Circuits Tutorial, Part 1

This is part 1 of 4 tutorials in the basics of circuits and electronics.  After you have watched each video, e-mail me.  I will send you a quick assignment related to the contents of the video.  It might be an exercise where you calculate something, maybe describe a circuit, or something along those lines. Send your answers to me by any means you have available.  (I would avoid the regular mail system.  E-mail works well.)  The form of your answer is up to you.  You can write it out on paper and send me a scan.  You can send me an audio file of you describing your answer.  You can send me a video file of your solution (might be overkill).



Each assignment is worth 10 points.  With the author's permission, I will post the best answers on this blog.



These tutorials take time to absorb.  Please pay close attention to them, minimizing other distractions.



If you have questions about the videos, don't hesitate to e-mail me, or even better, ask the question as a comment below the video.  If you have a question about the material, it's likely that half the class has the same question!  Remember - there are no dumb questions.



Finally, please note that I am not the author of these videos.  These are from the Khan Academy.  All hail Salman Khan!

Circuits Tutorial part 2

Circuits Tutorial Part 3

Circuits Tutorial Part 4

Black Holes

Hi everyone, my name is Christian Higgins. Just look for the kid with the bushy eyebrows and you'll find me. I am extremely interested in space. The main thing I love most however is the search for intelligent extraterrestrials. I also would like to possibly show how some theories written in science fiction novels and games can be possible. That brings me to this webpage.

 http://www.iflscience.com/physics/physicist-claims-have-proven-mathematically-black-holes-do-not-exist

This article that I have attached is discussing a theory on how black holes do not exist. A Physicist claims that she has mathematically proven that black holes do not exist. I for one think that is ridiculous. Black holes have been referenced in many science fiction books and the authors all have their own take on what the holes could actually do. I for one would like to prove or disprove some of these theories. Black holes help loosely explain certain phenomena that occurs in space that we don't quite comprehend. Read this article and see what you think.

Wassup Engineering/Physics!!!!

Hello Everyone!! I am Brandon Hardy, the silent black kid in the back. I am a fan of engineering, buuuut not so much for physics (BAD HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER). I enjoy chemistry and I aspire to be a biomedical engineer in my future. Specific events may change what I want to do in the future and I would like to think of Engineering physics as one of those specific courses that may have the most influence in changing my career. Overall math is fun to me so I can't hate physics but I have a lukewarm opinion of the course. I did take nanotechnology so I have an idea of some of the advanced concepts of physics like the quantum mechanics. We already discussed light-wave duality in the earlier classes so I'll throw out another quantum mechanic that we MIGHT discuss in the future. Quantum tunneling...... Fun stuff. Enjoy class. I'll enjoy my 10/10 on this assignment :)

While in class last Thursday.

Hello classmates. Don't know if you guys got around to it but while in class, when we got to microwaves during the lecture, someone brought up an interesting YouTube clip. Thought I'd post it sense it was cool.

Inspirations From Nature: The Cheetah

There's no doubt that the cheetah is a marvel of nature. The ability to reach speeds up to 70 mph is astonishing. But how can we learn and benefit from observing this creature? Well, a team of researchers at MIT may be on to something.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMKQbqnXXhQ

After studying the physiology of the cheetah, the engineers at MIT, have created a robot that replicates the movements of the animal. There are many ways in which we could use this technology, including: prosthetics and transportation. Just another gift of nature.

Bringing Electromagnetic Energy to Sea

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9114111/US-Navy-tests-game-changing-supersonic-electromagnetic-rail-gun.html

This link will take you to a web article by Telegraph that talks about a new weapon that is under testing to be used by the United States Navy. This new "Rail Gun" uses electromagnets and electric current to fire projectiles at about 5,600 mph! That was no typo, it is 7 times the speed of sound. This new will weapon will be able to hit targets up to 220 miles compared to the guns used now that have a effective range of 15 miles.

Roush Mustang

Roush just released images of what the 2015 Mustang Roush edition is going to look like after all of the body kit it put on. No word on the specs on what is going to be done to the engine. Here is the link to see the car. http://carbuzz.com/news/2014/9/28/Roush-Reveals-its-2015-Mustang-Mods-7722812/ 

Hey everyone I found this video on flying robots. Massachusetts Institute of Technology has designed robots to fly without human control. I think it is pretty cool what they are doing. If you would like to check it out here is the link.
 http://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/mit-k12/mit-k12-physics/v/indoor-flying-robots

Robotic Octopus?!

Hey there, so apparently some robotic engineers thought it would be interesting to make a robot octopus... It actually moves like an octopus does, via jet-propulsion and walking (although the latter isn't as impressive). Click here if you want to read the article, and the video should be below.

Electromagnetic wave more in depth!

Hey classmates! So as we've talked about electromagnetic spectrum I came across this video that is more into detail about the spectrum hope you enjoy!

click here for the video! and enjoy!

Have a great weekend!

Friction Circle and Racing

Hey everyone. One of my past times was going to the racetrack with the Porsche Club. Driving fast has a lot to do with understanding the physics behind it. Here is a great video explaining the limits of tires while going fast around corners. Just remember to keep it on the on the track and off the streets.

The videos diagram is a little off. Another way to think of this is the next time you have a drink in your car, when you accelerate the liquid would be pressing backwards and when you brake it would slosh to the front. Same goes for turning. Finding the limits of grip while keeping maximum acceleration and grip is what makes fast lap times.

Hope you all enjoyed the video and here is another one of an example of what it looks like while driving on track. This video has the data overlay of the G forces and speeds with the location on track.

Water on Mars

Hey guys! One thing I love is is space! So here is a link to a page about the new spacecraft called 

Maven that just arrived at Mars. 

Click here to go to the website for the Maven project! You can find all sorts of info about Maven!

I highly recommend watching the video. It gives a insight on what they think the mighty red planet looked like many many years ago.