The Power of Rube!!!

Reuben Goldberg was an American cartoonist who's wild cartoons showed crazy contraptions doing simple tasks. His cartoons have since inspired countless people to challenge their creativity and their understanding of physics in the real-life production of simple yet complex machines. Fun, imagination, and physics are key.

The simple pattern

ENERGY -- FORCE -- ENERGY -- FORCE -- ENERGY -- FORCE -- ENERGY.......

Start by reviewing the week 6 notes online (this is a mandatory part of the assignment).



Watch the large video (to the right) and find examples for the following six concepts. BE SPECIFIC and briefly explain why your examples demonstrate the concepts.

Static Friction
Kinetic Friction
Work
Gravitational Potential Energy
Elastic Potential Energy

Kinetic Energy

Phun Physics with Phelines!

Hope you all are cat lovers. I've always been more of a dog person, but there was no video called "Dun Dysics with Dogs." Watch the video (at right) and share something you learned from it? Be detailed and accurate in your response...."I learned about friction" isn't the kind of response we're striving for. You all did a fantastic job with your responses on the last blog post -- keep up the great work!

:) Mr. R

Grounded for Life!!

Let's say that someone you know is driving WAY too fast on the freeway (obviously, you personally are much too smart to do anything so foolhardy and dangerous!). Ultimately, your friend's parents will find out he's driving at 80 mph no matter what. He can't escape getting busted! BUT, from the options below, choose which POV/frame of reference he would want his parents to have so his velocity seems the lowest relative to them.

Choose one by voting in the poll to the right, and add a comment to explain WHY your choice is best...

The parents driving 60 mph toward him (on the other side of the freeway, of course).
The parents driving 60 mph in the same direction on his side of the freeway.
The parents sitting along the freeway watching him drive by. (External)

Let it Fly!...in 2 Dimensions☺

By playing we learn. So, let's play. On the left side of the blog is a link to a game called "Bazooki: A Silent Affair" and it's all about 2D projectile motion. Play the game for at least 10 minutes, and BE OBSERVANT while you play. Mess around with different angles and different amounts of force, and look at how it affects the flight path of the projectile and the distance it covers.

After you've played, post a reply of something you learned/observed about 2D projectile motion. Talk about vectors (horizontal versus vertical), force, or angles -- or all three!

Make sure to complete this tonight. Have a great one, and I'll see you soon. :)

Mr. R