Dear student,

As school approaches, I would like to give you some suggestions about the kind of topics we are going to study together this year.

Please, try to reflect on the next questions:

-Why does the force of gravity acting upon an object depend upon the location of the object relative to the Earth?
-How does gravity affect objects which are far beyond the surface of the Earth?
-How far-reaching is gravity's influence? And is the force of gravity which attracts my body to the Earth related to the force of gravity between the planets and the Sun?
-What does create this Force of Gravity? Was Einstein right in saying that it is a consequence of the curvature of the Universe ( because of the presence of matter)?
-Is the elephant or the book landing first if we drop them from the top of a building at the same time , in absence of air resistance?

In our course we’ll discover some things you haven’t considered before like:

-The same force which causes objects on Earth to fall to the Earth also causes objects in the heavens to move along their circular and elliptical paths. Quite amazingly, the laws of mechanics which govern the motions of objects on Earth also govern the movement of objects in the heavens.


-Newton's comparison of the acceleration of the apple to that of the moon led to a surprisingly simple conclusion about the nature of gravity which is woven into the entire universe.


-The value of g is independent of the mass of the object and only dependent upon location - the planet the object is on and the distance from the center of that planet.

-Are gravitational mass and inertial mass-different? (one of the key issue in Einstein’s Theory of Relativity!)

-Why planet’s orbits are elliptical and why as the planet is closest the sun, the planet is moving fastest and as the planet is farthest from the sun, it is moving slowest.

We’ll address some of students’ misconceptions like:

-It must be a force acting upon an object which keeps it moving!
Or
-It must be the outward/centrifugal force which produces circular motion!

We’ll talk about Brilliant Scientists such as Newton, Kepler or Einstein who changed our life for ever!! Why wouldn't you become one like them?

I invite you to read carefully this blog and I hope you enjoy finding the answers to some of the questions posted here!

See you soon!

| 1-Dimensional Kinematics | Newton's Laws | Vectors and Projectiles | Momentum and Collisions | Work and Energy | Circular, Satellite and Rotational Motion | Special Relativity | Static Electricity | Waves, Sound and Light | Ray Optics | QuickTime Movies | Shockwave Animations |

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GIF Animations:

1-Dimensional Kinematics

• Average vs. Instantaneous Speed (6 seconds)
• Hot Wheels Track (37 seconds)
• Acceleration vs. Constant Velocity (3 seconds)
• Constant Rightward Velocity (13 seconds)
• Constant Leftward Velocity (13 seconds)
• Rightward Velocity with a Rightward Acceleration (11 seconds)
• Rightward Velocity with a Leftward Acceleration (10 seconds)
• Leftward Velocity with a Leftward Acceleration (11 seconds)
• Leftward Velocity with a Rightward Acceleration (10 seconds)
• Passing Lane - Position vs. Time Graph (11 seconds)
• Passing Lane - Velocity vs. Time Graph (10 seconds)
• The Stoplight (13 seconds)
• Motion of a Two-Stage Rocket (23 seconds)

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Newton's Laws

• Newton's Law of Inertia
  • The Car and The Wall (23 seconds)
  • The Motorcyclist (13 seconds)
  • The Truck and Ladder (16 seconds)
    
• The Elephant and The Feather - Free Fall (9 seconds)
• The Elephant and The Feather - with Air Resistance (14 seconds)
• Skydiving (17 seconds)

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Vectors and Projectiles

• Vector Direction (7 seconds)
• Vector Addition: 6 + 8 = ??? (10 seconds)
• Vector Addition: The Order Does NOT Matter (18 seconds)
• The Plane and The Wind (9 seconds)
• The River Boat (5 seconds)
• Parabolic Motion of Projectiles (10 seconds)
• The Monkey and The Zookeeper (2 seconds)
  • Throw at the Monkey in a Gravity Free Environment (4 seconds)
  • Throw above the Monkey with Gravity On (4 seconds)
  • Throw at the Monkey at a Fast Speed with Gravity On (4 seconds)
  • Throw at the Monkey at a Slow Speed with Gravity On (4 seconds)
• Horizontally Launched Projectiles (12 seconds)
• Non-Horizontally Launched Projectiles (15 seconds)
• Maximum Range (13 seconds)
• The Plane and The Package (12 seconds)
• The Truck and The Ball (14 seconds)
• A Satellite as a Projectile (21 seconds)

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Momentum and Collisions

• The Astronaut Catch (10 seconds)
• The Diesel Engine and Flatcar Collision (27 seconds)
• The Cart and The Brick
  • Part A - 2-kg Brick dropped on a 3-kg Cart (26 seconds)
  • Part B - 2-kg Brick dropped on a 1-kg Cart (28 seconds)
• The Fish Catch
  • Big Fish in Motion Catches Little Fish (15 seconds)
  • Little Fish in Motion is Caught by Big Fish (31 seconds)
    
• Car-Truck Collisions (collisions between objects of unequal mass)
  • Car "Rear-Ends" Truck - Inelastic (12 seconds)
  • Truck "Rear-Ends" Car - Inelastic (16 seconds)
  • Car "Rear-Ends" Truck - Elastic (28 seconds)
  • Truck "Rear-Ends" Car - Elastic (16 seconds)
  • Head-On Collision Between Car and Truck - Inelastic (28 seconds)
  • Head-On Collision Between Car and Truck - Elastic (24 seconds)
    
• Two Dimensional Collision Between Two Cars (8 seconds)

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Work and Energy

• Which Path Requires the Most Energy? (19 seconds)
• Energy Transformation for Downhill Skiing (49 seconds)
• Energy Transformation on a Roller Coaster (31 seconds)
• Energy Transformation for a Dart (13 seconds)
• Energy Transformation for a Pendulum (63 seconds)
• Energy Conservation on an Incline (9 seconds)
• Stopping Distance of a Hot Wheels Car (14 seconds)
• How Far Will It Skid? (23 seconds)
• How High Will It Go? (19 seconds)

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Circular, Satellite, and Rotational Motion

• Uniform Circular Motion (6 seconds)
• Inertia and The Right Hand Turn (8 seconds)
• The Centripetal Force Requirement (6 seconds)
• Roller Coaster G-Forces (24 seconds)
• Orbiting Satellites (21 seconds)
• Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion
  • First Law - The Law of Ellipses
  • Second Law - The Law of Equal Areas (7 seconds)
  • Third Law - The Law of Harmonies
    

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Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity

• Length Contraction (41 seconds; includes 4 animations)

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Static Electricity

• Charging a Single Sphere by Induction
  • Using a Negatively-Charged Object (28 seconds)
  • Using a Positively-Charged Object
    
• Charging a Two-Sphere System by Induction
  • Using a Negatively-Charged Object (26 seconds)
  • Using a Positively-Charged Object
    
• Charging an Electrophorus Plate by Induction
  • Using a Negatively-Charged Object (33 seconds)
  • Using a Positively-Charged Object
    
• Charging an Electroscope by Induction
  • Using a Negatively-Charged Object (34 seconds)
  • Using a Positively-Charged Object
    
• Charging an Object by Contact
  • Using a Negatively-Charged Object
  • Using a Positively-Charged Object
    
• Grounding a Positively-Charged Electroscope (14 seconds)
• Grounding a Negatively-Charged Electroscope (14 seconds)

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Waves, Sound and Light

• Longitudinal Pulse (8 seconds)
• Tuning Forks and Longitudinal Waves (7 seconds)
• Guitar Strings and Longitudinal Waves (8 seconds)
• Sound Waves and the Eardrum (14 seconds)
• Propagation of an Electromagnetic Waves (30 seconds)
  
• Standing Waves on a String
  • 1st Harmonic (3 seconds)
  • 2nd Harmonic (3 seconds)
  • 3rd Harmonic (4 seconds)
  • 4th Harmonic (4 seconds)
  • 5th Harmonic (4 seconds)
    
• Reflection of a Pulse at a Fixed End (8 seconds)
• Reflection of a Pulse at a Free End (7 seconds)
  
• Reflection: Echo vs. Reverberation (30 seconds)
  
• Boundary Behavior of Pulses
  • Transmission from a More Dense to Less Dense Medium
  • Transmission from a Less Dense to a More Dense Medium (8 seconds)
    
• Standing Wave Formation on a String (11 seconds)
  
• 2-Point Source Interference Patterns
  • Changing Separation Distance (60 seconds)
  • Changing Wavelength (32 seconds)

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Ray Optics

• The Law of Reflection (11 seconds)
• Image Formation for Plane Mirrors (30 seconds)
• Ray Diagrams for Concave Mirrors
  • Object Located Beyond the Center of Curvature (11 seconds)
  • Object Located at the Center of Curvature (11 seconds)
  • Object Located Between Center of Curvature and the Focal Point (10 seconds)
  • Object Located In Front of Focal Point (9 seconds)
• Image Formation for Concave Mirrors
  • Object located Beyond the Center of Curvature (4 seconds)
  • Object located Between Center of Curvature and the Focal Point (4 seconds)
    
• The Broken Pencil (20 seconds)

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QuickTime Movies

Vectors and Projectiles

• Horizontally Launched Projectile (50 seconds)
• Non-Horizontally Launched Projectile (60 seconds)

Momentum and Collisions

• Car-Truck Collisions (collisions between objects of unequal mass)
  • Car "Rear-Ends" Truck - Inelastic (20 seconds)
  • Truck "Rear-Ends" Car - Inelastic (20 seconds)
  • Head-On Collision Between Car and Truck - Inelastic (20 seconds)

Work and Energy

• Roller Coaster (60 seconds)