Talk:Schome Park Physics
Add your comments/suggestions here:
I was trying to think of a Physics suggestion around sailing. This is because you can sail in SL, indeed it is one of the more challenging operations, since you have to monitor four things at once (boat direction, wind direction, sail setting, external environment) and modify at least two parameters (boat direction and sheet setting) to keep going. Plus the complexity of tacking to sail "against the wind". An obvious advantage is that all this can be done without danger of drowning or being clobbered by the boom. (more advanced SL boats have additional sails: spinnaker: and centerboard control).
The physics are basically those of forces acting on the sail, from the wind. Sailboats lean away from the wind, just as in RL, so that is good. The sail is blown around, and is most effective when "set" properly. You could start with something simple like sailing downwind, then consider sailing at 90 degrees to the wind. Then consider the problem of "sailing against the wind": how is it even possible?
Martin
martin i'm a sailor, waht you need to do when sailing up wind (against) is head across the no go zone at 45 degree angles in order to go where you want to. it's hard work but it works in RL i can't test it in SL yet because we can't log in but i'll try at some point.
Mirage
I'm a sailor too! I was advancing the question as an example of something that could be put into an investigation. The students would need to analyse the forces to show the boat being pushed forwards even though the wind is coming from in front.
Yes, it does all work in SL, and SL provides a HUD as well as tell-tails off the top of the mast to see the 45 degree no go areas. I have two boats in SL, I can give you a free one if you want to try it out!
Martin
- What's a HUD? PeterT 12:35, 10 March 2007 (GMT)
- Might be easier to have conversations in the forum - this one could have gone in the SNP - Physics discussion board - just cos keeping track of responses is so hard in the wiki (the formatting is so difficult). If you want to 'talk' in the wiki then we have developed a kind of convention that we put all comments/talk in italics, and we indent it. The level of indenting give an indication of which thing you are responding to. ooo and we put our username and the date/time at the end (which you can do by putting ~~~~ and the system converts that into your username and the time etc.) PeterT 12:35, 10 March 2007 (GMT)
nice id love a go in one of the SL boats! i'm Mirage Schomer in the sim.
Mirage
Sailing
Thanks for the suggestion. I have a colleague who sails in SL. I might ask him for some tips. HUD is a head up display. When you wear one you see additional information in your field of view, that others can't see.
Nuclear Power, Radioactivity and Nuclear Fusion
I was thinking of adding some radiation science topics to SL. We already have Davee Commerce developing the SIMS, so let me know if there is anything specific you'd like added about fission, half lives and thermonuclear reactors. I will add a topic to the forum about this as well.
For general facts about solar physics specific to the Sun, this NASA site has plenty of information [1]. To find out more about fusion and the proton-proton chain reaction in the Sun and similar stars, have a look at [2]. Another interesting site that gives information on how long each phase of the fusion cycle takes is [3], which will help you to understand why the Sun has managed to burn for 4.5 billion years and why it will carry on this process for about another 4.5 billion years.
Trouble (Physics Convenor, NPL)
SParkers Group Project Announcement
A project for the SParkers has been announced on the forum. If you are a SParker, then please check the announcement here [4]
