Week of October 1, 2018

October marks the beginning of the last four weeks of first quarter. Stay strong!

This Week in AP Physics
This week we will accelerate through the study of force and Newton’s laws by digging our grip into the topics of friction, terminal velocity, and Newton’s third law. Homework 3 will be due on Wednesday or Thursday, as announced, and homework 4 will likely be due on Friday or early the following week. We’ve also got one more lab to move through, the Friction and Vector Analysis of Forces experiment. This is a lot to force into one week, and I don’t want you to experience too much tension, so expect some of it to be pushed into the following week, when we will also have our unit test. (Your lab report for the modified Atwood apparatus experiment is due by the end of this week.)

This Week in Physics
We will complete our study of one-dimensional motion by exploring free fall . This will include doing assignment 4 together in class and running some simulations. Once we are done, we will take the unit 1 test and will then start unit 2 on two-dimensional motion. When announced, please take notes on unit 2’s VIDEO 1: Introduction to Vector Operations.

Cool Science of the Week
Baby sloths make the CUTEST sounds. Like, seriously. They’re basically squeak toys. Check out this sweet video from the Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica, which focuses on the rescue, rehabilitation and research of sloths as well as conserving their rainforest habitat.

Image result for baby sloth“Obsessed!!!”
~Mrs. Burgess

Week of September 24, 2018

The end of this week marks the interim of first quarter. Please check PowerSchool to make sure your grade is where you want it to be as you strive for excellence! 

This Week in AP Physics
We will continue to work our way through our unit on mass, force, and Newton’s laws. If you did not turn it in on Friday, your Inertial Mass vs Gravitational Mass lab is due on Monday. Homework 1 will be due Tuesday. We have covered all topics for that homework, so feel free to start this weekend. As the week progresses we will dive deeper into tension, Newton’s second law, and friction, resulting in our ability to do homework 2 when assigned. It’s a long one, and we have touched on some of the topics. Feel free to work ahead to the extent that you can if you know you have a busy week ahead. We’ll round out the week with some deliciously interesting practice problems in class and will perform a classic Newton’s Second Law experiment for which you will get to write a formal lab report. Hooray! Expect a test at the end of the following week or (more likely) during the first half of the week after that. (This may feel like a lot, but it will pace itself out nicely, especially if you get a chance to work ahead.)

This Week in Physics
We will enter the final phase of unit 1. First and third periods, goal set 3 is due on Monday, and we will have a quiz over goal set 3 on Monday, as well. Third period: Notes from video 4 are due at the start of class on Monday. First period, yours are due for Tuesday. (Eleventh period angels, if you’re behind on any of that, this weeknd is your chance to catch up.) We’ll move through lots of practice on the kinematic equations and free fall and will segue into assignment 4 as the week progresses. Expect a test early the following week (but not that Monday, because I would never give you a test on the Monday after homecoming weekend.)

Cool Science of the Week
Hey, did you hear that the BROWNS WON??? I don’t know about you, but I loved seeing the spiral on the ball of Baker Mayfield’s amazing passes. Why do quarterbacks put spin on the ball? Physics, of course! 
FUN FACT: The photographer who took the picture below is a friend of your teacher’s family!

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield throws a pass during the first half against the New York Jets at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Photo credit: Ken Blaze, USA TODAY Sports

Week of September 17, 2018

This Week in AP Physics
We will complete our projectile experiment in class on Monday and will also begin Newtonian Mechanics unit 3 on mass, force, and Newton’s laws. We’ll focus first on the study of force, mass, and gravity, and our studies will include practice problems and an experiment on Inertial Mass vs Gravitational Mass. Homework 1 will be due during this week. By the end of the week we will begin exploring Newton’s laws of motion. This is a longer unit, so we will not be testing until the week after next.

This Week in Physics
We will continue to explore acceleration, which was covered in VIDEO 3: Acceleration, which you should have already taken notes from. We will do more hands-on activities and will complete assignment 2 together in class, followed by a quiz over goal set 3 when announced. When assigned, please take notes on the final lecture for this unit, VIDEO 4: Kinematics and Free Fall

Cool Science of the Week
As we sadly watch the trauma unfold in the Carolinas this weekend due to Hurricane Florence, you might be interested in a very mesmerizing and informative website that allows you to watch wind currents over the continental U.S. in real time. Check it out!

The above image is an archival one of October 30, 2012’s Hurricane Sandy, which you may remember having a major impact here in Avon Lake, causing power outages for many days as the winds came over Lake Erie.

Week of September 10, 2018

Please be careful to read the assignments for the class you’re in (AP or regular.)

This Week in AP Physics
On Monday homework 1 from unit 2 is due. During the week we will finish unit 2 by completing notes, doing a second problem packet in class, completing homework 2 from unit 2 at home (due Wednesday), and running a projectile experiment in class. Test the following week! Woot!

This Week in Physics
On Monday we will (continue to) work on Assignment Fun 1 together in class. (It is not homework for the weekend.) When we are done with that you will do goal set 2 for homework (as announced, likely due Tuesday) followed by a quiz over goal sets 1 & 2. When announced please take notes over VIDEO 3: Acceleration. We will do various activities about acceleration in class followed by another assignment.

Cool Science of the Week
Bruce the vegetarian shark may be more real than we thought! Scientists have recently discovered that bonnethead sharks eat sea grass in addition to preying on critters, making them the first species of shark to be reclassified as omnivores instead of carnivores. Baby shark!