Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Air Pump

According to the regulation bounce of a basketball, when the ball is dropped at the full extension of the arm the ball should bounce to shoulder level. In order to inflate my slightly deflated ball, I needed to do work to move the pump. The work allowed air to be pushed into the ball. Unlike a heat engine where air currents do work, the pump required work and resulted in air change. The volume of the pump is compressed (isobaric) so that air flows out. The ball remained isochoric as the volume never changed.
The ball bounces higher once air is pumped in because the impact with the ground becomes more of an elastic collision with more air in the ball.
By using work to push the handle in, air flows out of the nozzle and into the ball creating more pressure.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Dr. Ignacio's Presentation

Dr. Ignacio was able to share a little insight to being an orthopedic surgeon. It was interesting to see the situations that required a "carpenter" to fix. Surgery required knowledge of not only biology, but many of the sciences including physics. She was able to convey all of the hard work and schooling needed in order to become a doctor in any field. She is an example of following your passion rather than following what others believe is right. She decided to work in the field of sports medicine and orthopedic surgery despite being outnumbered by many males. It was inspiring to see such a successful Iolani graduate.