Oh Hey Unit 5, Leaving So Soon?

This unit was FLIPPING CRAZY! We twisted and turned every which way into learning about Torque, Angular Momentum, Tangential and Rotational Velocity, Conservation of Angular Momentum, and even Centripetal and Centrifugal forces.

The end.



Just kidding! Like anything in physics, it takes a it more than a term to make it all sink in. This unit was intense in examples like flipping gymnasts, whipping roller derby girls, and even the occasional race car. It all began with tangential and rotational velocity. Rotational Velocity is the time it takes for 1 rotation, or the number of revolutions in a certain time period. Tangential Velocity is the distance converted in a certain amount of time. We applied these properties in class when we did an example outside.

We stood in a line and then were asked to turn, in attempting this we found out that the person at the axis only needed to take tiny steps, while the person farthest from the axis had to take huge steps. This is because the person in the middle has a lower tangential speed than the person farthest away meaning they have to move faster. Next we found our way to Rotational Inertia

Rotational inertia is how much an object is willing to spin. If the Rotational Inertia is higher the object will be harder to spin, while if the rotational inertia is lower and object will spin faster. Wan observe this when a figure skater skates into a turn, when she wants to spin she draws her arms in, decreasing her rotational inertia and increasing her speed. This occurs because she is pulling her mass towards the axis, or center of gravity in her body. 

And then we got into the more familiar stuff like conservation. No, not conservation of plants or endangered animals, but conservation of angular momentum. Conservation of angular momentum is the total angular momentum before= the total angular momentum after:
Angular momentum is affected by rotational inertia and rotational velocity.

BUM BUM BUM TORQUE
Torque~ what causes something to rotate. 
Torque=(force)(lever arm) 
lever arm = the distance from axis rotation. 

And finally, the real and the not real forces. 
Centripetal force- the force that draws things towards the center
Centrifugal force- NOT REAL (the name for a force that throws an object outward.)
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I wish I would have gone in in the mornings a bit more for this unit, but overall I kept up with my blog posts and homework and it helped with my overall understanding of the unit. That is my goal for the next unit. 

I think my passion for this class is really starting to come out as I've become more engaged in class and made a stronger effort to be a full part of group work. 

This unit was challenging because it involved many concepts that seem counter intuitive. Like the idea of Centrifugal force. But I really enjoyed it as it explained many athletic things I found interesting like diving and gymnastics. I think I'm really going to miss Unit 5.