You have survived your first week, Congratulations!
Updated August 27, 2021 This is your class landing page, you will want to come here every week to check for any class announcements.
Week 1 Summary
Hopefully through your reading and class time you have a pretty good idea as to how the Scientific Method works. From observations of a phenomenon that interests you, you develop a hypothesis. The hypothesis then becomes the factor that drives experimentation. If the results of the experiment(s) supports your hypothesis, then it is possible for it to become a theory if it is continually proven right (by repeated experimentation) over time.
From your reading and videos, understand that in experimentation, there are dependent and independent variables. The independent variables are actually the ones that we manipulate, and then observe how manipulating these impacts dependent variables we would actually measure. You will learn in Skill & Practice Worksheet 1D Identifying Control and Experimental Variables that only one variable is manipulated at a time.
On Thursday, we discussed SI units and the metric system. When reporting data in the worlds of chemistry and physics, we typically use the units as follows:
gram - to measure the mass of an object
meter - to measure distance or length
second - to measure time
liter - to measure volume
Celsius or kelvins - to measure temperature
In addition to knowing these SI units, it would also be helpful for you to remember the unit prefixes as shown at right, and the value that each represents.
In your reading through Chapter 1, you should have also seen the importance this week of applying the four-step process to solving physics problems:
Identify what the problem is asking, and what variables need to be in the answer.
Identify the information you are given.
Identify any relationships between the information you are asked to find and what is given.
Combine the relationships with what you know and what you are to find.
We will use these steps when we solve many, many problems throughout the year.
Chapter 1 videos are below for your review.
What to expect in Week 2
When you return to class this Tues you are all going to work on the Skill & Practice labs 1I (English Conversions), 1J (Significant Figures) and 1K (Solving Equations With One Variable). We will focus more on 1I and 1K, since these will be skills you will use over and over again in both math and science classes. Peruse through these briefly before coming to class on Tues.
I would encourage all of you to start working towards finishing this chapter, and bring questions to class, or email me! Do take advantage of the videos!
This Thurs we will start Chapter 2 - Describing Motion, which is divided into the following sections:
Section 2.1 - Position, Velocity, and Acceleration
Section 2.2 - Position vs. Time Graphs
Section 2.3 - Velocity vs. Time Graphs
Before you even start watching any of the videos provided print out the Chapter 2 Worksheets (linked right). Chapter 2 will cover the concepts of Position, Velocity, and Acceleration. These terms are all somewhat related, but do have very specific meanings associated with them.
The position of an object describes its place in space, in relationship to an origin. Another way stated, when my position is on the PEP Milford campus, I am about 9 kilometers southeast of an origin (my house in Loveland).
The velocity of an object defines how fast it travels per unit of time; If it takes me about 25 minutes (1,500 s) to drive 24 kilometers, I am traveling at an average velocity of 16 meters per second.
Acceleration is defined as the change in velocity of an object, per unit of time, and we typically think of acceleration when we are starting and stopping our automobiles.
You will perform many, many calculations on position, velocity, and acceleration, throughout the rest of this course!
Below are Chapter 2 videos for your review as assigned.
Make sure you do the following before classes start: Tues, Aug. 31st:
Bring to class Any questions you have concerning Skill Practice 1G and 1H.
Print out and bring to classSkill & Practice 1I, 1J, and 1K worksheets (linked right - do not complete these, we will do this in class)
Watch Section 1.3 video and read this section in your text
Thurs, Sept. 2nd:
Print out and bring to classSkill & Practice worksheets 2E, 2F (linked right - do not complete, we will do in class)
Watch Section 2.1 video and read this section in your text
Print out the Chapter 2 worksheets and start reading in your text and attempt to answer the questions - these are not due until shown on your Weekly Pacing Schedule, but it doesn't hurt to get started
Prepare for Quiz #2 covering Tuesday class
Week 2 Resources/ Assets
Use the "Class Questions Forum" to ask any questions about assignments, labs, quizzes, due dates, etc.