Addy- Science Methods 1

How do the phases of the moon occur? The moon's phases occur because it is how the sun is shining on the moon. Sometimes it is full and other times it is not. What causes the seasons? I am not really that sure what causes the seasons, but I think that the seasons may be caused depending on how close we are to the sun. The seasons are caused by the tilt of the earth's axis What causes the lunar eclipse? The eclipse is caused by the moon disappearing. I think that it is when Earth is in between the sun and the moon. In the lab, we learned a lot about the Earth and its orbit. We got to talk about what causes the seasons, the phases of the moon and where they are around the earth, and what causes lunar eclipses. I feel as though I learned a lot more than I originally knew.

Today in lab, we learned about surfaces. We did an experiment to create a surface where an egg could survive a one-meter drop. With our first few attempts, our biggest challenge that we saw was the egg bouncing off of our surface once it hit. We tried to use straw to cushion the bounce, and we also tried things like adding rubber, sand, and wood chips. We failed every time because we just could not figure it out. We noticed that the egg cracked less with more hay than it did with the sand. This was interesting to look at. Then, we started talking about forces and looking at Newton's third law and equal forces.

In lab, we looked at forces. We were able to look at a steel and aluminum ball. At first, I thought that the steel ball would drop faster than the aluminum ball because it weighed more. When we dropped them, they both landed at the same time. This confused me. But after some explanation, I learned that yes, the force of gravity pulls harder on the heavier object, but it is harder for the heavier object to accelerate. So they land at the same time because the lighter object accelerates faster, so the two balls land at the same time. Then, we looked at how the force of a push affects how long it takes for someone to swing back and forth. We placed our data in the picture at the top.

In the lab, we began looking at graphs and trying to interpret their motion. We did an activity where my partner and I tried to figure out if the height of a slide would impact the speed of a rider. We did four different heights and three different timed trials. Our results proved that the higher the slide, the faster the rider goes. In lecture we talked about slides and how different things affect the speed of the rider. We discussed height, force, accesleration, etc. The press book chapter was all about the force lens on motion. The text went over the basics of motion and gave lots of videos and examples of how motion and forces work. I feel like I learned a lot more about inertia than I initially knew. I think the videos and simulations were most helpful. I am a very visual learner, so seeing a true visual about it helps me to better learn it and understand. I feel like this helped me understand a lot more about it.

In week one of the lab, we looked at speed. We tried to figure out the head start someone would need if they were to finish at the same time. We tried to figure out this problem, and then we tested it in the classroom. In Thursday's lecture, we touched more on this question in different ways, which helped me to really solve and understand it. In the press book reading for the week, I learned about describing and measuring motion. It had us look at equations and videos, and it had us critically thinking. I think the acceleration equation was the most helpful because I am a learner who needs an equation like that to help me figure out how to calculate things, especially in physics. I think that I just need more help understanding physics because it is something that is challenging for me.