This is the last week of the quarter, so finish strong!
This Week in AP Physics
On Monday homework 3 is due. We’ll spend the class period doing homework 3 and completing the Newton’s second law experiment. If we finish going over homework 3 on Monday we’ll take a quiz on Tuesday covering everything related to Newton’s second law and tension problems with friction. If we don’t finish going over homework 3 on Monday we’ll take the quiz on Wednesday. On Tuesday and possibly into Wednesday we’ll do our third and final experiment for this unit, Friction and Vector Analysis of Forces. By the end of the week we’ll finish our notes for the unit so that we can do homework 4 for Thursday or Friday. Expect the unit test on Friday or on Monday, October 27. Therefore the lab reports for both the second law lab and the friction lab will be due during the week of October 27. Finally, for those of you who wanted to experience the joy of our fabulously complex Newton’s second law/tension/friction/inclined plane problem (example 16), enjoy!
This Week in Physics
We will finish unit 2 on two-dimensional motion this week by completing the final assignments for the unit and by experimenting with our awesome projectile launcher thingy. No podcasts are due, but make sure you’ve taken notes on all of the ones for this unit. Expect the unit test by Friday.
This Week in Astronomy
On Monday we will explore the shape of Earth’s orbit around the sun and how it affects our revolutionary speed (thereby affecting climate.) There will be no quiz on Monday, but we WILL DEFINITELY test Unit 2 – The Ecliptic Motion of the Sun on Tuesday. Be sure to bring your star maps to the test AND do Unit 2 – Homework Questions for Tuesday as a way to review. (The homework will be due at the start of class on Tuesday.) Remember that everything from our lectures is available on the Unit 2 Podcast – The Ecliptic and its Implications. On Wednesday we will begin our moon unit by analyzing data we’ll collect regarding the appearance of the moon and the times during which we see each phase. Finally, it’s time again for another real-world application of your astronomy fabulousness as you do your second outdoor lab, the Unit 2 – Outdoor Lab. This lab requires you to take multiple observations at the same time of day for multiple days. Be sure to start it right away, since you’ll need to find five sunny days. Because this is Cleveland, we’ll need some time. This lab is therefore due on November 17.
Cool Science of the Week
Let’s talk about something POSITIVE! COFFEE…(I could probably stop here, but I’ll go on.) Scientists have identified genes that make some of us more likely to find coffee rewarding. Although it’s hard to imagine anyone not finding it rewarding, some apparently find it more rewarding than others. (If you want to make it even more rewarding, of course, you could add some pumpkin spice and a whole latte sugar.)
