Honors Expectations

I would ( if I were an optimist) expect you to know or be able to:
briefly describe kinetic and potential energy
know something about what makes things go in a circle
why a fusion reactor is so desirable
definitions of fusion and fission
some typical fusion reactions
the reaction most likely to be used in fusion reactors
how to explain why the reactor plasma temperature has to be high
why fusion reactions yield particles with high kinetic energies ( sneak something about E = mc squared in there)
why you can't let plasma hit wall - 3 reasons or more
what requirements are for first walls ( including low potential for becoming highly radioactive)
how you confine the plasma including some discussion on how magnetic fields affect moving charged particles ( you probably even should throw in an equation)
how you get work out of a gas ( another equation would be nice here)
provide a brief discussion about how you use a magnetic field to generate electric power or energy

Honors Motion Lab

Save your silver tapes and put your names on them. Plot position curves, in other words column B vs time.

AP Vector Lab

Reminder, for the vector lab I should receive the lab packet and two sketches showing the two vector additions, plus a written or typed purpose statement.

Honors Notes on Steam Cycles

This should help with your homework, but give the thermo notes from the previous post a once over so we can make rapid progress about cycles tomorrow.

http://h1.ripway.com/DrCherdack/Notes%20on%20Steam%20Cycles.doc

Don't worry about the incomplete sentence concerning adding heat. Its a little complicated and I'll give you revised notes later

Honors AND Topics in Physics

This link is a review for topics students and a bit over the head for current honors students, however honors students should read through the first two pages quickly. I will be posting additional material on steam cycles which will help honors students do tonight's assignment.


http://h1.ripway.com/DrCherdack/NotesonThermoR5.doc

AP Mastering Physics

The deadline has been changed for assignment #2 to Monday AM

If you missed the deadline for assignment 1 turn in hard copy.

Honors Extra Credit

We discussed how the magnetic field can make a single particle orbit around in circles, but we didn't get to cover the interaction between plasma as whole and the magnetic field. This interaction with the plasma is what the extra credit was about. We'll go over this in the next day or two and then you can have another crack at the extra credit.

Honors Physics

It looks like we are running about 1 day behind schedule. Therefore I am changing your assignment for tonight to reading the following.

http://h1.ripway.com/DrCherdack/Heat%20and%20Energy%20Conversionr2.doc

All other assignments for this unit will be due one day later than the schedule shows as will be the quiz.

Honors Physics

I am afraid you may be feeling a little neglected at this point. I will be providing a list of sample questions indicating the sort of thing I expect you to know when we get to our quiz next week. Look for that post in the very near future.

Again, at this time we are looking at the overall nature of what we need to learn to design a fusion power plant and how we can put individual bits of knowledge together to answer the kinds of questions which must be answered to design something. We will explore each of the areas we are discussing much more slowly and in much greater depth, but with the understanding of why we are exploring it and how it relates to other topics. I am hoping that with each new exposure you will find an area you find exciting or at least interesting to take on as your specialty.

I do not expect any of you to be able to reproduce any of the calculations we have made to date, but I do want you to get used to the process of using quantities and relationships to develop new information without being told exactly what to do. This a long term goal and if we achieve it, it will make you more valuable to yourself, your community, and your employers.

Topics in Physics Thermo Question

In our 7th period class today Alex asked how can a Carnot cycle be the most efficient, if going from point C back to the adiabatic line from point A via an isobaric process requires less work into the gas than going from C back to the adiabatic line using an isothermal process. For convenience lets call the point where we reach the adiabatic from A as point D. We can reach this point D from point C with an isothermal process or an isobaric process.

The explanation is subtle. The efficiency for a cycle must be considered in conjunction with the temperature limits it operates within. In other words, when comparing types of cycles, one must compare them with the same heat input temperatures and same heat rejection temperatures. In order to compress isobarically from C to D one must be reducing the temperature. Therefore Alex's suggested cycle either would require a lower heat rejection temperature (the low temperature point would be at D only rather than the whole line from C to D as in teh isothermal case ) than the Carnot cycle, which would allow it to get cooler going from C to D and thus have better efficiency, but only because the heat rejection temperature is lower, or it would have to have a point C at a higher temperature than the point C for the Carnot cycle, so that the temperature at the isobaric D would match the temperature of the isothermal point D) which would give it a lower efficiency.

More AP Stuff

1) Quiz, You must know the definitions of displacement, velocity ( average), and acceleration in symbol ( equation) form. You will be given the three equations relating delta x to velocity, time , and acceleration. You should be able to manipulate theses equations and definitions to find the required quantity, such as delta time in a free fall situation.

2) You should have received an email with your ID for the Mastering Physics Online Course, this is your personal ID number for me to track your work. The course ID is MPCHERDACKAP1. The Course Title is AP1. Register for the online course using this information plus the packet you received with the text. Let me know if you did not receive the ID email. if more digits are needed for the ID just place zeroes in front of the number I gave you

3) Several of you did not receive the email because I do not have an address for you. These include Cal, Kevin S., Sean, Katelyn S., Corey

AP Lab Cart mass

The cart mass is close to 500 g. or .500 kg. Use this number to figure out what the acceleration should have been based on a =F/M where F = the force on the weight pulling the cart = Mhanging mass x 9.8 N/kg and M is the combined mass of the hanging weight and the cart.

Summer Assignment Solutions

Correction to 1 -D multiple choice question 6 answer is B 190 m. Note also the quantity was given but not the letter for #5 answer is B and # 11 answer is C.

They may be light and hard to read but try your best.

http://h1.ripway.com/DrCherdack/AP%2009%20SummrSlns.PDF

AP Unit 1 Schedule Equations

Note that in the equations for delta x and for vfinal substitute delta t for t. In many books and on materials for the AP t is used in pace of delta t. This is okay if t initial =0 but it is not correct in general.