SPM Physics-AHA! Physics Meets Engineering in Go-Karts

 

At Mid Valley’s underground go-kart track, students learn how physics upgrades make racing safer and more fun. But where did go-karts come from? This comic connects physics with history: Art Ingels invented the first go-kart in 1956, welding a steel chassis and fitting a lawnmower engine. His garage experiment became a global sport, training future Formula 1 champions. Join the AHA moment where engineering, physics, and history collide — from friction and impulse to the invention that revolutionized motorsport.

#AHAPhysicsMoments #CikguLimCY #PhysicsInEverydayLife #100DaysOfPhysics #SeeWithPhysicsEyes #PhysicsWithInsight

SPM Physics-AHA! Nature’s Physicists — Crabs in Action

 

At the school field, students panic when crabs invade during the full moon. But this comic reveals the physics truth: The Moon’s gravity creates spring tides, giving crabs a shorter, safer journey to release their eggs at sea. Formula reminder: 

$F=G\frac{m_1{m}_2}{r^2}$.

Nature doesn’t study physics — it lives it. Crabs time their migration with celestial mechanics, showing how biology and physics are deeply connected. Quick Fact: Mary Rathbun (1860–1943), one of history’s most famous crab experts, described over 1,000 new species of crabs and became a pioneer in marine zoology. Her work laid the foundation for understanding crustacean diversity worldwide.

#AHAPhysicsMoments #CikguLimCY #PhysicsInEverydayLife #100DaysOfPhysics #SeeWithPhysicsEyes #PhysicsWithInsight

SPM Physics-AHA! Rubber Tires Save Ships with Physics

 

At the docks in Miri, students wonder why massive steel ships float while tiny iron nails sink. Isn’t that a contradiction? This comic reveals the physics truth: Buoyancy (FB = ρVg). A ship’s wide hull displaces a huge volume of water, and the water pushes back with equal force, keeping it afloat. And those “ugly tires”? They’re not decorations — they extend collision time, reducing force by impulse 

$F=\frac{m(v\text{–}u)}{t}$

Join the AHA moment where physics explains both floating giants and the humble tire fenders that protect them.

#AHAPhysicsMoments #CikguLimCY #PhysicsInEverydayLife #100DaysOfPhysics #SeeWithPhysicsEyes #PhysicsWithInsight

SPM Physics-AHA! Why the Moon Blocks Our School Toilets

 

At SMK Lutong, a school in Miri’s historic oil town by the South China Sea, students notice seawater flooding drains and toilets during high tide. This comic reveals the physics truth: The Moon’s gravitational pull creates tidal bulges. As Earth rotates, sea levels rise when the school aligns with the bulge, causing water to backflow into drains. Formula reminder: 

$F=G\frac{m_1{m}_2}{r^2}$

Join the AHA moment where celestial mechanics explain everyday plumbing problems — tides are not just at the beach, they affect schools too!

📌 Cultural Insight — SMK Lutong & Miri, Sarawak

• UNESCO ASPnet School: SMK Lutong is proudly part of the UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network (ASPnet) in Sarawak. This connects the school to a global network of institutions promoting peace, intercultural learning, and sustainable development.

• Lutong’s Identity: Historically known as an oil town, Lutong was once the operational hub for Shell’s petroleum industry in Sarawak. This heritage shaped the community and gave Miri its nickname, “Oil Town.”

🔋 Battery Holder

 

Pemegang bateri digunakan untuk memegang bateri dengan kemas serta menyediakan sambungan elektrik kepada litar. Ia membolehkan satu atau lebih sel disambungkan dengan selamat dan mudah.

A battery holder is used to secure batteries and provide electrical connections to a circuit. It allows one or more cells to be connected safely and conveniently.

👀 Cara Membaca | Reading Technique

✅ Kenal pasti terminal positif (+) dan negatif (−) pada pemegang bateri.

✅ Identify the positive (+) and negative (−) terminals on the battery holder.

✅ Pastikan bateri dipasang mengikut polariti yang betul.

✅ Ensure the batteries are inserted with the correct polarity.

✅ Perhatikan bilangan sel yang digunakan kerana ia menentukan jumlah voltan bekalan.

✅ Observe the number of cells used as it determines the total supply voltage.

---

❌ Common Mistakes

❌ Memasang bateri secara terbalik.

❌ Inserting batteries in the wrong direction.

❌ Menganggap lebih banyak bateri sentiasa menghasilkan arus yang lebih besar.

❌ Assuming that adding more batteries always produces a larger current.

❌ Tidak memeriksa sambungan wayar pada terminal output.

❌ Failing to check wire connections at the output terminals.

❌ Mengelirukan sambungan siri dengan sambungan selari pada pemegang bateri.

❌ Confusing series and parallel battery connections.

---

⚠️ Safety / Handling

⚠️ Gunakan bateri yang mempunyai saiz dan jenis yang sama.

⚠️ Use batteries of the same size and type.

⚠️ Jangan campurkan bateri lama dan bateri baharu.

⚠️ Do not mix old and new batteries.

⚠️ Tanggalkan bateri selepas eksperimen jika tidak digunakan untuk tempoh yang lama.

⚠️ Remove the batteries after the experiment if not used for a long period.

⚠️ Elakkan litar pintas pada terminal bateri.

⚠️ Avoid short-circuiting the battery terminals.

---

🎯 SPM Exam Tip

📌 Dalam kebanyakan pemegang bateri makmal, sel disambungkan secara siri.

📌 In most laboratory battery holders, the cells are connected in series.

📌 Voltan keseluruhan ialah jumlah voltan setiap sel.

📌 The total voltage is the sum of the voltages of individual cells.

Example | Contoh

🔋 1 cell = 1.5 V

🔋 2 cells = 3.0 V

🔋 4 cells = 6.0 V

📌 Semakin banyak sel disambungkan secara siri, semakin tinggi voltan bekalan.

📌 The more cells connected in series, the higher the supply voltage.