Fizzics Fizzle: Beginner

Whenever you throw a ball to your friend across the park, you are using physics even if you don't know it. You make adjustments for all the factors such as distance and wind and even how heavy the ball is. The farther your friend is, the harder you will throw the ball. This physical adjustment is done in your head. It's physics, you just don't call it that because it comes so naturally to everyone.

Everything is guided by the laws of physics because they are everywhere. They affect everything from the ball, you, me, the Earth, and the entire universe. There are formulas and laws that can calculate how far the ball will go depending on how you throw it. You might not exactly know what these formulas are, but you are able to throw the ball nonetheless. It is something you learn by practicing how to throw the ball. If there were no set laws, the ball would behave unpredictably whenever you throw it. How would you be able to adjust your throw?

This beginner section will try to explain why things behave the way they do without bothering you with all the formulas and all the funny Greek letters that make physics a little more confusing than it really should be. Remember, you didn't need a formula to know how hard to throw that ball.

Beginner Topics

Created by TQ Team 16600:

Clyde Law, Chetan Taralekar, Jim Wang

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Team Coaches:

Melanie Krieger, Chhaya Taralekar