About the mini-project

The goal of the project is to analyze something from your daily lives using the tools of physics.

The form will be a short paper to be turned in by the due date. Somewhere between 1 and 3 pages will suffice.

It will be assessed (out of 10) using the following criteria:

  • 5 points: Correct physics!
  • 3 points: Plots/figures
  • 2 points: Writing

Due Date: Dec 11, 9:30 am, submitted electronically via blackboard (instructions to come). Late submissions will be reduced by 20% per day of lateness. (i.e. submitting at 9:35 on the 11th will reduce your total score by 20%, submitting at 9:35 on the 12th will be 40%, etc. )

Basically, find something out there that relates to what we've done in here. Analyze it as best you can with the mathematical physics we've learned. If you reference previous work, make sure it is properly cited. You must actually measure something. The height of a building, the speed of a train, the temperature of the air, etc.

Your project write up must include:

  • A measurement of something in the world
  • A plot relating two physical quantities relevant to your project
  • Explanation of the physics you are discussing (equations are great to include)
  • Citations for any references you need
  • Error-free, University level writing.

Here is an example project that I would probably give an 8/10. It was clearly written in a hurry, and could use some more careful attention to the mathematical details. Example mini-project

Your phone can do a lot more than you might think. This free app can record all sorts of physical data: Google Science Journal

Example Acceleration to Velocity from Science Journal

If you import a table of acceleration data from Science Journal, it will take some work to get something usable out of it. This Sample Data and Plots Spreadsheet shows an example.

If you need help exporting your recording to a format excel can read, please read these instructions: Science Journal Support

Here is a set of acceleration, velocity, and position graphs I recorded on the B-train using my phone.