Physical Science - Assignment Example

Number Paper Science misconceptions and how they are formed Science Misconceptions also known as naive theories or conceptual misunderstanding can be viewed as preconceived notions or misunderstandings on the conceptual state of existence in the field of science. These are the cases in which a concept a person knows and/or believes do not reflect what is known to be scientifically correct. They are formed when a person in the process of learning erroneously picks incorrect information and settles on it.

The difficulty misconceptions presents in the learning and understanding of science concepts is that the affected persons continue to build their knowledge based on their current misunderstandings and as such makes it harder to embrace the reality.Addressing Physical MisconceptionsOne such misconception is that the lakes and oceans are blue because they reflect the skies above. This is actually wrong. To address such misconception, the facts have to be stated clearly. In this case, it must strongly mentioned that the color of water is blue and not the reflection of clouds (Susan 57).C) When you come to learn the truth about a misconception you have had, your understanding of the concept widens as questions that earlier seemed complex gets answered.

Free fall and the necessary conditionsA free fall is any movement of an ­­­­­­object such that its weight is the only force acting upon it. This means that the falling of the object is not affected by any existing forces. There are two conditions necessary for the free fall action and these are Vacuum (No air resistance) and no friction (the falling object should not touch any other objects) In a completely uniform gravitational field, if there are no other forces, the gravitational forces exerts pressure on both sides of the body equally.

This renders the object weightless, a condition that is also experienced when the gravitational field is zero. A body in free fall thus experiences zero gravity ( 0-g). An object dropped from the balcony of a building would be an example of a free fall (Susan 103)Terminal Velocity and the necessary conditions The terminal velocity also referred to as settling velocity of a falling object is the velocity of the object when the downward force of gravity (FG) acting on the object equals the sum of the drag force (Fd) and buoyancy .

Since there is a zero net force on such an object, the object is said to have zero acceleration (Susan 57). As an object increases the speed, the drag force acting on the object, as a result of the substance it is passing through say air or water increases. The drag or force of resistance will eventually equal the gravitational pull on the object at some. At this exact point onwards, the object ceases to accelerate but rather falls at a relatively constant speed. The constant speed is referred to as terminal velocity.

The drag force is pegged on the projected area. This explains why items with large projected areas relative to their mass, such as parachutes, have a lower terminal velocity than objects with a small projected area relative to mass, such as an arrow that has been shot (Susan 57)The value of the Atmospheric Pressure in Pounds per Square Inch (psi). .The atmospheric pressure in my region is 14.12 pounds per square inch (Identify your region) Atmospheric PressureAtmospheric pressure is due to the force exerted per unit area on a surface by the weight of air above the surfaceThe area of my back in square inches.

My Shirt height is 15.80 inches, and shirt width is 11.8125.The area of my back is therefore 15.80*11.8125= 186.6375 square inchesThe total amount of force pushing on my back from the Atmospheric Pressure in (identify region.)The total amount of force pushing on my back from the atmospheric pressure in my region is 14.12*186.6375= 2635.3215 pounds It means that I have about a total of 2635.3215 pounds of force pushing on my back at any other time. This is so much force and I would be expected to crush.

However, this is realistic considering that I also have air inside of me and thus they balance out. I therefore believe this is true.You touch a metal handle on your door and it feels cold.Metals feel cold because they are very good conductors of heat energy. When an individual touches a metal handle, the metal being a good conductor tends to sucks” the heat out of your fingers and this heat leaving your fingers is what makes them feel cold due to the sudden decrease in temperatures. The thermal energy shift is what makes the metal feel cold due to a faster loss of the heat energy.

You touch a wooden handle on your door and it does not feel as cold as a metal handle would.Wood is a poor conductor of heat with a low heat capacity. When a wooden surface is touched it withdraws little amounts of heat from the person touching it and as such feels warm.Works CitedSolomon, Susan, ed. Climate change 2007-the physical science basis: Working group I contribution to the fourth assessment report of the IPCC. Vol. 4. Cambridge University Press, 2007.