Welcome to the last week of the first quarter! (Seniors, can you believe it?) Ready for it or not, be sure to check PowerSchool to make sure all of your assignments are turned in.

This Week in AP Physics
With an incredible array of basic tools in our toolbox, we can now explore specific types of motion. Our first specific applications will be circular and rotational motion. This will be a fast-paced week, as we’ll complete most of the work for this unit this week. Guided reading #1 will be due on Tuesday, and #2 will be due by the end of the week, as announced. Remember that your lab report for last unit’s Newton’s Second Law lab is also due on Tuesday.

This Week in Physics
We will finish all assignments for unit 2 in class on Monday and Tuesday and prepare for the test, which will be on Wednesday. Following the test we’ll do one of my favorite labs of the year, the Human Cannonball Projectiles Lab! Following the lab we’ll start a terrific unit on Newton’s laws. When announced the following podcasts will be due, either by the end of the week or the beginning of next week: Podcast 1 – Net External Force, Podcast 2 – Weight, and Podcast 3 – Normal Force.

This Week in Astronomy
Just in time for Halloween we look to that mysterious orb in the sky, the moon! We will start by analyzing data about the position and appearance of the moon from day-to-day to put together a deep understanding of why the moon appears as it does during different times of the evening, night, and morning. Three podcasts will support your learning through this unit: Podcast 1 – Introduction and Orbit, Podcast 2 – Lunar Phases and their Appearances, Podcast 3 – The Phases and their Timings.

Cool Science of the Week
We’ve been hearing about 3-D printing for some time now. The Science Museum in London recently opened an exhibit highlighting applications of this technology, including making prosthetic body parts! …and toys!!! 🙂
Check it out!