Hello, Most Excellent Students!

This week in physics: We will practice analyzing graphs of motion using a sweet online app, and then we’ll work our way through assignment one (Motion in One Dimension – Assignments) in class. Via the flipped classroom method, you won’t be doing this on your own at home unless you don’t finish during our class time. We’ll collaborate, and I’ll be around to help you, so we’ll be just fine! As soon as we finish, the very next day you’ll have your first physics quiz, which will cover all aspects of velocity that we’ve explored. Remember that your average test/quiz score counts as 50% of your quarter grade, so please give emphasis to studying for this quiz. Following that you should watch and take notes on Motion in One Dimension Podcast 5 – Introduction to Acceleration and Motion in One Dimension Podcast 6 – Acceleration Signs vs. Velocity Signs as homework. We’ll answer questions you have about those podcasts and then dive straight into assignments two and three, followed again by a quiz perhaps late this week or early next. We’ll also run a quick lab (no lab report) in class. IMPORTANT: Your “Speedster” lab reports are due on Wednesday and must be uploaded to www.TurnItIn.com by Friday at 3:00. When adding this class to your TurnItIn account you’ll need to use the class ID, which is 5463766, and the password, which is physicsrules. Finally, we’re really about to step up the math significantly next week. If you haven’t done your assignment (if any) on the Extra Math Help Information and Practice Page, you should do it. It’s important that you’re ready! 🙂 (PARENTS and GUARDIANS, PLEASE NOTE: If you see anything other than an “excused” or a 10/10 on this assignment in GBW, your student has not fully completed the assignment.)

This week in astronomy: We’ll start drawing a lot of meridian diagrams for a wide variety of terrestrial latitudes and explore the diurnal (daily) motion of the Earth and how it affects our experience of the sky. We’ll follow that with a mighty quiz. Next we’ll explore the annual motion of the Earth and how it affects our experience of the sky. You should begin the Astronomy Unit 1 – Outdoor Lab as early as possible this week after we’ve gone over the circumpolar stars (Monday.) It requires you to go outside over a period of three hours on a clear night. It will be due next Monday, September 17. If you wait too long, you might not find a good night to do it, so on the first clear night you’re free, please get started. 🙂

Cool science of the week: Again, there is too much from which to choose! I can’t pick just one, so here are three:

• ASTEROID NAMING CONTEST!!! NASA is about to send a probe to an asteroid that’s currently called (101955) 1999 RQ36. This asteroid is ashamed of its name, feeling that it’s overly-technical and doesn’t reflect its solid personality. Therefore it has requested a new “Rock Star Name”. If you think of the best name, you’ll be a part of NASA history. That would rock.

• NASA’s Kepler mission uses a high powered telescope to seek out potentially habitable planets beyond our solar system, and it’s just found multiple planets that orbit a binary star system, which means that these planets orbit TWO SUNS! Brilliant!

•  Finally, this Venezuelan Poodle Moth is adorable. I’d adopt one if I could and hold a naming contest.

Have a great week! 🙂