125 Physics Projects for the Evil Genius

BOOK: 125 Physics Projects for the Evil Genius
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125 Physics Projects
for the Evil Genius

 

Evil Genius Series

Bike, Scooter, and Chopper Projects for the Evil Genius

Bionics for the Evil Genius: 25 Build-It-Yourself Projects

Electronic Circuits for the Evil Genius: 57 Lessons with Projects

Electronic Gadgets for the Evil Genius: 28 Build-It-Yourself Projects

Electronic Games for the Evil Genius

Electronic Sensors for the Evil Genius: 54 Electrifying Projects

50 Awesome Auto Projects for the Evil Genius

50 Green Projects for the Evil Genius

50 Model Rocket Projects for the Evil Genius

51 High-Tech Practical Jokes for the Evil Genius

Fuel Cell Projects for the Evil Genius

Mechatronics for the Evil Genius: 25 Build-It-Yourself Projects

MORE Electronic Gadgets for the Evil Genius: 40 NEW Build-It-Yourself Projects

101 Outer Space Projects for the Evil Genius

101 Spy Gadgets for the Evil Genius

123 PIC
®
Microcontroller Experiments for the Evil Genius

123 Robotics Experiments for the Evil Genius

PC Mods for the Evil Genius

Programming Video Games for the Evil Genius

Solar Energy Projects for the Evil Genius

Telephone Projects for the Evil Genius

22 Radio and Receiver Projects for the Evil Genius

25 Home Automation Projects for the Evil Genius

125 Physics
Projects for the
Evil Genius
 

JERRY SILVER

 

Copyright © 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a data base or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 978-0-07-162607-1

MHID: 0-07-162607-7

The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: ISBN: 978-0-07-162131-1, MHID: 0-07-162131-8.

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Information contained in this work has been obtained by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“McGraw-Hill”) from sources believed to be reliable. However, neither McGraw-Hill nor its authors guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein, and neither McGraw-Hill nor its authors shall be responsible for any errors, omissions, or damages arising out of use of this information. This work is published with the understanding that McGraw-Hill and its authors are supplying information but are not attempting to render engineering or other professional services. If such services are required, the assistance of an appropriate professional should be sought.

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About the Author
 

Jerry Silver
has developed components for terrestrial photovoltaic systems and designed solar arrays currently providing power for more than 20 commercial and NASA satellites. He participated in the production of high-performance semiconductor materials used for cell phone transistors, optical communication, and multijunction solar cells. Mr. Silver holds a B.S. in Engineering Physics from Cornell University and an M.S. in Physics from the University of Massachusetts. Mr. Silver currently teaches in the New Jersey area.

This book is for my wife Joanie and my kids Ally and Danny.

 
Acknowledgments
 

The author would like to gratefully acknowledge Steve Grabowski, Dan Silver, Danielle Buggé, Tracey Jameson, Michael Dershowitz, the Wallshes, Brookhaven Labs, John Kenney, and the folks at PASCO for assistance with the illustrations in this book. In addition, special thanks are offered to Steve Grabowski, Chis Aleo, Tiberiu Dragoiu, Robin Nolte, Tom Misniak, and Kim Feltre for enabling me to be part of a world where physics is appreciated, promoted, and shared on a daily basis.

Contents
 

Introduction

Section 1 Motion

Project 1 Getting started. Constant velocity. Running the gauntlet
.

Project 2 Picturing motion. Getting a move on
.

Project 3 The tortoise and the hare. Playing catch-up
.

Project 4 How does a sailboat sail against the wind? Components of force
.

Project 5 Stepping on the gas
.

Project 6 Rolling downhill. Measuring acceleration
.

Project 7 Independence of horizontal and vertical motion. Basketball tossed from a rolling chair
.

Project 8 Target practice. Horizontal projectile—rolling off a table
.

Project 9 Taking aim. Shooting a projectile at a target
.

Project 10 Monday night football. Tracking the trajectory
.

Project 11 Monkey and coconut
.

Section 2 Going Around in Circles

Project 12 What is the direction of a satellite’s velocity?

Project 13 Centripetal force. What is the string that keeps the planets in orbit?

Project 14 A gravity well. Following a curved path in space
.

Project 15 How fast can you go around a curve? Centripetal force and friction
.

Project 16 Ping-pong balls racing in a beaker. Centripetal force
.

Project 17 Swinging a pail of water over your head
.

Section 3 Gravity

Project 18 Feather and coin
.

Project 19 How fast do things fall?

Project 20 The buck stops here (the falling dollar). Using a meterstick to measure time
.

Project 21 Weightless water. Losing weight in an elevator
.

Project 22 What planet are we on? Using a swinging object to determine the gravitational acceleration
.

Section 4 Force and Newton’s Law

Project 23 Newton’s first law. What to do if you spill gravy on the tablecloth at Thanksgiving dinner
.

Project 24 Newton’s first law. Poker chips, weight on a string, and a frictionless puck
.

Project 25 Newton’s second law. Forcing an object to accelerate
.

Project 26 Newton’s third law. Equal and opposite reactions
.

Project 27 Newton’s third law. Bottle rockets. Why do they need water? (Sir Isaac Newton in the passenger’s seat.)

Project 28 Pushing water. Birds flying inside a truck
.

Project 29 Slipping and sliding
.

Project 30 Springs. Pulling back. The further you go, the harder it gets
.

Project 31 Atwood’s machine. A vertical tug of war
.

Project 32 Terminal velocity. Falling slowly
.

Project 33 Balancing act. Painter on a scaffold
.

Project 34 Hanging sign
.

Project 35 Pressure. Imploding cans
.

Project 36 Pressure. Supporting water in a cup
.

Project 37 Pressure. Sometimes the news can be pretty heavy
.

Project 38 Archimedes’s principle. What floats your boat?

Project 39 Cartesian diver
.

Project 40 An air-pressure fountain
.

Project 41 Blowing up a marshmallow. Less is s’more. Why astronauts do not use shaving cream in space
.

Project 42 Relaxing on a bed of nails
.

Project 43 Blowing hanging cans apart. What Bernoulli had to say about this
.

Project 44 Center of mass. How to balance a broom
.

Project 45 A simple challenge. Move your fingers to the center of a meterstick
.

Project 46 Center of gravity. How far can a stack of books extend beyond the edge of a table?

Project 47 Center of mass. The leaning tower of pizza
.

Section 5 Energy/Momentum

Project 48 The pendulum and your physics teacher’s Ming dynasty vase
.

Project 49 Two slopes. Different angle, same height
.

Project 50 Racing balls. The high road versus the low road. Which wins?

BOOK: 125 Physics Projects for the Evil Genius
6.58Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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