::::: acceleration (a force was applied)
If the ball is slowing down :::::: acceleration (a force was applied)
If the ball changes direction :::::: acceleration (a force was applied)
After we came up with ↑ this chart we noticed a trend. Every time a force was applied, acceleration was present. So we came up with a definition for the lab: {For an object to accelerate a force needs to be applied}.
The next day, we came up with "THE FIRST RULE OF FORCES" which stated- [When naming a force you must describe the object giving the force and the object receiving the force.] We also discussed some of the different force types, we separated them into different force types -:Contact:- -:Spooky (field):- The contacts including push and pull and the spooky (field) ones being gravity, electro magnetic, weak nuclear force, and strong nuclear force. Out of these forces we focused mostly on the force of gravity. But before that, we took note that mass had a great affect on the force of the object as well as the gravity. When discussing gravity I know for one that I was very confused in the beginning, we knew gravity was there but HOW?
Below is the definition of gravity:
THE LAB
For the lab we had to hit a bowling ball with a mallet to make it do various tasks. These tasks included to make the ball speed up, make it slow down, make it go at a constant velocity, make it turn 90 degrees, and allow the ball to go in a circle.
Our group succeeded in all the tasks except the 90 degree turn. With a little help from Mr. Battaglia, we realized that where you hit the ball really affected the way the ball acted. Once the class got back to gather we talked about our lab and came up with an agreement about the acceleration in the lab.
What we came up with:
If the ball is not moving :::::: no acceleration
If the ball is moving with constant velocity :::::: no acceleration
If the ball is speeding up :::::: acceleration (a force was applied)
If the ball is slowing down :::::: acceleration (a force was applied)
If the ball changes direction :::::: acceleration (a force was applied)
After we came up with ↑ this chart we noticed a trend. Every time a force was applied, acceleration was present. So we came up with a definition for the lab: {For an object to accelerate a force needs to be applied}.
The next day, we came up with "THE FIRST RULE OF FORCES" which stated- [When naming a force you must describe the object giving the force and the object receiving the force.] We also discussed some of the different force types, we separated them into different force types -:Contact:- -:Spooky (field):- The contacts including push and pull and the spooky (field) ones being gravity, electro magnetic, weak nuclear force, and strong nuclear force. Out of these forces we focused mostly on the force of gravity. But before that, we took note that mass had a great affect on the force of the object as well as the gravity. When discussing gravity I know for one that I was very confused in the beginning, we knew gravity was there but HOW?
Below is the definition of gravity:
This is important because in class we started to draw force diagrams. Force diagrams are simple diagrams showing all the forces, the direction of the forces, and the magnitude of said force. Here is an example:
Throughout the discussions in class many of us were not sure of what to include in a force diagram, but now that i researched it a little more, I can see that its just a simple diagram and does not and cannot include everything. I can't recall who mentioned this in class, but I do remember someone stating that a force diagram is a diagram for force and can only show a certain number of things, because if we needed to show something else we could use a different kind of diagram or map. Which I totally agree with, the FORCE diagram should only show force, hence its title.
Something that was "bothering" our class was the difference between the force diagram for an object at a rest and an object that has a constant velocity. I believe we should have the same diagrams but, include something like a "key" to show the difference. Because if we added anything else to the diagram, it would be representing a different scenario.
During another discussion with the class, we decided to change our previous definition of "{For an object to accelerate a force needs to be applied}". Our class decided, instead of a one sentence definition, we needed 2 to fully wrap around the concept of acceleration.
WHAT WE DECIDED ON:
[ 1. IN ORDER FOR AN OBJECT TO ACCELERATE AN UNEQUAL FORCE NEEDS TO BE APPLIED ]
[ 2. IF AN OBJECT IS NOT ACCLEREATING THE FORCES ARE EQUAL ]
Something that was "bothering" our class was the difference between the force diagram for an object at a rest and an object that has a constant velocity. I believe we should have the same diagrams but, include something like a "key" to show the difference. Because if we added anything else to the diagram, it would be representing a different scenario.
During another discussion with the class, we decided to change our previous definition of "{For an object to accelerate a force needs to be applied}". Our class decided, instead of a one sentence definition, we needed 2 to fully wrap around the concept of acceleration.
WHAT WE DECIDED ON:
[ 1. IN ORDER FOR AN OBJECT TO ACCELERATE AN UNEQUAL FORCE NEEDS TO BE APPLIED ]
[ 2. IF AN OBJECT IS NOT ACCLEREATING THE FORCES ARE EQUAL ]
Lastly in class some points were brought up during the discussion which I believe are very important to this discussion. (Credit to those whose ideas these were!)
-equal magnitude force arrows should look the same (have the same length)
-forces on the diagram should only be the ones acting on the object
-the "force" diagram should not show motion
-all force arrows come out of the dot (the object)
Heres another example of a force diagram:
-equal magnitude force arrows should look the same (have the same length)
-forces on the diagram should only be the ones acting on the object
-the "force" diagram should not show motion
-all force arrows come out of the dot (the object)
Heres another example of a force diagram:
Overall, I believe I am starting to get a better understanding of force and force diagrams. The more practice I do with them, the stronger I will become in them :) .