This Week in AP Physics
We will spend Monday and Tuesday completing three experiments from our momentum unit. You will write a formal lab report on the impulse-momentum theorem experiment. This lab report will be due on Tuesday, December 9 as a hard copy at the start of class and as an upload to TurnItIn.com by 3:00 of that day. You’ll turn in short-form lab reports on the other two experiments. On Tuesday we will begin exploring circular and rotational motion with notes and assignments, as announced. Our main emphasis will be on rotation, and we may begin our rotational equilibrium experiment by Friday.

This Week in Physics
We’re starting our unit on energy! Since there is never any homework over a vacation, notes from the following podcasts are due on Tuesday: Podcast 1 – Gravitational Potential Energy, Podcast 2 – Positive & Negative Potential Energy, Podcast 3 – Elastic Potential Energy, Podcast 4 – Kinetic Energy. We will go over these on Monday and Tuesday and then begin assignment 1 followed by a quiz when announced. Our next topic will be work and the work-energy theorem, so please take notes on the following podcasts when assigned: Podcast 5 – Work, Podcast 6 – Positive & Negative Work, Podcast 7 – Work-Energy Theorem, Podcast 8 – Work-Energy Theorem Sample Problem 1, Podcast 9 – Work-Energy Theorem Sample Problem 2, Podcast 10 – Work-Energy Theorem Sample Problem 3, Podcast 11 – Work-Energy Theorem Sample Problem 4. This will take us through the rest of the week. 🙂

This Week in Astronomy
We’ll continue to explore the solar system by analyzing the motion of the inferior planets and the superior planets. We’ll take a quiz over these motions when announced. The following podcasts will support your studies: Podcast 1 – The Motion of the Inferior Planets and Podcast 2 – The Motion of the Superior Planets. By the end of the week we’ll begin our planet research projects, which are fun. 🙂 Finally, remember to work on your final outdoor lab, the Unit 3 – Outdoor Lab, which requires you to observe the moon. This lab is a long-term project, assigned on November 14, that requires multiple observations spaced days apart. It is due on the day before winter break, December 19. (Believe it or not, that is not very far off anymore!)

Cool Science of the Week
I don’t know about you, but I LOVE to make homemade cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving. Did you know that cranberries are grown in BOGS? They’re grown on vines like strawberries, but they thrive if those vines are planted in wetlands. That’s cool. Also, 60% of our cranberries come from Wisconsin, while 25% come from Massachusetts, and if you have the chance to head out to those states, you can go to a cranberry farm (like we go to blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry farms here.) Here’s a little more information and an awesome picture.

Happy Thanksgiving! Just in case you need reminding, there is no school this week on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. Classes resume on Monday, December 1.

This Week in AP Physics
On Monday homework 3 (plus the homework riddle on the back page of your notes) is due. On Tuesday we will take our momentum unit test. Next up: Circular and rotational motion! (As requested in class, here is the collisions graphic organizer we did, and here is the solution to one of our two-dimensional collision problems.)

This Week in Physics
6th period: On Monday your friction lab report is due. Be sure to upload it to TurnItIn.com by the date and time listed for 10th period. Also be sure that you share your Google Drive document with me at [email protected]. (Note this address is not used for email.) On Tuesday we will take our force unit test. Next up: Energy!
10th period: On Monday assignment 2 from our force unit is due. On Tuesday we will take our force unit test. On Tuesday, December 2 your friction lab report is due. Be sure to hand in a hard copy at the start of class and upload it to TurnItIn.com by 3:00 on that date. Also be sure that you share your Google Drive document with me at [email protected]. (Note this address is not used for email.) Next up: Energy!

This Week in Astronomy
IF YOU WERE AT THE SENIOR PROJECT MEETING ON FRIDAY…you need to catch up by taking all of the notes from Podcast 3 – Lunar Eclipses. We won’t be going over that material again in class, but the podcast covers everything. On Monday we will finish our eclipse unit so that we can take the unit test on Tuesday. Next up: Solar system! Finally, remember to work on your final outdoor lab, the Unit 3 – Outdoor Lab, which requires you to observe the moon. This lab is a long-term project, assigned on November 14, that requires multiple observations spaced days apart. It is due on the day before winter break, December 19.

Cool Science of the Week
Yep, there are more planets in our solar system! Granted, these planets, like Pluto, are dwarf planets, but we are discovering more and more of them. What’s perhaps more interesting is that their orbital behavior suggests that there is also a larger body out there whose size would classify it as an actual planet. Discovering planets is cool.

This is an artist’s representation of what the planet responsible for the orbital behavior of the dwarf planets might look like. The rocky band you see around the sun is an asteroid belt called the Kuiper belt, which exists beyond Neptune’s orbit. The sun, Earth, and all of the planets we know reside within the Kuiper belt. (Many of our comets come from the Kuiper belt, BTW.) This image gives you some idea of how far away our suspected ninth planet is.

This is a POWER WEEK!

This Week in AP Physics
We will finish the impulse-momentum theorem on Monday so that you can do assignment 1 for Tuesday. On Monday and Tuesday we will cover the law of conservation of momentum so that you can do assignment 2 for Wednesday (unless otherwise stated in class.) On Wednesday and Thursday we will cover energy interactions in collisions so that you can do assignment 3 for Friday. This allows us to test our momentum unit on Monday, November 24 so that you don’t have to worry about the test during Thanksgiving break. We do have three lab activities that go with this unit, but we will weave them around the homework/test schedule.

This Week in Physics
Expect the unit test on the Monday or Tuesday before Thanksgiving break.
6th period: You have no podcasts due this week unless otherwise stated in class. I will give all assignments verbally in class. Also, please do not work on your lab reports at home.
10th period: On Monday we will quiz over inertia and static equilibrium. Also for Monday please take notes on Podcast 11 – Newton’s Second Law, Podcast 12 – Elevator Problem part 1, and Podcast 13 – Elevator Problem part 2. For Tuesday please take notes on Podcast 14 – Terminal Velocity, Podcast 15 – Kinematics Problem with Newton’s Second Law part 1, Podcast 16 – Kinematics Problem with Newton’s Second Law part 2, Podcast 17 – Complex Problem, and Podcast 18 – Tying Concepts Together. On Tuesday we will do assignment 5 together in class followed by a quiz on Wednesday or Thursday. On Thursday we will cover Newton’s third law and do assignment 6. Finally, your friction lab report will be due on Tuesday, November 18 with an upload to TurnItIn.com by 3:00 of that day. Remember to follow the Lab Report Writing Guide and use the Lab Report Rubric to guide your writing, and use Google Drive (shared with me at [email protected]) for all of your work.

This Week in Astronomy
On Monday at the start of class your Unit 2 – Outdoor Lab is due. This is a long-term project that was assigned on October 16, and I’ve reminded you about it weekly. If you haven’t started it yet, you will not be able to finish it by Monday, as it requires you to make observations at the same time of day on at least five sunny days spaced at least two days apart. If you are not on a timeline to finish it for Monday, you can still do it for partial credit by completing it correctly and turning it in late.
On Monday we will start with a quiz over eclipse basics, such as umbras/penumbras, basic Earth-sun-moon alignment, eclipse seasons, and maximum/minimum number of eclipses per year. Then we will continue our eclipse jigsaw on Monday into Tuesday. We will spend the rest of the week learning about and doing activities related to solar and lunar eclipses. The following podcasts will support your studies: Podcast 1 – Introduction to Eclipses (quiz 1,) Podcast 2 – Solar Eclipses, and Podcast 3 – Lunar Eclipses. Ideally we can take the unit test before Thanksgiving break, but I make you no promises. 🙂 Finally, you are now ready for your final outdoor lab, the Unit 3 – Outdoor Lab, which requires you to observe the moon. This lab also is a long-term project that requires multiple observations spaced days apart. It is due on the day before winter break.

Cool Science of the Week
We have landed a robot on a comet! You may have seen the news this week about how the European Space Agency (Yes, there is one…just like NASA!) has landed a robot on a passing comet in order to study the properties of the comet. We couldn’t see the landscape of the comet prior to dropping the lander, and it turns out that the mountain-sized comet is full of crags, ledges, pits, and the like. The lander bounced off of one of these but managed to land again. First problem solved! It’s been taking great pictures and analyzing rock and water samples. Second problem: It’s not where we meant for it to be, so its solar panels aren’t getting optimal sunlight. Its batteries may die before the robot can send information from its rock and ice analyses back to Earth. Keep your fingers crossed! This is all happening RIGHT NOW! 🙂

The robotic probe, named Philae, as photographed by the orbiting rocket that carried Philae to the comet

Two-and-a-half weeks until Thanksgiving break…Let’s work hard to get a lot done! 🙂

This Week in AP Physics
For Monday please run through examples 8-13 from your guided notes. (For 13, assume the track has flattened out.) These are due at the start of class and will be checked, so be sure to give them your very best effort. Also over the weekend please play around with the first two websites linked from our energy unit webpage. They will hep you a lot, and they’re actually fun, and for once I’m not lying. On Monday we will run through conservation of energy and power so that you can do homework 2 for Tuesday. We’ll spend Tuesday and possibly Wednesday going over homework 2. The unit test will be Wednesday or Thursday. Your work-energy theorem lab report will be due one day after the test and should be uploaded to TurnItIn.com by 3:00 of that day. Finally, it’s always a good idea to refresh yourself with the guidelines for writing our lab reports so that you are true to the spirit of what’s expected.

This Week in Physics
Due to missing school on Tuesday when 10th period had lab, the assignments are different for each class section. Be sure to read your class section…
6th/7th: On Monday we will finish going over the friction lab and then will cover elastic force. Please take notes on Podcast 7 – Elastic Force and Podcast 8 – Elastic Force Sample Problems for Monday, when we will do assignment 3 followed by a quiz on Tuesday. Also for Tuesday please take notes on Podcast 9 – Inertia and Force Podcast 10 – Static Equilibrium. We will go over these on Tuesday and do assignment 4 on Tuesday into Wednesday followed by a quiz as announced. It is possible we may assign Podcast 11 – Newton’s Second Law, Podcast 12 – Elevator Problem part 1, and Podcast 13 – Elevator Problem part 2 by the end of the week, but I make no promises, so don’t get too excited. 🙂 Finally, your friction lab report will be due on Tuesday, November 18 with an upload to TurnItIn.com by 3:00 of that day. Remember to follow the Lab Report Writing Guide and use the Lab Report Rubric to guide your writing, and use Google Drive (shared with me at [email protected]) for all of your work.
10th: On Monday and Tuesday we will finish the friction lab and will do assignment 2 followed by a quiz as announced. For Wednesday please take notes on Podcast 7 – Elastic Force and Podcast 8 – Elastic Force Sample Problems. We’ll go over these and then do assignment 3 on Wednesday into Thursday followed by a quiz, as announced. When announced please take notes on Podcast 9 – Inertia and Force Podcast 10 – Static Equilibrium. We will go over these and do assignment 4 followed by a quiz as announced. Finally, your friction lab report will be due on Tuesday, November 18 with an upload to TurnItIn.com by 3:00 of that day. Remember to follow the Lab Report Writing Guide and use the Lab Report Rubric to guide your writing, and use Google Drive (shared with me at [email protected]) for all of your work.

This Week in Astronomy
For Monday please do the Astronomy Unit 3 – Homework, which is due at the start of class. On Monday we will tie up loose ends with our moon unit and will take the moon test on TUESDAY. Remember that there are three podcasts on our unit web page. These cover everything except lunar geology and are an important study tool. On Wednesday we will begin our unit on eclipses with some notes and multiple analytical activities. Finally, please remember to work on your 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. This lab was announced on October 16 and is due on November 17.

Cool Science of the Week
YES! Today a movie of physicist Stephen Hawking’s life hits theaters in limited release. Starring Eddie Redmayne (Marius from Les Miserables) and Felicity Jones, the film is already generating lots of Oscar buzz following a great reception at the Toronto Film Festival, so keep your eye out for it to hit theaters in Cleveland sometime soon.