Chapter 2

Velocity and Acceleration


Galileo

Demos to Prepare:

For Zeno's Paradox:
Bouncing Balls.
Spinning top from Van de Graaf machine.

For Free-Fall
Leaky paper cup.

For Terminal Velocity:
Marbles and Karo Syrup

Solving Physics Problems

Doing the Dimensional Analysis:

Finding the final velocity:

You may be safe from a bullet a meter deep in water.

The bullet is destroyed by the huge kinetic energy of impact.

Video:

Elevator Crash! Can a person in a freely falling elevator save himself by jumping up just as the elevator hits bottom? Video:

What's wrong with this video?

The elevator car is accelerating downward faster than the people inside. There is no air friction in the car to slow the people or blow up their papers and their hair.

Air friction slows the feather more than the nut.

Dropping a feather and a hammer in the vacuum of the moon video:

Kitty reaches terminal velocity video:

Bouncing ball shows that the time for each bounce decreases as distance decreases. Hence the ball does indeed reach its final destination, video:

Here Endeth Chapter 2