Delbarton Summer has kicked off to a good start this year as Dr. Preethi Thomas teaches her summer students about circular motion. Advanced credit Physics is one of the many for-credit courses Delbarton offers each summer. The course is designed to introduce students to the fundamental concepts of physics. As the weeks unfold, students put these concepts into practice as they navigate a combination of computer lab-based learning, live lab demonstration, and lectures.
On July 12, the class began with a lecture on how circular motion works in physics: any object moving in a circular path has a centripetal force that allows the object to move toward a central focal point. For example, the class observed a flying pig to experience circular motion. Next, they used a tiny ball and raced it down a circular track. As the ball accelerated down the track, it gained speed and defied gravity to make it through the track without falling off the track.
To wrap up the lesson, Dr. Thomas directed her students outside as they performed a water bucket experiment. During this activity, students picked up the bucket and spun it around and around while the water stayed inside, thereby demonstrating how circular motion and forces work together to keep the water inside the bucket.
Well done to Dr. Thomas’ class of ambitious students for an innovative day in Physics! To find out more about Delbarton Summer Academic Programs, click here.