Classical Physics- Comparing and Contrasting
Classical physics is among the concepts in physics that apply more often to practices entailed in our daily activities. Galileo Galilei and Sir Isaac Newton’s classical physics concepts apply in our daily lives often. For instance, Newton’s optical concepts are applied in eyeglasses or contact lenses to enhance eyesight (Bechler, 2013). The current analysis will focus on the provided scenario where Mandy is traveling in an airplane to Rome. As the airplane descended to her destination, she could watch the sun setting to the west and the scenes. On landing, the imagination was that the plane could fall like a giant metal on the ground were it not for the specific shape of the wings. This scenario offers the basis for exploring the physics concepts that apply to Mandy as well as my personal everyday life.
From Mandy’s scenario, several concepts from Newton and Galileo’s work can be derived from the flight activity. The airplane’s movement follows Newton’s laws of motion. According to Newton’s Law of Motion, an airplane is a reflection of the principle law of movement that suggests an airplane is a body in motion with several forces acting on the plane (Bechler, 2013). According to the principle, there are four major forces acting on the aircraft; weight, lift, push, and friction (drag). When the aircraft is moving at a constant elevation, the weight and lift are balanced, and the two other forces are in action; push and drag. When the airplane is moving at a constant speed, the push force overcomes the drag force to facilitate motion. The motion in the aircraft confirms the first Newtonian Law that states that an object will remain stationary or in motion in a straight line unless acted upon by external forces. In this scenario, the push force of the engine keeps the plane in motion in a straight line by overcoming the drag force due to wind. For the plane to move higher, the lift force should overcome the weight due to gravity.
Galileo’s discoveries also play in Mandy’s situation. Mandy imagines that the plane would fall like any other object were it not for the shape of the wings. This is true according to Galileo’s work, which states that the airplane could fall on the ground as any other object dropped to the ground from the sky (Redd, 2017). Galileo’s concepts state that if no force applies to a falling object, it will fall straight down. Since the airplane wings are designed to create resistance, the airplane can maintain its altitude and velocity as it flies through the air. This applies to Newton’s laws of motion.
These theories in Newton’s laws and Galileo’s concepts are applicable in my daily life in several instances. When dragging a box pack packed with heavy objects, its acceleration is slower compared to the same box packed with fewer and lighter objects. This is in accordance with Newton’s Second Law of Motion; the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the resultant force working on the object and inversely proportional to the object’s mass (Redd, 2017). Galileo’s concept usually applies when dropping paper in a compost pit; folded paper moves to the bottom of the compost pit faster compared to unfolded paper thrown in the same depth compost. This is because the unfolded paper faces more resistance due to its shape. Without the concepts explained by these scholars, we could not understand the reasons behind such daily occurrences.
References
Bechler, Z. (2013). Contemporary Newtonian Research (Studies in the History of Modern Science) (Volume 9). Springer. ISBN 978-94-009-7717-4.
Redd, N. T. (2017). Galileo Galilei: Biography, Inventions & Other Facts. Retrieved from https://www.space.com/15589-galileo-
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Question
Instructions
In a two-page paper, identify the classical physics principles contained within the following scenario. Explain how these principles connect to work done by Galileo or Newton. Finally, consider the different fields in which Galileo and Newton did research, and give an example of one of these fields in your life. For instance, Newton developed the field of optics. If you wear glasses or contact lenses, you use Newton’s physical optics theories daily. Aside from glasses or contacts, how do Newton’s or Galileo’s theories affect your daily life?
Scenario
Mandy took a trip to Rome, Italy. She gazed out over the ocean 20,000 feet below as her airplane descended to her final destination. She could watch the Sun setting in the west. Over the Eastern horizon peeked a full moon, just rising, displaying its cratered face. As the plane neared the ground, Mandy could not help but think that she was in a giant metal object hurtling through the sky. Without the specific shape of its wings, the plane would fall to the ground no differently than a large metal projectile.