Rodney Garland
PLAB 223-01
11/23/11
Introduction -
Have you ever had trouble starting an assignment because of a lack of ideas? This has been a problem of mine for a very long time, even going back to an early college English class where I resorted to writing an essay about writing an essay. I went through a lot of ideas and I finally decided on the following.
The best solution to beating writer's block is to go back to the basics. What are you interested in? Why are you interested in it? And, how do you want to convey this interest to your professor and relate it to the topic at hand? My interests lie in things such as: video games, professional wrestling, psychology, mathematics, and, perhaps the most important to this upcoming discussion, superheroes. With this in mind, I've taken those interests to heart and applied what I know to bring up questions and reach conclusions. Do you know what that sounds like? The perfect lead-in to a lab report.
This report will cover the ideas of elasticity and tension. The example we will use to convey these ideas will be none other than Marvel comic book character, Mr. Fantastic.
Procedure -
The first step was to gather the supplies: five 33 size elastic rubber bands, one LeverLock 16 foot tape measure, safety gloves, and, of course, safety goggles. Lining up one end of a rubber band to the start of the tape measure, we began stretching the rubber band horizontally, while recording it's length. The rubber band would continue to be stretched, at room temperature, until it snapped, the final length being recorded as the breaking point. From there, four more rubber bands were put through the same test. After all five rubber bands reached their breaking point, the data was recorded and then averaged.
Data Collection -
Uniform Mass: 4.56g
Starting Length Breaking Point Stretched Distance
Rubber Band #1 - 5.5in. 26in. 20.5in. (.52m)
Rubber Band #2 - 5.6in. 26.2in. 20.6in. (.52m)
Rubber Band #3 - 5.4in. 26.6in. 21.2in. (.54m)
Rubber Band #4 - 5.5in. 26.5in. 21in. (.53m)
Rubber Band #5 - 5.6in. 27.4in. 21.8in. (.55m)
Average Stretched Distance: 21.02in. (.53m)
Data Modeling -
So, how do we relate this rubber band to Mr. Fantastic? Well, we found out how far these rubber bands can stretch before reaching their breaking point. Now, we can ask a question. How can Mr. Fantastic stretch so far?
Well, let's start off by analyzing some important information about our experiment. The first thing we should discuss is Hooke's Law. When applied to a rubber band, Hooke's Law tells us that:
F = k(x2-x1)
In the case of a rubber band, the k value equals the elasticity constant, while our x2 and x1 equals our starting and end point when stretching each rubber band. Solving this equation will let us know the maximum force that was applied before the rubber band broke. This maximum force will then let us know the tension in the rubber band before snapping. This tension could then be assumed to be the maximum tension that these rubber bands can withstand. When this is applied to Mr. Fantastic, one can understand that, from an observational standpoint, his suit would only allow him to stretch a set maximum distance before reaching it's breaking point.
So, what would that breaking point be? Well, to find that out we'd have to go into finding his value k. Maybe we could start with the following image...
Yeah, that would take a long while... Well, at least it's something to think about.
Conclusion -
In conclusion, as with all experiments, the element of uncertainty can be found in the data given. With the final stretching data being measure in meters, instead of inches, a fractional margin of error can be added to the data set when converting. For example, 20.5in and 20.6in both show a translation to .52m. While the distance in inches is not the same, the distance in meters is because of rounding. This shows an example of human error and gives the data an uncertainty of at least .1in.
Another interesting topic to bring up is the idea of rubber stretching and shrinking in regards to the temperature it's placed in. Since Mr. Fantastic is called the man of rubber, would he have trouble stretching very far if he was fighting against Ice Man? Would he stretch further if fighting Pyro?
According to the laws of thermodynamics, heat expands and cold contracts. Rubber (and consequently rubber bands) has the odd property of reversing this idea. Rubber bands actually do the opposite due to their molecular structure. So, if Mr. Fantastic was made of rubber, like his suit, he would actually stretch more against Ice Man and become brittle and shrink when up against Pyro or any other fire based comic book villain. Perhaps this is why he's so mean to The Human Torch.
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