1 / 13

Inspired by October Sky: The Physics of Dreams and Rocketry

"October Sky," set in 1957 Coalwood, West Virginia, tells the inspiring story of Homer Hickam, a young man driven to build rockets against all odds. Guided by his science teacher, Miss Riley, and fueled by the news of Sputnik 1, Homer and his friends, known as the "Rocket Boys," face numerous challenges, from engineering failures to accusations of causing a forest fire. Their journey emphasizes the importance of persistence in pursuing dreams and applying learned physics principles, ultimately leading to success at national science competitions.

kapila
Télécharger la présentation

Inspired by October Sky: The Physics of Dreams and Rocketry

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Engineering & The Media “October Sky” Jason Gould October 31st, 2012

  2. Can I Ever Use This? • Have I learned anything? • Why is this important? • Will I ever use any of these equations? • This is soo stupid!

  3. About the Movie • Set in Coalwood, West Virginia, 1957 • John Hickam, mine superintendent, father of main character • Homer Hickam, basis of movie • Used physics to help save his dream

  4. Homer Hickam • Inspired by the news of Sputnik 1 • Sets out to build rockets and enter science fair • Becomes friends with Quentin Wilson for math • Help from science teacher Miss Riley • “Rocket Boys” are formed

  5. Rocket Boys • Experience many failures • Try new fuels and rocket designs • Local paper runs story on their hobby • Arrested, and accused of have started a forest fire from downed rocket

  6. Inspiration • Looks to a rocket science book that Miss Riley gave him • Calculates the trajectory • Uses this finding to locate their missing rocket • Presents findings to Miss Riley and school principal • Proves innocence

  7. Physics Explained • Displacement, time, acceleration equation • S= x0 + v0t + ½at2 , initial starting spot, velocity, and time are 0 • S= ½at2 , S= 3136 • V=at , V= 448 • So for displacement over horizon, V*t = 6272 ft • 6272 ft 15840 ft

  8. Success • Homer returns to school • Wins school science fair • Sent to national science fair in Indiana • Wins top prize and flooded with scholarship offers • Returns to Coalwood as hero • Launches a rocket 30,000 ft in celebration

  9. After the Movie • Graduates Virginia Tech 1964 • BS in Industrial Engineering • Served in Vietnam War • Engineer for US Army ‘71-’81 • Engineer for NASA ‘81-’98

  10. Closing Words Don’t give up on your dream, because of setbacks. Remember what you have learned and apply it to your situation to make the best of it. You never know, it might help you to become an engineer. 

  11. Sources • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_Sky • http://www.homerhickam.com/movies/ • http://zonalandeducation.com/mstm/physics/mechanics/kinematics/EquationsForAcceleratedMotion/EquationsForAcceleratedMotion.htm • http://www.asknumbers.com/MilesToFeetConversion.aspx#.UIv9wU2HJ8E

  12. Questions?

More Related