DID
YOU KNOW THAT
YOU
CAN LEARN PHYSICS
IN
PLAYGROUNDS!
Start
to learn about some basic science involved in
PLAYGROUND
GAMES.
This
leaflet looks at these questions:
What
does gravity have to do with playgrounds?
Why
do I see wood chips – or other soft material – on the
ground?
How
can I learn about potential energy and kinetic energy in a
playground?
http://sportscience-kathy.blogspot.com
GATEWAY
TO SCIENCE:
SPORTS
AND GAMES
Quincy,
Mass.
inside, left
RIDE
THE SLIDE
When
you decide to use the slide, you have a little WORK to do before
you can enjoy the ride, right?
That
WORK is you climbing up the stairs to the top of the
slide.
You
need to:
*
Use your ENERGY to climb up
(while
GRAVITY pulls you down).
*
But then everything changes:
Now
you can save your ENERGY
while
the downward force of GRAVITY does your work –
and
you just sit down and you enjoy the ride.
I
call this the “Whee !” factor.
P.S.
The same principle applies when sledding or coasting on
snow.
inside, middle
WHY
DO I SEE WOOD CHIPS OR OTHER SOFT MATERIAL UNDER THE EQUIPMENT?
Wood chips, rubber,
or sand are some of the materials used to cushion kids from falls
while in the playground. Falling on hard ground leads to injuries.
COLLISION
When we think of
a collision, a car crash usually comes to mind.
But any time two
things touch each other, there is a collision. It can be as
mild as a fist bump – or as strong as something falling to the
ground from a skyscraper!
You could think of
collision as being on a scale from 1 to 10:
A mild collision is
called an elastic collision – with a lot of “give.” A one!
The strongest
collision is inelastic, or non-elastic, collision – no “give”!
A ten!
Think of some
collisions that you
have had; rate them
from 1 to 10.
inside, right
RIDE
THE SWING
or
“Ride the Pendulum”!
That's
right! A swing is a pendulum!
When
the swing is raised and released, it will move freely back and forth
due to the force of gravity on it. The swing continues moving back
and forth without any extra outside help until friction (between the
air and the swing and between the chains and the attachment points)
slows it down and eventually stops it.*
*
Swinging with a pendulum, by Science Buddies, Scientific
American 2.23.12
When
you give a friend some help, you use two forces: PULL and PUSH * First you pull your friend back. This is potential energy -- it's the stored energy of position.
*
Then push. This is kinetic energy -- the energy of motion.
outside, left
Use
this space for notes.
_______________
Sports
and games are the gateway to science,
and
YOU hold the key!
outside, center
The
playground...
is
just one of endless places 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
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