Correction to Honors Lab

The second sentence on the lab should say 10 Hz NOT 1/60 th.

AP and Honors Kinematics

This post contains information that is a review for AP and needed by Honors to do the lab.

Kinematics is the study of motion, kinematic quantities include position (x), displacement delta x = (xf -xi), velocity v = delta x /delta t or ([xf-xi]/[tf-ti], and acceleration a delta v/delta t or ([vf-vi]/[tf-ti]).

x at the end of the interval = xf, x at the start of the interval = xi; i.e. f is for final value and i is for initial value



To find the velocity for a given interval of time simply find the change in position and for that interval of time and divide it by the time that interval lasted.

To find the acceleration for a given interval of time simply find the change in velocity and for that interval of time and divide it by the time that interval lasted.
velocities or accelerations can be average, if the interval includes the whole period of motion, or instantaneous, if the interval is a relatively short time within the period of motion.
Position is typically plotted on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis.

Slope mean change in vertical coordinate/ change in horizontal so for a position vs time grpah slope = delta x/ delta t.

Lab Sheets for Honors and AP

Check the materials pages of my website. I am posting lab sheets there. Note that somehow Oncourse decided to leave out the first letter of the titles such as the H in Hon and the A in AP, but just download them, print them, and bring them in for you lab this week.

Honors Section 2, please use the revised sheet you will find there, except realize that most of you chose time intervals of .3 or .2 seconds rather than .1 sec, so adjust accordingly.

Project Opportunity

An organization promoting science and engineering education is running a competition. Teams are asked to develop an invemtion that solves a real life problem. For example, some way to get light where you want it without wasting light on the rest of the room, assuming where yu want it changes and you don't want to wear a head lamp. Or something like a thermostat that detects whether there is someone in the room and adjusts itself accordingly.

The competition is strong but the rewards are impressive: recognition, visits, lectures from Nobel Laureates, showing your folks you're not as dumb as they thought you were.

Email me if you are interested and I'll get you the details.

Topics in Physics( Honors Research 1st ,8th periods)

Your current assignment is to find read and try to digest material on basic flame propagation or explosion propagation that is relevant to what goes on in an automobile engine.

You should have your material selected and at least perused ( looked at) by tomorrow.

Our discussions tomorrow and probably Thursday however will focus on, force torque, power and rotational motion. This does NOT mean you are off the hook for the assignment until Friday.

Problem Sheets, Worksheets, etc.

Home work is to be done on clean sheets of paper not as markups of problem sheets or other handouts. Marked up sheets will not receive credit as homeworks.Homework should show evidence of work performed not just answers.

Honors Quiz

After all that gloom and whining I expected the worst when I graded your quizzes. Fortunately that's not what I saw. The median grade was a B+ in H2 and a solid B in H3. 

Not bad guys; I guess you did learn somethings in the past two days.

Average velocity

To find average velocity when an object travels at each velocity for a different period of time you cannot sum the velocities and then divide by the number of velocities.
vavg = (v1+v2+v3)/3 is not right unless delta t1 =delta t2 =delta t 3.

In other words this method only works when the time periods are the same for each velocity.

AP Math Review

The Unit 1 Math Review is now posted in AP materials and homework. It is due Thursday

AP Math Review

Sorry guys about the math review. I'm not really crazy about it and I meant to revise it before posting it. I just forgot it was due tomorrow. I'll revise it and post it on the website to be due Thursday.

Text Books

Text books are not needed for class unless you are specifically told to bring them in

AP and Honors Assignments

1) Everyone, Student info forms and the signature page from your course guide are due tomorrow Tue 9/9

2) Everyone, send me an email with you name in the title, extra credit if you get your parents to do the same

3) AP-3 ( 3rd period class) Your first two text book assignments are due Wednesday. AP-4 your first text book assignment is due tomorrow Tue 9/9

Physics Club

Physics club officers and members. We should start thinking about the fall.  Can we have one after school meeting per month to accommodate those who can't make mornings?  What topics would you like to present? Is there a less expensive way to supply the bagels?

E mail your ideas to me.

Honors Research Topics in Physics

Those of you taking this course can email me with any preferences you have for topics you would like to cover.  Samples from a previous year include:

1) Fusion power including: plasma physics, magnetic confinement, fusion reactions, thermodynamics of power generation, and electromagnetics and details of electric generators

2) Particle physics including: special relativity, collisions between electrons and nuclei, designof accelerators, particle detectors

3) Electromagnetic waves including: optics of the eye, TV signals, operation of cathode ray tubes