G9 Science and Engineering: Define and Inquire
Through this project, I will design and create a device that can help the user to learn physics. This device should be durable and harmless, while still being visually appealing and interesting for the user. My product should be targeted towards students or teachers that would use this device as a demonstration so that they could learn from it.
Precedents:
Mr. Layman’s swinging device
Designed as a toy, Mr. Layman’s device also shows information about physics. Since it’s using the gravitational force to try and let the ring hook onto the hook, it shows the motion of the ring in the air. Through that, we can observe that to let the ring reach the backboard, we need to either move a little back or push it by a little from the original starting point to overcome the friction in the air. However, some negatives of this device are that even if the ring touches the hook, it won’t necessarily stay on it, so it’s somewhat inconsistent.
Newton’s cradle
A classic device that is shown to almost every student. This demonstrates the law of conservation of energy as it transfers the motion from one side to another. The only negative I have is that the rope is easy to be messed up for kids and could be a pain to unwind.
Straight ramp vs Curve ramp device
This device has 3 different ramps to compare which is the fastest when on a straight ramp, curved ramp, or super-curved ramp. Though this is extremely simple, it shows the acceleration of the balls based on different ramps and finding an optimized ramp. This is a very awesome device and the only negative is that it can be a bit big, but note that this would also work in a smaller scale.
Inertia demo device
Based on the Newton’s first law of motion, inertia, this device shows how it works. At first, the device is set up to have a plastic board under the ball. Then, a metal board would be pulled back and released to hit the plastic board. Finally, the plastic board would fly out because of the impact, but the ball would only fall downwards. This is a clear demonstration that is easy to use and understand. Cons of this particular device could be that its using a metal sheet, which can be a safety hazard.
Walter Lewin’s pendulum
Though this is more of a demonstration, this is a very cool and clear device to show the law of conservation of energy and friction. In this demo, Lewin swings the pendulum from his chin, and after reaching the other end, it swings back. Because of friction and the conservation of energy, it does not hit his chin. However, even if this was an awesome device or demo, it is still to dangerous. Like Lewin said himself, he was putting his life on the line to show that he is a true believer of the law of conservation. So, maybe not fit for a normal device.
Ideas:
I am thinking of something that is similar to Mr. Layman’s device, which is shows how friction affects the energy of the ring. However, instead of the ring structure, I prefer have it roll it down a ramp like the second device in the precedents. This device should show the law of the conservation of energy or the dissipitation of heat like in Lewin’s demo, and hopefully easy to understand for the user.