Martes, Oktubre 2, 2012


. What I have learned in Physics....

             What do you mean by Physics? Science in general? etc.? "Science is the ever unfinished quest to discover all facts, the relationships between things, and the laws by which the world runs," quoted Gerald Holton.
             Definitely, physics is the science, which seeks to understand the properties of inanimate matter, the laws of motion, and the processes of converting energy. It is once called nature philosophy, is the discipline of science most directly concerned with the fundamental laws of nature.
             According to one of the definitions, physics is the study of matter and motion. Neither this nor any other sentence definition can adequately reflect the mixture of created error, accumulated knowledge, unifying ideas, mathematical equation, philosophical impact and practical application that comprise physics.
             I have learned that everything that we can see, hear, or feel is subject belonging to physics because of the reasons "why" the natural events occur. Physics is valuable in giving discipline to the mind and because it affects our daily life.
             I have learned that physics has many uses. It is a science which we use everyday. It is a science we deal within our everyday life knowingly and unknowingly.
            Physics has raised our standard of living. The modern facilities and appliances in homes like refrigerators, air conditioning unit and etc. have reduced household chores. Radios and other entertainment media have made home life enjoyable.
            Physics protect us from accidents through safety devices. It helps in prolonging life with useful instruments needed in hospitals and clinic and by providing range that kill germs.
            Physics makes us understand our environment. Why storms occur and why there is high tide and low tide, day and night.
           Physics teaches us the manipulation and operation of many complicated and simple devices that are necessary in our modern life. It helps us in our transportation so that we can arrive at our destination at an earlier time. It also provides avenues for a life career profession.
           Physics has transformed the world into its modern farm. It has supplied methods of learning and solving problems. It has explained many truths that were once inexplicable. In a broad sense, physics is the branch of knowledge which describes and explains the material world and its phenomena which uses the resulting understanding to create new areas of human experience.

....The exercise that interest me most.....

          The exercise that interest me most is exercise no.7 entitled Mass Density. It reminds me about the funny story that took place sometime around 250 BC, the Greek mathematician Archimedes was given the task of determining whether the craftsman had defrauded the  King of Syracuse by replacing some of the gold in the King's crown with silver. Archimedes thought about the problem while relaxing in a bathing pool. As he entered the pool, he noticed that water spilled over the sides of the pool. He realized that the amount of water that spilled was equal in the volume to the space of his body occupied. This fact suddenly provided him with a method of determining whether the craftsman was defrauding the king.
         To prove his hypothesis, he made an experiment by putting the craftsman's crown and a pure gold in two tubes of water. During his experiment, he proved that the craftsman has been defrauding the King.
         And because Archimedes was so excited about his discovery, he ran naked through the streets of Sicily shouting ''Eureka! Eureka!'' ('' I have found it'').
         Another thing that interest me that is related to this topic is that why some things float and others sink? Why a one-peso coin sink while a large ship floats?
        Through the discovery of Archimedes of the buoyant force that is also related to density, this concept explains why some objects float on water while others sink. The Principle of Buoyancy states that ,'' If an object is less dense than the fluid in which it is placed, it will float, if it is more dense than the fluid, it will sink.
        Ever watched the award-winning movie ''Titanic''? If you do, well, you would understand what  I am talking about.
        Large ships have tremendous amount of space that is filled with air. While steel is denser than water, air is less dense. When the metal hull of a ship is breached, like when the Titanic struck an iceberg, water rushes in and replaces the air in the ship's hull. As a result,the total density of the ship changes and causes the ship to sink.
       This things helps us in understanding more about density. It will help in categorizing and identifying different materials. In addition, it is very helpful in building ships and lighter-than-air craft such as hot air balloons.