Cute illustration of the energy it takes to climb up the steps of a slide against the pull of gravity
THE WHEW! FACTOR -- vs. gravity doing all the work for you sliding down --
THE WHEE! FACTOR.
https://www.timesnownews.com/videos/viral-videos/little-girl-goes-down-slide-with-baby-duck-viral-video-is-just-cuteness-overload-watch-video-104042711
This is a link to a concise and visual introduction (and one I find appealing) to the overall field of physics, with cartoon-type illustrations. Thought it might help!
Dominic Walliman of Domain of Science uses a "map" approach to a lot of science areas.
youtube.com/watch?v=ZihywtixUYo
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DID YOU
KNOW THAT
YOU CAN
LEARN PHYSICS
THROUGH SHOWMANSHIP?
Start to learn about some basic science involved in doing
demonstrations that are
fun –
Physics With Pizzazz!
Part A
We look at the following questions:
·
What
is the 1st law of motion about, known as inertia?!
http://sportscience-kathy.blogspot.com
GATEWAY
TO SCIENCE:
SPORTS
AND GAMES
Quincy,
Mass.
Page 2
INTRODUCTION
Do you like to
perform for people?
Try this! A little showmanship goes a long way in this
approach that leads people to physics in a fun way. Here’s
a script to get you started.
1st Challenge, can I balance this broom in its center
with my finger? Ask: Who will show me the center of the
broom? (Volunteer points to center.) Try to balance it – It’ll fall!
Explanation: What I need to do now is find the CENTER OF
MASS. What is MASS? Well, I think “stuff” is a good word for
MASS. Everything is made of some kind of
stuff. Everything has MASS, whatever
material it’s made of. This broom has more MASS at the brush end.
Page 3
Find the place a little closer to that end where you can balance it with your finger. (Let the volunteer do it.)
This is the CENTER
OF MASS. It’s also called the CENTER OF
BALANCE or the CENTER OF GRAVITY.
Do the same with
the spoon, etc.
Next, You Need: a chair
with arms
YOU: Now, let’s find the CENTER OF MASS in something else – You! I need a volunteer to come and sit in this chair. (The person is seated, arms on the armrests and feet next to each other on the floor.) Press your finger on their forehead, and say, “Stand up.” (They will try to but cannot.)
Explanation: While sitting, our CENTER OF MASS is directly above our seat (demonstrate). To stand up, we need to move our head forward first, and thus move forward and change our CENTER OF MASS.
Page 4
2nd Challenge,
You Need: 8x11
paper and e.g., an empty mug, measuring cup, toy car, tape dispenser, bottle of
vitamins
YOU: Notice these objects on the table resting on a piece of paper. (Name them.)
I will pull out this paper, and nothing will fall down. Do you think I can?
(replies of Yes and No!)
(Pull it out >>> Everything stays in place; NOTE: you may need to practice doing this.)
Explanation: INERTIA (in-er-sha) – there’s a big word! – is the tendency of an object at rest to stay at rest. Those objects are resting, and they want to stay this way!
This is Newton’s 1st law of motion.
(Explaining the technique), Here’s how you do it: Pull the paper out at a slightly downward angle, and do it quickly and smartly!
(Your audience
will be impressed. Let more
volunteers try it.)
Challenges like these … are just one of endless ways to gain an understanding of physics and geometry.I hope this leaflet introduces you to seeing things you never saw before – or wondered about but just didn't know where to start.
Physics
and geometry come into play in every
activity and event going on around us.
Knowing
how things work can add to your performance and to your fun. So give it a try. How?
•
Start
with the information here
•
You may
not understand everything in it right away, but for now,
use what you do understand
•
Do
an online search of your own
•
See what
books or videos
your library has
•
Share
them with friends, your class, your team, your scout troop
•
Read
my blog and tell others:
Kathy Hogan
DID YOU
KNOW THAT
YOU CAN
LEARN PHYSICS
THROUGH SHOWMANSHIP?
Start to learn about some
basic science involved in doing
demonstrations that are fun –
Physics With Pizzazz!
Part B
We look at the following questions:
·
How
can I speed up and slow down a rotating chair with friction?
· How can a football spinning on the ground stand up on its end –
in other words,
how can it change its axis of rotation?
http://sportscience-kathy.blogspot.com
GATEWAY TO SCIENCE:
SPORTS AND GAMES
Quincy,
Mass.
Page 1
INTRODUCTION
Do you like to perform for people? Try this! A little showmanship goes a long way in this approach that leads people to physics in a fun way. Here’s a suggested script to get you started.
YOU: THIS IS PHYSICS WITH PIZZAZZ! Today we’ve got some games – a few challenges – for you! Well, you may say, “What’s the big deal about a chair and a football?” Well, let’s find out!
You Need: a swivel chair (one with no arms is preferable)
1st Challenge. Who would like to go for a spin on this
swivel chair? (Ask a
volunteer to sit on the chair.)
Ask: Does anyone think that this chair can speed up or slow down when it rotates? And I mean speed up or slow down without any help from me.
(Optional: If anyone says Yes, see if they can explain
it.)
Then have the seated volunteer place their hands on their lap. Feet should rest on the base of the chair, not on the floor (see illustration).
Give the seated person a good push.
Then tell them to
put out their arms >>> slow
down.
Tell the person to
bring in their arms >>> should
speed up.
In this case, contact of an OBJECT with an outside FORCE produces friction, too.
Air resistance is a
FORCE caused by air. (Blow on your
hands.)
Friction slows down
things in motion. So, putting the
arms out gives more surface to be in contact with the air, and this increases
the friction (slows things down);
Bringing in the arms gives less surface in contact with air, and this decreases friction (speeds things up).
That’s why birds
and airplanes – and footballs – have an aerodynamic shape.
Page 2
2nd
Challenge.
You Need: a football – a proper football was found to work better than a small spongy toy football
YOU: Speaking of footballs, I am challenging you to spin this football on the floor so fast that it stands up on its pointed end. Can you do it?
# GEOGRAPHY REVIEW #
Remember how we say the Earth spins on its axis of rotation
(an imaginary line through the center of
the planet)? Same idea!
Page 3
Challenges like these are just one of endless ways to gain an understanding of physics and geometry. I hope this leaflet introduces you to seeing things you never saw before – or wondered about but just didn't know where to start.
Physics and geometry come into play in every activity and event going on around us.
Knowing
how things work can add to your performance and to your fun. So give it a try. How?
• Start with the information here
•
You may
not understand everything in it right away, but for now, use what you do understand
•
Do
an online search of your own
•
See what
books or videos
your library has
•
Share
them with friends, your class, your team, your scout troop
• Read my blog and tell others:
sportscience-kathy.blogspot.com
Thank you!
Kathy Hogan
P. 1 cover
DID YOU KNOW THAT
YOU CAN LEARN PHYSICS
THROUGH VOLLEYBALL?
It looks at the following questions:
What 2
forces help the ball go up?
What 2
forces help the ball go down?
What’s
the physics of jumping?
What are
parabola and trajectory, and
what do
they have to do with volleyball?
http://sportscience-kathy.blogspot.com
GATEWAY TO SCIENCE:
SPORTS AND GAMES
Quincy, Mass.
P. 2 inside left
What
are the 3 laws of motion?
How
do they apply to volleyball?
1st Law –
Inertia
The
tendency of a moving object – like a volleyball – to stay in motion, until
acted upon by another object or a force (like gravity or friction).
2nd Law – Force
F = m × a or F = m · a What does
it mean?
The
ball is made of mass. The amount
of Force depends on how hard you hit the mass of the ball and how fast
it accelerates –
The Action
3rd Law – The
Reaction
Every
Action has an equal and opposite Reaction.
The
pace of the game usually depends on the Force (the Action):
↓
Slower pace
means less Force is used.
Faster pace means more Force is used.
P. 3 inside center
WHAT KIND
OF FORCES ARE INVOLVED IN THE BALL GOING UP AND DOWN?
This shows you how 4
forces work on the ball – in pairs and against each other.
__________________
D. FRICTION aka DRAG C. GRAVITY
Force that slows ↓ the motion Force that pulls things down ↓
of things It is always present!
A. THRUST ↑ B. LIFT ↑
Uses the force of your energy Upward force that opposes pull of gravity
___Source: Ref. 2, Van Voorst___
P. 4 inside right:
What are parabola and trajectory – and what do they have to do with volleyball?
Θ Part of a circle is
called an arc, the shape of the path
that the ball takes as it travels through the air.
Θ We also use the word parabola
to describe specifically the shape made by the ball. Both arc and parabola are words used in
geometry, focusing on shape.
Θ There’s another word that’s also about shape, but more than that, it’s about motion too. That word is trajectory. Trajectory is the path taken by a moving object – a ball that has been thrown.
Θ Here are other -ject words: project – object – reject – eject – inject
P. 5 back, left
MORE QUESTIONS!
Trivia Question
Who invented volleyball?
Answer
William G. Morgan, an American, invented volleyball in 1895. He raised a net used for tennis, and players used their hands to volley the ball back and forth over the net.
(Ref. 1, Doeden)
Question
When you jump up and down, how does the 3rd law of motion apply to this?
Answer
Remember:
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. When you jump, you apply force to the ground with your feet. The ground returns the force, and you are pushed into the air.
The harder you push,
the higher you jump!
(Ref. 2, VanVoorst)
____________________
Sports and games are the
gateway to science,
and YOU hold the key!
Volleyball
…
is just one of endless ways to gain an understanding of physics and geometry.
I hope this leaflet introduces you to
seeing things you never saw before – or wondered about but
just didn't know where to start.
Physics and geometry come into play in every activity and event going on around us.
Knowing how things work can add to your performance and to your fun. So give it a try. How?
•
Start
with the information here
•
You may
not understand everything in it right away, but for now, use what you do understand
•
Do
an online search of your own
•
See what
books or videos
your library has
•
Share
them with friends, your class, your team, your scout troop
•
Read
my blog and tell others:
sportscience-kathy.blogspot.com
Thank you! Kathy Hogan
REFERENCES
(1)
Volleyball by Matt Doeden, Amicus Publishing, Mankato, MN, 2016
(2) STEM in the Summer Olympics: The Science Behind Volleyball
by Jenny Fretland-VanVoorst, Pogo Books/Jump!, Minneapolis, MN, 2020
SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION: PROACTIVE TRAINING
HOW TO SAY NO TO WHAT I CALL THE “DREAM-KILLERS”
Kathy Hogan, Quincy, Mass.
kathydulleahogan@aol.com
PROPOSAL:
Teach kids how they can say no to drink and/or drugs with conviction and confidence. Because drink and drugs can be dream-killers.
ANALOGIES:
DRIVING We learn to drive by taking lessons to drive safely, studying rules of the road, and taking a driving test before being issued a license to drive a potentially dangerous vehicle. However, drink and drugs are dangerous, yet young people are not normally given the same kind of preparation.
PLAYING TEAM SPORTS Sports teams consist of offense and defense. Defensive players are trained to play defense. However, we do not train kids to play defense when it comes to dealing with this offense: an offense in which drink and/or drugs are offered.
RATIONALE: In childhood, kids do things that make them happy, that excite them, or that they simply enjoy – yet drink or drugs are not part of this. Later on, when young people are invited to try drink or drugs, they’re often persuaded it will make them feel good. Remind kids they already know how to find pleasure in life in a natural way. Let’s train them so they have something to draw upon – experience saying ‘no’ and a response in which they have conviction – when faced with persuasion. Other reasons to say no can be explored – such as the undesirable prospect of being kicked off their sports team!
NOTE: How well this will work with children who’ve been abused, with mental health problems, or with parents who have substance abuse problems themselves is not clear. By itself this might not be a cure-all, but I think it is worth trying, if for no other reason than to keep the good times in the forefront of their minds. At its best, it could be the saving grace.
In addition, curiosity plays a big role.
How to deal with it? I don’t have the answer. Do you?
PROCEDURE STAGES
First: Brainstorm things that as a child you enjoy, excite you, make you happy, or just bring you contentment.
Second: Brainstorm things someone may say to you to get you to try a drink or drug.
Third: Keep in mind you’ve had experiences that bring you pleasure, and brainstorm responses you can use to say no. Explore various reasons. Be aware that bullying reactions can follow as well as peer pressure; need to prepare the children for this, too.
Fourth: Role play in pairs, the first person acting as the person offering something, the second person as the one being offered something. Then take turns and reverse roles.
Fifth: Members of the whole group share with each other.
TO FOLLOW: Develop Lesson Plans/Training Plans for each stage.
