I know...

It's been a while since I blogged on this site... give me some time... will try to blog something... soon...

Martial Arts Physics

The video shows how accurately the martial arts experts can jump.... and the path they take must correspond to the theoretical path computed by Newton's equations of motions... That's why Physics is the KING of science... the accurate prediction of what should and could happen simply with the basis of theories and equations...

Quantum Physics

This is not in the syllabus for secondary Physics and is only briefly introduced in A-level Physics... To my older students who are reading this blog, this video may have more relevance as it attempts to shed light and understanding on the initial confusion about quantum events, that occurrences are purely random and arbitrary. The final result of the quantum events cannot be accurately predicted yet with a certain certainty, things can be predicted. Talking in circles? Haha... that's what I feel Quantum Physics is sometimes... I do like the video though and there are many parts to the video... think this is just the tip of the iceberg!

Hurricane Balls

Thought it is such a simple demo and yet so captivating. Just 2 magnetic balls and a mirror, coupled with coloured lights.... simple apparatus and the effect is hypnotic! Not too sure what can be learnt here... sometimes videos are just for entertainment sake I guess. But if anyone of you out there thinks that there is a Physics concept to be learnt and grasped here, do feel free to leave some comments... Haha... I am also still learning!

Homework

Yup, this blog is like my homework... I have to tell myself I have to be disciplined enough to blog regularly... at least a few times per week... Haha... that gives me the liberty to surf the web for interesting sites and videos on Physics!

Disclaimer!

I think it's better to put a disclaimer now... all the videos here are carried out under adult supervision. Please do not carry them out unless you have an adult beside you and please take all safety precautions before proceeding with any experiments.

Wow... cool!

Wow... I thought this is way cool... though very dangerous! I am not too sure how the teacher did it but I can guess why the students were not hurt. Water has a high heat capacity and the heat absorbed from the flames are taken directly in by the water and vaporises it. In doing that, the students are kept safe from the heat. A similar thing will be using just wet newspaper to mold hot glass (about 1500 degrees celsius). I did that in Japan, molding glass with bare hands protected by only wet newspapers! Will search for that photo and try to post it on my blog... Two of my students also did the same thing as me... Ruwan and Castillo...

String Theory

Ok... I think this new theory is way out of my students' understanding... in fact I am struggling to understand it myself! One thing's for sure... no one knows how the universe began and survives until now... Newton tried to explain with gravity... Electricity and magnetism theories seemed so revolutionary when they first appeared... Einstein searched in vain for a unifying theory... Everyone is trying to come out with an explanation of how the world is working... or rather how God works...

Have posted a link to a website that has really very nice videos narrating this string theory... Very cool videos but takes time and preferably watched over broadband... If anyone is interested to read the book... can find me... it's "The Elegant Universe" by Brian Greene

How much sugar is there in a can of soda?

I watched this video and was stunned by the amount of sugar that was actually in a can of soda! Man... I am swearing off Coke... for now... can't imagine me drinking so much sugar....

But this video made me realise that quantities are actually very important in daily lives... except that we do not pay much attention to them... We see numbers with units attached to them but many a times forget the actual meaning of the numbers! 39 grammes of sugar may not seem a lot... cos 39 when attached to grammes... hmm... sounds like a small number but we forget that one small teaspoon of sugar is only about 5 grammes of sugar! So 39 grammes is actually quite a big number in relation to 5 grammes. Besides we are talking about sugar which is not exactly a healthy thing to consume in large quantities.... and by large quantities it means more than the daily required amounts...

In Physics, numbers are important. The universe is governed by numbers (I know.... many of the philosophers out there will be opposing this but let me just say this as a point of view from someone studying physics) and the numbers will make no further sense if there are no units attached to them...

And this is the first important lesson in Physics... numbers need to be followed by their units because then the whole meaning of the information given by the numbers themselves will be made clear to the reader.... Hmmm.... can understand? Haha... I know I am rambling on.... but guess what? That's the title of my blog!

Till I post again...

New Year 2007

This is a brand new year and I do hope to try out something new for my teaching. I have always talked to my students about the interesting websites that I stumbled upon in my web surfing and showed them in class. However it is hard to have a central reference point with my students as it's not always easy for them to remember all the websites... or that they can't be bothered to go check it out! In any case, I think keeping a blog for me on Physics stuff is good... helps me keep updated with any current trends and keeps me in touch with my students, both present and past.

Do hope that it will be a useful resource.