While I was driving around on Sunday, I found this light post that was overlooking Manoa Park's Pool. It reminded me of current and electricity especially because this type of light needs to be lit extremely bright at night. Therefore, either the current needs to be high when it is switched on or the power source connected to the lightbulb needs to transfer large amounts of energy. Judging by the height of the light, the electricity must have to travel a fairly long distance before finally reaching the light bulb. To make the light as efficient as possible, the people who structured the light would have to have the least amount of energy lost while it is traveling to the top of the post. Copper wiring is probably used in the energy transfer as it is used in other infrastructure appliances. The entire circuit which involves the light post, probably has a switch that completes and then in-completes the circuit when it is turned off. Although it may seem simple, this light post relates to physics very well.

This past weekend, I got a haircut at Supercuts. Because we were studying electrical currents and magnets, I was sure that I could find something that involved either of those topics. I realized that the buzzers used to cut my hair most likely contained motors that are powered my magnets and electricity. Those motors are probably similar to the small motors we attempted to generate in class as the blades being turned to cut the hair probably don't require much energy. Although the blades do need to move relatively quickly, it would not require as much energy as a model car motor or other small motorized objects. The hairdryer also probably requires a motor to blow the air quickly through the shaft. That motor must be slightly larger as the amount of air being pushed through the hairdryer is relatively large. This is all speculation, but I think I have somewhat of an idea of the electricity and magnetism in these specific objects.

Scoreboard Mania

I just watched a few of my brother's basketball games recently and happened to notice that the scoreboard relates very closely to what we have just studied. Every number displayed on the scoreboard is generated by an electrical current that probably is altered in course depending on what number it is displaying. For example, every time the number is changes, the sequence of lights on the scoreboard is changed. Each of the bulbs in the scoreboard is lit up according to the actual controls of the board. For example, when the scorekeeper flips the switch from 0 to 2, some lights are disconnected from the circuit, while other lights are connected to it. This goes also for the time keeper, except that the time constantly is changing, as the time winds down in the quarter/game. When the time keeper stops the clock, he is maintaining a certain circuit that freezes the time. Then, when he continues the clock, the circuit continues to switch every second.