Walking 10,000 Steps a Day

Often I talk about the inspiration of people to positive outcomes for other people. In this post I will describe how a small electronic device has inspired me get daily exercise for over one year. The device is known as the “Fitbit” which I describe as a sophisticated pedometer. There are many other like devices available and there are inexpensive pedometers but I have not found these to be very accurate. Counting steps has been the primary function I have used my Fitbit for.  What I do find useful with an electronic version is the easy transfer of my daily steps to computer and receiving weekly reports of my progress, the graphic badges that come with milestones are a pleasant reward.

After purchasing my first Fitbit I decided to try to get in the 10,000 steps a day that is recommended for good fitness, this is about 5 miles.  Some of my steps are acquired from other types of exercise besides walking such as; cross country skiing, bike riding, or walking on a tread mill.  Getting in the steps everyday is not always easy, you need to think about any time slots you can spare to get some steps in. Many days the weather is such that you need to think of indoor alternatives for walking. At times I end up having to pace the floor in my small house to get in the 10,000 steps. 

Receiving the 2000 Mile Badge

After getting into this routine for a few weeks, I found this to be just another routine in my life like brushing my teeth or taking out the trash.  If you are a rather motivated person a device like this may help you be more committed to get regular exercise. To me it has become an obsession, but I enjoy it for the most part and feel wonderful. I somehow managed to get in at least 10,000 steps a day for almost one year and then the rechargeable battery in the Fitbit would not keep it operating for an entire day. For a week I tried a cheap mechanical pedometer but it was so inaccurate I gave up.  Then I found a cheaper version of the Fitbit known as the Fitzip. This does not have all the extra features but it works on a replaceable battery which should last for several months. 

My Most Active Week so Far

On my second year of walking with the new Fitzip I had to miss getting in all the steps because I was sick for a couple days, the first sickness in four years. Two other days I just could not fit in all the steps into my schedule but I just feel good that I am getting a good level of regular exercise. I am diabetic but manage normal blood sugar level with no medicine. I have to believe the regular exercise is a big part of it. What helps me also is that I enjoy many hobbies which force me to walk such as retrieving model airplanes, cross country skiing, and small stream trout fishing. I also enjoy nature and enjoy hiking in the woods and exploring new territory at a walking pace.

Great Walking Trail Around Small Lake

Last Major Badge

Bill Kuhl
http://ideas-inspire.com

First Screens Created With Tracker Program

I am trying to learn how to use the Tracker video analysis programs with video shot from a water rocket launch. Using a manual method of a tape measure and a stop watch would be impossible for an object as fast as a water rocket. The rocket is only in video viewing area for a 1/10 of a second which gives 3 frames of video when recorded at 30 frames per second.

Rocket at Rest

Frame 1

There is so much to learn with the Tracker program but I think I am finding through the very basics. I did not have a meter stick for a reference so used a yard stick which is buried 6 inches into the ground, giving a reference of 30 inches. The Tracker program should be calibrated to that for this video.

Frame 2

The data and graph seem reasonable showing the rocket slow to start trying to overcome inertia and really accelerating in the second frame, this is where all the water is expelled. By the third frame the rocket has slowed only slightly, it is now coasting on kinetic energy. Friction and the force of gravity will slow the rocket down until it reaches the apex and returns to earth.

Frame 3

I really want to learn this program because I think it could be a great learning tool and force me to revisit math that I have become rusty with.  No doubt there are some inaccuracies with this method but I think for learning theory it is useful.

My Calculations on Velocity of the Rocket

Maybe this can be done through program but I have not figured out how yet. This is what I got doing the math.  Average speed 55 mph, first segment 33 mph, second segment 96 mph, and final segment 70 mph.  I had read somewhere that a water rocket can be going over 100 mph a few feet after launch so I think my calculation sound reasonable.



My Blog post about finding Tracker Program
My Website Article on Water Rockets includes template for fin of water rocket

Bill Kuhl
http://www.scienceguy.org

Common Knowledge or How Quickly Society is Changing

Wikipedi defines – “Common knowledge is knowledge that is known by everyone or nearly everyone”.  Maybe it is a sign of getting older but at times people over 40 are a little shocked at what the younger generation does not know.  I read on the Internet the other day about a physics class that was looking for balsa wood in their city for a model wind turbine project.  After calling four different stores, no one knew what balsa wood was.  This does not shock me too much as even in the model airplane hobby balsa wood is being used less as model planes come pre-built from foam and plastic.



Sheet of Balsa Wood

In mentioning this on an Internet list devoted to building model airplanes primarily from balsa wood I received stories of other items that store clerks had no clue what the item was. One person was trying to purchase a compass for drawing circles which brought complete confusion for the person trying to help them at the store, the only compass they had heard of was one to point to a direction. With GPS, that type of compass will probably become obsolete too.

Compass to Draw Circles

More shocking and I think inexcusable was the story of someone trying to pay at a store using a $2 bill and the clerk thought sure it was counterfeit. No doubt people will blame the educational system, the parents, or too many videos games.   I know in the past I have been accused of being too focused on one thing, at that time it was computers.  If everyone would take a little time to expose themselves to new and different ideas I think it might just help.

Two Dollar Bill

 

 

Bill Kuhl
http://www.scienceguy.org

Alden Balmer - Doc Fizzix

My website and hobbies have lead me to cross paths with some incredible people, one of which is Alden Balmer the creator of Doc Fizzix the premier mousetrap car kit company.  Almost everything I know about mousetrap cars is from the Doc Fizzix mousetrap car kits I purchased and reading his book, “Mouse Trap car: The Secrets to Success”.   On my website mousetrap car articles are by far the most popular of any project articles often bringing in hundreds of views in a day.  No doubt the popularity of the mousetrap car to be used in physics classes is due to the efforts of Alden Balmer.

Typical Doc Fizzix Mousetrap Car

The Kits & Book That Got Me Started

Alden is teaching physics again at the high school he had previous taught in Texas before starting Doc Fizzix and still running the company.  I corresponded very frequently with Al for a time but he is so busy now that I keep up with his activities through Facebook.  His ability to inspire and motivate young minds since his departure from teaching several years ago has not faded a bit even if present students might normally have more trouble focusing than in the past.  He had shared a copy of a letter from a student just recently that was so moving.

“Dear Mr. Balmer,

Thank you for being such an awesome physics teacher. I’ve always done fairly well in science, but it has never been easier for me to learn. You have made physics class interesting and fun. The experiments you do are exciting, engaging, and make it easier for me to understand the material.  I never really liked science until I got you as a physics teacher. Now I am excited to go to physics class, and it has even become my favorite subject. I’m going to miss having you as a physics teacher, and I don’t think I will ever have a class as much fun as yours. Thank you so much for all that your class has taught me, and all that you have done for me as a physics teacher.”

 To Learn More About Doc Fizzix and Bill Kuhl

About Alden Balmer for PITSCO website

Update 4/30/2014

Another student praising Al Balmer as the best teacher:

Bill Kuhl

http://www.scienceguy.org

    

The Big Sailboat and the Bad Luck House

My grandparents had owned a tiny house, actually more like a cabin that my father would inherit. The house was rented to some undesirables who sued my father because they claimed the fuel oil tank leaked. They won a settlement but my father kicked them out.  In looking for a new renter my father knew of a guy that was building a large sailboat out of steel, he needed to find a new location to work on this huge boat that was over 50 feet long. The sailboat builder was a great renter and had room in the large backyard to build his boat.

What wasn’t ideal about this location was that it was behind a tee intersection; twice someone missed the corner and crashed into the house. The first time the driver’s insurance company did not want to pay, so my dad made a trip to see the insurance commissioner, amazing how quickly the insurance agent was able to help after that. Unbelievably the house was driven into again by someone with the same insurance company, they were more cooperative the second time.

Building this sailboat was a huge undertaking and the renter (Perry) would need ten years to complete the boat, my father created some parts for him in his shop. The boat would have to be loaded on to a huge trailer by crane and taken to the Mississippi River 30 miles away.  My family was invited to visit the boat in the harbor one time and go aboard but we never went for a ride.  Perry and his family would pilot the boat down the length of the Mississippi River and out into the ocean, the boat did have a diesel motor.

In the water at Lake Pepim - Mississippi River

We received a couple of video tapes documenting the journey down the Mississippi. The family did some sailing in the ocean but would later sell the boat, they had relocated in Florida.

Ready to Truck to Mississippi River 

The next renter was a carpenter and it was a good thing because the house burned down. He did build a new house on that location however.

 Bill Kuhl

http://www.ideas-inspire.com

Call Me Curious or How I Found Tracker Video Program

So often I find that in my path for knowledge it takes many directions and I learn more than I had expected to.  I was checking out the Google Book Search function and I found that there was a book that listed my website as a resource, "Fun Physics Projects for Tomorrow's Rocket Scienctist.". Naturally I ordered the book to see what it was all about. 

The book goes through many projects a couple of which I have on my website; water rockets and mousetrap cars. Detailed instructions are given how to construct the projects but also there are physics lessons to be tried with the projects.

Sample Screen Shot from Tracker

What really caught my eye was the use of a free program known as "Tracker". With this program you can load in video files and then analyze the movement of objects that are in the video frame by frame. I have just barely scratched the surface of what this program can do but it appears there is much that can be done. 

Sample Screen Shots from Sample Files in Tracker

Watch for more reports on Tracker in the future, download it here.   http://www.opensourcephysics.org/webdocs/Tools.cfm?t=Tracker

Bill Kuhl
http://www.scienceguy.org

Pioneers of Aviation Presentation

At the end of 2012 I had given a presentation at the WinonaFriendship Center and Winona History Centered entitled, “The Pioneers of Aviation”.  My premise for the presentation was that most of the basic principles for full-scale aviation had been implemented first in model aircraft. To back up my presentation I had not only posters with pictures of the early aviators and aircraft but also brought model aircraft for not only display but also to fly in front of and over the participants of the lecture.

Model Helicopter That Inspired the Wright Brothers

 

Model of Planophore First Rubber Powered Airplane

 

Not only did I want to present that principles from model aircraft were important to full-scale aviation but also were an important inspiration. For example the toy helicopter that the Wright Brothers had received for Christmas in their childhood inspired them to experiment with flight. The basic design for the helicopter model was based on a model created by Alphonse Penaud who had created the first successful rubber powered airplane back in 1871 known as the “Planophore” which I had a balsa model of.  Penaud had discovered some important aerodynamic principles with his models that would be part of the success for full-scale flight.

Rubber Powered Ornithopter in Flight

Flying RC Dragonfly at History Center

RC Dragonfly Flying Outside

Quadcopter I Flew

In my demonstration I flew a plastic model of the helicopter toy the Wright Brothers had as a toy and also I flew a small remote control quadcopter to show how propeller on flight has evolved over the years. To demonstrate the idea of flapping flight that was thought of by many early inventors such as Leonardo Da Vinci I flew a rubber powered “ornithopter” and also a radio controlled dragonfly.

 

Posters - Winona Friendship Center

Wright Flyer and Spirit of St. Louis Models in Car

 

It appeared to me that the presentation went pretty well with the combination of printed visuals, static models, and flying models at the presentation.  I know I had fun and hope to do more of this type of presentation.

Winona Post Notice of the Presentation


Bill Kuhl
http://www.scienceguy.org