Welcome to the first week of second quarter!

This Week in Physics
By Monday be absolutely sure to take notes on PODCAST 4: A Quantitative Look at Projectile Motion. We will be working with that material all week as we analyze projectile motion. Expect a test at the end of this week or the beginning of the next. Depending on timing we may do our Human Cannonball Projectiles Lab this week before the test or next week after the test. (Note: Third period can wait to watch the podcast one extra day.)

 
Cool Science of the Week
In the spirit of the season, let’s talk about BEING AFRAID!
What’s the one weird thing ALL humans fear?

What’s with the fear of clowns?

So…How can we get over our fears?

These videos are created by the DNews (now called Seeker) YouTube channel, which answers questions such as Can Dogs and Cats Be Left-Handed? “Seeker exists where technology, innovation and the future collide. We celebrate relentless curiosity with an insatiable drive to question, inspire, and create.“

This is the last week of first quarter. Can you believe it?

This Week in Physics
By Monday please be sure to take notes on Unit 2 Podcast 2: Vector Resolution and bring your books to class on Monday so that we can complete assignment 2 and an additional vector resolution activity. Following that we will take a quiz over all of goal set 1 as announced, and this will be the last grade for this quarter. We will also go outside to do an outdoor vector lab, weather permitting, during one of your double period classes as announced. By the end of the week by the date assigned in class please take notes on PODCAST 3: A Conceptual Look at Projectile Motion. On the following day be sure to take notes on our last podcast for the unit, PODCAST 4: A Quantitative Look at Projectile Motion. Next week we will complete an experiment on projectiles and will finish unit 2.

Cool Science of the Week
Have you ever questioned the old saying that if you dig a hole straight through the center of the Earth, you’d wind up in China? Now you can find out for certain where you’d wind up with this antipodes map. What’s an antipode? It’s the diametrically-opposite position on Earth from a particular location. Before you test our own Avon Lake on this map, make a guess first to see how right you are!

There are two weeks left to first quarter. Be sure to check PowerSchool for any missing or late assignments. All late credit work is due by this coming Friday, October 20.

This Week in Physics
By Monday please take notes on PODCAST 1: Introduction to Vector Operations and by Tuesday please take notes on the exceptionally short PODCAST 2: Vector Resolution. We will go outside at some point mid-week to complete a vector operations activity, so be prepared for the weather as announced. We will finish the week by completing assignment 1 and assignment 2 and taking a quiz or two when announced.

Cool Science of the Week
A couple of weeks ago we learned about octopus cities in our CSOTW feature. Not that I’m obsessed with octopi, but they are AMAZING at camouflage. Stop this video at 0:08 and see if you can find the octopus. Then let it play again to see if you were right. Phenomenal!

How do they do it? They have tiny muscle-controlled pigment cells called chromatophores in their skin that dilate and contract easily. Nature rocks!

We are entering the last three weeks of first quarter, and this is a very short week for us due to (a) the PSAT on Wednesday & (b) no school on Thursday and Friday. Stay focused for a strong finish to quarter one!

This Week in Physics
See below to see what your particular class has due for Monday. Everyone has the unit 1 test on Tuesday. For Wednesday please take notes on Unit 2 Podcast 1: Introduction to Vector Operations.
1st: Nothing is due Monday.
3rd: Assignment 4 and goal set 4 are due Monday. (Most of you are done or almost done.)
8th: Nothing is due Monday.
11th: Nothing is due Monday, but bring your books and be ready to work fast.

Cool Science of the Week
In 11th period this week we talked a bit about the “beginning” of the universe according to physics’s Big Bang Theory. One of you brought up the multiverse theory, which suggests that there may be a field beyond space and time from which multiple universes are born and die, and that we are but one of these universes. While this sort of topic is phenomenally complicated, I found a short article that gives a fairly understandable explanation of various perspectives on this idea. Check it out!