WOULD LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK ! : )

When I learned to set up this blog, I didn't think about encouraging people to sign on as a Follower, nor to post comments or to ask questions.  A lot of people have looked at this, and I'd love to know your reaction to it.  Love to hear from you!

"BREAKING" NEWS

Two months ago -- October 21, 2013 -- I had an experience that was a very effective lesson in Newton's laws of motion.  Let me "walk" you through it.


1st law of motion:  I was an object in motion with a tendency to stay in motion (this is called inertia) until I came in contact with an unbalanced outside force.

TRANSLATION:   I stepped off the sidewalk near the Union Oyster House, looking to be sure there was no traffic in the road.   As I did so, I didn't see a pothole, stepped in it and fell flat on my face!    Now I was an object at rest, with a tendency to stay that way.  (This, too, is called inertia.)
 
2nd law of motion:   
         Force = mass  x  acceleration      
TRANSLATION:   I had been walking at a good clip (acceleration) and, seeing that my size is more than I would like (mass), the resultant force was considerable.

3rd law of motion:   Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
TRANSLATION:      As my right foot hit the edge of the pothole, the pothole pushed back on my foot.  My foot lost, the pothole won.  My 5th metatarsal broke.

                                                                    

It is quite a bit better now, thank you, but I'm walking with a limp.  Hopefully that will improve in time.

THINGS I LIKE TO DO - an "interest inventory"

This "Interest Inventory" is suggested to go with the proposal below for a school club that focuses on sports and games.  The purpose of the club is having fun and discovering the underlying physics and geometry of the things we like to do for fun.

THINGS I LIKE TO DO (OR WOULD LIKE TO DO) – 

Please check off things that apply to you.  You can elaborate and give details.  Anything not here that you want to include, add at the bottom.   

Use the other side if you need to.

_____DOING THINGS WITH MY HANDS:

_____ENJOY READING:

_____GOOD AT FIXING THINGS:

_____PLAYING SPORTS:  

_____COLLECTING THINGS:

_____CARPENTRY, PAINTING:

_____ARTS AND CRAFTS:

_____LIKE TO TEACH THINGS:

_____DOING RESEARCH:

_____PLAYING CARDS, CHESS, GAMES:

_____MUSIC:

_____SWIMMING:

_____CAMPING, FISHING:

_____DAYDREAMING, SPENDING SOME TIME ON MY OWN:

_____VIDEO CAMERA:

_____COMPUTER:

_____WRITING:

_____DRAWING:

_____PHOTOGRAPHY:

_____IMAGINATIVE:

_____ORGANIZED:

_____DEPENDABLE:

_____I  FEEL COMFORTABLE AS A LEADER:

_____CONSCIENTIOUS:

_____OTHER:

ESTABLISHING A PHYSICS & GEOMETRY GAME CLUB

PROPOSAL FOR:   PHYSICS & GEOMETRY GAME CLUB   
                                     (P & G GAME CLUB)

Location:   classroom;   gym;   outside           Time:   after school (?)

                                                                                

GOAL: 

For students to explore through discussion and practice:

·         the principles of physics and geometry in games and sports,
·         and to share what they learn with others

OBJECTIVES:       Pick a project / projects, deciding whether to work in one group or in small groups.                               

Develop the project to teach students about basic physics and geometry and then showcase it.

Discover students' strengths (see "Things I Like to Do" checklist for a starting point).

Be on the lookout for student peer advisors and leaders.
                                                

Invite guest lecturers.

PRESENTATION IDEAS FOR SHOWCASING THEIR PROJECT:

   

STUDENT NEWSLETTER                    SPECIAL EXHIBIT

DESIGN STATIONS AROUND GYM (LEARNING CENTER)

STUDENT WEBSITE                            AT A TEACHERS MEETING    

SCHOOL ASSEMBLY  --  SKIT OR DEMONSTRATION    

ENHANCEMENTS TO A CHILDREN’S PLAYGROUND              

(check out Science in the Park - Science Museum Boston)

PRESENT TO A  CLASS / TEAM       

MAKE A VIDEO FOR LOCAL ACCESS TV                DESIGN A LESSON

IS THERE ANY SPECIFIC NEED IN THE SCHOOL WE CAN HELP WITH?

                                                                                      

FIRST MEETING: 

                        
Introductions – Explain goals and objectives  –  Find out who already knows about physics and geometry in sports and games  -- Show books and binders and teaching objects.  

     Toss some balls around, etc. – What do you want to know?  to do? 

     Who has studied physics and geometry (or is studying now) ?

     To give them ideas, look at science fair suggestions.   

Try www.sciencebuddies.com for starters. 

Brainstorm for their ideas.

FIRST ASSIGNMENT:  Pass out a list of good websites, ask them to take a look at the sites. 

Have a look at my blog www.sportscience-kathy.blogspot.com .   

If no computer, use the library.     

Fill out “Things I Like to Do.”  (This is the previous entry.)

PROPOSED BY:      Kathy Hogan, B.S.Ed., Bridgewater State College                                   kathydulleahogan@aol.com      617 773 5673

IDEAS FOR SCIENCE FAIR PROJECTS IN SCHOOL

I'm on my way to Fenway Park to the Middle School O (orientation) for kids going into middle school in the Boston Public Schools.  I have a handout for anyone thinking ahead to their science fair projects.  It has suggestions of projects that all have to do with physics and geometry in games and sports.  Here it is below.  I got these from  www.sciencebuddies.org, a site definitely worth checking out!


SCIENCE BUDDIES   
List of Sport Science Projects  (without details) 
                                                      
 *  For abbreviated Project Ideas with an asterisk, see NOTE at bottom.
 

BEGINNER:    MEDIUM                      

Skipping Science:    An Experiment in Jump Rope Lengths

BEGINNER:    HARD               

Jumping Distance

INTERMEDIATE:   EASY

Around the World:    The Geometry of Shooting Baskets *

Bouncing Balls:   Measure the Rebound Rating*

Drag Racing in the Water

How Quickly Does a Tennis Ball Lose Its Bounce? *

Popping an Ollie:   How Skateboarders + Physics = A Really Cool Trick

Speed Quest   (Measure speeds in track events.)

The Biomechanics of Pitching

Under Pressure:   Ball Bouncing Dynamics

INTERMEDIATE:   MEDIUM

Aerodynamics of a Football *

Bouncing Balls:   Why Is the Rebound Rating < 1? *

Hey, Gear Heads!   The Physics of Bicycle Gear Ratios *

How Fast Can You Shoot a Hockey Puck? *

How High Can You Throw a Baseball?   A Tennis Ball?   A Football?   A Golf Ball?

Nothing But Net:   The Science of Shooting Hoops

Physics of Vibrations *  (Bats, tennis rackets, and golf clubs vibrate when they hit the ball.)

Pump It Up:   Mountainboarding Speed and Control

She Shoots, She Scores!   How Does Hockey Stick Flex Affect  Accuracy and Speed?

Soccer:   Geometry of Goal-Scoring *

The Physics of Cheating in Baseball  (Corked bats versus unaltered wooden bats.)

The Physics of Follow-Through *

INTERMEDIATE:    HARD

Back and Forth to Go Forward: A Snake on Wheels?  (ride-on toys with back and forth steering)

Balancing Act:  Finding Your Center of Gravity

Baseball Bat Debate:   What's Better, Wood or Aluminum?

Football:   Place-Kicking *

Golf Clubs, Loft Angle, and Distance:   The Science of Hitting *

How Far Can You Kick (or Throw or Hit) a Ball? *

Power Kicks:   The Physics of Martial Arts

Practice *     (Controlled experiment:  physical practice vs. mental practice vs. no practice)

Skateboard Extremes:   Which Wheels are Best for Speed & Turns?

Skiing and Friction:    How Does Ski Wax Affect the Sliding Friction of Skis? *

Tee Time:   How Fast is Your Golf Swing?

Tee Time:   How Does Tee Height Affect Driving Distance?

Tightening the Turns in Speed Skating:      Lessons in Centripetal Force & Balance

ADVANCED:    EASY

A Cure for Hooks and Slices?     Asymmetric Dimple Patterns and Golf Ball Flight

Aerodynamics & Hockey:   Does the Force of Drag Have an Effect on the Distance the Puck Will Travel? *

Are More Expensive Golf Balls Worth It?

Football:   Punting *

Golf Clubs, Loft Angle, and Distance

Paintball Ballistics

Playing the Angles:   The Physics of Balls Bouncing Off of Surfaces *

The Science of Spin:    How Does Spin Affect the Trajectory of a Kicked Soccer Ball? *

Which Team Batting Statistic Predicts Run Production Best?

ADVANCED:    MEDIUM            

Skating and Angular Momentum *   

Science of Spin:   Baseball Pendulum *

*    NOTE:    These are abbreviated Project Ideas, without notes to start your background research, a specific list of materials, or a procedure for how to do the experiment.  If you want a Project Idea with full instructions, please pick one without an asterisk.