Physics in the city:Ackers Adventure Park

Sharmin, Maria, Fozia and Zanab

IntroductionWhere are we going? Acker’s Adventure (Sparkbrook).What are we doing?CanoeingWhy are we going? To have fun learning physics!!!

Consent form, Medical/ emergency contact Suitable clothes: Waterproof clothing,

footwear with grip, no jewellery, no valuables

Risk assessment- life jackets Need a trained first aider (School Staff). Staff: Student = approx. 1:5

Logistics

Key word Basic Definition

Force Pushing or pulling action, resulting in movement: F= ma

Mass Measured in grams/ kg

Weight Vertical force of an object, Measured in Newtons W= mg

Acceleration The rate at which velocity increases a=V/t (m/s2)

Energy The ability to make things happen. Measured in Joules.

Speed How fast an object is travelling s= d/t

Velocity Speed + direction

Newton’s Laws of motion

1st, 2nd, 3rd

Keywords

All related to the motion, speed and potential of the canoe.

How does the activity relate to physics?

Name the forces

Where is the energy

coming from?

How will having more

weight effect the

boat?

How can we work out

the velocity?

What keeps the boat floating?

Difference between stationary and moving

Stationary

Name the forces

In Motion

Isaac Newton (1643-? Newton (b.1643) (father prosperous farmer). Difficult man,

prone to depression, often involved in bitter arguments with other scientists. Lived to his eighties (no spectacles)!

Experimented on himself: -Pressure experiments by applying needle to eyes (effect on colour vision of the curvature of the orbit). -Light and its properties. Experimented with way we see (relationship between light, colour and optics). Almost blind looking for long periods directly into sun while observing coloured rings. (Dark room)?

Apple story: Reports suggest apple did not fall on his head (Stukeley in his Memoirs1726). Concluded: Force which caused apple to fall to Earth also kept moon in orbit around Earth and planets in orbit around sun (basic laws of motion used to date).

Upthrust- When canoe is in water, a volume of water is displaced so upthrust is equal to volume of water (demo).

Newton’s 1st law: If no resultant force acting on object, will remain at rest. If it’s moving, will continue to move with a constant velocity in straight line.

Newton’s 3rd law : To every action there is an

opposite and equal reaction- 2 objects involved- canoe, water. Upthrust from the water and the weight are equal and opposite forces. There’s no resultant vertical force so canoe does not sink.

Newton’s 2nd Law

Increase in mass, therefore increase in weight.If an unbalanced force acts on the object it will either accelerate or decelerate.

What will happen if there are more people in the canoe?

Unbalanced forces

Canoe will move in 3rd direction- spin!

Another example of an unbalanced force…

Energy transfers- PotentialChemicalKinetic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ss2QX4p_Ts Energy transfers (1) More people rowing (faster) (2) Moments (3)

Where is the energy coming from?

Observe different speeds by changing the mass in the boat.

What does mass affect? Force sizes/ speed

Demo - Putt putt boat

RESULTSMass (g) Time (s)

0 4

10 5

20 7

30 12

Distance travelled: 79cm

As you can see, the putt boat with less mass in it, has travelled the furthest and fastest. As for the heaviest mass, the mass in the

boat, decreased its speed.

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 350

2

4

6

8

10

12

14How does increasing the

mass affect the time taken?

Mass (g)

Tim

e (

s)

Speed = distance/time

How can we work out the speed?

Distance (m) Time (s) Speed (m/s)

0.79 4 0.198

0.79 5 0.158

0.79 7 0.113

0.79 12 0.066

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 350

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25 How does increasing the mass affect the speed of the boat?

Mass (g)

Speed (

m/s

)