QHST Montessori Research Physics

2009-06-11T12:23:00.000-07:00

Images are now posted from the Freshman Physics Final Project

Click here to view them or click on the photo gallery link on the side of the blog

How Fast is 10 mph?

2008-12-01T07:29:00.000-08:00

Stuntman to talk about Empire State Building caper

"A professor says it's possible for an object falling from the top of New York City's Empire State Building to hit the ground despite it's wedding-cake shape... A 10-mph breeze could have blown Corliss sideways far enough for him to clear the lower parts of the building..."

" that's roughly the speed with which you would swing a hammer"

EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY
By Dec 15, Up to two pages (plus diagrams and calulations) examining the following:

IS this true? How far away from the building will he travel with that initial velocity? Does it seem likely that he COULD achive that initial velocity? Is it failr to compare a person jumping from a building with the swing of a hammer? Why or why not?

Hammer Vs. Feather: Who will win?

2008-10-30T17:41:00.000-07:00

As we discussed in class, without an atmosphere, all objects should fall at the same rate.

Check out this NASA August, 1971 Apollo 15 video where astronaut David Scott tested this out on the moon. You can also view in on YouTube or here in black & white.

YouTube also has a NASA "Brain Bites" video that explains it in detail. (You can check out the NASA Brain Bites site for more)
Now take a look at this video. Not from a space mission or the shuttle. No special effects. You can even do this.

Can you explain it?

Newton's First Law demonstrated on an Air Track

2008-10-05T20:25:00.000-07:00

Two big concepts - Inertia and Newton's First Law.

Here's a summary of an N1 (Newton's First Law) Lab using the Air Tracks we've just unboxed.

Eggs, Bowling Balls, Marbles... What's the connection?

2008-09-22T07:18:00.000-07:00

This week we began our inquiry into things moving and not moving. A video link showing the first demonstration will be posted shortly on U-tube. Find a computer to view it on.

Questions to consider for your reports (due Monday, Sept 29):

What, EXACTLY, did you see?

You'll find it really, really helpful to draw a diagram showing the objects before, during and after.

You were given the opportunity to take some direct measurements. Did you take advantage of it?

How are the demonstrations related?

QHST Montessori Research Physics?

2008-09-11T17:46:00.000-07:00

This year's Montessori Seniors will be doing a hands-on research physics class, that includes getting ready for the NY State Regents Physics Exam.

Lots of experiments, the more interesting (and fun) the better (Such as the Diet Coke & Mentos test we did this afternoon! Check out the YouTube video of it through the "recent research" link on the right).

Most physics concepts can be developed and demonstrated using materials from our everyday lives, however there will also be lots of work, including building much of the equipment we will use, college-level lab reports, tricky test questions and lots and lots of math as well.

The state requires proof that students have done the work, and that means writing lab reports for most of the things we do. The format will be given out in class, however we will spend a couple of weeks developing lab report writing skills.

An abstract is one of the first things the class will be introduced to. An abstract is a short informative or descriptive summary of a longer report.

There are two distinct types of abstracts:

A DESCRIPTIVE abstract merely identifies the areas to be covered in the report. (snip)Such an abstract is only useful for a very long report, because it demonstrates only the paper's organization, not its content.
An INFORMATIVE abstract summarizes the entire report and gives the reader an overview of the facts that will be laid out in detail in the paper itself. It is rarely longer than one page and should never exceed more than 10% of the length of the entire report; otherwise it defeats its own purpose.

For our purposes, we will have an informative abstract of each report that is no longer than a single paragraph.

For research, I've found a really useful virtual reference page from the George Mason University Wrtiting Center