Let’s look forward to a full week of school! (fingers crossed!)

This Week in AP Physics
We will finish our unit on thermal physics. Homework 4 will be due on Tuesday, we will do practice FRQs in class on Tuesday, and the test will be Thursday. Be sure to use the resources on the unit webpage to help you study. Your thermodynamics lab report is due on Friday and must be uploaded to TurnItIn.com by 3:00 on that day. By the end of the week we will turn our attention to electricity as we embark upon our electrostatics unit.

This Week in Physics
Do you like spinny rides at Cedar Point? How about roller coasters with loops? We will find out how these work as we we begin our exploration of circular motion this week. Be sure to have taken notes on the following podcasts by Monday: Podcast 1 – Introduction to Circular Motion, Podcast 2 – Circular Motion Formulas, Podcast 3 – Formulas, and Podcast 4 – Centripetal Force. We will spend Monday and Tuesday going over these podcasts and doing assignment 1, followed by a quiz, which will be announced. Third period: For Tuesday please finish Frequency & Period Practice Page. By the end of the week we will conduct an experiment on circular motion. The best news of all is that this experiment requires you to wear goggles for safety! Fantastic! (I have a class set, but if you prefer to use your own, please bring them.)

This Week in Astronomy
We will finish our first unit on the celestial sphere this week as we explore how the appearance of the night sky changes throughout the year. We will conduct a culminating project in class and will take the unit test by Friday. Be sure to use the podcasts on the unit web page to guide your studying. The unit homework will be due the day of the test and is a great way to test your skills. Big news! You’ve developed your skills in the planetarium. Now it’s time to put them to the test in the real world as you do your first outdoor lab. This lab will require you to make multiple observations outside on a clear night over a couple of consecutive hours, so plan ahead to ensure you don’t get stuck with a cloudy night right before it’s due, which will be on Tuesday, March 11.

Cool Science of the Week
I’ve shared this before, but with a new semester of astronomy underway, it’s a great time to remind you about some really fun, free software that turns your computer into a virtual planetarium. The software is called Stellarium. Check it out! It’s fun!