Saturday, September 17, 2011

Some Physics Humor and Learning Physics

Hey everybody.

I hope everyone is recovering well after a long week of tests and assignments.
Check out this video from the TV show "The Big Bang Theory".

Click here to view the video.

So how many of you feel like Penny? Don't worry, It's actually kind of normal. Physics is a science that requires a new way of thinking. You will eventually learn to solve problems in a more dynamic way.

So review your test when you get them back and try to see which problems you didn't like too much. You can always take them to the tutoring center or Professor Ellis for review.

I hope you all had a good laugh and are ready for some more physics! I will be back next week to solve a problem from the test for all of you. I will show you all step by step how I see problems and solve them.

PS: If you can answer the question Sheldon poses beginning at the 3:02 mark in the video, reply to this post in a comment!

Have a good week!

Brandon Krouppa

14 comments:

  1. Hahaha! That was actually really funny! I have never watched an episode of this show but I found it surprisingly funny! I felt like Penny during the first few weeks of class and when the formulas and how to use them finally clicked and made sense when I was doing my homework one night I was so thrilled! Thanks for sharing this video!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love The Big Bang theory!! I have definitely felt like Penny a couple of times during class... "What is Dr. Ellis talking about right now!?" Funny! So the answer to sheldon's question... "We know that Newton was a really smart cookie" ha! Does ma=mg because force is not necessary to maintain motion?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have never watched that show before, but the clip seemed very relevant. I know it is sometimes hard to follow a physics lecture because it seems like instructors usually go through the process to prove a formula before I understand why that formula is related to the problem at hand.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The question that Sheldon poses around the 3:02 mark is that if ma = mg what does that imply... wouldn't this imply that they are the same thing?

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love the big bang theory. If F=ma=mg this applies that the downward acceleration on anything on earth is 9.8 m/s^2 correct? therefore the total mass is just equal to the weight of an object?
    -Morgan Derner

    ReplyDelete
  6. I find it funny that you all just did a lab on Aristotle vs. Galileo...

    All very good responses! I am glad you all like the video. Stephanie and Morgan's answers were correct. He [Sheldon] is trying to show that the acceleration of a free-falling object is the same as g, which is 9.8 m/s^2.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Haha... I saw this episode when it first aired. So funny. Big bang Theory is a great show... not only is it funny but it implements education!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love the big bang theory! And i love that i can go back and understand what they are talking about in the show now that we are learning about it in class. Like the halloween episode and Sheldon's Doppler effect costume.
    Lori Waite

    ReplyDelete
  9. Kelsey Irvine:

    I feel the same exact way as Megan. I swear I must have been making the same faces in class everytime Dr. Ellis goes over a new equation, then two days later it's all good. I love this show! Great post.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Haha! Great video! I think each of us has had a "Penny" moment throughout this course. Thanks for the humor

    ReplyDelete
  11. i love how i understand what he is talking about :D
    Its just so funny how Sheldon is trying to teach her physics when she's only learning for Leornard.

    ReplyDelete
  12. It means that the object's acceleration is equal to gravitational acceleration. What this implies is that there's no air resistance, which would be the case in a total vacuum (which Sheldon also mentions in the scene). This is why a hammer would fall at the same speed as a feather in a vacuum.

    - Alan.

    ReplyDelete
  13. this simply means an object experiences no force other than that of gravity alone ... btw big fan of big bang theory

    ReplyDelete
  14. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete