Seniors, this is it! Congratulations on all you’ve accomplished! Juniors, you are doing great, too…and you’re about to be the seniors. That’s awesome.

Before the year ends, you have your exams. Below are the senior and junior exam schedules. All of my physics classes will take their exams during their regular class period and not the lab period.

This Week in Astronomy
Seniors, your exam is on Wednesday. I’ve provided star maps, so the only things you need to bring are a pencil(s) and a calculator if you wish to use one. For my remaining two juniors, we will keep moving forward with eclipses. 🙂

This Week in AP Physics
Your two remaining lab reports are due on Friday. You will have time in class to finish conducting those experiments

This Week in Physics
Sixth period: You will take your electric circuits unit test on Wednesday. (Third period has already taken their version of it.) We will spend the remainder of the week covering special topics of interest and perhaps reviewing for the final.

Uncool Science of the Week
No more bananas? A fungal disease is spreading globally that is wiping out farms that produce the banana we are all used to, the Cavendish banana, and extinction is a distinct possibility. This has actually happened before to another supposedly more delicious banana variety, the Gros Michel banana, which went extinct from a similar disease in the 1950s and was replaced by the Cavendish. Other banana varieties exist, but they are decidedly different from the yellow beauty that for so long has been standard grocery shop fare. The situation highlights the practice of monoculture, or cloning a species so that every plant grown is exactly the same…helpful in some ways, but when one plant is susceptible to a disease, they all are. This is certainly an example of how science impacts economics, politics, world hunger, and so on…What do you think about it?

SENIORS!!!! THIS IS YOUR LAST FULL WEEK OF HIGH SCHOOL!!!! THAT IS SO EXCITING!!!! CAPS LOCK IS ON!!!!
P.S. Juniors, you still have one week to go after this. Caps lock is off.

This Week in AP Physics
This week is mostly about what’s due. Your Units 13 & 14 homework sets are due on Wednesday, and your two remaining lab reports are due on Friday, May 30th with an upload to TurnItIn.com by 3:00 on that date. Oh, and there’s the small detail of GOING TO CEDAR POINT ON THURSDAY!!!! (CAPS LOCK IS BACK ON!!!!)

This Week in Physics
We will spend some time preparing for our CEDAR POINT LAB ON THURSDAY!!!! (CAPS LOCK IS ON AGAIN!!!!) With the remaining time we’ll finish our unit on electric circuits by completing assignment 4 on Monday. Third period, your circuits test is Tuesday, whereas sixth period will their test when announced.

This Week in Astronomy
We will present our research on the planets and discover asteroids, meteors, and comets. We may have a test by the end of the week.

Cool Science of the Week
Since we’re heading to Cedar Point in the physics classes to apply what we’ve learned to the real world, why not try your hand at designing a coaster of your own? There are many online sims, including this one and this one and this one and this one and this one!

Four more weeks until summer = four more weeks of awesome learning! Stay strong! 🙂
Students in AP classes, please remember to let me know if you need some flexibility from me so that you can focus on your exams.

This Week in AP Physics
Your gateway to greatness is on Monday at noon! (Bring your calculator, put it in DEG mode, and bring extra batteries.) Remember to stay in touch via email over the weekend if you have questions. After the test? Well, nothing but experimental and analytical fun remains from Tuesday forward! (But, of course, all outstanding homeworks are due on Wednesday.)

This Week in Physics
We will complete our unit on electric circuits. On Monday we will complete assignment 3 followed by a quiz as announced. (If you were in an AP test this past Friday (May 9), be certain you’ve caught up on the parallel circuit podcasts, since those are the notes you missed.) For Tuesday please take notes on Podcast 7 – Compound Circuits. We’ll spend some time analyzing series, parallel, and compound circuits followed by an exploration of electric power, real-life wiring applications, and circuit safety features. Please take notes on Podcast 8 – Electric Power and Podcast 9 – Circuit Safety Features when assigned. We will finish the unit by completing assignment 4 in preparation for the unit test at the end of the week.

This Week in Astronomy
Long-term work: We delayed our test on the universe unit until after AP exams, so it is this Wednesday. Next Monday your unit 3 outdoor lab on the moon is due. (We did push the due date back a week because of cloudy weather.) This week we soar through the solar system, which will include a research project with presentations. Unlike your past explorations of this topic, you will learn how the planets appear to move in our sky so that you can find them and impress your friends.

Cool Science of the Week
The time for outdoor awesomeness is upon us, so check out this invisible bike helmet!

The Invisible Bicycle Helmet | Fredrik Gertten from Focus Forward Films on Vimeo.

We are getting close! As this is the first of two AP testing weeks, please let me know if you need me to be flexible with you about due dates. Preparing for all of your tests is important.

This Week in AP Physics
We will complete Unit 14 and Unit 15 this week. As announced I will run an additional after-school review session covering thermodynamics. Be sure to view the podcasts (and print the notes) for Unit 16. Homework from unit 13 and unit 14 is due on Wednesday, May 21. This due date allows you freedom to choose how best to spend your time before next week’s AP Physics B exam. I do recommend that you try to get the homework done prior to the exam so that you are reinforcing your learning. However, the choice is yours. Keep your spirits up, stay focused, and remember to get some rest every now and then, too. You’ve done a great job overcoming the loss of so much class time due to snow days, and I’m really proud of you!:)

This Week in Physics
Almost all of you have heavy AP schedules this week, so we will take things a little easy. By Tuesday please take notes on Podcast 3 – Series Circuits and Podcast 4 – Series Circuits Sample Problem. We will do assignment 2 together in class. We will also do another virtual lab which will lead us into Podcast 5 – Parallel Circuits and Podcast 6 – Parallel Circuits Sample Problem, so please take notes on these when I assign them. We do need to take a quiz this week, but we can talk about the best day to do this. I want to support your work in your AP classes. 🙂

This Week in Astronomy
We will finish our creepy fun unit on the universe and will take a test at some point this week. As with my other courses, I’m willing to be somewhat flexible so that I can support you in your work preparing for the AP tests many of you have this week. After the test we will begin our exploration of the solar system! 🙂

Cool Science of the Week
This is a pretty rock, right? Well it’s also making news! Geologists regularly discover new minerals. However, most newly-discovered minerals bear strong resemblances to the characteristics of known minerals. This pretty purple noob mineral that scientists just discovered in Australia consists of a chemical combination never before seen in nature. That rocks!

Putnisite, the world’s newest mineral

This week we begin the second half of fourth quarter. Keep your spirits and your energy up to finish strong!

This Week in AP Physics
On Monday we will take the electric circuits/magnetism/electromagnetism test. For Tuesday please do homework 1 from Unit 13. We will complete this unit on waves and sound, along with all homework assignments, this week. Please also do your review practice sets for units 7 & 8, which are due on Friday. Two more review sessions run this week from 3:00-5:00 on Tuesday and Thursday.

This Week in Physics
We will take the important “End of Course” test on Tuesday. Bring a #2 pencil and your calculator. We will complete assignment 1 from our electric circuits unit on Tuesday or Wednesday (depending on your class period) and take a quiz over the introductory topics and Ohm’s law (covered in podcast 1 and podcast 2) the next day. We will spend the rest of the week conducting an additional virtual lab and exploring the properties of series circuits. When assigned, please take notes on Podcast 3 – Series Circuits and Podcast 4 – Series Circuits Sample Problem. We will then do assignment 2.

This Week in Astronomy
We will continue to explore the universe by looking at ways astronomers predict the universe might end. We will also explore how stars are born and how they die. (This will include black holes, supernovas, and pulsars!) We’ll take a quick look at the different types of galaxies and will finish up with a survey of the creepiest, coolest stuff of all: dark matter and dark energy. Super fun! Expect a unit test next week. Also, be sure to continue working on your outdoor lab on the moon, which is due on May 12.

Cool Science of the Week
This is a repeat of our CSotW from January, but I’m reposting for the benefit of this semester’s astronomy class. We spoke in class about the shape of the universe, namely that there is no “outside” and that it is finite, yet without an edge. Brain-numbing stuff! Here are the first two parts of a three-part series of short, fairly understandable videos explaining different theories about the shape of our mysterious home. (Part 3 isn’t released yet.)

We’re reaching the mid-point of the quarter, so keep going strong!

This Week in AP Physics
We will likely finish all of our unit on magnetism/electromagnetism along with the associated homework assignments, but I don’t anticipate us being ready to test by Thursday. It is likely we’ll start our exploration of wave motion and sound on Friday and test electric circuits and magnetism/electromagnetism next Monday. Things to remember: We have a quiz on Tuesday over magnetic force on moving charges. The review sets for unit 3 and unit 4 are due on Monday, and this week’s review sets for unit 5 and unit 6 are due on Friday. Also on Friday: During lunch periods we will be taking a practice exam with a full-length MC section and a partial FRQ section. Bring your lunch, your calculator, and your happiness! 🙂

This Week in Physics
We will begin our unit on electric circuits. Please take notes on Podcast 1 – Circuits and Current and Electric Circuits Podcast 2 – Resistance and Ohm’s Law by Monday. We will discuss the podcasts and then complete assignment 1, followed by a quiz, as announced. I will not assign any more podcasts for the rest of the week and will, instead, cover all material in class so that you can use your time to study for the big End-of-Course Exam, which we will take on Friday. Remember that your electric fields lab report is due on April 29 with an upload to TurnItIn.com by 3:00 on April 30.

This Week in Astronomy
On Monday we will begin our unit on the universe. Remember that your unit 2 outdoor lab is due on Monday. On Tuesday we will take the moon unit test. The three podcasts on our unit 3 webpage will help you review. Be sure to do the unit 3 homework and turn it in before the test. Your next (and last) outdoor lab on the moon is due on May 12.

Cool Science of the Week
Innovation is the cornerstone of progress! Check out the best inventions of 2014 as chosen by Popular Science magazine’s Invention Awards.

Week three of fourth quarter!

This Week in AP Physics
We will take a big electric circuits quiz on Monday in which you’ll be given an FRQ to complete in a limited amount of time. The FRQ can cover anything from this unit except for capacitors. We will do homework 3 for Tuesday and will then cruise through Unit 12: Magnetism and Electromagnetism. Be sure to work your review practice sets using the review workbook for units 3 & unit 4 which are due on Thursday. One month to go! 🙂
(P.S. On Tuesday during 3rd period you will attend a meeting with all AP students to fill out the paperwork for your tests.)

This Week in Physics
If you’re in third period, you will do the awesome Electric Fields Lab on Monday. If you’re in sixth period, you won’t…because you already did it, and doing it twice would be silly. On Monday/Tuesday we will finish covering the material in Podcast 6 – Electric Potential Energy and Podcast 7 – Electric Potential Energy Examples and will do assignment 4. The electrostatics unit test will be Wednesday. When announced, please begin the next unit on electric circuits by taking notes on Podcast 1 – Circuits and Current and Electric Circuits Podcast 2 – Resistance and Ohm’s Law. We may also do unit 8 assignment 1 by the end of the week.

This Week in Astronomy
We will continue with (and possibly finish) our unit on the moon. Those of you who did not finish Lunar Phasing Activity 2 should do so for Monday when we will debrief it and then thoroughly cover the phases of the moon, including their timings and alignments with Earth and the Sun. Expect a big quiz late in the week. Podcast 2 – Lunar Phases and their Appearances and Podcast 3 – The Phases and their Timings will help you prepare. Once we finish the quiz, we’ll explore the “lunology” of the moon. The unit test will be the week of April 21. Remember also that on Monday, April 21 the Unit 2 – Outdoor Lab is due. This requires you to go outside for many observations over a couple of weeks. Be sure to work on this regularly.

Cool Science of the Week
We’ve been exploring electrostatics in physics. Flames (and smoke) contain ions that can respond to electric fields. Check out this cool video demonstrating what happens to a candle flame when it’s exposed to a 20V potential difference between two oppositely-charged metal plates. You might also enjoy checking out the other videos from the same science video blog, Veritasium. (A big thanks to Rachel O. for pointing out this video!)

Week two of 4th quarter! Remember to check out the school musical beginning on Thursday. Lots of our classmates are in it, and it looks like fun!

This Week in AP Physics
On Monday we will play multiple puzzles of series, parallel, and compound circuits and do homework 2 for Tuesday. On Tuesday and Wednesday we will work in analysis of batteries, voltmeters, ammeters, and capacitors and will do homework 3 for Wednesday or Thursday. By Tuesday we need to decide as a class whether to have the unit 11 test next week on Monday or combine it with the unit 12 test to save some time. Give it some thought. 🙂

This Week in Physics
On Monday we will take a quiz on Coulomb’s Law. For Monday please also take notes on Podcast 4 – Electric Fields part 1 and Podcast 5 – Electric Fields part 2. We will spend Monday and Tuesday working on electric fields and will do assignment 3 followed by a quiz. Next up will be one of the most fun labs of the year, the electric fields lab! If time permits, we will take notes on Podcast 6 – Electric Potential Energy and Podcast 7 – Electric Potential Energy Examples, if announced. Expect a test the week of April 14.

This Week in Astronomy
We will collect and analyze data of the moon’s appearance and rise/set times to recognize the pattern of and develop an explanation for the changes in the moon’s appearance over a lunar cycle. Expect a quiz mid-week and a test the week of April 14. Remember to work on our second outdoor lab, the Unit 2 – Outdoor Lab. This takes many days to complete, and it is due on on Monday, April 21. (Do not delay starting, because you need to take multiple measurements spaced days apart.) HEADS UP: If you need to finish the data collection and analysis for the lunar phasing activity, here is the document. Remember there are questions on page two.

Cool Science of the Week
In astronomy this week we had the pleasure of Skype-ing with Ken Aird of the University of Chicago’s South Pole Telescope team to discuss the recent big news about the discovery of evidence for the enormous inflation that occurred in the first 10^-35s of the universe’s existence, according to the inflationary model of the Big Bang.* He sent along this article and video that do a terrific job of explaining the discovery in plain terms. Enjoy!

*As always, remember my disclaimer that since this is a science class, we explore the universe by offering the perspective of science. All world views are respected.

We enter the fourth quarter this week. Congratulations to the seniors! You’re almost there! (But you’re not there yet, so keep working hard. 🙂 )

This Week in AP Physics
On Monday we will begin unit 11 on electric circuits and will also spend a little time practicing some FRQs on electrostatics as a warm-up to Tuesday’s unit 10 test. Also for Tuesday please complete your unit 10 lab report. Throughout the remainder of the week we will continue through unit 11 and will do homework as assigned. *** Review workshops over spring break: Please email me if you’d like to meet either Tuesday morning or Wednesday morning from 9:00-11:00. I will be happy to come in if enough people can attend. ([email protected])

This Week in Physics
We will continue to work on the material from Podcast 1 – Introduction to Charge and Podcast 2 – Conductors, Insulators, and Charging on Monday and will conduct some informal experiments to investigate methods of charging. Next we will reinforce these concepts by doing assignment 1 in class. Our next topic will be electric force. Please take notes on Podcast 3 – Electric Force when assigned. We will follow this by doing assignment 2 together in class. If there is time, we will start to work on electric fields, so please take notes on Podcast 4 – Electric Fields part 1 and Podcast 5 – Electric Fields part 2 if announced.

This Week in Astronomy
At long last, after many snow (and…ahem…”senior skip”) days, we will complete our examination of our day star in unit 2 by doing an activity linking solar radiation to climate. The unit 2 test will be on Tuesday. To help you prepare, please do the Unit 2 – Homework Questions, which is due before the test. It is also time to begin our second outdoor lab, the Unit 2 – Outdoor Lab. This takes many days to complete, so it will be due in three weeks on Monday, April 21. (Do not delay starting, because you need to take multiple measurements spaced days apart.) After the test we will examine the Big Bang and the big news announcement this week from researchers at the South Pole. (See “Cool Science of the Week,” below.) This will prepare us for Thursday’s guest Skype speaker. Physics students are welcome to join this Skype conference during 2nd period on Tuesday with permission from your teachers.

Cool Science of the Week*
Well, this one is a doozy! Scientists from one of two telescopes at the South Pole announced this week clear evidence of what occurred in the first 0.000000000000000000000000000001 second of our universe’s existence. Think about that. Do you have trouble remembering what you did yesterday? Well, we’re talking about the very, very beginning of everything…and it happened 13.8 billion years ago! The evidence was detection of a specific type of radiation that confirmed that the universe underwent tremendous inflation in an incredibly short amount of time. This mechanism for formation of the universe set the stage for everything that followed, giving us the galaxies, stars, planets, critters, and smart phones that we know today. We will learn more about this in class as we prepare for our guest speaker, University of Chicago software engineer Ken Aird, whose work at the South Pole Telescope is linked to the ground-breaking research. There has been a lot written this week about the inflationary theory and the discovery. Try these two articles for starters: Gravitational Waves from Big Bang Detected and Primordial Gravitational Waves Provide a Test of Cosmological Theories. Also be sure to read up on the South Pole Telescope to be prepared for our guest speaker. (P.S. This data may suggest a Multiverse exists!)

*As always, remember my disclaimer that since this is a science class, we explore the universe by offering the perspective of science. All world views are respected.

Welcome to the last week of the quarter! Please be sure to check PowerSchool and turn in any missing assignments asap.

Due to the snow day this past week, we are following last Wednesday’s OGT schedule on Monday. Juniors and seniors have late arrival, and only periods 4/5, 6/7, 8/9, 1, 2, and 3 will meet.

This Week in AP Physics
As we will not meet on Monday, we will not be able to test this week.  Homework 3 will be due on Wednesday, and  homework 4 will be due on Thursday. Your  electrostatics lab report is due Friday (with upload to TurnItIn.com by 3:00) and will be the last grade for third quarter. Expect the unit 10 test right after break, likely on Tuesday, April 1. Also note: Your Cedar Point ticket money and permission slips are now due on Tuesday by 3:00pm.

This Week in Physics
Your Cedar Point ticket money and permission slips are now due on Tuesday by 3:00pm. Your circular motion lab report is due on Tuesday at the start of class, and an electronic copy must also be uploaded to TurnItIn.com by Wednesday at 3:00. Sixth period: Assignment 3 is due at the start of class on Monday. Both classes will take the unit 6 test on Wednesday. For Thursday please take notes on Electrostatics Podcast 1 – Introduction to Charge and Electrostatics Podcast 2 – Conductors, Insulators, and Charging. I know this is a lot, and I feel bad, but we need to accomplish these things by the end of the quarter. On the plus side…you’ll get to rest next week! Spring break! 🙂

This Week in Astronomy
Because class was canceled on the due date for our Unit 1 – Outdoor Lab, and since we haven’t had class since, the lab is now due on Monday. This week we will continue to work through unit 2 on the apparent motion of the sun. It is unlikely that we will be able to do the unit test this week. Also note that we will have an assembly during our class period on Friday.

Cool Science of the Week
Do you love spicy food? Check out this video explaining the science of spiciness!