scouserlad13 0 Posted June 2, 2009 We have to do an EEI (Extended experimental investigation) on anything we want, and i just cant seem to come up with any good ideas, and its driving me mad, anyone here have any ideas? Im in Y12 by the way, so i know some of the technical stuff. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ONETINSOLDIER 2 Posted June 2, 2009 http://seniorphysics.com/physics/eei_hints.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scouserlad13 0 Posted June 2, 2009 haha ive looked at this, and some ideas seem interesting, going to talk with my teacher tommorow about them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JediMaster 451 Posted June 2, 2009 It's been almost 15 years since I left college and my physics classes behind, and my brain literally seems to lock up when I think about them now. Honest truth, I look at my freshman physics books now and it all looks like gibberish. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+gregoryp 1 Posted June 2, 2009 (edited) Why not do something you enjoy? Combat sims? For example: How would changing the wing area of the Eurofighter change its ability to fly Air Combat? You’d need to get the help of one of the 3rd party devs who could make a couple edits to the flight model. Then get say 6 sim pilots to fly against each other online and a set number of missions against the AI. You record their opinions and the 3rd party dev could provide how changing the area effected drag and stability of the Eurofighter. And last you can write how flight sims are one giant physics equation. Edited June 2, 2009 by Sarge714 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eraser_tr 29 Posted June 2, 2009 I've always found the advanced physics stuff fascinating. I'll never even attempt the math involved, but the concepts of how everything works, and I have my own disputes with some established einstein and hawkings stuff. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FastCargo 412 Posted June 3, 2009 Eraser, If you can't do the math, how can you have a beef? You gotta speak the language before you can refute the theory... FC Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eraser_tr 29 Posted June 3, 2009 Logic? I understand the "how it works", just not the exact math. Same as with flight, most of us understand the details of how things fly and what affects flight characteristics, but how many of us know how to do the calculations for lift, drag and all to make exact flight models? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Fates 63 Posted June 3, 2009 It's been almost 15 years since I left college and my physics classes behind, and my brain literally seems to lock up when I think about them now.Honest truth, I look at my freshman physics books now and it all looks like gibberish. x2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scouserlad13 0 Posted June 3, 2009 OK, i got an experiment sorted, im going to look at different household items, such as bubble wrap or a jacket and test their insulation capabilities. Ill keep you posted about the grade i get for it. The due date is 8 weeks away haha. And i agree about the whole maths thing, it just goes straight over my head, but if i get given an equation, ill be able to work my way round a problem. Even if it means re-arranging, which most of the time requires me to do it. I hate physics. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FastCargo 412 Posted June 3, 2009 Logic? I understand the "how it works", just not the exact math. Same as with flight, most of us understand the details of how things fly and what affects flight characteristics, but how many of us know how to do the calculations for lift, drag and all to make exact flight models? Nope, ain't buying it. Most aerodynamics can be validated in a wind tunnel or actual flight. And sometimes logic still doesn't apply. For instance, try explaining to a layman exactly WHY you need more power to fly slower. I guarantee you're going to be drawing graphs at some point based on mathematics. High power physics validations are much harder to achieve. Been near a black hole lately? How about near lightspeed? Or other dimensions? Some of this stuff can be tested(for instance, time dilation has been proven to exist) but a lot has to be derived from mathmatical constructs. And logic starts taking a back seat when you get to the extremes... FC Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gr.Viper 131 Posted June 3, 2009 And logic starts taking a back seat when you get to the extremes... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JediMaster 451 Posted June 3, 2009 Yeah, that's why I had a minor in math, just to keep up with the physics major. Some of the other kids decided to go for broke and take the 4 extra math classes to get a double major, but I just never liked the "pure" math classes much. Vectors and matrices, egads! Multiple derivatives! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fallenphoenix1986 603 Posted June 4, 2009 Made a mess of physics and maths in 5th year high school so ended up redoing them both in 6th year... somehow still managed to go on to study aeronautical engineering though. Once you really get to grips with algebra things will fall into place and Co-Lift and Drag calculations arent realy that bad. Craig Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Jimbib 747 Posted June 5, 2009 Some of this stuff can be tested(for instance, time dilation has been proven to exist) but a lot has to be derived from mathmatical constructs. And logic starts taking a back seat when you get to the extremes... FC When I first encountered time dilation and length contraction in high school, they melted my brain. Then when you go on to explain it to others, you can watch their brains melt successively. I think I'm still allergic to the word "muon" though Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zmatt 2 Posted June 6, 2009 (edited) Nope, ain't buying it. Most aerodynamics can be validated in a wind tunnel or actual flight. And sometimes logic still doesn't apply. For instance, try explaining to a layman exactly WHY you need more power to fly slower. I guarantee you're going to be drawing graphs at some point based on mathematics. High power physics validations are much harder to achieve. Been near a black hole lately? How about near lightspeed? Or other dimensions? Some of this stuff can be tested(for instance, time dilation has been proven to exist) but a lot has to be derived from mathmatical constructs. And logic starts taking a back seat when you get to the extremes... FC It all makes sense in logic. Nothing is random in the universe. If it doesn't make logical sense then your logic is wrong. Math in and of itself is a logical system. If something works out mathematically then it is logical by definition. Just because something doesn't appear to make sense at the first glance does not mean that it is without logic. Then again, the above statement has gotten many engineers in trouble when they try to apply logic to non logical things. How often have engineers thought they had figured out something as a system and thought they could do better, only to find out it had no quantifiable or logical basis? Also who is to say that all of our math is right anyways? It is only measurable to a certain extent. After that you are using math to prove math. The further you go the further you get from definite numbers to ones that are simply extrapolated. Sure aerodynamics are well understood. if all else fails we can go and fly and compare what really happens to what we think will happen. But when you get into quantum mechanics you approach things that we have no easily measurable analog to. Call me nuts, but measuring the distance of objects by how red it is and bouncing neutrons off of things seems very iffy ways to measure stuff. Not to say that I know any better way to do it. Or that we are wrong. But I think that the assumption it is right is inherently wrong. You can;t be sure unless you do it. And I think it will be quite some time until we break the speed of light, if it even is possible of course. Also, Einstein first thought of relativity riding a bus and thinking of the logic problem of going the speed of light. So deduction does have an important place in science. Edited June 6, 2009 by zmatt Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
serverandenforcer 33 Posted June 7, 2009 Where is Spock when you need him Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
super61 0 Posted June 7, 2009 (edited) Physics was never my thing. /sarcasm Edited June 7, 2009 by super61 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
