This week in physics: Greetings! 🙂 In class on Monday we will do assignment 4 over the kinematic equations (podcast 7 and podcast 8) followed by a quiz the next day. Then Podcast 9 – Introduction to Free Fall, Podcast 10 – Free Fall Sample Problems, and Podcast 11 – Terminal Velocity will be due, followed by our final unit assignment, assignment 5. Expect the unit one test at the end of the week. Your study guide is the Motion in One Dimension – Unit Overview. Other resources include the podcasts, the Moving Man Website, and The Physics Classroom Animations we used in class. Start studying early for best results! 🙂

This week in astronomy: Greetings! 🙂 On Monday and Tuesday we will finish the Celestial Travel Agency project to prepare for Wednesday’s test over Unit 1. Start reviewing early using the Astronomy Unit 1 – Unit Overview document as your study guide. Remember to watch the podcasts and then draw meridian diagrams for various latitudes to help you prepare. I also recommend downloading (free!) Stellarium and playing with it the way we did in class. On Thursday we will begin our second unit, The Ecliptic Motion of the Sun, by doing research on the sun’s positions at various times of the year. By analyzing the data from this research, we will establish our understanding of the sun’s varying path in the sky from month to month.

Cool Science of the Week: Scientists have found a creature, the Tardigrade, or “water bear”, that survives the harsh conditions of outer space. Noting also that its anatomy is very unlike the anatomy of any other animal, these results have prompted scientists to ask whether the creature actually is from outer space! Yikes! (Disclaimer: I am not a fan of sending critters into outer space to see if they survive. 🙁 )