This Week in AP Physics
On Monday we will complete our exploration of gravitational fields and forces as well as mass so that you can do the first homework from unit 3 for Tuesday. On Tuesday we will go over the homework and finish taking data from our projectile range lab. On the day after we finish going over the homework we will take a quiz and will begin our next experiment, Inertial Mass vs Gravitational Mass. We will finish the week by exploring Newton’s laws, which will take us through next week. Note: Unit 2 test corrections are due on Thursday, October 2 (unless you’ve been absent.) Either the short form or long form of the projectile range lab is due on Tuesday, October 7. (If you choose to do the short form of the projectile lab, you will have to do the long form for all three labs from unit 3. Otherwise you can choose to do a short form for one of the three unit 3 labs.)

This Week in Physics
On Monday we will finish assignment 5 from unit 1 so that we can take the unit 1 test on Tuesday. Remember that you can access the learning goals here and a review packet here. For Wednesday please take notes on the following podcasts: Podcast 1 – Vectors vs. Scalars, Podcast 2 – Vector Diagrams, Podcast 3 – Introduction to Vector Addition, Podcast 4 – Vector Addition Sample Problem. We will go over these together and will then do unit 2 assignment 1 together in class. It is possible we’ll be ready for a quiz by Friday, but no guarantees! 🙂

This Week in Astronomy
We will continue explore the daily and annual apparent motion of our brightest, most important star – the star we love to call our own – the sun! We will conduct many research-based activities throughout the week to form our understanding of these motions, all covered in unit 2 and the unit 2 podcast. Please also remember that you have one more week to complete your unit 1 outdoor lab, which is due at the start of class on Friday, October 3rd.

Interesting but Sad yet also Hopeful Science of the Week
With Thursday’s news that 1,000,000 Ebola cases are expected by January, I thought it might interest you to find out about epidemics and how the Centers for Disease Control approaches them. First, you can find out what epidemics are happening at any time worldwide by checking out the CDC’s page on recent outbreaks. Second, a great way to help deal with epidemics is to become what the CDC calls an Epidemic Detective and work for the Epidemic Intelligence Service. These scientists give hope when situations seem hopeless. That’s pretty cool.

New week! Let’s go!

This Week in AP Physics
On Monday unit 2 homework 2 is due as is your unit 1 lab report. Be sure to hand in one hard copy of your lab report at the start of class on Monday and upload one digital copy to TurnItIn.com by 3:00. We will spend Monday and Tuesday going over the homework and finishing data collection on our projectile lab. Our unit 2 test will be Wednesday. We’ll spend the rest of the week beginning unit 3, which covers mass, force, and Newton’s Laws.

This Week in Physics
We will continue to work with the “four little monsters” known as the kinematic equations as we practice together and then work on assignment 4 in class. Be ready for a quiz as announced. Also please take notes on Podcast 9 – Introduction to Free Fall, Podcast 10 – Free Fall Sample Problems, and Podcast 11 – Terminal Velocity when announced. By the end of the week we will work on assignment 5 to get ready for a test early next week.

This Week in Astronomy
This week we will complete unit 1 on the celestial sphere as we explore annual changes in the night sky due to the variation between the sidereal and solar days. Podcast 4 – Seasonal Constellations and Star Magnitude covers these topics and can lend you support. We will take a test over this unit most likely on Wednesday. Then we’ll turn our attention to our daytime star, the sun! (Also remember to check last week’s blog about the unit 1 outdoor lab.)

Cool Science of the Week
Marine biology is cool. Check out this rare and very funky siphonophore captured by a deep sea camera crew.

I saw my first fall leaves of the year this week…a sign that we are really rolling into the school year now!

This Week in AP Physics
On Monday we will complete our inquiry activity into the kinematics of projectile motion and will then formalize our understanding with some fantastic notes and practice problems/questions. We’ll be doing homework 2 either for Tuesday or Wednesday. (This is a big assignment but is our only homework this week. Plan ahead.) Expect the unit 2 test by Friday. In addition, your Lab 2 – Acceleration due to Gravity is due on Friday with a hard copy ready to hand in at the start of class and your digital copy uploaded to TurnItIn.com by Friday at 3:00.

This Week in Physics
On Monday we will quiz over accelerated motion. Podcast 5 – Introduction to Acceleration will help you study. On Monday we will also do assignment 3 together in class. A quiz will follow on the day after we complete assignment 3. For Tuesday please take notes on Podcast 7 – Introduction to Kinematic Equations and Podcast 8 – Kinematic Equations Sample Problem. We will discuss those topics and then do assignment 4 together in class followed by a quiz the next day. Finally, please take notes on Podcast 9 – Introduction to Free Fall, Podcast 10 – Free Fall Sample Problems, and Podcast 11 – Terminal Velocity when announced. Expect the Unit 1 test in the early part of next week.

This Week in Astronomy
We will complete our survey of the diurnal motions of the night sky by examining the motions of the northern sky. Podcast 3 – Circumpolar Stars will support your learning. When we’ve completed our focus on the northern sky, we will take a quiz and will then turn our attention to annual changes in the stars we see. Podcast 4 – Seasonal Constellations and Star Magnitude will support your efforts. Most likely we will take our Unit 1 test by Friday. However, it may be pushed to Monday. Unit 1 – Homework Questions are due at the start of class on the day of the test. (You can do these on notebook paper and do not have to print them.) In addition, by the end of this week you should be able to begin your first lab, the Unit 1 Outdoor Lab. This will be due on Friday, October 3rd. (You do need to print this one and do the work on the lab document, but please print in black and white to save your ink.)

Hot Science of the Week
Two big solar storms (i.e., lots of solar flares on the surface of the sun) happened this past week, and their effects will reach us this weekend. On the plus side, this is your chance possibly to see the aurora borealis (also called the Northern lights) here in Cleveland if our skies are clear and conditions work in our favor. On the down side, there’s a reasonable chance that the electromagnetic energy from these storms may disrupt satellite communication and even our electrical grid systems. Brace yourselves for a possible analog weekend!

Here comes another great week!

This Week in AP Physics
We will finish our Acceleration due to Gravity experiment and go over how to create and submit lab reports. We will also begin Unit 2 on two-dimensional motion. This will include vector operations, and we will use projectile motion as our example. Please be sure to use the resources on the Unit 2 page as we move through the material. Please also remember to check out the AP Physics Question of the Day, which is a nice way to practice.

This Week in Physics
On Monday we will complete our first big assignment together in class as we do assignment 1 followed by a quiz on the day after we complete the assignment. We will then continue to explore accelerated motion as covered in podcasts 5 & 6 on our Unit 1 webpage and will complete assignment 2 together in class. A quiz will follow as announced. It is possible that by the end of the week you will be asked to take notes on Podcast 7 – Introduction to Kinematic Equations and Motion in One Dimension Podcast 8 – Kinematic Equations Sample Problem, so please do so if announced. LAB: Your Analysis of Uniform Motion Lab is due at the start of your class period on Friday. It also needs to be uploaded to TurnItIn.com by Friday at 3:00. Additional note: If you have not already done so, please download the  Physics Course Policies and Procedures document, go over it with your parent(s) or guardian(s), print the last page, sign it, and turn it in. This was due on August 29. At this point, the possibility exists of delays in grade submission and class participation, so please turn the page in promptly if you have not already done so.

This Week in Astronomy
On Monday we will take a quiz over star mapping. Podcast 1 – Star Mapping will help you study. Next we will continue to move through our unit on star maps by exploring the key mapping features of the celestial equator and the celestial north pole in more detail. We will also take a look at how the positions of the stars change as we travel north-south from one latitude to another, and we will also learn to spot changes in the sky as the time of year changes. The following podcasts will support your learning: Celestial Equator and Celestial North Pole, Circumpolar Stars, and Seasonal Constellations and Star Magnitude. We will also spend some time this week exploring the sky in a virtual manner using some fantastic free software called Stellarium. We will take a test on this unit sometime next week. Please note: If you have not already done so, please download the Astronomy Course Policies and Procedures document, go over it with your parent(s) or guardian(s), print the last page, sign it, and turn it in. This was due on August 29. At this point, the possibility exists of delays in grade submission and class participation, so please turn the page in promptly if you have not already done so.

Cool Science of the Week
Since the astronomy class will be using this software, it is timely for me to tell you about some free software that lets you create a virtual planetarium on your screen. It’s called Stellarium, and it’s very cool and very fun. Try it out! 🙂
(Here’s a glimpse of the night sky at 10:00 on Friday, September 5. Go outside to see if you can find these stars and planets! Another fun thing to do is to program Stellarium for the time and place that a major event, such as an eclipse, will occur.)