In physics, we explore concepts in the AP Physics 1 and C curriculum. My favorite part of physics is working with my peers to tackle challenges. I enjoy learning others' ways of thinking and collaborating to piece each of our unique ideas to find solutions and special relationships. I also appreciate how physics twists my intuition and brings together different aspects of math and logic.
We started the year by doing a Kinematics Lab, and using the carts and planks we had available to understand the relationship between velocity, acceleration, and displacement. In this experiment, a cart was released from various distances and angles, and its velocity was measured. The goal was to determine the acceleration of the cart from various positions on an inclined plane. I have taken a physics class before, but I never really understood how these variables were related until I did this lab.
During the Collisions Lab, we used a frictionless surface to prove that elastic collisions preserve kinetic energy and momentum. Two carts were gently pushed towards each other, and their velocity was measured during the experiment. We varied the weight of the carts to see how it affects the velocity and momentum. Each group was assigned a different research objective and materials, and it was really interesting to see how everyone utilized their resources to prove different collision equations.