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=Tuscaloosa Academy Science 8=

= Week of March 8 - 12: Our Topic this week is Frame of Reference and Motion = Frame of reference: a way in which to measure the position and orientation of an object. It may refer to the “//point of view//” of the observer or the object. Different people may say different things about an object and its movement because the people may have different points of view. Check out the following simulation: [] A reference point is an object that is assumed to be stationary. It can also be thought of, in some cases; as a focal point. (Ask a cheerleader what they are focusing on when they are hoisted into the air!) Frames of reference and relative motion is what causes some people to get motion sickness. If you have ever gotten car sick, it is because of the mixed signals your brain is receiving. Your brain thinks two things are happening at once. The information from your eyes and from your inner ear does not agree. If you look out the window and the road is zipping by, your eyes see the fast motion. Your inner ear is only feeling the motion of the car and it interprets that you are sitting still. Focusing on a point that is forward and in the distance can help some people reduce their chances of getting car sick.

So when people say different things about the motion of the same object viewed at the same time, it does not mean the people are wrong – they just have different frames of reference.

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=Be prepared to discuss the following questions:= 1. What is the reference point in the video? 2. What do we think we know about that reference point? 3. How do you think this effect filmed in 1951?

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