As a part of the RYLA camp last weekend, this board was a part of an activity for the campers as well as some of the staff. To break the board, the participant uses the force of their weight along with the grain of the board to ensure a quick and easy break. The person's weight and the potential energy from the starting position of the person's hand that eventually changes into kinetic energy as the person goes through the motion and through the board. In addition to the force placed upon it by the person's weight, there is also the momentum of the hand as it reaches the stationary board, and since the board has less mass, it experiences a greater change in velocity.

Since Friday afternoon, I have been at RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) camp up above Hawaii Kai. Sorry I wasn't able to get a post out sooner (I just got home at 5pm). My team Brown (Tootsie Rolls) went through many different events meant to raise trust and teach us about leadership and teamwork. One of the high ropes courses that our team completed on Sunday was this rock wall. In this picture, Davis (grey shirt) and Cynthia (blue shirt) have just reached the top. They were able to reach the top of the rock wall because of the force they exerted with each step as well as the tensions in the ropes. The combination of the vertical forces equals the downward force of their weights. The camp directors (who held the support lines) used both their own weight and the friction between the rope and the pulley to help the climbers.

During Spring Break 2007, I went on the California College Tour and we visited the Golden Gate Bridge in San Fransisco. Apparently, the weather forecast was a bit off (they said it would be unusually sunny and warm). The Golden Gate Bridge is a famous example of a suspension bridge, using cables and pillars to support pedestrians (like me) and vehicles. To balance out the force of gravity on the bridge, suspension bridges rely on the tension in the cables and the compression of the pillars. The cables will eventually form a parabola shape. The net force of the system is 0, since the weight of the bridge cancels with the tension of the cables and the compression of the pillars.