Today we learned more about unit 2, the study of kinematics. This class mostly focused on the graphing of position vs time data and velocity vs time data.
We did an activity with a motion detector that sent out clicks that would bounce off a wood block we were holding and send it back to the machine. It sent out constant signals, so when we graphed our data, it created a pretty accurate line. Using the motion detector, we had to try to re-create a path that was drawn for us on our graph. A motion detector like this one can be used on both a velocity vs time graph, and a position vs time graph.
Dolphins, like the ones in my video (took in Osaka, Japan) have built in motion detectors! They make sounds that bounce off their targets to find objects and food. It's also helpful for their sight, since they can't really see well in murky water. It's called echolocation.
Looks great! I like how you related the motion detector to the sonar that dolphins have. It doesn't really have anything to do with physics, but maybe you could add how sensitive the motion detector was and tell how it picked up vibrations and all sorts of things, which made the graph all bumpy and uneven.
ReplyDeleteOh sorry I wanted to do a post on our lab we did today(technically yesterday)since we expanded more on motion mapping today and everyone else was writing up their own little story and making a graph from it. I guess I wanted to be different... and write about something else. Thanks for the suggestion :) !!
ReplyDeleteWow I didn't really think about how the motion detectors from class worked and I didn't know dolphins did that, that's really cool. Good thinking outside of the box to relate something interesting to class.
ReplyDeleteI agree - I liked how you related the mechanical motion detectors, used in class, with the natural motion detectors found in dolphins.
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting if you researched and told us how a dolphin's sensor works. For example, I'm sure their sensors don't measure (numerical) values - what do they measure then?
I really like this post because I really like dolphins. This was a really good connection you made! I never really thought of the lab motion sensor as something "inside" of a dolphin. You should probably incorporate more of your understanding of the subject, although this connection really showed how physics are really a part of everything.
ReplyDelete@kim: thanks!
ReplyDelete@sean: 24) How does dolphin echolocation work?
Dolphins (and other toothed whales) can produce a series of high-pitched clicks which are projected from their melon (the part of their head that resembles a “forehead”) as sound waves. When the clicks hit an object, some of the sound will bounce (or echo) back to the "sender.” The dolphin then receives this information back through its lower jaw, which has an oil-filled cavity that conducts the sound waves back to the nerves that will then relay the information to the brain. With its echolocation, the dolphin is able to obtain information about the structure, size, and density of an object (even the speed and direction it is traveling if the object is moving).
http://www.imms.org/dolphinfaq.php#q24
@amber: thanks for the suggestion! I'll keep that in mind.