 By Ishaan Bhattacharya
Welcome back to the Giannini Politics Update. Today’s topic of discussion is the recent seizure of the Deep Dot Web by the Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI). The FBI detained several individuals suspected of involvement in the facilitation of the Deep Dot Web, a website capable of expediting access to dark web sites and marketplaces. That report stated that the website “facilitated the purchase of weapons, drugs and other contraband” including stolen credit card information. The website’s seizure was the fifth major darknet bust in six weeks, and was perhaps the preeminent bust of them all. The Deep Dot Web was believed to have made over 8,000 Bitcoin (equivalent to $63,947,120). “This site has been seized,” reads a notice on the site’s homepage at press time. The site is inaccessible beyond this notice, due to the FBI’s bust. By: Aiden Shiu In physics, potential energy is stored energy of position. In other words, it is the energy held by an object because of its position relative to other objects. For example, imagine a bow. When the bow is drawn, it can store energy based on position (potential energy). When it isn’t drawn, there is no stored energy in the bow. This stored energy of position (from drawn to not drawn) is what we refer to as “potential energy.” Another example of potential energy would be a coiled spring. When the spring is pressed down, it has stored energy and therefore potential energy. When it is in its usual position, it has no stored energy and therefore no potential energy.  There are many different types of potential energy. Among the most common, there is gravitational potential energy. This type of potential energy takes the same concept of potential energy but incorporates the force of gravity (usually attraction of the Earth). Gravitational potential energy is stored energy of an object based on its vertical position (height). In other words, it is the potential energy of an object based on mass in relation to another massive body (usually a planet) due to gravitational force. When gravity pulls the object downwards, it creates stored energy in the object which we can call potential energy. The amount of gravitational potential energy depends on two factors, the height in which the object is raised and the mass of the object. The greater the object is raised, or the greater the mass of the object, the greater the gravitational potential energy will be.  Another common type of potential energy is elastic potential energy. Elastic potential energy refers to the stored energy held inside elastic materials resulted by their stretching and compressing. Examples would include trampolines, rubber bands, etc. All these have elastic potential energy because of their stretching and compressing. Even the examples in the beginning paragraph (the bow and the coiled spring) count as forms of elastic potential energy. Both can stretch and compress. An object possesses elastic potential energy if it is an elastic material at a position other than the equilibrium position (meaning either it’s stretched or compressed).  The last type of potential energy I will be discussing is electric potential energy. Electric potential energy is the configuration of a certain set of charges within a defined physical system. In other words, a charge exerts a force on any other charge allowing the rise of potential energy. This stored energy is dependant on two key factors, the charge of the object and its relative position to other charged objects (along with those object’s charges). For example, imagine a positive charge fixed to a point in space, and another positive charge was brought close to it. Their positions have a repulsive effect and therefore potential energy. Note: There are equations you can use to find the potential energies of objects. Sources:
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/elepe.html https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/energy/Lesson-1/Potential-Energy http://230nsc1.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/gpot.html https://www.britannica.com/science/potential-energy https://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics/work-and-energy/work-and-energy-tutorial/a/what-is-gravitational-potential-energy https://www.khanacademy.org/science/ap-physics-1/ap-work-and-energy/spring-potential-energy-and-hookes-law-ap/v/potential-energy-stored-in-a-spring https://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics/electric-charge-electric-force-and-voltage/electric-potential-voltage/v/electric-potential-energy-of-charges  By Eva Ciobanu
The end of the school year is a time all students, teachers, and school staff members, enjoy. However, people working other jobs, such as our parents, don’t get the pleasure of eleven weeks off; they likely don’t enjoy having to worry about what their kid will do all day while they’re at work. Now, when I first came to APG, I expected summer break to start with a scene straight out of High School Musical; the classic dance with every student meticulously in unison. If this is what you think is going to happen, you might want to lower your expectations, just a bit. Not only are the actual last days of school boring, but from April 15 to May 17, students from each grade are taking the SBAC; aka the end of the year assessments that everyone grades 3-8 goes through. These tests are especially important for seventh graders wanting to attend Lowell High School after eighth grade. Luckily, after finishing the SBAC, students are able to take it easy, and enjoy the summer awaiting. Of course, teachers won’t just completely give up, there still will be tests and homework; but for some classes, teachers may play movies, have parties to celebrate, or go on field trips. As the days tick down, everyone is making sure they enjoy these last few days. If you’re an eighth grader, you will have the delight of not only graduating, but going to Great America. But, no need to get jealous, if you’re not in eighth grade yet, you’ll get your turn, every year the trip for the graduates alternates between Six Flags and Great America. One thing is for sure, everyone enjoys the long days of summer, whether they’re spent in Hawaii, or in the comforts of your home; this break off of school brings everyone joy. |