Tutoring chemistry, definitions can be intriguing. The tutor mentions two with an idea of how to distinguish them. Let’s imagine we agree that “stable” means “it won’t change on its own.” What does metastable mean, then? A book on a …
Tutoring physics, you encounter definitions. The tutor distinguishes between position and displacement. Position is the location of an object, whereas displacement is change to its location. Therefore, to know an object’s position after a displacement, one must also know its …
Tutoring physics, everyday measures of energy come up. The tutor mentions kilowatt*hour. In rounded figures, lifting 100kg 1m in 1s develops a kilowatt. Doing so for an entire hour would be using a kilowatt*hour of energy. Source: Heath, Robert et …
Tutoring applied physics, terms from electronics might arise. The tutor mentions two related ones. An inverter, when relating to power supply, takes DC power and converts it to AC. A rectifier does the opposite. Source: exro.com arrow.com
Tutoring physics, everyday ideas come up. The tutor mentions the basic concepts behind a heat pump. A law of physics is that, all by itself, entropy will increase. Entropy means randomness or disorder. An example is that, when you put …
Tutoring physics, the everyday applications have spinoffs: the tutor continues about “maximum power.” Following up on yesterday’s post, the challenge that developed was how to accomplish 800 Watts from the microwave. From the Internet, the microwave’s maximum power seems to …
Tutoring physics, you can relate it to everyday life. The tutor mentions a funny anecdote. One of the Christmas presents I received was a stuffed hippopotamus. I like stuffed animals, so this was welcome. Surprisingly, it came in a box …
Tutoring physics, you notice it in everyday situations. The tutor mentions horsepower riding a bike uphill. Let’s imagine a kid on a bike – perhaps 40kg total – riding uphill, perhaps a 5% grade (5m up for every 100m up …
Tutoring physics, terms and concepts are important. The tutor mentions torsion. In my previous post I mention torque, which means leverage that can cause a shaft to spin. An example of torque is the case of loosening a bolt with …
Tutoring physics, fundamental concepts arise. The tutor mentions torque. Torque is essentially leverage applied to an object to start it spinning. A common context is a shaft or axle on bearings; the torque might be supplied by a drive chain, …