Basic Mathematical Modelling of the Physical World using Differential Equations
Post written by Cheryn Ng (14S7H)
Date of event: 29th April - 20th May 2014
This module is mainly about Mathematics and its application in Physics. We were first introduced to the mathematics topic differential equations which we would learn next year (in J2), and its applications in real life mathematics like half-life derivations, kinematics etc. It was quite challenging at first but the instructor was very patient in ensuring that all of us could get it right in the end. We were also taught how to make 3D printer blue-print designs, using an easy-to-manage free programme “123D Design”, and our instructor kindly took the time and effort (and money) to print our structures in miniscule forms, and let us test them out (we were supposed to design a structure that would fall through oil fastest, and another that would fall through air slowest). I am certain that most of us had fun during the test.
Another hands-on activity we all enjoyed was trying to set up a circuit that would make the LED bulb light up the longest using the same capacitor (acts somewhat like a charger), based on the equation which was derived based on resistance of the circuits. Each team experimented with various methods to connect the resistors in parallel and in series, and finally competed for the ‘longest-lasting lightbulb’. It was a very intriguing elective module that made us understand more about the applications of differential equations in physics/real-life problems.
