PH 1130: Modern Physics

Understand how to determine the coefficient of kinetic friction using a wooden block and a spring. Employing the law of conservation of energy, we use the spring's compression and stretch measurements. Through energy equations and Newton's second law, we deduce that ? equals 0.4.

Discover how to optimize the launch tube acceleration to achieve the maximum height and earn the most points in your laboratory experiment.

Explore the world of high-performance sports cars and learn how to calculate their average acceleration when accelerating and coming to a stop.

Join us for a dramatic river rescue mission! In this video, we solve the problem of how a rescue team can reach a child in danger of drowning in a fast-flowing river. We calculate the angle from the shore for their pilot to approach the child directly, considering the river's current and the boat's speed. Explore the principles of vector addition and save lives!

Learn how to calculate the kinetic energy of a Saturn 5 rocket with an Apollo spacecraft attached using physics principles and formulas. Understand the importance of unit conversion and the work-energy theorem as you plug values into the KE = 1/2 mv² formula. Discover that the kinetic energy for this rocket and spacecraft combo is an astonishing 1.82 x 10¹³ Joules.

In an elevator ascending, an occupant drops a coin, which accelerates at a different rate than expected. This reveals the elevator's own acceleration towards the Earth. By analyzing forces and tensions, we determine the cable's tension to be 16000 N.