November 2011

Posted November 28, 2011

Crash test:

This video is long on impact and short on details, but still should make an impression: speed is dangerous. This crash test at 120 mph (193 kph) leaves very little of the car even recognizable. It is worth noting that since kinetic energy is proportional to the square of velocity, this car has nine times the kinetic energy it would in a traditional 40-mph (64-kph) crash test. YouTube link

Posted November 21, 2011

Pollinators:

Without pollinators, a large percentage of human agriculture would cease to function. Birds, bats, butterflies, and wasps all do some pollinating, but bees are really the champions. Concern over declining bee populations has lead to calls for reduced use of insecticides and for individuals to plant bee-friendly landscaping. YouTube link

Posted November 14, 2011

Formula 1—in the driver's seat:

If you'd like to get a feel for what it might be like to drive a Formula 1 race car, this video will help. I'm impressed by the noise and vibration, as well as the very tight quarters inside the cockpit. Students could collect speed data off the steering wheel readout and calculate acceleration using the change in speed over a short time interval. YouTube link

Posted November 7, 2011

Population:

The fact that the estimated world population went over 7 billion people around the first of November is again focusing attention on population growth and resource management. This video has a neat way to represent births and deaths and how improved medical care and sanitation have changed the equilibrium of births and deaths planetwide. YouTube link

Jacob Clark Blickenstaff is Assistant Professor of Physics and Assistant Director of the Center for Science and Mathematics Education at the University of Southern Mississippi.