share+your+questions

This is a page where you are able to ask(and answer if you know the answers) questions relating to your learning. I will do my best to try and answer them as quickly as possible. Where possible try and look the information up for yourself though.

Q. Ms McKinney asked in class, plus it is an optional reflection in LG4: now that you have some experience in yr 12 physics, do you think the course would have started more gently if we did LG4 (forces and newton's laws) BEFORE doing LG1 (describing motion using equations and graphs). Why or why not?

older questions --below (check for new answers though!)**
 * newer questions --above

Q. What is ms^(-1) ? A. OK the question is meant to ask about ms "to the power of negative one" but I am having some issues with the formatting. Basically it is the grown-ups' way of writing m/s, metres per second. In physics we use this 'wierd' way of writing units because (take my word for it...) it give you more flexibility later on. Kilometres per hour, km/h is written kmh^(-1). Centimetres per year would be written cm.year^(-1)

Q. what is velocity? A. velocity is a //directionspeed// combo! Something that has been catching a few of you out is that ACCELERATION is a change in velocity and as such, acceleration is a change in speed AND/OR a change in direction. I said in class today, a physicist would hop in your car and call your accelerator pedal, your brake pedal, and your steering wheel all "accelerator."

Q. formula sheet? A. Some people felt it would help their learning to have a reference list of all the necessary formulae. (Especially since, at the time, we didn't yet have our Mechanics notes printed off.) So if you click on the @Y12 MECHANICS LG, 2010 page you will see I have uploaded a file with the formulae you need to know by the end of our mechanics topic. DO NOT MEMORISE THEM they will be given to you in assessments. However, you do need to know //how// to use them e.g. what the symbols stand for in the formulae; conditions where the formulae fail and can't be used, etc.

Q.What is vector? A. Laura here :) Anyway a vector is basically any quantity which has size AND direction (e.g. force, velocity), and is represented by an arrow, which you will be familiar with. Length of arrow = size of vector Direction of arrow = direction of vector. xD