Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology => Topic started by: grillbouy on 21/01/2022 10:18:54
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I have been yo-yo-ing on ideas for a personal physics project i want to do, i cannot just decide on a whim as i live in a 3rd world country where supply acquisition for these types of things is not easy, so i must order the supplies months in advance, I want to do a project which has an equal amount of physical work and calculations, i have scoured the net for the past month and cant seem to find anything that tickles my willy, If one of you generous people could supply me with some of your expertise and or wisdom, it would be greatly appreciated.
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Hi.
Firstly, I know very little about Physics projects. However, I would have thought people would like to know some of the following things:
1. What is this project for? Your own personal interest, a school project or something else.
2. If it is for some academic establishment, what sort of level or age is it intended for?
Also if it ties in with any standard qualification could you indicate what that qualification is.
3. It's nearly always best if you choose what interests you. You'll do much better if it interests you.
No matter what area you choose, there should always be the potential to develop the project to a level that is appropriate and in a direction that will keep you busy and interested. For example, even if you're only interested in studying the inside of a ping-pong ball, there are ways you could extend this: Would a static charge on the ball influence the interior of the ball? Would the behaviour of the ball change if the interior wasn't air but was replaced with some other fluid? etc.
Best Wishes.
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Given what's been on my mind lately, I would suggest either an experiment testing the kinetic energy equation or conservation of momentum.
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Ok, let's try an experiment, which could become a project by changing variables.
Get a large marble and measure the mass using a balance.
Make a ramp using card or wood. The marble will roll down the ramp.
You will need to measure the speed of the marble as it leaves the ramp. If you do not have lighthgate and data logger then a simple idea is to measure the vertical height of the marble from the floor and calculate the gravitational potential energy. This will be equal to the kinetic energy of the marble leaving the ramp. There is friction on the ramp, so the velocity will be lower than expected, but you could use a smoother ramp to reduce the inefficiency.
Make the marble roll on a carpet. This will slow the marble down.
You need to measure the distance the marble travels using a long ruler or measure tape.
Repeat the practical for different heights of the marble above the ground. Try to obtain at least 7 different readings.
We can make an assumption that
1/2mv^2=Fx
Where m is the mass of marble, v is the velocity of marble, x is the distance the marble travels in the carpet and F is the friction force of the carpet.
If you plot a graph of v^2 on the yhaxis versus x on the x-axis then you may get a straight line graph from the origin. Which would prove the above equation works.
The gradient of the graph will be 2F/m, so you could also find the value of the friction of the carpet.
Thanks.