By Stephen Pegler on Monday, October 29, 2007

Today we will finish gathering data with the trebuchets.  We will then use the data to analyze for potential energy, kinetic energy, velocity and acceleration.  Homework packets are due on Thursday.  A new packet will be handed out soon.  Our next study unit will be potential and kinetic energy and Newton's Laws (which we've already started).

Immediately after the Thanksgiving holiday, we will be doing a unit on alternative energy.  The unit we will be using was developed by the University of Colorado Denver School of Education and the Colorado School of Mines.  The unit is part of an ongoing research project into how well this type of hands on units help students to learn.  (I've used similar units the last two years.) The schools are also interested in how using these units in the classroom changes student attitudes toward science, math, and engineering as careers.  Before Thanksgiving, there will be pretest ... Read More »

By Stephen Pegler on Monday, October 22, 2007

1.  What is a force?

2.  What causes things to move?

3.  If something moves 50 m in 5 s, what is its average velocity?

4.  If that item was going 10 m/s before, what is its average acceleration?

5.  What is kinetic energy?

By Stephen Pegler on Monday, October 22, 2007

1.  What is inertia?

2.  What is the formula for velocity?

3.  Find the average velocity if the distance traveled is 100 m in 50 s.

4.  Find the average acceleration from #3 if the initial velocity is 0 m/s.

5. What is potential energy?

By Stephen Pegler on Monday, October 22, 2007

This week we will be conducting trebuchet experiments, weather permitting.  The students will be designing an experiment to throw a projectile the farthest possible in ten throws, changing one variable at a time.  They will spend some time finishing building the machines and then firing them to get the feel of it, and then they will do the actual labs.  I plan to be gone on Thursday.  The lab will be done in class, and the discussion that goes with it.  There will, however, be some out of class work that may need to be done.

Don't forget that homework packets are due on November 1.

By Stephen Pegler on Monday, October 08, 2007

We have a short week this week.  Today we will finish up Friday's lab and discuss it.  Then we will spend some time playing with a physics simulation on line.  (The students can access it from my links area on the lower right of my page.)  Depending on how well that goes we will either do some more with the simulations or begin to develop the trebuchet lab.

Homework is due on November 1.  Extra credit description is on line.  Both are under the homework tab.  There will be some more later on as well.

By Stephen Pegler on Monday, October 08, 2007

1.  When creating a graph, how many titles/labels must you have?

2.  What was the force that caused the balls/cars to move in the lab that we did on Friday?

3.  What happened to the velocity of the balls as the table was raised more?

4.  What is inertia?

By Stephen Pegler on Thursday, October 04, 2007

1.  How are larger chemical spills to be cleaned up?

2.  Where should broken glass be placed?

3.  What is the formula for speed?

4.  How are speed and velocity different?

5.  What are the units for velocity?

By Stephen Pegler on Monday, October 01, 2007

1.  Which has more inertia, a mole or an elephant?  Why?

2.  Define "force."

3.  What is perhaps the second most common force in the world?  (Hint: It slows things down.)

4.  What would be the most common force in the world?

5.  Find the density of an object that is 200 g and is regularly shaped: 10 cm x 5 cm x 1 cm.

By Stephen Pegler on Sunday, September 30, 2007

1.  Absolute zero is _________ ⁰C

2.  Which is larger, km or m?

3.  When entering answers on a scan sheet, where do answers a-e go?

4.  What units is speed in?

5.  How many sig figs in 5.2007 x 3.218 x 1.112509 / 85.695?

By Stephen Pegler on Friday, September 28, 2007

This week we will begin our study of motion,  including velocity and acceleration.  This will lead to the study of forces and potential and kinetic energy in a few weeks.  This week I have planned a review of last week's test, a lecture or two, a video and a lab.  Please check out the links that are on the bottom right of my blog page.  Links to the homework given out this week will be under the documents: homework tabs.  The due date for it is Thursday, November 1.  There will be more added to this assignment along the way, however.  There should be enough books to check out beginning tomorrow.

This week I also hope that we can sort out missing IN CLASS work.  Since students haven't had a chance to be notified which assignments are missing, I won't penalize them until after this week for IN CLASS WORK ONLY.

Please fill out your conference re ... Read More »