2014 version:
Day 1 (Thurs 8/28): Intro, book cards, syllabus, expectations
Diagnostic quiz (30 minutes)
Examination of equipment:
Students are handed, by table, the CPO Timer II box, which includes photogates.
They were prompted to explore what the equipment could do and how it does it.
After about 10 minutes of exploration they were asked to organize their findings (including diagrams and/or bullet points on the whiteboards) and to share them with the class
Opener: book cards
Essential Questions:
Closer: clean lab
Handouts: Course information sheet, book card, unit 1 assignments,
Day 2: Opener: What is physics? (Think-Pair-Share)
(see file: 554/Unit1/notes1 &” what is physics” web page)
What makes a method scientific?
(see file: 554/Unit1/notes 2)
Scientific Method
– many forms;
– all involve experimentation, analysis of data, prediction, reevaluation of hypothesis/theory/principle/law in light of new data
– must be testable (falsifyable)
– self-correcting because theory must fit old + new data
Hw recap
Begin lab – no data collected
Handout: Unit 1 Review
Day 3: Opener
: What do we need to measure to describe motion?
Need position and time to determine speed.
Need to measure position relative to an origin
eg: starting line, surface of Earth, Greenwich Meridian, Equator, Sun, etc.
This defines a "reference frame" or frame of reference
Collect data for Fast walker/slow walker
Graph fast walker, slow walker
Represent change by the delta symbol: delta x = x2-x1
average speed = (change in position)/(change in time)
v(avg) = (delta x)/(delta t)
interpret x vs. t graphs
Handout: unit 1 equation sheet
x vs. t graphs
Day 4:
Speed, Acceleration, and Free Fall lab
Notes on acceleration, v vs. t graphs