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!

This is the second-to-last week of the quarter, so please stay on top of things and finish strong! 🙂
As this is OGT week, we have a heavily-modified schedule:
Astronomy class only meets Monday and Wednesday.
Physics 3rd period only meets Monday and Wednesday. Note that our lab period (4/5) is the first period of the school day, and our 3rd period will meet later in the day.
Physics 6th period meets every day as usual. Note that our lab period on Tuesday and Thursday will be your first period of the school day.
AP Physics only meets Tuesday and Friday. (That means we have only three periods together instead of nine.)

This Week in AP Physics
We will conduct our electrostatics lab on Tuesday and will hopefully do homework 3 for Friday. Expect the unit 10 test the following week, the week of March 17. Please remember: YOUR CEDAR POINT MONEY AND PERMISSION SLIPS ARE DUE ON FRIDAY. 

This Week in Physics
We will (hopefully) finish our unit on circular motion and gravity, although the test won’t be until the following week, the week of March 17. For Monday please take notes on Podcast 5 – Gravity and Podcast 6 – Center of Mass, Gravity, and Planetary Orbits. We will discuss those on Monday and do assignment 2. What we don’t finish in class will be due as homework for Wednesday if you are in 3rd period. For 6th period, we will finish the assignment in class and then spend the rest of the week doing an enrichment engineering project. Please remember: YOUR CEDAR POINT MONEY AND PERMISSION SLIPS ARE DUE ON FRIDAY. 

This Week in Astronomy
We will continue to examine the daily and annual appearance of the sun’s motion in our sky and will (if time) relate it to climate. There will be a unit test the following week, the week of March 17. NOTE: We have had plenty of clear nights, so your Unit 1 – Outdoor Lab is still due. However, since we’re not meeting on Tuesday, I’m extending the due date to Wednesday, March 12.

Cool Science of the Week
This past week the movie Gravity won an Oscar for visual effects. Have you ever wondered how CGI works? Check out this article and video that shows you how the Gravity  team made the movie magic happen!

In like a lion, out like a lamb! There are three weeks until the end of the quarter. Let’s work hard!

This Week in AP Physics
We will continue our electrostatics unit. Homework 1 will be due on Monday, and homework 2 will be due on Tuesday. We will take quizzes over Coulomb’s law and electric fields, as announced. Also this week: One of my favorite labs EVER!!!! Also note: Unit 9 test corrections are due by Friday.

This Week in Physics
We will spend Monday and Tuesday doing assignment 1, followed by a quiz, which will be announced. Next we will conduct an experiment on circular motion. (We will need safety goggles, so if you have your own, please feel free to bring them. However, I do have a disinfected class set, as well.) Toward the end of the week (when announced,) please take notes on Podcast 5 – Gravity and Podcast 6 – Center of Mass, Gravity, and Planetary Orbits. We will do assignment 2 by the end of the week or early next week. Expect the unit test next week.

This Week in Astronomy
Our unit 1 test is Monday. To help you prepare for the test, please do the Unit 1 – Homework Questions for Monday. Our Unit 1 webpage has every lecture podcasted to help you review. Remember also that your Unit 1 – Outdoor Lab is due NEXT Tuesday, March 11, so look for a clear night when you have a couple of hours available to go outside to make repeated observations. Starting Tuesday we’ll turn our attention to a welcome friend, the sun! Unit 1 focused on the night sky, and unit 2 will help us understand the astronomy of the day sky.

Cool Science of the Week
I hear this all the time (pun intended!): Cracking knuckles causes arthritis. But does it?

Let’s look forward to a full week of school! (fingers crossed!)

This Week in AP Physics
We will finish our unit on thermal physics. Homework 4 will be due on Tuesday, we will do practice FRQs in class on Tuesday, and the test will be Thursday. Be sure to use the resources on the unit webpage to help you study. Your thermodynamics lab report is due on Friday and must be uploaded to TurnItIn.com by 3:00 on that day. By the end of the week we will turn our attention to electricity as we embark upon our electrostatics unit.

This Week in Physics
Do you like spinny rides at Cedar Point? How about roller coasters with loops? We will find out how these work as we we begin our exploration of circular motion this week. Be sure to have taken notes on the following podcasts by Monday: Podcast 1 – Introduction to Circular Motion, Podcast 2 – Circular Motion Formulas, Podcast 3 – Formulas, and Podcast 4 – Centripetal Force. We will spend Monday and Tuesday going over these podcasts and doing assignment 1, followed by a quiz, which will be announced. Third period: For Tuesday please finish Frequency & Period Practice Page. By the end of the week we will conduct an experiment on circular motion. The best news of all is that this experiment requires you to wear goggles for safety! Fantastic! (I have a class set, but if you prefer to use your own, please bring them.)

This Week in Astronomy
We will finish our first unit on the celestial sphere this week as we explore how the appearance of the night sky changes throughout the year. We will conduct a culminating project in class and will take the unit test by Friday. Be sure to use the podcasts on the unit web page to guide your studying. The unit homework will be due the day of the test and is a great way to test your skills. Big news! You’ve developed your skills in the planetarium. Now it’s time to put them to the test in the real world as you do your first outdoor lab. This lab will require you to make multiple observations outside on a clear night over a couple of consecutive hours, so plan ahead to ensure you don’t get stuck with a cloudy night right before it’s due, which will be on Tuesday, March 11.

Cool Science of the Week
I’ve shared this before, but with a new semester of astronomy underway, it’s a great time to remind you about some really fun, free software that turns your computer into a virtual planetarium. The software is called Stellarium. Check it out! It’s fun!

Happy President’s Day! This week marks our halfway point for third quarter…wow! Be aware that we will not get as much done this week as usual because it is a four-day week, I have meetings all day on Tuesday, and on Thursday/Friday we will be discussing course recommendations for next year, which requires time for me to meet with each of you individually.

This Week in AP Physics
Please look at the ALHS Program of Study 2014-2015. Science course descriptions begin on page 51. Please come to class on Thursday prepared with ideas and questions regarding your science options for next year. For Tuesday please do homework 3 and your thermodynamics processes graphic organizer. You will go over this and then will do an experiment on Tuesday into Wednesday. We will quiz over the First Law of Thermodynamics and PV diagrams on Thursday. Homework 4 will likely be due Thursday or Friday, and we will hopefully test this unit next Monday.

This Week in Physics
Please look at the ALHS Program of Study 2014-2015. Science course descriptions begin on page 51. Please come to class on Thursday prepared with ideas and questions regarding your science options for next year. Your momentum unit test will be on Wednesday. For Thursday please take notes on Podcast 1 – Introduction to Circular Motion, Podcast 2 – Circular Motion Formulas, and Podcast 3 – Formulas for Thursday. For Friday please take notes on Podcast 4 – Centripetal Force if announced.

This Week in Astronomy
On Wednesday we will continue to examine the northern sky and the circumpolar stars. We will quiz over this topic on Thursday or Friday, and Podcast 3 – Circumpolar Stars will help you study. At the end of the week we turn our attention from how the sky changes as you travel north/south and will instead start examining how they sky changes throughout the year. Anticipate a test over the celestial sphere unit some time next week.

Cool Science of the Week
Sad about the demise of Flappy Bird? Fear not…I’ve got some cool physics game apps for you that are not only fun but will help you with your science awesomeness. (Not on this list is Cat Physics, which has both cats and physics. It’s like cake and ice cream!)
(Disclaimer: I am not endorsing spending money on products.)

Happy Valentine’s Day! This is a good time to celebrate your loves of physics and astronomy! 🙂

This Week in AP Physics
We will finish debriefing assignment one on Monday and will then take a quiz over temperature and heat on Tuesday, which ironically will be cold. We will explore the ideal gas law and the kinetic theory of an ideal gas on Monday, and homework 2 will be due on Tuesday followed by a quiz on Wednesday. We will spend the rest of the week on the First Law of Thermodynamics and will explore various processes using Pressure v. Volume graphs both conceptually and in lab. Animations and weblinks on our unit 9 webpage will help you through these concepts. As a reminder, your lab report on our Bernoulli’s equation lab is due at the start of class on Tuesday, and it must be uploaded to TurnItIn.com by 3:00 on that day.

This Week in Physics
Third period class: On Monday your assignment 3 is due at the start of class, and we will take a quiz over elastic, inelastic, and totally inelastic collisions on Tuesday. Sixth period class: We will work on assignment 3 in class on Monday, so don’t do it for homework. Your quiz will be on Wednesday. For Tuesday (3rd period) or Wednesday (6th period) you should take notes on the remaining podcasts for this unit. We will explore these as we look at the impulse-momentum theorem in class and do assignment 4. We  may test this unit by the end of the week. Remember that your lab report for the Conservation of Momentum Lab is due on Thursday at the start of class and should be uploaded to TurnItIn.com by 3:00 on Friday.

This Week in Astronomy
On Monday we will examine the E-S-W sky and south declination stars as we use meridian diagrams to place the celestial equator at different latitudes. Then we will journey back into the planetarium to turn our attention to the northern sky. We will transpose the northern sky onto our meridian diagrams to create a full picture of the celestial sphere at different latitudes. Expect a quiz over this on Wednesday or Thursday. Podcast 2 – Celestial Equator and Celestial North Pole and Celestial Sphere Podcast 3 – Circumpolar Stars will help you study. By the end of the week we’ll look at annual changes in the appearance of our night sky.

Cool Science of the Week
Talking cars? Redefining what it means to be a smart car, the US government announced this week approval of new technology that would enable cars to interact with each other wirelessly in order to alert drivers to hazards.

Here’s hoping we have a full week of school for the first time since before winter break! Obviously we are a bit behind last week’s objectives, but we’ll get a lot done this week. 🙂

This Week in AP Physics
First we will go over the Unit 8 Practice Problems, which are due on Monday. On Monday we will also conduct our unit 8 lab on Bernoulli’s equation. Depending on how that goes we may flow into Tuesday and test on Wednesday (pun!). However, I am hoping we can do the unit 8 test on Tuesday and begin unit 9 on thermal physics on Wednesday. Our first topic will be temperature and heat, and homework 1 will be due by Friday. Note: Your unit 8 lab report is due at the start of class next Tuesday, February 11, and it must be submitted to TurnItIn.com by 3:00 on that day.

This Week in Physics
We will continue to explore the conservation of momentum by completing our collisions experiment and analyzing data. (Your lab report will be due on Thursday, February 13 at the start of class, and it must be uploaded to TurnItIn.com by Friday, February 14 at 3:00.) Following analysis of the data in terms of the conservation of momentum, we will do new calculations with the data to analyze the role kinetic energy plays in the two types of collisions we ran. This will lead us into our next topic on the characteristics of different types of collisions. Notes on the following podcasts will be due as announced: Podcast 5 – Elastic Collisions part 1, Podcast 6 – Elastic Collisions part 2, Podcast 7 – Totally Inelastic Collisions part 1, Podcast 8 – Totally Inelastic Collisions part 2, and Podcast 9 – Inelastic Collisions. We may or may not get to assignment 3 this week.

This Week in Astronomy
As we complete our constellation mapping project, we will end our focus on star maps. Be sure to review Celestial Sphere Podcast 1 – Star Mapping as you prepare for the star mapping quiz, which will be announced mid-week. Our next topics will allow us to examine how and why the appearance of the night sky changes throughout the night and from one night to the next. If you’d like a preview, you can watch Celestial Sphere Podcast 2 – Celestial Equator and Celestial North Pole, although we’ll be covering the material in class.

Cool Science of the Week
We all know that life as we know it requires water. Therefore scientists search for it on other planets. This is difficult when it comes to exoplanets, or planets beyond our solar system. However, for the first time, scientists have found water on a rocky planet (or what’s left of the planet.) To some that suggests the conditions for life may have existed on that planet. What do you think about that? (P.S. Do you know where Earth got its water? Look it up! It’s wild!)

It’s week two of the second semester, and we’re gaining…MOMENTUM!!!

This Week in AP Physics
We will continue our study of fluid mechanics by exploring buoyancy (homework 2), fluid flow continuity (homework 3) and Bernoulli’s equation (homework 4.) Expect some quizzes to be tossed in, as announced. We will also perform an experiment to prove Bernoulli’s equation. When announced, the Unit 8 Fluid Mechanics Practice Problems will be due.

This Week in Physics
On Monday we will cruise through assignment 2, which covers the Law of Conservation of Momentum, followed by a quiz, as announced. We will then conduct an awesome experiment involving the crashing of toy cars. The data from the lab will lead us to awesome conclusions about the next topic. (Spoilers!)

This Week in Astronomy
We will spend much of the week in the planetarium practicing star mapping. It will be fun! There is a podcast that will support your studies, and we will take a quiz over this skill by the end of the week.

Cool Science of the Week
Time machine science! I rest my case.