AP Physics Final Project
Project Description: For this assignment, my group and I were given the task of creating an end of the project to present to our class. We had complete freedom to pursue whatever interest we wanted, so long as it incorporated the physics principles that we learned throughout the semester. As such, our team decided to analyze the physics of two Star Wars scenes, as well as, the real world feasibility of light saber technology. Attached below is the work that we submitted.
Concepts:
- Photons- the individual particles that make up light. In the project, we explained how photons act and how they might be able to form a light saber blade under certain conditions.
- Rotational Velocity- the change in speed and direction of an object that is moving in a circular path. In the project, we solved for the rotational velocity of Darth Vader swinging a light saber and Anakin Skywalker doing a flip. Equation: w= θ/t
- Rotational Acceleration- the change of velocity of an object that is moving in a circular path. In the project, we solved for the rotational acceleration of Vader and Luke's light saber duel and Anakin's jump. Equation: a= w/t
- Potential Energy due to Gravity- the amount of energy that is stored in an object because of gravitational pull. In the project, we solved for the gravitational potential energy of Anakin at the apex of his jump. Equation: Ug=mgh
- Torque- a force applied in a rotational direction. In the project, we solved for the torque of Vader's light saber against Luke's. Equation: T=rFsinθ