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"Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the life-long attempt to acquire it." — Albert Einstein
Physics Honors (1°, 3°, 6° & 7°) 1st Quarter 2005-06
Most recent update October 14, 2005 8:43 AM
Schedule
- Friday, August 26th: Introduction
to Course
- Day 1
- First day of class (Activity Schedule), Syllabus, Introductions & Unit Conversions, Demos (Jacob's Ladder, Faraday Cage, disappearing testube)
- Homework (HW): Read Ch 1 in The People's Physics Book 2nd Edition (PPB2) and do Ch 1 #s 1-7 & 10 (HW Packet A)
- Day 1
- Week of Monday, August 29th: Units;
Motion in One Dimension
- Day 1
- Warmup: [5 min] Estimation: How many students holding hands would it take to stretch all the way to the beach?
- Homework check & student solutions [5 min]
- Textbook introduction / use of our library of books [5 min]
- Math Diagnostic Exam (copy not online) [20 min]
- Fermi problems and why estimation is important [5 min]; unit analysis & dimensional analysis / on-line conversions [5 min]; SI/metric system [10 min]; powers of 10 [5 min]
- HW: PPB Ch. 1 #s 11, 12, 14, 17, 19 (HW Packet A)
- Day 2 Homework
Due! (First period -- this will be due next week
(I got confused - BJP))
- Warmup: [5 min] If you drive to Sacramento (160 km away) at a speed of 100 km/hour, how long does it take you to get there?
- Homework check & student solutions
- Here's the Algebra and Trig Review problem set for students who did poorly on the Math Diagnostic Exam
- Definitions [10 min]: position x, time t, distance d vs. displacement D, positive & negative (coordinate systems), what it means to travel -5 meters
- Displacement Activity [30 min]
- HW: Read PPB Ch 3; do problems from Ch 1: #s 8, 9, 13, 20; finish in-class activity; complete Lesson 1 ("Describing Motion with Words"), on the Physics Classroom Site (HW Packet A)
- Day 3
- Warmup [5 min]: Your buddy travels (in one dimension) +5 meters, then -8 meters, then +7 meters, then -11 meters. If it took her 10 seconds to complete all this, what is her total displacement Dx, total distance d, and average speed v?
- Homework check & student solutions
- Outside (bring running shoes & be prepared to run!); Running Activity [35 min]
- HW: finish conversions from class; get caught up
- Day 4
- Warmup [15 min]: The bird and truck problem: two trucks approach each other, and each is going 100 MPH. The distance between them starts at 100 miles. A bird flies right in front of one of the trucks and panics. It's a fast bird, so it starts heading down the road at 150 MPH. Unfortunately, it is heading right for the other truck! When it gets to that truck, it panics again and turns around. It continues flying back and forth, always at 150 MPH, from truck to truck, until the two trucks pass each other and the unfortunate bird is smashed between them. What is the total distance traveled by the bird?
- Homework check & student solutions [5 min]
- Graphing position vs. time and velocity vs. time [15 min] USE RANGE FINDER
- Definition of acceleration (ticker tape and graph versions) [15 min]
- HW: PPB Ch 3 #s 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 21 (HW Packet A) NOTE: If you scored 7 or below in the math diagnositic exam, then you need to print out the Algebra and Trig Review problem set and turn this in by Thursday, September 8th.
- Self-referential sentence of the week: "This sentence contains threee errrors."
- Day 1
- Week of Monday, September 5th:
Motion in One Dimension
- Monday Holiday (Labor Day)
- Day 1 (Activity Schedule)
- No warmup
- In-class lab work: Walk the Graph (to be turned in Day 2 of next week with your homework)
- HW: PPB Ch. 3 #s 9,
17, 19(HW Packet B) - Please remember to visit the book website for errors. If you have an error to submit, just tell your teacher!
- Day 2 (Activity Schedule) Homework
Packet A Due!
- No warmup
- Quiz (20 min) on position, velocity, speed, displacement, time, duration, and graphing.
- Start the Marble Lab
- HW: review material from this week
- Day 3 (Activity Schedule)
- Warmup [5 min]: none
- Algebra and Trig Review problem set due for those students who scored 7 or below on the diagnostic exam
- Marble Lab in classroom (no warmup)
- HW: finish & write-up marble lab; do PPB Ch 3 #7 (HW Packet B)
- Self-referential sentence of the week: "'Yields a falsehood when appended to its quotation,' yields a falsehood when appended to its quotation."
- Friday (no class) Mass of the Holy Spirit
- Report to 2nd Period classes by 8:30 am
- Week of Monday, September 12th:
The "Big Three" Kinematic Equations
- Day 1
- Warmup: [5 min] You are traveling at a velocity of -5 m/s. You begin to accelerate at a rate of 2 m/s^2. You accelerate for three seconds. Then, you accelerate at a rate of -1 m/s^2 for three more seconds. What is your velocity at the end of all this motion?
- Homework check & student solutions [10 min]
- The Big Three Equations of Motion (x-direction first)
- HW: PPB Ch 3 #s 10, 12, 14, 15, 17 (HW Packet C) (be sure to check the errata page for the People's Physics Book -- thanks to Brendan B. and Tommy K. for discovering an error in the answer to Ch 3 #10)
- Day 2 Homework
Packet B Due!
- Warmup: [5 min] A car starts at rest and accelerates for 5 minutes, covering a distance of 3 km. What was its acceleration?
- Homework check & student solutions [10 min]
- The Big Three Equations of Motion (y-direction and acceleration due to gravity g)
- HW: PPB Ch 3 #s 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20 and begin the exam review sheet (not to be turned in) (HW Packet C)
- Note: for Ch 3 #20, try graphing the equation(s) and then hitting Table on your calculator (2nd-graph) -- it will do the whole table for you!! Otherwise the problem can be a bit tedious. (Thanks to Danny K. for this suggestion...)
- Day 3
- Warmup: [5 min] A car starts at rest and accelerates to a speed of 30 m/s over a distance of 1 km. What was its acceleration?
- In-class work & review of practice problems
- HW: prepare for test; work on exam review sheet (this will not be turned in -- it is for you)
- Day 4
- EXAM POSTPONED to Day 1 of next week due to internet problems on Wednesday evening.
- In-class work & review of practice problems
- HW: prepare for exam
- Self-referential sentence of the week: "Ths sntnc, thgh t hs n vwls, cn stll b ndrstd jst fn."
- Day 1
- Week of Monday, September
19th: Projectile Motion
- Day 1
- First Major Exam: motion in one dimension, the Big Three, acceleration, velocity, position, and graphing
- HW: Read PPB Ch 4 and some more info from spark notes; check out the Snopes Urban Legend Reference Pages
- Day 2 Homework
Packet C Due!
- Warmup [15 min]: You throw a rock up into the air with an initial velocity of 15 m/s. How long do you have to wait until it hits you on the head?
- Projectile motion / Motion in two dimensions introduction (not yet shot at an angle)
- Shoot vs. fall two-ball demo
- Try to hit the target (the higher and faster you go the harder it is to do.)
- HW: PPB Ch 4 #s 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 & 10 (HW Packet D)
- Day 3
- Warmup [5 min]: You fire a gun downwards from the top of a 100 m building. The initial speed of the bullet is 100 m/s. In the absence of gravity, it would only take 1 second to hit the ground. How long does it actually take?
- Projectile motion; shooting a projectile at an angle; breaking the initial velocity into x and y components.
- James Bond Demo
- HW: PPB Ch 4 #s 7, 8, 9, 14 & 16 (HW Packet D)
- AND read about & get started on the upcoming CATAPULT PROJECT (Launch Week October 10th)
- Day 4
- Warmup [5 min]:None! (Lab)
- Bullseye Lab!!!!
- Check out this Matrix-style Ping Pong (low-tech) video
- HW: PPB Ch 4 #s 4, 13, 17, 18 (HW Packet D)
- AND read about & get started on the upcoming CATAPULT PROJECT (Launch Week October 10th)
- Day 1
- Week of Monday, September 26th:
Projectile Motion and Newton's Laws
- Day 1
- Warmup [5 min]: You fire a projectile at a 25 degree angle with respect to the ground. What are the x- and y-components of its velocity just before it lands?
- Monkey Hunting Demo
- Note: for 1st period, the in-class material from Days 1 and 2 will be switched; we'll do the Monkey Demo on Tuesday. Bring your books to class on Monday to solve the problems (see below). HW is unchanged.
- Hit the target using projectile Motion
- HW: # 19 (Hard), 22, 23, 24 (HW Packet E)
- Day 2
Homework Packet D Due!
- Warmup [5 min]: Homework Questions
- Bring books to class and solve Chapter 4 #s 11, 12, 15, 20, 21 & 25 in class
- HW: Study for the quiz on day 3 (HW Packet E)
- Day 3
- Warmup [5 min]: none
- Second Major Exam - Projectile Motion {motion in two dimensions, vector components}
- HW: relax ... we'll be starting a new topic soon
- Day 4
- Warmup [5 min]: You roll a ball on the floor. Why does it eventually stop moving? You fire a bullet in deep outer space. What happens to it? (Thinker.)
- We'll do an extra day of projectile motion using a TROLL CATAPULT; HW stays the same (see below) -- if you feel you did poorly on the projectile motion exam, a makeup exam will be available on MONDAY at 5th period or after school, so do some review and studying over the weekend. Here's more practice problems.
- Don't forget to be working on your CATAPULT PROJECT this weekend! (Launch Week October 10th)
- HW: Visit and explore Lessons 1 and 2 on Newton's Laws at The Physics Classroom; be sure to treat this as you would a homework assignment from the book: do the questions as you get to them, check your answers, struggle with the material. You will be tested on this stuff. (HW Packet E)
- Optional HW: more practice problems with projectile motion for 1st period
- Day 1
- Week of Monday, October 3rd:
Newton's Laws
- Day 1
- 1st and 3rd period: makeup projectile motion exam today at 5th period or after school -- come find me! Here's more practice problems
- Warmup [5 min]: Describe the motion of a box in the back of a truck as the truck drives through a city (with a bunch of stop lights and near-accidents).
- Now that we know what to do with acceleration, how do we determine acceleration to begin with?
- Newton's Laws begun! Mechanical Universe video on inertia.
- HW: Chap 5 pages 3, 4 Read Problem Solving for Newton's Laws, Step-By-Step, make a note of anything that doesn't make sense. & bring any questions you have on your catapult project for Day 2 (HW Packet F)
- Additional HW for Period 1: Begin Conceptual Development sheets packet (turn in with HW Packet F)
- Day 2
Homework Packet E Due!
- Warmup [5 min]: What is meant by the word law? A government law? A natural law? A physical law?
- Begin the Prediction Project
- Newton's 1st Law; Aristotle vs. Newton (views of nature)
- "Force" as something that changes a state of motion
- Be sure to check out the errors page for the book -- write down the corrections for the answers in Chapter 5 in your book's answer key today!
- Special Topic: Catapults and Ancient Siege Weapons
- Discussion of details of the CATAPULT PROJECT
- HW: PPB Ch5 #s 4, 5, 6, 7, 40 and these Practice problems with Newton's First Law (HW Packet F)
- Day 3
- Warmup[5 min]: Why is a push-up called a push-up when you are really pushing down?
- Continue the Prediction Project
- Newton's 2nd Law / F = ma
- 2nd Law lab using accelerometer and force probe
- Weighing things with the force probe
- HW: PPB Ch 5 #s 8, 9, 10, 11 (HW Packet F)
- Day 4
- Warmup[5 min]: [Horse and buggy Problem] If a horse pulls on a buggy and the buggy pulls back on the horse, how does the system move forward?
- Continue the Prediction Project
- Newton's 3rd Law: identifying action/reaction pairs; drawing Free Body Diagrams (FBDs)
- HW: PPB Ch 5 #s 12, 15, 16, 23, 24, 34 (HW Packet F)
- Day 1
- Week of Monday, October 10th: Newton's Laws and Friction
- Day 1
- Warmup[5 min]: What are possible sources of forces?
- Lecture/demo [20 min]: Focus on 1st law of motion; definition of force; examples of forces (contact, friction, air resistance, normal, gravity, tension, spring)
- More Newton's second law.
- Forces at angles, elevator problems
- HW: PPB Ch 5 #s 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 29 (HW Packet G)
- Day 2
(HW Packet F Due)
- CATAPULT LAUNCHES
- HW: Work all of practice test 1 (here is the answer key in .txt format)
- Day 3
THURSDAY EVENING: ASTRONOMY STAR PARTY ... MEET AT FLAGPOLE 8:00 PM
- Test - Newton's Laws (no friction)
- HW: do problems 1 and 5 on practice test 2 from summer physics
- NOTICE: If you plan on taking the SAT Subject Test in Physics or wish to take the AP Physics B exam at the end of this year, you'll need to begin doing a small amount of additional work to study topics we are not covering. We will assign these topics as weekly optional homework as below:
- Optional HW for future SAT Physics and AP Physics B test takers: read the exam preparation site and e-mail BJP to let him know you plan on taking one or both tests (might as well take both if taking one)
- Day 1
- Week of Monday, October 17th: Midterm Week
- Day 1
- Warmup[5 min]: Draw a free body diagram for a box on a ramp.
- Inclined plane problems.
- Why doesn't it always slide down? Intro to static friction.
- Intro to kinetic friction
- HW: PPB Ch 5 #s 21 ,22, 28, 30, 31 (HW Packet G)
- Review sheet for midterm (in preparation)
- Need more practice with projectile motion? Try problems 1 and 2 on practice test 3 from summer physics
- Day 2
(HW Packet G Due)
- HW Questions re: friction
- Review for Midterm Exam
- HW: use practice test 4 from summer physics to study
- Midterm Exam: the Big Three, projectile motion, introduction to Newton's Laws, including some friction problems
- Homework over Quarter Break : Force Concept Practice Lesson -- this is to be completed and turned in on the day we return from Quarter Break. It will be graded for completeness, not by your score on the lesson. So be sure to complete every part of it and answer every question and you will recieve full credit.
- NOTICE: If you plan on taking the SAT Subject Test in Physics or wish to take the AP Physics B exam at the end of this year, you'll need to begin doing a small amount of additional work to study topics we are not covering. We will assign these topics as weekly optional homework as below:
- Optional HW for future SAT Physics and AP Physics B test takers: Get a free account at the College Board and read about the AP Physics B and SAT Subject tests in Physics. Also, please e-mail BJP to let him know you plan on taking one or both tests.
- Day 1
Click here for 2nd quarter schedule