Blog 12-PORTLAND :)

Last weekend I went to Portland, Oregon, for a four-day national high school journalism conference with two friends and two teachers.  Though we are constantly surrounded by physics, the City of Roses provided some excellent examples.

We happened to arrive on the day that two airlines, Horizon and Alaska, officially merged.  Thus, all of the staff on the airlines were walking around the airport passing out roses that announced the merge.  I set the rose down on a newsstand and was reminded of the way light affects color.  The red rose petals were absorbing the green and blue portions of the white light of the sun and reflecting only red light.  The green leaves and stem were absorbing the red and blue light and reflecting green light.  This is an example of how the color of an object is dictated by what parts of white light it absorbs or reflects. In the picture, you can see the white light hitting the rose, and you can see the color it reflects.

At the Convention Center, a large pendulum constantly swings from side to side.  It changed direction of its swing depending on the rotation of the Earth.  In addition, it is a perfect example of tension. The tension in the cord allows it to hang without falling, yet it is strong enough to allow the orb to move freely.  I took a short video of it so that I could post it on my next blog.  Disregard the background noise.  I don't know how to take it out.

Last, we went to the Market on Sunday.  At the market, many street performers were displaying their talents, whether it be in music, art, or dance.  A pair of boys, one about our age and one about 13-14 years old, did a drum duet of sorts on makeshift drums.  The reason that their music sounded appealing instead of cacophonous is because waves pass through each other rather than interfering with each other.  Using this idea, the boys could play very upbeat music without driving away their listeners.  However, they probably did not realize it took such good physics to produce such a sound.

Overall, the trip was AMAZING!

Blog 11-Hydroplaning

This weekend's wind and rain were especially heavy in Manoa, creating rather unfit driving conditions.  However, I ended up driving my family around because they felt I should practice driving in "unfortunate conditions."  Due to the amount of rain that accumulated on the streets, I had to drive more slowly in order to avoid the possibility of hydroplaning.  Hydroplaning occurs when there is a layer of water in between the road and a car's tires, causing a driver to lose control of his or her car and potentially end up in a hazardous situation.  In order to avoid such a situation, drivers need to take several physics concepts into consideration.

First, lack of friction is the cause of hydroplaning.  Thus, in order to help prevent hydroplaning, tire manufacturers added many grooves on the tires in order to try to disperse the water from under the tires, thus increasing surface area and giving the tire more friction with the road.  In the picture below, the water is being sprayed from under the car tires, which shows that the grooves in the tires must be working.  

Second, speed and acceleration of the car affect the likeliness of hydroplaning.  If a car is going 60 mph, accelerating, and there is a large puddle on the road, there is a higher possibility that the car will hydroplane than if the same car was driving at 20 mph and slowing down through the same puddle.

Although hydroplaning is unlikely to occur, it is best to take extra precautions during a heavy downpour.  Driving slowly and with extra caution will help a driver maintain control of his or her car.  In addition, as a driver, you should make sure your tires have the proper amount of air in them and make sure the tread of your tire is not worn.  These factors use physics concepts in order to prevent the hazardous situation of hydroplaning.