Skye Galley Trig 1060- Lawes Project 3 - Reflection Page

A few examples of mass-spring systems around us in everyday life are car spring systems, bungee ropes, pogo sticks, and seismographs. The spring-systems in cars are used to absorb shock when drivers slam on their breaks, bottom out, or drive over rough roads. Bungee ropes are another type of spring-system because they shoot users back into the air after freefalling. Pogo sticks have inner springs that compress when weight is forced down and then ricochet to spring back into place. The last example is a seismograph. Seismographs are used to measure the frequency and magnitude of earthquakes. A seismograph can show the amplitude, frequency, and period of each earthquake which assists scientists to study and prepare for future earthquakes. The understanding of amplitude, period, and frequency of these items and many others is important because it allows the measurement of the height, length, and number of times something, such as a mass-spring system, will perform. By gathering the information of a mass-spring system you can then identify how long a certain mechanical device will last, how much weight it can support, and safety margins and precautions. This is necessary to understand in the real world because harsh consequences can result if strict measurements are not used. As an example, exceeding the weight limit of a bungee rope and expecting the system to spring you back after being fully extended can result in failure and possibly death.

This project did not change the way I think about how trigonometry and math can be applied in the real world. However, it did give me additional evidence to support my existing opinion that trigonometry and math are used in the real world to predict and develop economical and feasible solutions. This specific project taught me the same thing but showed two different ways to get that outcome. First I graphed the two separate functions and combined them to find the amplitude, period, and phase shift of the overall combination function. I was then able to use trigonometric formulas, such as the Pythagorean Theorem, to conclude on a separate page the same results as before. Trigonometry is used for more than just mass-spring systems and by more people than engineers. As one small example, the military and NASA use trigonometry and math to deliver missiles to designated areas in a rotating, spherical environment with gravity applied. It is important to understand these concepts because trigonometry is everywhere and is used in almost everything we do.