...Essay on the gravitational force of Earth. The gravitational force at the surface of the planet is the force that binds all bodies to earth. This force is one of the four forces recognized by physicists, and this kind of force, known as ‘gravity’, attracts every celestial object to earth. Though it is the most important of the forces essential for our lives, it is the least comprehended of them all. Throughout ages scientists have tried to solve the mystery of gravity. One of the first discoveries concerning gravity was made by Aristotle who concluded from his experiments that the downward movement of any body is that has weight had a proportional relationship between its quickness in motion and its size. This theory was accepted for centuries, but after a series of experiments made by Galileo, Aristotle’s theory was proved to be incorrect, as Galileo said after a series of experimenting at the Pisa tower that body of different sizes fall with the same speed. Later on, the idea that the force is needed so as to change the motion of the body was discovered. After that, a great scientist was to improve all the previously accepted theories, this scientist was Newton who was to make decisive advances in understanding gravity. In his first law, Newton said that a body in state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line will keep on moving unless acted upon by a force, while in his second theory, Newton expressed his first law in a more quantitative way as he said that force...
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...IB Theory of Knowledge Essay In what ways may disagreement aid the pursuit of knowledge in the natural and human sciences? Cherno Okafor 000747-034 Weston Collegiate Institute February 20th, 2013 Word Count: 1598 In this TOK Essay, I will be conducting an analysis illustrating how disagreements can be used to aid the pursuit of knowledge in both the natural and human sciences and in some cases, hinder the pursuit of knowledge in these areas. First, it is necessary to define the key terms in this topic, which are “pursuit of knowledge”, “natural sciences”, and “human sciences”. “Pursuit of knowledge” is the act of obtaining knowledge. Natural science refers to the study of natural phenomena of the universe. Fields associated with this are: chemistry (elements), biology (contrasting ideas between Lamarckism and the Darwinian concept of evolution), and physics (gravity). On the other hand, human science refers to the study of people themselves and their behaviours which includes matter in history, literature and philosophy where “man is the measure of all things and human nature” as uttered by the classical Greek philosopher Plato. There is also anthropology, economics, and ethics; for example the explanation of criminal behaviour in cognitive and social psychology in human science. The term “disagreement” is ambiguous in the sense that it can represent a variety of things. For instance, it can refer to a difference of opinion between two people or groups...
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...Project 1 Write an essay of 1500 words, giving credible references on the use of physics in your daily activities. You need to mention 5 or more activities where physics is used. Remember to follow the APA style and give references. Physics is used in so many ways that most people do not even realize that they are using it. Even a stay at home mom uses physics more than one would think. Daily activities that many people do include physics without thinking about it, such as driving a car, using a headrest in a car, walking and running, flushing the toilet, and washing and drying clothes. Driving a car has many different aspects of physics involved, but today only acceleration, speed, and velocity will be discussed. People talk in terms of physics everyday without even knowing that is what they are discussing. For example, “speed” limit, how quickly a car can “accelerate,” and when they add a direction, they are actually talking about the velocity of a vehicle because velocity has a magnitude and direction, not just magnitude. According to Barry Parker in Issac Newton School of Driving, “you are accelerating and decelerating most of the time when you take a trip through the busy streets of a city, either by stepping on the gas, braking, or turning the steering wheel.” Basically, if someone gets in the driver seat of a car and drives, that person is changing the acceleration, speed, and velocity of the car that is being driven. A speed is just the scalar, magnitude with no...
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...Raygene Choi HIST125 13 October 2013 Essay 1 Topic 3 My first candidate to be nominated as one of the three greatest scientists in history would be Nicklaus Kopernig. Copernicus, as he would be remembered by, ranks among the greatest of scientists for his work in astronomy. His theories that the earth was not the center of the universe was an immense blow to the theological belief that the earth was not the "focus of God's purpose" (Burke p.135). His work attacked a long held theological "fact" and undermined the religious stranglehold that the church had over the masses. Although he was hired by the church to solve their calendar issues, Copernicus's discovery led to a paradigm shift on how the universe operated. This understanding of how the universe operated led to a slow decline of church authority, especially in the hindrance of science. His theories would also provide the ground work for future scientists such as Galileo; Galileo's work "explained the problem Copernicus had not been able to crack: why falling objects fall to the ground to the west of their starting-point on a turning earth" (Burke p.145). Without Copernicus's groundbreaking theory, Galileo would not have had the foundation to complete his research. In fact, I would dare say that Copernicus work in astronomy is the foundation for anything in the realm of physics. My second candidate would have to be Isaac Newton. Newton's theory of universal gravity "destroyed the medieval picture of the world as...
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...Critical Thinking Essay 1: Methodology This essay shall examine physical determinism and its most famous proponent Sir Isaac Newton. The basic framework of the theory states that due to natural laws of the universe that everything obeys, there can be no such thing as freedom. Sir Isaac Newton is incorrect in his theory, physical determinism does not indicate whether or not freedom is possible in our reality. Like many other scientists, Sir Isaac Newton believed in the concept of universal causation. Universal causation means simply that there is a cause for everything that occurs in the universe, and that one event leads to another event. In Ethics: Theory and Practice by Jacques P. Thiroux and Keith W. Krasemann, they point out that most scientists believe in this for one main reason. In their search for reasoning and acuity for predictions freedom is physically not possible. Thiroux and Krasemann tell us Sir Isaac Newton was a firm believer that, “…our entire realm of nature and the universe is governed by natural laws…” (4). Many of the laws that he speaks of are the ones that he discovered himself, such as his famous three laws and the law of gravity. Sir Newton reasoned that, because humans are also physical beings, they controlled by these laws. There are some issues that arise from this theory however. Thiroux and Krasemann go on to point out that if all of these laws are completely true then there is no true freedom for anyone.(4) If there is truly no...
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...Physics Extended Essay What is the optimum amount of water required to make an angled water rocket fly the furthest? Name-Harjot Singh Gill Age – 16 Candidate Number-#3260-0053 Supervisor Name- Mr George Subject-Physics School-King George V School Word Count-3651 Abstract word count-237 Submission Date- 10th June 2013 Table of Contents Page Number | | 1 | Title Page | 2 | Contents Table | 3 | Abstract and Introduction | 4 | Planning | 5 | Equipment description and setup | 6 | Procedure of experiment | 7 | Variables | 8 | Table showing methods of reading and uncertainties of measure and Analysis | 9 | Analysis | 10 | Analysis | 11 | Analysis | 12 | Table showing uncertainties and errors | 13 | Evaluation and conclusion | 14 | Appendix | 15 | Photo of Apparatus | 16 | Parabolic motion drawing | 17 | Bibliography | Abstract For my extended essay, I decided to conduct an experiment; to find the answer to the following question, what was the optimum amount of water required to make a water rocket travel the furthest? What I did in the experiment was adding an initial amount of water (100 ml) to the rocket and measuring the distance the rocket travelled. After taking down the results I repeated the experiment in an effort to find out which value of water was the optimum amount, required to make it fly the furthest, I came to the conclusion that it was 120 millilitres, which made the rocket fly 25.97 meters. My initial hypothesis...
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...Physics Essay January 20, 2010 Experiment vs. Observation -Experiment: an operation or procedure carried out under controlled conditions in order to discover an unknown effect or law, to test or establish a hypothesis, or to illustrate a known law -Observation: an act of recognizing and noting a fact or occurrence often involving measurement with instruments -Measurments: Needs units, cm, inches, degrees etc. Reasons for different units of measurements are 1) practical application and 2) cultural differences ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Experiment 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Height=X Height=X In an ideal experiment: The ball rolls to the other side to the exact same height from which it was dropped from. In a real experiment: Forces of friction and gravity act on the ball so it rolls just short of the same height. In an ideal experiment: Ball rolls infinitely In a real experiment: Once again, forces of gravity and friction act on the ball to slow it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Experiment 2 Cup has 0 net force. No gravity, No friction. An object with 0 net force will keep moving forever. Newton’s first...
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...Physics Essay January 20, 2010 Experiment vs. Observation -Experiment: an operation or procedure carried out under controlled conditions in order to discover an unknown effect or law, to test or establish a hypothesis, or to illustrate a known law -Observation: an act of recognizing and noting a fact or occurrence often involving measurement with instruments -Measurments: Needs units, cm, inches, degrees etc. Reasons for different units of measurements are 1) practical application and 2) cultural differences ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Experiment 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Height=X Height=X In an ideal experiment: The ball rolls to the other side to the exact same height from which it was dropped from. In a real experiment: Forces of friction and gravity act on the ball so it rolls just short of the same height. In an ideal experiment: Ball rolls infinitely In a real experiment: Once again, forces of gravity and friction act on the ball to slow it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Experiment 2 Cup has 0 net force. No gravity, No friction. An object with 0 net force will keep moving forever. Newton’s first...
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...physics world. Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the general theory of relativity. This is one of the biggest parts of physics alongside with quantum mechanics. Sir Isaac Newton was an English physicist and mathematician who are commonly referred to as one of the most influential scientists of all time as well as a key figure in the scientific revolution. Newton formulated the laws of motion and the universal gravitation that dominated scientists’ view of the physical universe for over the next three centuries. He also has demonstrated that the motion of objects on the Earth and that the celestial bodies could be described by the same principles. When he was deriving Kepler’s laws of planetary motion from his mathematical description of gravity, Newton removed any of the people’s last doubts about the validity of the model of the cosmos that was heliocentric. Near the start of Albert Einstein’s career he was beginning to think that Newtonian mechanics was no longer enough to reconcile the laws of classical mechanics with the laws of the electromagnetic field. While he was doing this it led him to his special theory of relativity. Thus he realized that the principle of relativity could also be extended to the gravitational fields, and this sparked his subsequent theory of gravitation in 1916 when he published a paper on the general theory of relativity. When Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933 Einstein was visiting the United States and he decided...
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...structure of atoms sounds and heat among others. The following paper is an essay concerning the use of physics in everyday activities. Skating, using cameras, warming homes using a woodstove, playing with balls that freely fall when suspended and using clothes during cold seasons are some of the examples of areas where physics is used in everyday activities. Skating Skating is one of my daily activities where physics is applied. Skating is a type of movement that is made possible through the laws of motion found in physics. Skating can help explain the term movement, what makes skaters move and what keeps skaters moving while in motion. Also, it helps explain what it takes to stop moving or turn the process of moving in another direction. Skating can also reveal the concept of acceleration and deceleration, as well as the concept of speed. While putting a skate, nothing will happen to such a person unless an external force acts on him or her. The concept of inertia states that a body in motion will always tend to move while a body at rest will always tend to rest unless an external force acts on it (Laws, Sugano, and Swope, 2002). This is the first thing that happens before a person starts skating. The skater will always remain at rest until he applies some force to start moving. While on motion, the skater will tend to move unless he applies a force to stop. This is also an explanation of Newton’s first law of motion which states that every object or body in a state of uniform...
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...Philosophy Essay: ‘Outline the background to Descartes’ use of the Method of Doubt’ The 17th century; this was a period of time in which an intellectual movement of reason and science began. This movement was known as the Age of Enlightenment. Sparked by philosophers, many began approach an understanding of our world by a means of adopt both rational and empirical methods. Research in this area lead to a multitude of discoveries such as; Johannes Kepler’s law of planetary motion, the speed of light and Newton’s laws of motion and universal gravitation. Such discoveries as these lead to an arising in both mechanical philosophy and materialism; beliefs that together state that the universe is analogised best as a machine in which both organic and inorganic have no intrinsic relationship to one another, but are rather just subject to the laws of nature. The increase of people holding such beliefs lead to an increasing doubt in the existence of God, and encouragement of atheism. This was a serious problem as the Catholic church very much impinged on every aspect of life. Any person who publically held a belief which conflicted with Catholicism was charged with heresy and punished. An example of this being Galileo, who was charged with heresy and sentenced to house arrest for asserting that the Copernican view of the universe was wrong, and that everything didn’t revolve around the Earth. Due to cases like this, the church restricted the range of scientific knowledge to a...
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...graduated as a bachelor of medicine. In 1675 he was appointed to a medical studentship at the college. He owned a home in Oxford until 1684, until his studentship was taken from him by royal mandate. Locke's mentor was Robert Boyle, the leader of the Oxford scientific group. Boyle's mechanical philosophy saw the world as reducible to matter in motion. Locke learned about atomism and took the terms "primary and secondary qualities" from Boyle. Both Boyle and Locke, along with Newton, were members of the English Royal Society. Locke became friends with Newton in 1688 after he had studied Newton's Principia Mathematica Philosophiae Naturalis. It was Locke's work with the Oxford scientists that gave him a critical perspective when reading Descartes. Locke admired Descartes as an alternative to the Aristotelianism dominant at Oxford. Descartes' "way of ideas" was a major influence on Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Locke studied medicine with Sydenham, one of the most notable English physicians of the 17th century. His skills in medicine led to an accidental encounter with Lord Ashley (later to become the Earl of Shaftesbury) in1666, which would mark a profound change in his career. Locke became a member of Shaftesbury's household and assisted him in business,...
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...meaning that Monarchies had a say in religious rules and views/laws, and religious officials had a say in political views/laws. This caused great issues because if you were condemned a heretic by a religious order, you were also considered a heretic by the state. Its issue’s like this that slowly lead to the dissolve or separation of religious and political powers. A Prime example of the complication between the tie of these two powers was the excommunication of Martin Luther, this occurs during the Dict of Worms around 1521. Martin Luther had different views on the catholic religion and he tried to express them to the people in his 95 theses. The catholic leaders did not appreciate that so they went ahead and made Luther a heretic which in turn made Charles V (Leader of HRE at the time) to write the Edict of Worms which also made Luther an enemy of the state. The powers were so closely tied here, you could not just be an enemy of the catholic religion, you would also be an enemy of the state. This started the questioning that religion should not be tied with political power. Luther only questioned religious views on Catholicism had nothing to do with anything political related. We call the start of religious power declining for greater state control secularization. Secularization is when a society slowly separation from a close identification with religious values to an institution that is not religious and relies on laws and politics. One great example of the decline of religious...
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...Q) Discuss the revolution in Cosmology from Copernicus to Newton. In your essay, address the steps resulting in the breakdown of long held beliefs from Aristotle’s days, and Ptolemaic theories. * Prior to Aristotle. There were several other models of the universe, with the Phytogrean universe the most popular. In this model there existed a central fire in the middle of the universe, from which all light descended. * In Aristotle’s model of the universe the world outside the Earth existed, finitely, with nothing ever moving. With the universe in the same position as it ever was. This model of the universe was widely accepted and considered to be a scientific fact for many generations to come. According to Aristotle the universe was filled with a substance called aether to compensate for its dynamic nature. * One of the most important reason for the wide acceptance of Aristotle’s model of the universe was that it correlated with religious views of the time. * Aristotle’s model was further adopted by Ptolemy, to create Ptolemaic view of the universe. This led to the birth of the Aristotle-Ptolemy universe. In this model the Earth was the centre of the universe with the universe revolving around it. * The view persisted for more than and allowed the astronomers to predict the movement of the galaxy and the stars around the Earth. Star charts were developed first in this era. By the sixteenth century this view was intertwined into all of the world’s cutltures. * In the sixteenth...
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...and profession that combines geology, mathematics, and physics all in an effort for people across the world to understand the ways of the world and exactly what it takes for certain seemingly unnatural events to happen. Geophysics covers a range of ideas from gravity, heat flow, seismic waves that cause vibrations through the Earth’s layers, radioactivity both geothermal and geochronological, electricity, electromagnetic waves and magnetism, fluid dynamics, and even condensed matter physics. So as we see, geophysics is indeed a very broad subject, yet when looked at under specific lights, we see that geophysics is no more than a name, a container, for all matters Earthly related. Most of these topics will most definitely be covered in this essay and if not talked about in depth, definitely mentioned seeing as how all of these ideas are valuable to everyone worldwide in getting to know and understand the way our home planet works in relation to ourselves and the space we occupy in the universe. (Beroza, Nelson, and Ilich, "The Department of Geophysics"). History The first traces of anything geophysically related first appear in regions inside of China during the Qin dynasty somewhere between two hundred twenty-one and two hundred six B.C. when Chinese fortunetellers used lodestones to create their fortune telling boards. Little did the Chinese know, the lodestones were actually natural stones composed of ferrites, also known as magnetic oxides, that attract traces of iron and other...
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