Thinking in Equations

If you talk to any movie director, you'll find out that they can't watch a movie without thinking about all of the components of it. Some even go so far as to say they can no longer enjoy watching movies. Similarly, if you talk to any physicist, you'll discover that we're far from normal as well. We see equations every where we go. But unlike directors, we still enjoy it! Specifically, I'm going to talk about our experience with winter. I live in Michigan and we got 10+ inches of snow over the past week or so. This means that we're constantly driving in snow covered roads and low visibility. I was talking with a fellow physics major on Friday and we talked about our common experiences with driving: we both consider the coefficient of friction almost immediately! As soon as our car starts rolling, we think to ourselves, "Hmmm... I wonder what the coefficient of friction is on this road." After testing it out for a while we make an educated guess and base the rest of our drive on that. For example, if we come to a curve in the road, our little nerd minds start running equations about the velocity at which we can handle the turn and adjust our speed appropriately. This is not just an experience we have during winter though. For a true physics nerd, it's everyday, rain or shine.... or even snow.

To learn more about friction and the coefficient of friction, here is a simple overview I found online: http://calcul.com/ian/thesis/node21.html#SECTION00621000000000000000.