Week of December 1, 2014

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 EnergyPodcast 2 – Positive & Negative Potential EnergyPodcast 3 – Elastic Potential EnergyPodcast 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 – WorkPodcast 6 – Positive & Negative WorkPodcast 7 – Work-Energy TheoremPodcast 8 – Work-Energy Theorem Sample Problem 1Podcast 9 – Work-Energy Theorem Sample Problem 2Podcast 10 – Work-Energy Theorem Sample Problem 3Podcast 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.