Exploration
A unit circle is a circle with a radius of 1, graphed on a Cartesian plane, with the center of the circle at the origin. The relationship between the angle of different radii on the circle and the values of different points on the circle can help in the understanding trigonometric functions.
Objective
Exploration
The moment of inertia (MOI) is the rotational inertia of an object as it rotates about a specific axis. Moment of inertia determines the torque required for a specific angular rotation about an axis. The moment of inertia depends upon the distribution of mass of the rotating object in relation to the axis the object is rotating about.
Objective
Exploration
The moment of inertia (MOI) is the rotational inertia of an object as it rotates about a specific axis. Moment of inertia determines the torque required for a specific angular rotation about an axis. The moment of inertia depends upon the distribution of mass of the rotating object in relation to the axis the object is rotating about. Explore whether the stability of a book’s rotation is dependent upon the moment of inertia and therefore whether it changes based on the axis the book is rotating about.
Objective
Exploration
An inertial force arises from the rotation of the object and the object mass (sometimes called the centrifugal force, not to be confused with centripetal force). If the inertial force is greater than the force of friction, the object will slide off of the rotating turntable (following Newton’s First Law of Motion). The parameters that cause the inertial force to be greater than the force of friction depend on many variables.
Objective
Exploration
An object experiencing a constant net force will experience a constant acceleration. Acceleration is defined as either a change in speed or a change in direction. When an object moves along a curved path it may maintain its speed, however it will be constantly changing its direction of movement. This type of acceleration along a curved path is called centripetal acceleration and is the result of a centripetal force, a force that is directed inward, toward the center of the curvature of the path. Examine the figure below.
Exploration
Angular velocity is the rate of rotation of an object along a specific axes. For example, the blades of a ceiling fan rotate around the fan’s central axis. Angular velocity is often measured in the number of degrees the object rotates every second (°/sec) or the number of complete revolutions every minute (RPM). The PocketLab’s gyroscope measures the angular velocity of the PocketLab about the x-, y-, and z-axis.
Objective
Exploration
When two cans of different geometries are released from rest at the same time at the top of an inclined plane the results of the race may not be what you predict. The moment of inertia of each soup can will affect whether it reaches the end of the inclined plane first.
Objective
In this experiment, students will:
1. Determine the order in which each can will reach the bottom of the ramp first and explain why in terms of the energy in the system and the moment of inertia in each can.
Exploration
A spirometer is an apparatus often used in the medical field to find the cause of shortness of breath. A spirometer can rule out lung diseases like asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema. A spirometer can measure forced vital capacity. Forced vital capacity is the amount of air exhaled during a forced breath. Explore what factors affect forced vital capacity.
Objective
Exploration
Explore principles of harmonic motion. An oscillating mass on a spring or the motion of a simple pendulum are examples of objects in simple harmonic motion. When an object is in simple harmonic motion, the restoring force is directly proportional to the displacement and will act in opposition to that displacement, allowing the object to oscillate back and forth.
Objective
The disciplinary core idea behind this standard is PS4.A: Wave Properties. It specifically looks at how a simple wave has a repeating pattern with a specific wavelength, frequency, and amplitude. The Crosscutting Concept, Patterns, looks at how graphs and charts can be used to identify patterns in data. By creating graphs of mechanical waves, using a PocketLab Voyager or PocketLab One with a simple pendulum or a mass on a spring, students can examine how the graphs created are modeling by the movement and energy of the pendulum or mass-spring system.
