Forces 1/18

You may have heard the word ‘force’ before. A force isn’t just what Jedis use when they concentrate. It’s much more than that. In physics, a force is simply a push or a pull. Now, Isaac Newton discovered some laws of motion that have to deal with force.

Law Number 1: Objects in motion tend to stay in motion and objects at rest tend to stay at rest unless acted upon by an external force. This means that if something is moving, it will stay moving unless a force stops it.

 Law Number 2: Force = mass x acceleration (the more mass something has, the more force you need to move it). This means that pushing or pulling something light is easier than pushing or pulling something heavy.

Law Number 3: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Forces can either be balanced or unbalanced. If the force is balanced, then moving objects remain moving with the same speed and direction and unmoving objects remain staying still.

If two forces of 50 N (newtons) were acting upon the same object in different directions, the forces would be balanced. If two forces were acting upon the same object in opposite directions, one 50 N and the other 100 N, the forces would be unbalanced, and the moving object would change speed or direction, and an unmoving object would start to move.

 S&EP: SP2 Using Models 

I used models to understand more about Newton's laws of motion by using this simulator to experience more. The simulator helped me understand Newton's laws better, especially his second law. By placing the heavier items in front of the man, I saw that he had to use lots more force to push it. This simulator helped me understand and see how the laws worked in real life. 

XCC: Cause and Effect 

Newton's laws of motion sort of display a cause and effect relationship. His first law states that moving things stay moving unless a force stops them. The force is the cause and the object stopping is the effect. The second law states that the heavier something is, the more force you need to move it. Something being heavier is the cause and you using more force is the effect. The third law states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. If you throw a ball, the throw is the cause and it bouncing up again is the effect.

WAC - Are self-driving cars worth the risk? 1/11

lecheverria1005
Ms. Garcia
Science 8
January 8, 2019

Are self-driving cars worth the risk?

     Almost everyone knows the feeling: you’re busy with something when you suddenly have to get up and drive. Taking your son to a soccer game when you were on a business call, having to drop your daughter off at ballet when you were trying to nap, or visiting a relative when you were trying to eat. What if that would stop? What if you were able to get in the car and enjoy a sandwich or a nap without even having to put your hands on the wheel? That so-called fantasy is actually very close to being a reality, but are autonomous vehicles really worth the risk? Technology like this is able to be easily hacked, and sensors on the cars don’t work in intense weather like rain or snow. Furthermore, cars aren’t able to sense pedestrians or read street signs, and in bad weather conditions, they can’t maintain lanes on streets and highways. Of course, having a personal taxi that can drop you off, drive home and pick you back up again is great, but the disadvantages outweigh the good. A self-driving car isn’t worth the risk, no matter how jealous it would make your friends. 

      Autonomous vehicles use advanced technology to be able to drive by themselves, but that doesn’t mean that they can replace human drivers. Cars aren’t able to sense pedestrians or street signs, and they aren’t able to understand things like right of way. Human drivers are able to see the road in front of them instead of simply using a sensor, and the car’s sensors don’t work very well in bad weather. According to the article Are We Ready For Driverless Cars? by Ibrahim Balkhy for NewsHour Extra, “However, the cars are still unable to obey traffic signs, identify pedestrians, or maintain lanes in bad weather on the highway.” Even though the cars are self-driving, they still need a human to make sure they don’t smash into pedestrians and allow other cars their right of way. 

      Even if you can eat a sandwich or nap while making sure your car doesn’t crash, the problems don’t end there. Hacking is another issue that can cause problems for both the car and the driver. No matter how protected the technology supposedly is, you can still be exposed to hacking, which can make your car veer in different directions, no lock properly or cause more serious problems. In the video The Pros and Cons of Autonomous Vehicles, Dr. Billy Abraham says, “However, another one is hacking. Because there is a lot of computers and a lot of cameras and sensors one of the concerns is that people will be able to hack and even route your car to a different direction where you don’t want to go.” (3:53). Hacking could become a big issue in the future of autonomous vehicles, and the cars have lots of technology that could potentially malfunction. Cameras and sensors help the car ‘see’ where it’s going and make sure there are no obstacles that it could crash into, and if they aren’t working properly, the car could crash or get a wrong idea of where it’s going. 

      On the other hand, using autonomous vehicles could reduce the number of accidents and car-related injuries and deaths. In the video The Pros and Cons of Autonomous Vehicles, Dr. Billy Abraham says, “... fewer accidents. If we look at what is happening today, a lot of people are dying on the road because of accidents… and driverless cars are meant to reduce the amount of deaths. For example if only 90% of cars become autonomous, we’ll be able to decrease the amount of accidents by about 80%.” (1:16). Autonomous vehicles use technology to sense their surroundings, and they can make sure that they can keep a safe distance from potential obstacles. Since 2010, multiple companies, including Google, Uber and Toyota. According to Junior Scholastic’s Are Driverless Cars a Good Idea? “Google’s car can figure out if a parking space is large enough, keep a safe distance from other cars on the highway and brake to avoid a collision at city speeds.” Nonetheless, traits like these aren’t enough to fully replace a human driver. Even though the cars are able to keep a safe distance, they aren’t fully able to see if another driver comes swerving up behind them. 

      Although reducing the amount of deaths is wonderful, the cars could actually cause more problems that do good. In fact, the cars could crash more often and more seriously and could potentially end up doing more harm than human-driven cars. Ibrahim Balkhy, the author of the article Are We Ready For Driverless Cars?, says, “One of Google’s cars did crash in August 2011, but the company says that it was being piloted by a human driver at the time.” Even though a human driver was in the car, it doesn’t change the fact that the car was driving itself and crashed while doing so. Balkhy also states, “The question of legal responsibility also remains a sticky issue. If one of these vehicles collides with another, or with a human-driven car, whose insurance pays the claim? If a police officer pulls over a driverless car, who gets the ticket? Whether or not the cars will be able to react to an officer directing them to pull over is not clear. Legal structures for insurance traffic violations will have to be changed to account for driverless cars.” If your car dropped you off at a friend’s house and drove back to yours at a crazy high speed, would it know a policeman was trying to pull it over? If nobody was in the car, who gets the speeding ticket? Legal questions like these are yet to be determined, and they could stop the rise of autonomous vehicles. 

      Accordingly, self-driving cars aren’t safe. Technology is too risky, and their sensors and cameras aren’t accurate enough. Though they mean to reduce the number of crashes, they could end up causing more, especially if they don’t work in bad weather conditions. That means that if you live somewhere where it rains or snows a lot, you can’t even drive your car! Autonomous vehicles require smooth roads with clearly painted lines free of bumps or potholes. Imagine what construction we would have to do to accommodate this higher standard! Furthermore, there’s no way to tell how many deaths self-driving cars will prevent. Sorry, Google. Looks like you still have a long way to go before your cars can start rolling the road.