Course Description
Equations
science links
uncertainty calculator
Wednesday April 18
worked problems from the problem set;
reviewed RMS voltage and current;
discussed/demonstrated transformers;
walked around on campus, looking at the transformer arrangement;
test 24 & 25 on Monday
Tuesday April 17
quiz over F = q vxB;
looked at alternative ways of writing Faraday’s law of induction;
discussed RMS and peak values of alternating current;
read: pp. 679-685 (induction)
Monday April 16
discussed/demonstrated magnetic deflection in a CRT;
discussed the operation of an oscilloscope;
looked at induced voltages from a speaker with an oscilloscope;
quiz tomorrow over F=q vxB;
problems 25 pp.692-693 #60-78 even (due Sunday)
Friday April 13
no class, due to Academy Days
Thursday April 12
reviewed Faraday’s Law of Induction;
looked at a few problems in the problem set;
discussed/demonstrated how a microphone or speaker can transform motion into an electrical signal;
discussed F = q vxB;
read: pp. 671-678 (electromagnetic induction)
Wednesday April 11
reviewed electromagnetism & magnetic domain theory;
watched animations on electric motors;
discussed/demonstrated Faraday’s Law of Induction;
problems pp.665-667 #60-66, 72-80 even (due Tuesday)
Tuesday April 10
discussed/demonstrated electromagnetism;
discussed magnetic domain theory;
discussed/demonstrated solenoid, speaker, galvanometer, & motor;
read: pp.652-659 (magnetic forces)
Monday April 9
discussed test 22 & 23;
played around with magnets, noting their properties;
discussed the historical applications of magnets for navigation;
read: pp.643-651 (magnetism)
Wednesday April 4
no class; beginning of home leave
Tuesday April 3
test 22 & 23
Monday April 2
discussed problems from the problem set;
reviewed concepts;
test 22 & 23 tomorrow
Friday March 30
discussed problems from the problem set;
discussed circuit breakers and fuses;
test 22 & 23 on Tuesday
Thursday March 29
collected data for index of refraction lab (due Tuesday when we return from break);
discussed circuit effects of internal resistance due to a depleted battery;
test 22 & 23 on Monday
Wednesday March 28
discussed problems from the problem set;
discussed/solved resistor networks;
continue working on problems pp.637-638 #58-76, 80, 82, 86 even (due Monday)
Tuesday March 27
discussed resistors in parallel and series;
quiz on Ohm’s law;
discussed/solved resistor networks;
read: pp.627-631 (circuit applications);
problems pp.637-638 #58-76, 80, 82, 86 even (due Monday)
Monday March 26
reviewed currents and circuits;
discussed resistance and Ohm’s law;
discussed resistor color codes and scientific notation;
read: pp.617-626 (series and parallel);
Ohm’s law quiz likely tomorrow
Friday March 23
discussed test 20 & 21;
briefly discussed currents and circuits;
discussed a few schematic symbols;
read: pp.601-605 (using electricity);
problems p.611 #62-70, 76-86 even (due Thursday)
Thursday March 22
test 20 & 21;
read: pp.590-600 (currents and circuits)
Wednesday March 21
discussed charge and energy stored in a capacitor;
worked on the problem sets for chapters 20 & 21;
test 20 & 21 tomorrow
Tuesday March 20
worked on the sound speed lab write-up;
worked on the problem sets for chapters 20 & 21 (due Wednesday);
test 20 & 21 on Thursday
Monday March 19
reviewed electric field, by analogy with gravitational field;
reviewed capacitors and demonstrated capacitive discharge;
discussed problems from the problem set;
continue working on homework problems (due Wednesday);
test 20 & 21 on Thursday
Friday March 16
discussed electric field, by analogy with gravitational field;
discussed capacitors and demonstrated capacitive discharge
continue working on homework problems;
read: 469-478 (E-field applications)
Thursday March 15
spent the class period getting the mission trip people back up to speed;
collected lab data;
looked at homework problems
Wednesday March 14
worked on problems and on the resonance tube/sound speed lab write-up;
read: pp.563-568 (electric field);
problems p.585-586 #66, 68, 70, 72, 76, 78, 80, 84, 88 (due next Tuesday)
Tuesday March 13
worked a Coulomb’s law vector addition problem;
continue working on problems p.559 #42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 60 (due ASAP)
Monday March 12
collected data for the resonance tube/sound speed lab;
continue working on problems p.559 #42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 60 (due ASAP)
Friday March 2
no class; beginning of Spring Break!
Thursday March 1
had an applied physics activity
Wednesday February 28
worked problems involving Coulomb’s law;
quiz on Coulomb’s law;
looked at a problem in the problem set;
problems p.559 #42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 60 (due Tuesday after the break)
Tuesday February 27
discussed test 18 & 19;
demonstrated/discussed electric charge and units;
discussed Coulomb’s law;
read: pp.546-553 (electric force)
Monday February 26
test 18 & 19;
read: pp.541-545 (electric charge)
Friday February 23
reviewed diffraction gratings and spectrometers;
discussed problems from the problem set;
quiz on spectrometers;
test 18 & 19 on Monday
Thursday February 22
reviewed single-slit, double-slit, and multiple-slit interference; reviewed thin film interference;
further discussed diffraction gratings and spectrometers;
discussed problems from the problem set;
discussed the Rayleigh criterion for resolution;
test 18 & 19 on Monday
Wednesday February 21
quiz on lens imaging;
worked problems on single-slit, double-slit, and multiple-slit interference;
discussed thin film interference
discussed diffraction gratings and spectroscopy;
test 18 & 19 on Monday
Tuesday February 20
demonstrated/discussed the double-slit experiment;
watched/discussed a video clip on the double-slit experiment and its behavior with particles;
discussed the equation for double-slit interference;
read: 524-531 (diffraction)
Monday February 19
worked problems from the problem set;
discussed eye optics and vision problems;
discussed vision correction;
lens imaging quiz tomorrow;
chapter 19 problems: p.536-538 #48, 52, 54, 58, 60 (due Monday)
Friday February 16
worked problems from the problem set;
worked a few lens imaging problems;
finish working on problems set 18 pp.509-511 #68, 70, 72, 74, 78, 82, 84, 86, 90, 94 (due Monday)
Thursday February 15
quiz on refraction;
played around with lenses;
discussed Fresnel lenses;
went outside and heated things up with big Fresnel lenses;
keep working on problems set 18 pp.509-511 #68, 70, 72, 74, 78, 82, 84, 86, 90, 94 (due Friday);
read: pp.500-503 (optical instruments)
Wednesday February 14
pseudo-quiz on refraction;
worked multiple problems on refraction and on lens imaging;
keep working on problems set 18 pp.509-511 #68, 70, 72, 74, 78, 82, 84, 86, 90, 94 (due Friday);
refraction quiz tomorrow–this time, for real
Tuesday February 13
collected data for the simple harmonic motion lab (write-up due next Tuesday);
keep working on problems set 18 pp.509-511 #68, 70, 72, 74, 78, 82, 84, 86, 90, 94 (due Friday);
refraction quiz tomorrow
Monday February 12
discussed index of refraction and Snell’s law;
discussed/demonstrated total internal reflection and the critical angle;
discussed fiber optic cables;
problems set 18 pp.509-511 #68, 70, 72, 74, 78, 82, 84, 86, 90, 94 (due Friday)
Friday February 9
discussed test 16 & 17;
briefly discussed/demonstrated refraction;
read: pp.493-499 (lenses)
Thursday February 8
test 16 & 17;
read: pp.485-492 (refraction)
Wednesday February 7
worked problems from the problem set;
discussed/analyzed the design of mirror telescopes;
test 16 & 17 tomorrow
Tuesday February 6
worked on problems from the problem set;
quiz on mirror imaging;
problems set due date postponed till Thursday;
test 16 & 17 on Thursday
Monday February 5
played around with curved mirrors;
discussed imaging with mirrors;
worked problems on mirror imaging;
keep working on problems: pp. 479-480 #56, 57, 60, 62, 64, 66, 68, 69, 70, 72 (due Wednesday)
Friday January 26
played around with curved mirrors
Thursday January 25
quiz over color models, polarization, and Doppler shift;
looked at problems from the problem set;
discussed and played around with plane mirrors
problems: pp. 479-480 #56, 57, 60, 62, 64, 66, 68, 69, 70, 72 (due Wednesday after home leave)
Wednesday January 24
went outside with polarizers;
quiz over illumination;
looked at problems from the problem set;
read: 464-475 (curved mirrors)
Tuesday January 23
reviewed the electromagnetic spectrum, RGB, CMYK;
discussed and tested for colorblindness;
discussed/observed polarized light with polarizers;
looked at problems from the problem set;
read: 457-463 (plane mirrors)
Monday January 22
reviewed illumination, luminosity, and luminous intensity;
discussed the electromagnetic spectrum;
discussed attributes of the visible spectrum: RGB, CMYK
problems p. 453 #54-62 even, 63, 65, 66, 69 (due Thursday)
Friday January 19
discussed test 14 & 15;
discussed the history of light theory;
defined/discussed illumination, luminosity, and luminous intensity;
read: pp. 439-447 (color, polarization, & the Doppler effect with light)
Thursday January 18
test 14 & 15;
read: pp. 431-438 (light)
Wednesday January 17
worked on a few problems from the problem set;
tried to experimentally verify theory of resonant frequency of a string and a pipe;
test 14 & 15 tomorrow
Tuesday January 16
worked on a few problems from the problem set;
discussed/demonstrated a flat spectrum response;
went to Ponce Hall to see how flat the spectrum was there;
test 14 & 15 on Thursday
Monday January 15
considered some of the problems in the chapter 15 problem set (put off again until Wednesday);
discussed sound speed as a function of temperature;
discussed/analyzed resonance on a wire and within a tube;
continue working on the problem set
Friday January 12
quiz on decibels;
analyzed/compared the harmonic content of a synthesized reed instrument with the real thing;
work on the problem set (due date postponed until Tuesday)
Thursday January 11
discussed harmonic content of a complex tone;
analyzed a human voice for harmonic content when singing various sounds;
discussed frequency ratios for musical scales;
bring an instrument tomorrow for analysis of harmonic content
Wednesday January 10
reviewed the range of human hearing , the decibel scale, and the Doppler effect; worked related problems;
discussed objective and subjective audio terms;
began considering harmonic content of a complex tone;
problems pp.425-427 #52, 54, 58, 61, 64, 66, 68, 72, 76, 78, 82 (due Monday)
Tuesday January 9
no class today, due to Personal Finance field trip
Monday January 8
described wave properties: straight-line propagation, reflection, refraction, diffraction, & interference;
reviewed the range of human hearing and the decibel scale;
looked at the mathematics behind the decibel scale;
looked at the problem set (due Wednesday);
discussed/demonstrated the Doppler effect
Friday January 5
discussed/demonstrated the range of human hearing;
discussed sound intensity and the decibel scale;
began discussing the region of human hearing;
read: p.411-419 (sound);
problems p.397-400 #70, 72, 74, 78, 80, 86, 90, 92, 100 (due date postponed until Wednesday)
Thursday January 4
quiz on simple harmonic motion;
discussed/demonstrated wave reflections and interference;
discussed/demonstrated standing waves;
read: p.403-410 (sound);
problems p.397-400 #70, 72, 74, 78, 80, 86, 90, 92, 100 (due Tuesday)
Wednesday January 3
reviewed simple harmonic motion;
discussed/demonstrated wave types and wave anatomy;
discussed the mathematical representation of a wave;
read: p.381-391 (wave properties and behavior)
Tuesday January 2
briefly discussed 1st semester exam;
discussed/demonstrated/analyzed simple harmonic motion with a mass & spring;
discussed/demonstrated/analyzed simple harmonic motion with a pendulum;
read: p.375-380 (simple harmonic motion)
Wednesday December 13
no class today, due to semester exams;
exam will be at 12:30 on Thursday
Tuesday December 12
continued reviewing for semester exam, 12:30 on Thursday
Monday December 11
reviewed for semester exam using the equation sheet;
semester exam is at 12:30 on Thursday
Friday December 8
considered the combination of Young’s modulus and thermal expansion;
began reviewing fluids and heat for semester exam;
start reviewing for semester exam using the equation sheet
Thursday December 7
quiz on Archimedes’ principle;
discussed the chapter 13 problem set;
further discussed Young’s modulus; worked a problem;
looked at Bernoulli’s equation and worked a problem with it;
start reviewing for semester exam
Wednesday December 6
pseudo-quiz #2 on Archimedes’ principle;
discussed the chapter 13 problem set;
briefly discussed Young’s modulus;
problem set 13 due on Thursday
Tuesday December 5
collected data for the specific heat lab;
pseudo-quiz on Archimedes’ principle;
problem set 13 due on Thursday
Monday December 4
discussed Archimedes’ principle;
discussed Pascal’s principle;
discussed/demonstrated Bernoulli’s principle;
look over the specific heat lab handout for tomorrow
Friday December 1
summarized the 2nd law of thermodynamics, and its connection with intelligent design;
briefly discussed density and Archimedes’ principle;
read: 359-363 (solids)
Thursday November 30
discussed entropy and the tendency toward chaos;
continued discussing the statistical probability governing the 2nd law of thermodynamics;
start working on p.369-371 #76, 77, 78, 80, 82, 88, 91, 96, 100 (due Wednesday)
Wednesday November 29
re-quiz over calorimetry;
worked problems from the problem set;
began discussing the statistical probability governing the 2nd law of thermodynamics;
read: 341-348 (fluids)
Tuesday November 28
quiz over calorimetry;
reviewed latent heat and phase change;
discussed refrigeration;
problem set is due Thursday
Monday November 27
reviewed thermal conduction and radiation;
reviewed latent heat and phase change; quiz likely tomorrow over calorimetry;
discussed heat engines; watched animation of them;
worked a few problems from the problem set (due Wednesday)
Friday November 17
no class, due to Thanksgiving break
Thursday November 16
further discussed thermal conduction and radiation;
discussed/demonstrated thermal conductivity and thermal expansion;
discussed latent heat and phase change
Wednesday November 15
discussed/demonstrated calorimetry;
discussed thermal conduction and radiation;
begin on chapter 12 problems: pp.336-337 #52-64 even
Tuesday November 14
discussed test 10 & 11;
discussed doing the torques lab write-up;
discussed thermometry, temperature, and heat;
read: 323-331 (phase change and thermodynamics)
Monday November 13
test 10 & 11;
read: 313-322 (temperature and thermal energy)
Friday November 10
discussed problems from the problem set;
worked examples of conservation of energy involving rotation;
looked at physics animations at PhET
test 10 & 11 on Monday
Thursday November 9
discussed problems from the problem set;
finished Nova’s Einstein’s Big Idea: E=mc^2
Wednesday November 8
quiz on work, energy, and conservation;
collected data for the Torques Lab;
discussed problems from the problem set;
continue working on problems 11: p.307-309 #54, 60, 62, 64, 70, 72, 74, 78, 80, 82 (due Friday)
Tuesday November 7
had a pseudo-quiz on conservation of energy; a real quiz is likely tomorrow;
worked problems from problem set 11;
watched more of Nova’s Einstein’s Big Idea: E=mc^2;
continue working on problems 11: p.307-309 #54, 60, 62, 64, 70, 72, 74, 78, 80, 82 (due Friday)
Monday November 6
discussed simple machines;
worked problems from the problem set;
watched the next segment of Nova’s Einstein’s Big Idea: E=mc^2;
finish working on problem set 10: p.278-281 #52, 56, 58, 64, 66, 70, 74, 82, 86 (due tomorrow);
get started on problems 11: p.307-309 #54, 60, 62, 64, 70, 72, 74, 78, 80, 82 (due Friday)
Friday November 3
worked problems from the problem set;
watched the third segment of Nova’s Einstein’s Big Idea: E=mc^2;
continue working on problem set 10: p.278-281 #52, 56, 58, 64, 66, 70, 74, 82, 86 (due Tuesday);
read: 285-292 (forms of energy)
Thursday November 2
reviewed work, kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy, and elastic potential energy;
defined & discussed power;
climbed the stairs, measuring power output for the brief duration;
watched the second segment of Nova’s Einstein’s Big Idea: E=mc^2;
get working on problem set 10: p.278-281 #52, 56, 58, 64, 66, 70, 74, 82, 86 (due Tuesday)
Wednesday November 1
reviewed work and kinetic energy;
defined & discussed gravitational potential energy and elastic potential energy;
briefly discussed conservation of energy;
watched the first segment of Nova’s Einstein’s Big Idea: E=mc^2;
problem set 10: p.278-281 #52, 56, 58, 64, 66, 70, 74, 82, 86 (due Tuesday)
Tuesday October 31
discussed test 8 & 9;
briefly defined/discussed work and kinetic energy;
read: 266-273 (simple machines)
Monday October 30
test 8 & 9;
read: 257-265 (work, energy, & power)
Friday October 27
worked problems from the problem set;
discussed details of doing the lab write-up;
quiz on torque and rotational kinematics;
test 8 & 9 Monday
Thursday October 26
worked problems from the problem set;
worked through a 2-D collision;
watched more of a video segment on conservation of momentum and angular momentum;
test 8 & 9 postponed until Monday
Wednesday October 25
quiz over rotational inertia;
tested egg-drop designs;
watched a video segment on conservation of momentum;
test 8 & 9 on Friday
Tuesday October 24
played around a little with gyroscopes;
collected data for Forces Lab (write-up due next Tuesday);
worked on making an egg-drop apparatus;
quiz tomorrow on rotational inertia
Monday October 23
reviewed everything done just before class trip;
discussed packaging theory to minimize forces felt by collisions;
problems p.251-253 #56, 59, 62, 66, 67, 74, 77, 79 (due Friday)
Tuesday October 17
no class, due to Senior Class Trip
Monday October 16
no class, due to Senior Class Trip
Friday October 13
defined/discussed momentum and its conservation;
defined/discussed angular momentum and its conservation;
demonstrated conservation of momentum with bicycle wheel and rotating platform
Thursday October 12
no class, due to college fair;
Wednesday October 11
discussed equilibrium and worked a problem;
worked problems from the problem set;
read 229-235 (impulse and momentum)
Tuesday October 10
discussed/demonstrated rotational inertia;
defined/discussed torque;
worked rotational kinematics problem;
read 211-217 equilibrium;
problems pp.223-225 #72-78 even, 82, 84, 87, 88 (due Friday)
Monday October 9
discussed test 6 & 7;
discussed rotational motion through analogy with linear motion;
worked problems involving angular acceleration;
read 201-210 (rotational dynamics)
Friday October 6
no class, due to Fall Festival preparations
Thursday, October 5
test 6 & 7;
read: 196-200 (describing rotational motion)
Wednesday, October 4
reviewed chapters 6 & 7;
worked problems from the problem sets;
test 6 & 7 on tomorrow
Tuesday, October 3
quiz tomorrow on gravitation;
Power Outreach students collected sliding friction lab data;
test 6 & 7 on Thursday
Monday, October 2
reviewed everything done last week for those who were gone on Power Outreach;
worked problems involving gravitation;
quiz tomorrow on gravitation
Friday, September 29
collected data for the Sliding Friction Lab;
briefly considered problems from problem set 7: pp.191-193 #54, 58, 62, 70, 76, 82, 84, 86
Thursday, September 28
discussed satellites and Kepler’s 3rd law of planetary motion;
discussed synchronous-orbit communication satellites and their properties;
get started on problem set 7: pp.191-193 #54, 58, 62, 70, 76, 82, 84, 86
Wednesday, September 27
quiz on centripetal force;
discussed Newton’s expression for universal gravitation;
worked examples of gravitational force;
read: pp.179-185 (using universal gravitation)
Tuesday, September 26
quiz on projectile motion;
worked problems from the chapter 6 problem set;
read: pp.171-178 (universal gravitation)
Monday, September 25
no class, due to View Southern
Friday, September 22
no class, due to Field Day
Thursday, September 21
finished watching the dropped vs. fired bullet thought experiment as investigated by Myth Busters;
discussed/demonstrated The Monkey and the Hunter;
worked on chapter 6 problem set;
continue working on chapter 6 problems: pp 165-167 #52, 56, 58, 60, 62, 66, 68, 74 (due Wednesday)
Wednesday, September 20
pseudo-quiz on projectile motion;
discussed/demonstrated centripetal force and centrifugal force;
began watching the dropped vs. fired bullet thought experiment as investigated by Myth Busters;
start working on chapter 6 problems: pp 165-167 #52, 56, 58, 60, 62, 66, 68, 74 (due Wednesday)
Tuesday, September 19
discussed test over chapters 4 & 5;
discussed projectile motion;
read 153-159 (circular motion)
Monday, September 18
test over chapters 4 & 5;
read: 147-152 (projectile motion);
get the acceleration lab write-up in ASAP
Friday, September 8
no class, due to Community Outreach Day
Thursday, September 7
worked an acceleration problem on a slope;
looked over friction simulations at PhET;
took a brief ride to demonstrate non-anti-lock brakes;
test 4 & 5 will be Monday; BWCA participants need to take it before leaving Sunday
Wednesday, September 6
demonstrated graphical analysis of the acceleration data;
took a brief ride to demonstrate anti-lock brakes, illustrating static vs. kinetic friction;
worked some statics problems;
test 4 & 5 will be Monday; BWCA participants need to take it before leaving Sunday
Tuesday, September 5
quiz on sliding friction;
worked problems from the chapter 5 problem set
Monday, September 4
pseudo-quiz on sliding friction;
worked problems from the chapter 5 problem set;
demonstrated with a spreadsheet the analysis of the acceleration data;
problem set 5 due tomorrow
Friday, September 1
worked an additional sliding friction problems involving angles;
worked in the media center acquiring acceleration data from phone video;
problem set 5 due Tuesday
Thursday, August 31
recollected acceleration data;
worked a variety of sliding friction problems involving angles
Wednesday, August 30
quiz over vector addition;
tried working with acceleration data;
briefly discussed sliding friction;
due date for lab postponed until next week
Tuesday, August 29
pseudo-quiz on analytical vector addition (real quiz likely tomorrow);
went to the media center to extract acceleration lab data from the video;
problem set 5: pp 141-143 #80, 82, 86, 90, 92, 96, 98, 104 (due Monday)
Monday, August 28
discussed/demonstrated graphical vector addition;
discussed/demonstrated analytical vector addition
Friday, August 25
no class, due to senior survival
Thursday, August 24
discussed chapter 4 problems;
discussed the density lab;
tried to upload the video of the free-fall for our acceleration lab;
read: 126-135 (forces and friction)
Wednesday, August 23
discussed Newton’s laws;
demonstrated the 1st law with water cup pyramid;
worked on the density lab write-up (due tomorrow);
chapter 4 problems: p.113 #60, 64, 68, 70, 72, 76, 80 (due next Wednesday)
Tuesday, August 22
discussed Friday’s test;
density lab write-up due-date postponed till Thursday;
read: 96-107 (Newton’s 2nd and 3rd law)
Monday, August 21
no class, due to solar eclipse
Friday, August 18
test 1-3;
read: pp. 87-95 (Newton’s Laws)
Thursday, August 17
quiz on acceleration;
worked problems from the homework set;
test 1-3 tomorrow
Wednesday, August 16
collected data for the Density Lab;
worked more acceleration problems, free-fall problems;
test 1-3 on Friday
Tuesday, August 15
discussed some of the details of doing the Density Lab tomorrow;
worked more acceleration problems, free-fall problems;
look over the Density Lab handout
Monday, August 14
discussed the uncertainty worksheet (due tomorrow);
worked more acceleration problems, free-fall problems;
problems p.81-84 #74, 78, 82, 84, 86, 88, 94, 100, 106, 110 (due Friday)
Friday, August 11
briefly discussed chapter 1 problem set;
reviewed arithmetic with error terms;
discussed graphing with error terms;
Read pp. 65-75 (working with acceleration)
finish up the uncertainty worksheet (due Tuesday)
Thursday, August 10
discussed chapter 1 problem set (due tomorrow);
discussed accelerated motion;
worked problems involving acceleration;
Read pp. 57-64 (acceleration)
get started on the uncertainty worksheet (due Tuesday)
Wednesday, August 9
discussed a few problems from chapter 1;
reviewed working with error terms;
discussed graphing motion (position vs. time);
Read pp. 43-47 (measuring speeds)
problems pp. 25-28 #54, 60, 68, 70, 72, 76, 90 (due Friday)
get started on the uncertainty worksheet (due Monday)
Tuesday, August 8
discussed fundamental units and dimensional analysis;
discussed significant figure rules;
discussed/practiced working with error terms;
Read pp. 31-42 (1-D motion)
Monday, August 7
passed out textbooks; explained course description;
considered some counterintuitive phenomena;
Read pp. 3-14 (units & measurements)