A Swing

On Friday we had our fall orchestra concert at Mamiya Theater. It was pretty awesome because we all got out of school at 2:15 :) After we were done rehearsing, Richard, Colin, Leslie and me took a walk and explored the St. Louis/Chaminade campus. As you can see in the picture, we found a swing! It was really fun, but it made Colin and Richard feel sick :( At first, only Leslie and me were swinging on it. When Colin and Richard joined us, I asked, "What is the new mg?" and "What is the tension?". It was then that I realized just how much taking AP Physics B has influenced my everyday life. Never before would I have asked these questions. And then I realized that I could use this for my physics blog, so I took a picture :)

For simplicities sake, lets combine Richard, Colin and Leslie into one mass weighing a total of 300 pounds. That means that the mg force equals 2940 N. Because the net force in the y direction equals zero, The normal force plus the y components of the tensions also equals 2940N. The net force in the x direction also equals zero, (unless they are swinging side-to-side) so the x components of the tension must equal each other. In order to swing, Richard, Colin and Leslie must push off from the ground, which in itself involves even more physics. So much physics, so little time! But here is a brief summary for your enjoyment. :)