Hi – we are Sean and Joel and over the next few sessions we will be reviewing some of the important topics in physics that underpin our engineering courses.
This session we are looking at tools and techniques. Before we get going, let’s introduce ourselves.
Introduction to physics revision team
Estimation
In most of the activities over the next few sessions we will be looking a physics in real-life applications. To simplify some of the analysis, keep the maths easy and get a feel for the magnitude of real-world measurements we will use estimation quite a lot. This video outlines a couple of techniques with some practical examples.
Dimensions
Reducing quantities to their base dimensions is a useful tool for generating and checking equations and deriving units.
Experimental measurements
To undertake effective measurements we need to understand the importance of range, resolution, precision and accuracy, and we need to know what makes our experiments repeatable and reproducible.
So, how good are my kitchen scales?
We don’t always have access to the ideal measuring equipment and sometimes we have to compromise. In this video I investigate a set of domestic kitchen scales and discover they are surprisingly accurate.
Want to find out more?
For each session we will highlight some further resources where you can find out more – these are not essential but if you are interested you might find them interesting.
Book Suggestion
Storm in a Teacup: the Physics of Everyday Life by Helen Czerski, Black Swan, 2017.
An excellent example of how to explain complex physics using everyday examples.
Watch this
https://www.documentarytube.com/videos/what-is-one-degree – BBC Horizon programme where comedian Ben Miller returns to his roots as a physicist to try to answer a seemingly simple question: What is a degree of temperature? Experimentation and measurement are key to answering this question.
Find out more
https://www.iop.org/explore-measurement/
This site will link you in to all sorts of additional resources about measurement and physics more generally.
Time to have a go
Most weeks there will be an opportunity for you to have a go at a straightforward physics problem. This week it is choosing the best method for measuring the acceleration due to gravity, g.
Early in lockdown I devised a simple experiment to measure the time it took for an object to fall from a measured height. My attempt is shown in the video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVM1FHVeSM0I used my mobile ‘phone to capture a slow motion video with an iPad in shot to show start and finish times. I didn’t have a suitable ball, so I used a satsuma! Where are the errors in this experiment? How could you improve on it with the equipment you have available to you now? Why not have a go and see what value you get for g? Remember that the first consideration when doing experiments is safety. So, don’t try to drop too heavy an object from too great a height!