When I was in Matriculation, my Physics lecturer once said, she loved to take her child to playground, and she would sit on a bench while looking around. She loved to do this because she could apply all the concepts of physics to all situations that are happening around her for instance she can see how see-saw works, and how swings swing without making the child fall. I tried to do what she did, and after a few times, I have fun doing it. In today’s life, we are so focused on the syllabus that we forget to enjoy the content of topics that we learn. I hope from this article, it will help to reconnect our Physics syllabus in ASP0504 with our surrounding.   

ASP0504 began with the topic of motion, focussing on velocity and acceleration. I personally find the most interesting application is the projectile motion. This topic can easily be linked to our life. For example, when we walk and then our friend walks past us, we know that his velocity and acceleration is greater than ours. We can estimate the arrival time of destination by simply calculating the average velocity roughly. Another example, when you play football, you need to estimate the force (strength) correctly to kick the ball to ensure it will fly at a certain distance to reach either at the goal or your teammate. This force is related to the initial velocity and angle applied to the ball causing it to move in a parabolic path in which the motion is known as projectile motion. The distance that you have to estimate is the range of the projectile motion. Similarly, when we throw a stone forward, the stone will not fall downward, instead its path will create a curve before it hits the ground, based on the concept of the projectile motion. Also, did you know, if an object is launched with enormous velocity greater than its escape velocity, the object will fly away leaving the gravitational field and will never return, which can be seen in *Figure (hewit, page 216, Figure 10.17)*. This object eventually becomes a satellite that orbits our Earth at the same distance from the Earth’s surface. Thus, this is how the satellite concept works.

Next, we learned about the forces associated with motion. It is known that the net force affects the acceleration of the object we consider in which we can relate theoretically by the second Newton’s law. However, I would like to highlight about a specific force called the frictional force. I believe this force has been heavily criticized through your studies as it causes energy loss, makes objects stop and most importantly it makes calculations more difficult. However, in reality, the force of friction is the most important force. Without this force, we would not be able to walk, because as we walk, we give a pushing force to the ground. The friction prevents our feet from sliding backward due to the pushing force. It can be imagined that the ground pushes us forward using this frictional force.

Apart from frictional force, there is another unpopular type of force known as normal force, or reaction force. We cannot see the results of this force directly. If we do not learn this in the syllabus, we would not know that it exists. The normal force is a consequence of Newton’s third law, where the action force will have a reaction force. It helps us to stay on the ground instead of flies upward due to various gravitational force. Similarly, it supports all the items that we hang on the wall so that it would not fall. Plus, it can help to balance our force while we move up or down the hill.

Apart from that, we have learned about work and conservation of energy. Based on the law of thermodynamics, no energy is created or destroyed. That means, the total energy in this universe is constant, and can only be transformed from one type to another. For instance, when you ride a bike at Expo Hill, you will know that your bicycle will move faster if you begin your journey from the top of the hill. This is happened due to the location that is situated at a higher position. However, you will still have to paddle if you want to stay close to your friends while you are going downhill. Your bicycle and you have maximum potential energy when you are at the top of the hill. When the bicycle goes down the hill, this potential energy is converted into kinetic energy that produces your velocity. The higher the hill, the more potential energy you will have which means more energy will be converted to kinetic energy, and consequently, the more velocity you will gain. Furthermore, if you cycle at the same time, the chemical energy in your body is also converted into the kinetic energy of the bike and further increases the velocity. In the end, you will be able to win the competition that you have with your friend.

The following topic in this syllabus is the shortest topic for the semester which was linear momentum. Nevertheless, it is still important for us to apply in our daily lives. I am sure that you are aware that driving at high speed is dangerous. The hazard cannot be seen and expected until an accident occurs. The faster the vehicle, the higher its momentum, where you can calculate the momentum by multiplying the mass of the vehicle as well as the driver and passengers with the velocity. During a car accident, the speed of the car will drop drastically to a very small magnitude or stop immediately. This large change in speed occurs in a short time producing a huge force, known as an impulsive force. This force causes severe damage to the vehicle, and unfortunately, this force can cause serious injuries and even loss of life of the person involves in the accident. Hence, it is very important for us to be careful while driving and avoid from driving too fast.

In conclusion, the concept of physics is ubiquitous. Sometimes, we are the one who never realised it. Sit down, think, and try to relate with your life. Surely you will find that life is more meaningful.    

Tarikh Input: 30/06/2022 | Kemaskini: 30/06/2022 | emma