One more thing is certain: some beginners will trip up on physics concepts. It’s a new way of thinking, and it takes getting used to.<\/p>\n
Dot Physics: Constant Force and Constant Motion<\/a><\/p>\n It seems that every semester when this discussion comes up, someone says this:<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I think that a constant force will make the thing go at a constant speed. It just makes sense. Look at your car. You push on the gas pedal with a constant force and the car goes at a constant speed.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n For some reason, the students think of pushing the gas pedal with a constant force as the same as pushing the CAR with a constant force. Perhaps this is because the gas pedal is part of the car. Maybe they are just trying to bring one of their own experiences into the discussion.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I don’t think that this is unreasonable \u2014 a constant amount of gas to the engine should mean a constant force. But it’s not the only<\/em> force, since there is air resistance and rolling friction balancing the effect of the engine. I think that the problem is more the difficulty in conceptualizing a single force without any other forces on the object \u2014 we don’t have much experience driving in a vacuum.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One more thing is certain: some beginners will trip up on physics concepts. It’s a new way of thinking, and it takes getting used to. Dot Physics: Constant Force and Constant Motion It seems that every semester when this discussion … Continue reading