Physics Put to the Test at
Huntington High School
The mere mention of "physics" can send a chill up and down the spine of some students. But, the subject can be a lot of fun, too. Just ask Huntington High School students who tested a set of physics principles during sleigh riding sessions on a hill between the north side of the building and the tennis court complex.
Huntington physics classes studied theories, analyzed formulas and crunched an array of numbers and then waited patiently for the first snowfall to come. Finally, on February 8, teacher Judy Pazienza's third period class was able to test the physics behind sleigh riding when there was enough snow to make a go of it. The remaining honors physics classes had to wait another month to test their theories, which they finally were able to do last Friday when a late winter snowstorm struck the area.
Using free body diagrams, students calculated that their mass should not be a determining factor in their acceleration, but in practice there were differences between students. The teenagers flew down the hill with gusto as senior Molly Prep snapped photos, including one of Ms. Pazienza herself. A discussion following the activity and an analysis of Ms. Prep's photos indicated that air resistance (how a student was sitting on the sled) was indeed most likely a determining factor.
"Students also used their knowledge of energy to estimate how fast they were going at the bottom of the hill and the co-efficient of friction between the ground and the sled at the end," Ms. Pazienza said.
"I didn't realize even fun things can be related to physics," senior Melanie Grossman said. Fellow senior Megan Hansen also gained insight from the sleigh riding exercise. "I feel like the people on those inclined plane problems on a test," she said.
"All in all it was great fun and a classic example of physics in action," Ms. Pazienza said.