What are some recommendations for a math and physics topic in high school?

[Andreas S-H]

Hello everyone, I am preparing to write an assignment in math and physics. This assignment will be a sort of exam, where I have to defend it at a later date, I can choose whatever topic I like, as long as it contains math and physics. I need to find something to be my thesis statement (i think it's called that), however I have no idea about what topic i want to write about. So if anyone have any recommendations i would be happy to hear them :).

Kindly Andreas

PS.
I'm on my last year

(sorry for the grammar, I'm not the best at it)

 

[Baluncore]

Welcome to PF.
What year are you ?
What are your interests ?

 

[Andreas S-H]

Welcome to PF.
What year are you ?
What are your interests ?

Hello :D. I am on my last year. I love everything related to physics, from the tiny to the big, however if i had to choose, it would be black holes.

 

[Frabjous]

If you like black holes, you might find a topic browsing through Taylor, Wheeler and Bertschinger.
https://www.eftaylor.com/exploringblackholes/

 

[Vanadium 50]

I am on my last year.

Last year in grade school?
Last year in high school?
Last year in college?
Last year in graduate school?
Last year on earth?

 

[Andreas S-H]

Last year in grade school?
Last year in high school?
Last year in college?
Last year in graduate school?
Last year on earth?

High school :)

 

[Andreas S-H]

If you like black holes, you might find a topic browsing through Taylor, Wheeler and Bertschinger.
https://www.eftaylor.com/exploringblackholes/

I will give it a shot

 

[Frabjous]

I will give it a shot

If that is too much for you, notice that the same website also has a book on special relativity, “Spacetime physics”.

The simplest thing I know on relativity is “Relativity and Common Sense“ by Bondi. For a discussion see
https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/relativity-using-bondi-k-calculus/

You should also checkout the Insights Section for ideas
https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/

 

[Andreas S-H]

If that is too much for you, notice that the same website also has a book on special relativity, “Spacetime physics”.

The simplest thing I know on relativity is “Relativity and Common Sense“ by Bondi. For a discussion see
https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/relativity-using-bondi-k-calculus/

You should also checkout the Insights Section for ideas
https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/

So far It's not hard (which is good). I need to figure out an experiment i can do to prove something. So this will be fun. Ill check it out. Thanks a lot

Kindly Andreas

 

[mpresic3]

I had to do a report in ninth grade > 50 years ago. I chose black holes, neutron stars, and quasars (exotic physics, especially for that time).
Another interesting thing is the mathematics behind Foucault's pendulum. The math can be extended to inertial guidance system. Or you could do a topic on inertial guidance, with mention of Einstein's principle of equivalence. Another topic is known as the intermediate axis theorem, or the tennis racket problem or theorem.
Some of these topics are a bit complicated at the HS level.
The nice characteristic of some of these suggestions is you can present the idea, that you do not have to treat really exotic physics to find really interesting physics. I've got lots of ideas along these lines with varying degrees of sophistication.

 

[Andreas S-H]

I had to do a report in ninth grade > 50 years ago. I chose black holes, neutron stars, and quasars (exotic physics, especially for that time).
Another interesting thing is the mathematics behind Foucault's pendulum. The math can be extended to inertial guidance system. Or you could do a topic on inertial guidance, with mention of Einstein's principle of equivalence. Another topic is known as the intermediate axis theorem, or the tennis racket problem or theorem.
Some of these topics are a bit complicated at the HS level.
The nice characteristic of some of these suggestions is you can present the idea, that you do not have to treat really exotic physics to find really interesting physics. I've got lots of ideas along these lines with varying degrees of sophistication.

These are all amazing, after some reading yesterday I thought about writing about the Photon sphere and the difference in orbits if the black hole is spinning or stationary.

 

[mpresic3]

Interesting idea. If you find it tough sledding, you can always use as an "off-ramp", the (easier) difference between the Schwartzchild solution, and the nonrelativistic treatment, (the Kepler problem). This should be plenty for a high school paper.

It is not clear from an earlier post you have to form a critical experiment. Can you do this for many of these exotic ideas?

One idea my colleague (involving general relativity) used a variation of involves Einstein's of equivalence. He used sophisticated equipment aboard ships in a canal. This involved using the accelerometers in a cell phone (or otherwise) to measure your apparent weight in a moving elevator. I think it could also be done (low tech) with a bathroom scale and a camera for recording. To get really sophisticated you can introduce arduino etc. You may be able to take the idea from here, I do not want to give too much away.

 

[Baluncore]

Why pick something so challenging that it still interests you ?
That will be an impossible challenge for the general audience.
Answering the questions presented may be impossible for you.

Instead, teach them all something they will benefit from knowing. Pick something you understand so well, that when you answer the presented questions, you can teach some more.

 

[Andreas S-H]

Why pick something so challenging that it still interests you ?
That will be an impossible challenge for the general audience.
Answering the questions presented may be impossible for you.

Instead, teach them all something they will benefit from knowing. Pick something you understand so well, that when you answer the presented questions, you can teach some more.

If It was to the general audience I would have written about projectile motion, but since the only people who will read it are university professors (My current teacher was a university teacher, and the sensor) It will be okay to write something advanced (according to my teacher) :)

 

[Andreas S-H]

Interesting idea. If you find it tough sledding, you can always use as an "off-ramp", the (easier) difference between the Schwartzchild solution, and the nonrelativistic treatment, (the Kepler problem). This should be plenty for a high school paper.

It is not clear from an earlier post you have to form a critical experiment. Can you do this for many of these exotic ideas?

One idea my colleague (involving general relativity) used a variation of involves Einstein's of equivalence. He used sophisticated equipment aboard ships in a canal. This involved using the accelerometers in a cell phone (or otherwise) to measure your apparent weight in a moving elevator. I think it could also be done (low tech) with a bathroom scale and a camera for recording. To get really sophisticated you can introduce arduino etc. You may be able to take the idea from here, I do not want to give too much away.

You have a point about the critical experiment, I thought about using a water vortex with laminar flow for the stationary black hole, and a spinning vortex for the spinning black hole, and then seeing how things orbit it close to the centers. I do know quite a bit of programming so I could also do a lot of simulations. But if It is way to exotic I would love to do something along the lines of your last suggestion.