Upper School Physics students tackled a series of labs and challenges during their unit on inertia.
Mr. Brennan's and Mr. Pflieger's Physics classes began investigating the property of inertia, an object resisting any change in its current state of motion, through an activity with real-world applications. Students simulated a car crash using a model car, a ping pong ball, and a wooden block. The ping pong ball represented the vehicle's passenger and would eject from the car following the impact with the wooden block. Each group faced the challenge of crafting a restraint system to keep the passenger inside the vehicle. After trial and error, they were able to meet this challenge successfully. Mr. Brennan shared, "I like to use this lab because many of the students are driving now, and it is important for them to start thinking about how the motion of their vehicle can affect the passengers inside the car."
The following lab was a recreation of Galileo's work involving an incline to show how objects move across a ramp with both a downward and upward slope. This activity revealed how difficult it can be to get an accurate moment of inertia for an object in motion. Seifanga L. '25 remarked, "Even given the advancement in technology that we have with our phones, human error is still a large factor in collecting accurate data." This lab improved their grasp of scientific measurements and stressed the vital skills of critical thinking and careful attention to detail.
The unit concluded with excitement as students eagerly participated in two challenges known as the Inertia Olympics. These challenges included removing index cards from a tower of cups while other students tried to successfully have a hex nut drop directly into a soda bottle. The Closing Ceremony recognized the winning teams with extra credit and celebrated the newfound knowledge and skills of all who participated.
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