Sean Parsons

November 19, 2015

Physics 1010
Professor Schaffer
Reflective Essay
What is physics? Ever since I was a little kid, physics has been a passion of mine.
I have always a curiosity of how the world worked. For me this curiosity extended
beyond the idea of how things worked and I found myself wanting to know why things
worked the way they did. Why does the Earth revolve around the Sun, why does nuclear
fission cause so much energy, why does the gravity of a black hole cause time to warp?
Physics is a mathematical expression of the world around us. A mathematical expression
that lets us gaze into the mysteries of the universe and understand why things work.
This signature assignment as well as this entire class has helped me understand this
better. Many physics principles were discussed in this class and were used in the
signature assignment.
Astronomy

The first principle of physics that was used in the signature assignment was
Astronomy. Even though in a category of its own, I still include it here. Identifying stars
in a complex process. Figuring out how far away they are is also a complicated process.
Light years is a unit of measurement that is used when referencing stars or planets
because it is a convenient way to measure those long distances. One light year is 9.4607
10^12 km (nearly 6 trillion miles). When a star is one light year away we are saying
that the light coming from that star is one year old.
Equations
The next part of the signature assignment was based on equations. Equations are
the blood of physics. They control everything and spread information through the body
of physics into separate parts. Equations connect ideas to other ideas and let us solve
real world problems in a very precise way. The first equation has to do with the
relationship between mass and energy. The more mass that an object has, the more
energy it has. This theory is interesting to me because if you consider the example of a
bowling ball that weighs 12 pounds. Let us do the math!
12 lbs. = 5.44 kg
E=mc^2
E= (5.44) (3.8*10^8)
E=4.889*10^17 Joules
4.889*10^17 Joules=135,812,000,000 kilowatt hours
50 plasma tv uses .48 kwh/hour

135,812,000,000 kilowatt hours/.48=282,941,666,667 hours

282,941,666,667 hours=32,299,277 years
This is why physics is so awesome! An average size bowling ball can produce enough energy to
power a 50 plasma screen tv for 32 million years! The potential is limitless.
-Plasma tv data can be found at:
https://www.duke-energy.com/pdfs/MyHER%20What%20is%20a%20Killowatt-Hour%20Energy
%20Chart.pdf

The next equation is the assignment has to do with the rate that objects fall at.
These equations prove that objects will fall at the same speed no matter what their
masses are. This is true only if air resistance is neglected. In a perfect vacuum the only
forces acting on objects is gravity. Since the force of gravity is accelerating both objects
at the same rate, they fall at the same rate. When an atmosphere is introduced into the
equation, air resistance can play a major role in the recalculations. Ponder for a moment
on the idea of dropping a car from the top of a skyscraper and at the same time dropping
a feather, which one will hit the ground first? The feather is affected in a drastic way by
air resistance, therefore the car will hit the ground first.

The next equation has to do with thermodynamic efficiency. In theory 100%

efficiency is possible in the following equation:
e = 1 Tcold/Thot
Reaching 100% efficiency is possible if Tcold =0. In a real world application this is
not possible because reaching absolute zero is not possible with the current technology

we have. As Tcold approaches absolute zero the efficiency will approach 100% but never
reach it.
Law of Physics
Physics has always interested me. One of my favorite physics principled is that of
nuclear fission and fusion. Fusion is the process of atoms combing to form larger ones.
Nuclear fission is the process of atoms splitting and releasing all of their energy in one
huge momentous blast of radiation, light, and heat. Because of the advances in nuclear
energy, many benefits have risen. Cheap, clean energy is being produced all around the
world because of this physics principle. Also many lives are being saved through
radiation treatments and x-rays.

Conclusion
Physics is a very broad area of study with many facets that cover everything
from a ball rolling down a hill to changing dimensions in quantum mechanics, to

vibrating strings of energy in the string theory. Physicists will never be done deciphering
the clues that the universe has given us. We are off to a good start however. In the past
500 years, monumental discoveries have changed the way we look at the world. If
everyone were to learn a little more about why our world works, more discoveries are
sure to come from the next Isaac Newton, Galileo, or Einstein.