AP Physics 1, A3/4
To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe.
Marilyn vos Savant |
Assignments
Fourth Quarter Grading Period
Mar 12 to Jun 7, 2016
Wed, Mar 16
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Thu, Mar 17
Due:
- Reading Activity 8-7 - Reading Activity 8-8 Agenda: - Lecture Lsn 8-7 - Lecture Lsn 8-8 Assignment: - HW Lsn 8-7, #43-48 - HW Lsn 8-8, #51-64 6-Word Memoir: Fun, interesting, entertaining, safe, family, friends |
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SPRING BREAK ASSIGNMENTS . . . BOOOOO, HISSSSSS
HW 8-7, #43-48
HW 8-8, #51-64 Ch 8 Test Review
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Lsn 11-1 to 11-3
Reading Activity HW #1-25
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Lsn 11-4
Reading Activity HW #28-34
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Lsn 11-7 to 11-9
Reading Activity HW #36-44,46,47
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Lsn 11-11 to 11-13
Reading Activity HW #51-61
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Ch 11 Test Review
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Tue, Apr 29
Due:
- All Spring Break Assignments Agenda: - Review Chapter 8 Test Review - Review Chapter 11 Test Review Assignment: - Reading Activity 16-1 to 16-4 - Reading Activity 16-5 to 16-6 6-Word Memoir: High school student now 11th grade |
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Fri, Apr 1
Due:
- Reading Activity 16-1 to 16-4 - Reading Activity 16-5 to 16-6 Agenda: - Lecture Lsn 16-1 to 16-4 - Lecture Lsn 16-5 to 16-6 Assignment: - HW Lsn 16-1 to 16-4, #1-9 - HW Lsn 16-5 to 16-6, #10-17 6-Word Memoir: How did I mess that up? |
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Words of Wisdom: 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.
Physics Today - Hollow Atoms
The world’s first hard x-ray free electron laser started operations with a bang. A single ~100 femtosecond x-ray pulse stripped all ten electrons from neon. Scientists were able to control the stripping mechanism and found that they could ionize (charge the particles) from the inside out, producing exotic hollow atoms.
Physicists have removed the inner electrons from neon with a high energy X-ray laser, leaving behind a hollow atom shell. Image courtesy of Greg Stewart/SLAC (2011)
From: http://www.physicscentral.com/explore/pictures/hollowatoms.cfm
Physicists have removed the inner electrons from neon with a high energy X-ray laser, leaving behind a hollow atom shell. Image courtesy of Greg Stewart/SLAC (2011)
From: http://www.physicscentral.com/explore/pictures/hollowatoms.cfm
Tue, Apr 5
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Wed, Apr 6
Due:
- Reading Activity 18-1 to 18-3 - Reading Activity 18-4 Agenda: - Lecture Lsn 18-1 to 18-3 - Lecture Lsn 18-4 Assignment: - HW Lsn 18-1 to 18-4, #1-16, 20-22 6-Word Memoir: I guess I did all right |
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Words of Wisdom: 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
Bullet Proof: Absorbing Micro-Bullets
Polyurethane, a common type of “bullet-proof glass,” can stop a speeding bullet and reseal itself after impact. Determined scientists have finally gained more insight into how polyurethane is able to dissipate so much energy without sustaining more damage.
To unravel this mystery, a research team created a model consisting of microscopic glass bullets, a firing mechanism, and a nano-layered, bullet-proof target material that mimicked polyurethane. The nano-layered composite target material captured speeding glass micro-bullets and resealed itself!1 This microscopic system has elucidated the mechanisms behind polyurethane’s strengths and has provided potential for significant new applications.
Three and a half centimeters of polyurethane can arrest a bullet traveling at 350 meters per second.1 It has glassy (more rigid) and rubbery (more stretchy) areas on the nanoscale, and it can “heal” itself after a bullet penetrates its surface. Researchers already knew what polyurethane could do; they just didn’t know how and why.
Learn More At: http://www.physicscentral.com/explore/action/bullet-proof.cfm
Photo: Scanning electron microscope image of a glass bullet, fired at 1,500 meters per second into a PS-b-PDMS diblock-copolymer.
Image Credit: Dr. Jae Hwang Lee, Rice University.
To unravel this mystery, a research team created a model consisting of microscopic glass bullets, a firing mechanism, and a nano-layered, bullet-proof target material that mimicked polyurethane. The nano-layered composite target material captured speeding glass micro-bullets and resealed itself!1 This microscopic system has elucidated the mechanisms behind polyurethane’s strengths and has provided potential for significant new applications.
Three and a half centimeters of polyurethane can arrest a bullet traveling at 350 meters per second.1 It has glassy (more rigid) and rubbery (more stretchy) areas on the nanoscale, and it can “heal” itself after a bullet penetrates its surface. Researchers already knew what polyurethane could do; they just didn’t know how and why.
Learn More At: http://www.physicscentral.com/explore/action/bullet-proof.cfm
Photo: Scanning electron microscope image of a glass bullet, fired at 1,500 meters per second into a PS-b-PDMS diblock-copolymer.
Image Credit: Dr. Jae Hwang Lee, Rice University.
Mon, Apr 11
Due:
- HW Lsn 16-1 to 16-6, #1-17 - HW Lsn 18-1 to 18-4, #1-16, 20-22 Agenda: - Review HW Lsn 16-1 to 16-6, #1-17 - Review HW Lsn 18-1 to 18-4, #1-16, 20-22 Assignment: - Reading Activity 18-5 to 18-6 - Reading Activity 19-1 to 19-2 6-Word Memoir: I live life to the fullest |
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Thu, Apr 14
Due:
- Reading Activity 18-5 to 18-6 - Reading Activity 19-1 to 19-2 Agenda: - Lecture Lsn 18-5 to 18-6 - Lecture Lsn 19-1 to 19-2 Assignment: - HW Lsn 18-5 to 18-6, #26-39 - HW Lsn 19-1 to 19-2, #1-18 6-Word Memoir: I Love Pho King Food |
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Words of Wisdom: My socks DO match. They're the same thickness.
Physics Today - Shock Waves
The drawings show waves produced at regular time intervals by an object moving through a fluid. When the object speed is less than the wave speed (top), the waves run out ahead. When the object speed equals the wave speed (middle), the waves pile up right in front of the object. When the object speed is greater than the wave speed (bottom), the waves form a wake.
Have you ever heard a sonic boom? Have you ever seen the shock waves that cause one? Shockwaves are regions of increased air pressure and temperature, and when these waves reach the ground, we hear the sonic boom.
To understand these shock waves, take a look at the diagram to the left, which show waves spreading out from an object moving through a fluid. Such waves are produced continually as the object moves. Each diagram shows a series snapshots taken at regular time intervals. These waves spread out in circles, like ripples from a stone dropped into a pond, and move at the speed of the waves in the fluid. Notice that if the object moves faster than the speed of the waves, the circles form a “V”-shaped wake, like the wake of a ship or the shock waves from the nose of an F-18.
As the diagram shows, when the object’s speed equals the wave speed, the waves pile up right in front of the object. In the 1940s, engineers feared that as an aircraft approached the speed of sound, this accumulation of waves could produce loss of control, and indeed, early attempts to break the sound barrier failed, with the loss of test aircraft and pilots. Finally, in 1947 Air Force pilot Chuck Yeager smoothly accelerated the Bell X-1 (see photo) to Mach 1.2, or 1.2 times the speed of sound, which at the X-1’s altitude is about 300 meters per second, (660 miles per hour).
Have you ever heard a sonic boom? Have you ever seen the shock waves that cause one? Shockwaves are regions of increased air pressure and temperature, and when these waves reach the ground, we hear the sonic boom.
To understand these shock waves, take a look at the diagram to the left, which show waves spreading out from an object moving through a fluid. Such waves are produced continually as the object moves. Each diagram shows a series snapshots taken at regular time intervals. These waves spread out in circles, like ripples from a stone dropped into a pond, and move at the speed of the waves in the fluid. Notice that if the object moves faster than the speed of the waves, the circles form a “V”-shaped wake, like the wake of a ship or the shock waves from the nose of an F-18.
As the diagram shows, when the object’s speed equals the wave speed, the waves pile up right in front of the object. In the 1940s, engineers feared that as an aircraft approached the speed of sound, this accumulation of waves could produce loss of control, and indeed, early attempts to break the sound barrier failed, with the loss of test aircraft and pilots. Finally, in 1947 Air Force pilot Chuck Yeager smoothly accelerated the Bell X-1 (see photo) to Mach 1.2, or 1.2 times the speed of sound, which at the X-1’s altitude is about 300 meters per second, (660 miles per hour).
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Mon, Apr 18
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Tue, Apr 19
Due:
- Reading Activity 19-3
Agenda:
- Lecture Lsn 19-3
- HW Lsn 19-3, #23-31 In Class
Assignment:
- Complete HW Lsn 19-3, #23-31
- Optional Extra Credit Electricity Test
Review
6-Word Memoir:
I’ve done this three times already
- Reading Activity 19-3
Agenda:
- Lecture Lsn 19-3
- HW Lsn 19-3, #23-31 In Class
Assignment:
- Complete HW Lsn 19-3, #23-31
- Optional Extra Credit Electricity Test
Review
6-Word Memoir:
I’ve done this three times already
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Fri, Apr 22
Due:
- HW Lsn 19-3, #23-31
Agenda:
- Practice AP Exam, Multiple Choice Only
Assignment:
- Independent Exam Study
6-Word Memoir:
It's simpler than they tell you
- HW Lsn 19-3, #23-31
Agenda:
- Practice AP Exam, Multiple Choice Only
Assignment:
- Independent Exam Study
6-Word Memoir:
It's simpler than they tell you
2015-2016 Electricity Test Review | |
File Size: | 252 kb |
File Type: |
Words of Wisdom: I used to work in a fire hydrant factory. You couldn't park anywhere near the place.
People in Physics - Andrew Noble
Andrew Noble hopes to use his knowledge of physics in a way you might not expect. He is working to help preserve the diversity of life on Earth. Noble, who did his graduate work in theoretical particle physics, is now applying the physics to a variety of questions, including how species coexist in ecosystems and how carbon moves between various organisms living in the Chesapeake Bay. The relationship between physics and ecology may not be obvious, but Noble says his background provides excellent tools for tackling these problems. He found that "Physicists are great at connecting mathematics with interesting scientific problems in all sorts of disciplines."
Noble got hooked on physics early in life. He recalls his father reading to him on road trips from Richard Feynman’s mischevious memoir Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman, and being fascinated by Stephen Hawking’s descriptions of elementary particles and black holes in A Brief History of Time. Noble also recalls an excellent high school physics teacher who made physics fun and engaging. For example, the teacher dressed in combat fatigues for an activity that involved shooting potatoes out of guns. "By the time I got to college, it was a foregone conclusion that I was going to study physics," says Noble, who graduated in 2000 with honors from Carleton College in Minnesota.
Noble did his graduate work at Cornell University in New York, focusing on what he calls "the interface between the very small and the very large." By combining data from particle collider experiments and astrophysical measurements, he investigated results that physicists searching for an important particle called the Higgs boson are hoping to find.
After graduate school, Noble switched from studying particles to studying ecosystems. He explains, "As I finished graduate school, I realized that while finding the Higgs boson would be a truly beautiful physical result, I could not foresee any practical impact it would have on the larger world.
His dream is to teach at a small college and run an interdisciplinary research program with undergraduates. He says, "The most exciting research…is no longer in the traditional disciplines, but at the boundaries between them. It’s amazing how much there is to do in theoretical ecology. It’s truly a new frontier of physics—and it’s incredibly important. I think the loss of biodiversity is this century’s most pressing problem, and physicists have had almost nothing to say about it." Andrew Noble is hoping to change that.
From: http://www.physicscentral.com/explore/people/noble.cfm
Noble got hooked on physics early in life. He recalls his father reading to him on road trips from Richard Feynman’s mischevious memoir Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman, and being fascinated by Stephen Hawking’s descriptions of elementary particles and black holes in A Brief History of Time. Noble also recalls an excellent high school physics teacher who made physics fun and engaging. For example, the teacher dressed in combat fatigues for an activity that involved shooting potatoes out of guns. "By the time I got to college, it was a foregone conclusion that I was going to study physics," says Noble, who graduated in 2000 with honors from Carleton College in Minnesota.
Noble did his graduate work at Cornell University in New York, focusing on what he calls "the interface between the very small and the very large." By combining data from particle collider experiments and astrophysical measurements, he investigated results that physicists searching for an important particle called the Higgs boson are hoping to find.
After graduate school, Noble switched from studying particles to studying ecosystems. He explains, "As I finished graduate school, I realized that while finding the Higgs boson would be a truly beautiful physical result, I could not foresee any practical impact it would have on the larger world.
His dream is to teach at a small college and run an interdisciplinary research program with undergraduates. He says, "The most exciting research…is no longer in the traditional disciplines, but at the boundaries between them. It’s amazing how much there is to do in theoretical ecology. It’s truly a new frontier of physics—and it’s incredibly important. I think the loss of biodiversity is this century’s most pressing problem, and physicists have had almost nothing to say about it." Andrew Noble is hoping to change that.
From: http://www.physicscentral.com/explore/people/noble.cfm
Wed, Apr 27
Due:
- None Agenda: - Practice AP Exam Part 2, Free Response Assignment: - Independent Study for AP Exam 6-Word Memoir: No sorry I don’t play basketball |
Fri, Apr 29, Floater Fifth
Due:
- None Agenda: - Review Practice AP Exam Parts 1 & 2 Assignment: - Independent Study for AP Exam 6-Word Memoir: Okay I guess. Probably not standard. |
Words of Wisdom: It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to have to paint it.
Famous Dead Guys In Physics - James Watt
James Watt, Jan. 19, 1736 - Aug. 25, 1819, was a Scottish engineer and inventor who played an important part in the development of the steam engine as a practical power source. He studied instrument making and went to London at the age of 18 to study further and practice his trade. In 1757 he was appointed instrument maker at the University of Glasgow; there he met the physicist Joseph Black, who was studying the thermodynamic (heat) properties of steam. Watt studied the Newcomen steam engine then in use and made a number of important improvements. In 1769 he patented a separate condenser (a chamber for condensing the steam) for the engine. He formed a partnership with the manufacturer Matthew Boulton. The Boulton and Watt steam engines soon replaced the Newcomen engines that were being used to pump water out of mines. Other improvements developed by Watt included the twin-action piston engine (in which steam is supplied to both sides of the piston), obtaining power from the expansion of the steam inside the cylinder, a mechanism for transforming the reciprocating motion of the piston into rotary motion, and the centrifugal governor (a device that made use of feedback to keep the engine at a constant speed). Although Watt did not invent the steam engine, his improved engine was really the first practical device for efficiently converting heat into useful work and was a key stimulus to the Industrial Revolution. - Arthur Biderman
From: http://www.chemistry.mtu.edu/~pcharles/SCIHISTORY/JamesWatt.html
Bibliography: Dickinson, H. W., James Watt (1936); Dickinson, H. W., and Vowles, H. P., James Watt and the Industrial Revolution (1943); Robinson, Eric H., and Musson, James, eds., James Watt and the Steam Revolution: A Documentary History (1969).
From: http://www.chemistry.mtu.edu/~pcharles/SCIHISTORY/JamesWatt.html
Bibliography: Dickinson, H. W., James Watt (1936); Dickinson, H. W., and Vowles, H. P., James Watt and the Industrial Revolution (1943); Robinson, Eric H., and Musson, James, eds., James Watt and the Steam Revolution: A Documentary History (1969).
Mon, May 2nd
Due:
- None Agenda: - Review Practice AP Exam Parts 1 & 2 - AP Exam Tips Assignment: - Reading Activity 10-1 to 10-2 6-Word Memoir: School, TV, Baseball, Running, Eat, Sleep
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Tue, May 3rd
AP Physics
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Thu, May 5th
Due:
- Reading Activity 10-1 to 10-2 Agenda: - Lecture Lsn 10-1 to 10-2 - Buoyancy Exercise Assignment: - HW Lsn 10-1 to 10-2, #1-6 - Reading Activity 10-3 to 10-6 6-Word Memoir: Six words I will never forget
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Don't forget Mother's Day - May 8th!!!
Thought for the Day: What's another word for Thesaurus?
Famous Dead Guys in Physics - Robert Hooke
Born: 18 July 1635 in Freshwater, Isle of Wight, England
Died: 3 March 1703 in London, England
Robert's parents began to set up his education but he continually suffered from headaches which made studying hard. Lacking confidence that he would reach adulthood, Robert's parents gave up on his education, leaving him much to his own devices. Robert's own ideas involved his observational skills and his mechanical skills. He was fascinated by mechanical toys and clocks, making many things from wood from a working clock to a model of a fully rigged ship with working guns.
From 1655 he was employed by Boyle and his first project was to construct an air pump. Hooke was never a person who did one thing at a time, indeed he seemed at his best when his mind was jumping from one idea to another. At the same time that he was working on the air pump he was also thinking about clocks and how they could be used in determining the longitude at sea. Realising the weakness of the pendulum clock in keeping time on a ship which was pitching and tossing, he wondered about the ... use of springs instead of gravity for making a body vibrate in any posture. Rather than the balance wheel being controlled by a pendulum which in turn operated through gravity, he reasoned that controlling the balance wheel with a spring would have huge advantages for a portable timekeeper that one might carry around or one which would have to continue to keep the correct time on a ship. In 1660 he discovered an instance of Hooke's law while working on designs for the balance springs of clocks. However he only announced the general law of elasticity in his lecture Of Spring given in 1678.
The year 1665 was the one when Hooke first achieved worldwide scientific fame. His book Micrographia, published that year, contained beautiful pictures of objects Hooke had studied through a microscope he had made himself. The book also contains a number of fundamental biological discoveries. Micrographia remains one of the masterpieces of seventeenth century science. ... [it] presented not a systematic investigation of any one question, but a bouquet of observations with courses from the mineral, animal and vegetable kingdoms. Above all, the book suggested what the microscope could do for biological science.
Hooke invented the conical pendulum and was the first person to build a Gregorian reflecting telescope. He made important astronomical observations including the fact that Jupiter revolves on its axis which he discovered from observing spots. He then invented a helioscope to attempt to measure the rotation of the sun using sunspots. He made drawings of Mars which were later used to determine its period of rotation. He observed several comets and asked a number of important questions about them, including why the tail points away from the sun, and how if the comet is burning it could burn for so long and burn in a place where there is no air. In 1666 he proposed that gravity could be measured using a pendulum.
Historians have described Hooke as a difficult and unreasonable man but in many ways this is a harsh judgement. There is no doubt that Hooke genuinely felt that others had stolen ideas which he had been first to put forward. It is easy to see why this happened. Hooke did indeed come up with a vast range of brilliant ideas many of which were claimed by others not because they wished to steal them from him, but rather because Hooke never followed through developing his ideas into building comprehensive theories. He failed to develop major theories from his inspired ideas for the simple reason that he did not really have the technical ability to develop such comprehensive theories as some of his contemporaries like Newton and Huygens.
From: http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Hooke.html
Died: 3 March 1703 in London, England
Robert's parents began to set up his education but he continually suffered from headaches which made studying hard. Lacking confidence that he would reach adulthood, Robert's parents gave up on his education, leaving him much to his own devices. Robert's own ideas involved his observational skills and his mechanical skills. He was fascinated by mechanical toys and clocks, making many things from wood from a working clock to a model of a fully rigged ship with working guns.
From 1655 he was employed by Boyle and his first project was to construct an air pump. Hooke was never a person who did one thing at a time, indeed he seemed at his best when his mind was jumping from one idea to another. At the same time that he was working on the air pump he was also thinking about clocks and how they could be used in determining the longitude at sea. Realising the weakness of the pendulum clock in keeping time on a ship which was pitching and tossing, he wondered about the ... use of springs instead of gravity for making a body vibrate in any posture. Rather than the balance wheel being controlled by a pendulum which in turn operated through gravity, he reasoned that controlling the balance wheel with a spring would have huge advantages for a portable timekeeper that one might carry around or one which would have to continue to keep the correct time on a ship. In 1660 he discovered an instance of Hooke's law while working on designs for the balance springs of clocks. However he only announced the general law of elasticity in his lecture Of Spring given in 1678.
The year 1665 was the one when Hooke first achieved worldwide scientific fame. His book Micrographia, published that year, contained beautiful pictures of objects Hooke had studied through a microscope he had made himself. The book also contains a number of fundamental biological discoveries. Micrographia remains one of the masterpieces of seventeenth century science. ... [it] presented not a systematic investigation of any one question, but a bouquet of observations with courses from the mineral, animal and vegetable kingdoms. Above all, the book suggested what the microscope could do for biological science.
Hooke invented the conical pendulum and was the first person to build a Gregorian reflecting telescope. He made important astronomical observations including the fact that Jupiter revolves on its axis which he discovered from observing spots. He then invented a helioscope to attempt to measure the rotation of the sun using sunspots. He made drawings of Mars which were later used to determine its period of rotation. He observed several comets and asked a number of important questions about them, including why the tail points away from the sun, and how if the comet is burning it could burn for so long and burn in a place where there is no air. In 1666 he proposed that gravity could be measured using a pendulum.
Historians have described Hooke as a difficult and unreasonable man but in many ways this is a harsh judgement. There is no doubt that Hooke genuinely felt that others had stolen ideas which he had been first to put forward. It is easy to see why this happened. Hooke did indeed come up with a vast range of brilliant ideas many of which were claimed by others not because they wished to steal them from him, but rather because Hooke never followed through developing his ideas into building comprehensive theories. He failed to develop major theories from his inspired ideas for the simple reason that he did not really have the technical ability to develop such comprehensive theories as some of his contemporaries like Newton and Huygens.
From: http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Hooke.html
Tue, May 10
Due:
- HW Lsn 10-1 to 10-2, #1-6 - Reading Activity 10-3 to 10-6 Agenda: - Review HW Lsn 10-1 to 10-2, #1-6 - Lecture Lsn 10-3 to 10-6 Assignment: - HW Lsn 10-3 to 10-6, #7-17 - Professional Journal Exercise - Complex Fluids at Work 6-Word Memoir: Slithering in! Watch out! Watch out!
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Thu, May 12, Floater Fifth
Due:
- Professional Journal Exercise - Complex Fluids at Work Agenda: - Non-Newtonian Fluids Lab Assignment: - HW Lsn 10-3 to 10-6, #7-17 - Reading Activity 10-7 6-Word Memoir: Traveling never ceases to amuse me
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Fri, May 13
Due:
- HW Lsn 10-3 to 10-6, #7-17 - Reading Activity 10-7 Agenda: - Review HW Lsn 10-3 to 10-6, #7-17 - Lecture Lsn 10-7 Assignment: - HW Lsn 10-7, #22-33 - Reading Activity 10-8 to 10-10 6-Word Memoir: Too late to back out now
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Words of Wisdom: I planted some bird seed. A bird came up. Now I don't know what to feed it.
Women Earning Physics PhD's
Dear Colleague,
You are receiving this message because you subscribe to our data alert service, e-Updates. We have recently posted a new report that includes data on women in physics which you indicated was of interest to you.
Focus on Trends in Physics PhDs
PhD production in the U.S. has gone through cycles of rapid growth and sharp decline. The cycle is currently in an upward trend with a new high of 1,762 physics PhDs awarded in the class of 2012. This increase along with a growth in the overall number of physics PhDs awarded has resulted in a sharp increase in the number of women earning degrees. Women earned 354 of the physics PhDs in the class of 2012, up from 153 in 2001 (a 131% increase).
This focus provides an in-depth analysis of physics PhD production in the U.S. It presents detailed trends on the number of physics PhD awarded in the U.S. including data on citizenship, women, and minorities. It includes data on recent PhD recipients such as time to degree, subfield of dissertation, and general satisfaction with degree.
You can access focus on Trends in Physics PhDs at:
http://www.aip.org/statistics/graduate
We hope you find these data interesting.
Let me know if you have any questions or comments.
Regards,
Patrick Mulvey
Statistical Research Center
American Institute of Physics
You are receiving this message because you subscribe to our data alert service, e-Updates. We have recently posted a new report that includes data on women in physics which you indicated was of interest to you.
Focus on Trends in Physics PhDs
PhD production in the U.S. has gone through cycles of rapid growth and sharp decline. The cycle is currently in an upward trend with a new high of 1,762 physics PhDs awarded in the class of 2012. This increase along with a growth in the overall number of physics PhDs awarded has resulted in a sharp increase in the number of women earning degrees. Women earned 354 of the physics PhDs in the class of 2012, up from 153 in 2001 (a 131% increase).
This focus provides an in-depth analysis of physics PhD production in the U.S. It presents detailed trends on the number of physics PhD awarded in the U.S. including data on citizenship, women, and minorities. It includes data on recent PhD recipients such as time to degree, subfield of dissertation, and general satisfaction with degree.
You can access focus on Trends in Physics PhDs at:
http://www.aip.org/statistics/graduate
We hope you find these data interesting.
Let me know if you have any questions or comments.
Regards,
Patrick Mulvey
Statistical Research Center
American Institute of Physics
Wed, May 18
Due:
- HW Lsn 10-7, #22-33 - Reading Activity 10-8 to 10-10 Agenda: - Review HW Lsn 10-7, #22-33 - Lecture Lsn 10-8 to 10-10 Assignment: - HW Lsn 10-8 to 10-10, #35-45 - Reading Activity 10-11 to 10-12 6-Word Memoir: Volleyball, school, socialization, Chick-Fil-A, iPhone, family |
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Words of Wisdom: I plugged my phone in where the blender used to be. I called someone. They went "Aaaaahhhh..."
Word of the Day - Ineptocracy
A system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers.
Teen Engineer Invents System to Improve Air Quality on Airplanes
Raymond Wang, 17, of Canada was awarded first place for engineering a new air inlet system for airplane cabins to improve air quality and curb disease transmission at this year’s Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, a program of Society for Science & the Public.
Wang’s system improves the availability of fresh air in the cabin by more than 190 percent while reducing pathogen inhalation concentrations by up to 55 times compared to conventional designs, and can be easily and economically incorporated in existing airplanes. Wang received the Gordon E. Moore Award of US$75,000, named in honor of the Intel co-founder and fellow scientist. Nicole Ticea, 16, of Canada received one of two Intel Foundation Young Scientist Awards of US$50,000 for developing an inexpensive, easy-to-use testing device to combat the high rate of undiagnosed HIV infection in low-income communities. Her disposable, electricity-free device provides results in an hour and should cost less than US$5 to produce. Ticea has already founded her own company, which recently received a US$100,000 grant to continue developing her technology. |
Karan Jerath, 18, of Friendswood, Texas, received the other Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award of US$50,000 for refining and testing a novel device that should allow an undersea oil well to rapidly and safely recover following a blowout. Jerath developed a better containment enclosure that separates the natural gas, oil and ocean water; accommodates different water depths, pipe sizes and fluid compositions; and can prevent the formation of potentially clogging methane hydrate.
https://www.societyforscience.org/content/ssp-blog/grand-award-winners-announced-intel-isef-2015 |
Mon, May 23
Due:
- HW Lsn 10-8 to 10-10, #35-45 - Reading Activity 10-11 to 10-12 Agenda: - Review HW Lsn 10-8 to 10-10, #35-45 - Lecture Lsn 10-11 to 10-12 Assignment: - HW Lsn 10-11 to 10-12, #51-57 - Read Snap Circuit Chapter 1 - Snap Circuit Chapter 1 Quiz 6-Word Memoir: Waiting on the world to change |
Wed, May 25, Floater Fifth
Due:
- None Agenda: - PhET Buoyancy Lab Assignment: - HW Lsn 10-11 to 10-12, #51-57 - Read Snap Circuit Chapter 1 - Snap Circuit Chapter 1 Quiz 6-Word Memoir: What I learned in Physics is…
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Thu, May 26
Due:
- HW Lsn 10-11 to 10-12, #51-57 - Snap Circuit Chapter 1 Quiz Agenda: - Review HW Lsn 10-11 to 10-12, #51-57 - PhET Buoyancy Lab Questions - Snap Circuit Chapter 1 Lab Assignment: - Read Snap Circuit Chapter 2 - Snap Circuit Chapter 2 Quiz 6-Word Memoir: What I learned in Physics is…
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Words of Wisdom: How many people does it take to change a searchlight bulb?
Memorial Day, May 30th
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Tue, May 31
Due:
- Snap Circuit Chapter 2 Quiz - PhET Buoyancy Lab Agenda: - Snap Circuit Chapter 2 Lab Assignment: - Enjoy your summer! 6-Word Memoir: “I’ll stop procrastinating next week mom” |
Jun 1
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Jun 2-7
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Jun 7
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Jun 8
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Jun 9
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Have a great summer and I'll see ya 'round the ranch next year!
Words of Wisdom: If you had a million Shakespeares, could they write like a monkey?
Girls Like Biology, Boys Like Physics?
AP Data Hint at Preferences
By Erik Robelen on February 15, 2012 3:42 PM
We all have our stereotypes about which subjects appeal more to girls or boys. Well, in perusing a new report on the Advanced Placement program, I was intrigued to discover some hard data to help shed light on the matter. In addition to reporting participation on AP exams by racial and ethnic groups, the College Board includes the gender breakdown for all subjects tested.
Some of what I learned may not surprise readers. Males dominate AP Computer Science and all three physics courses, for instance. Females dominate AP Art History and English Language and Composition. But not all of the findings were obvious, and a few were even a little puzzling.
Participation in the popular Calculus AB program was about evenly divided, but in the Calculus BC course, males were more heavily weighted (59 percent) than females. (Calculus BC covers all of the content in the AB course, plus additional material.) Meanwhile, AP Biology was more popular with females (59 percent), while males were apparently more into AP Music Theory (58 percent). AP Statistics is pretty evenly divided, with 52 percent female. One striking finding is that in a majority of subjects, the gender preference appears to be fairly pronounced. In my not-very-scientific approach, I decided to count the number of AP subjects in which one gender represented at least 55 percent of test-takers. Here's a sampling of subjects in which they seemed pretty significant for the class of 2011.
What girls like: What boys like:
• Art history: 66 percent female • Calculus BC, 59 percent male
• Biology: 59 percent female • Computer Science A: 80 percent male
• English literature and composition: 63 percent female • Computer Science AB: 86 percent male
• French language and culture: 69 percent female • Music Theory: 58 percent male
• Psychology: 63 percent female • Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism: 77 percent male
• Spanish Language: 63 percent female • Physics C: Mechanics: 74 percent male
• Studio Art: Drawing Portfolio: 74 percent female
Among the AP subjects in which gender differences seemed marginal were 'Calculus AB,' Chemistry, European History, 'Latin:Vergil,' Statistics, and U.S. Government and Politics.
From: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2012/02/girls_like_biology_boys_like_p.html
Some of what I learned may not surprise readers. Males dominate AP Computer Science and all three physics courses, for instance. Females dominate AP Art History and English Language and Composition. But not all of the findings were obvious, and a few were even a little puzzling.
Participation in the popular Calculus AB program was about evenly divided, but in the Calculus BC course, males were more heavily weighted (59 percent) than females. (Calculus BC covers all of the content in the AB course, plus additional material.) Meanwhile, AP Biology was more popular with females (59 percent), while males were apparently more into AP Music Theory (58 percent). AP Statistics is pretty evenly divided, with 52 percent female. One striking finding is that in a majority of subjects, the gender preference appears to be fairly pronounced. In my not-very-scientific approach, I decided to count the number of AP subjects in which one gender represented at least 55 percent of test-takers. Here's a sampling of subjects in which they seemed pretty significant for the class of 2011.
What girls like: What boys like:
• Art history: 66 percent female • Calculus BC, 59 percent male
• Biology: 59 percent female • Computer Science A: 80 percent male
• English literature and composition: 63 percent female • Computer Science AB: 86 percent male
• French language and culture: 69 percent female • Music Theory: 58 percent male
• Psychology: 63 percent female • Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism: 77 percent male
• Spanish Language: 63 percent female • Physics C: Mechanics: 74 percent male
• Studio Art: Drawing Portfolio: 74 percent female
Among the AP subjects in which gender differences seemed marginal were 'Calculus AB,' Chemistry, European History, 'Latin:Vergil,' Statistics, and U.S. Government and Politics.
From: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2012/02/girls_like_biology_boys_like_p.html
Buzz Blog - Thinking Critically about Science in the News
Friday, February 10, 2012 Your grammar is making you fat, and giant, invasive snakes have eaten everything in the Everglades . . . or not.
A couple interesting stories in the news have started my skeptical radar ringing. I love surprising and counter-intuitive science discoveries, but some are just too hard to swallow.
The first of the two news pieces I read today that made me go "hmmm" is about Yale researcher M. Keith Chen who has written a paper that suggests that some languages tend to weaken the connection we feel to future events. This makes speakers of English and Spanish, for example, less concerned about the long term effects of their behavior than speakers of languages like Mandarin Chinese. According to Chen, this helps explain why we English and Spanish speakers are fat, save less, and smoke more than speakers of Mandarin.
I might have bought the connection to obesity and spend thriftiness, but according to Wikipedia the Chinese are the heaviest smokers in the world, with the prevalence among men at about 60%, while only about 20% of Americans smoke. What's more, smoking in the US has fallen dramatically since 1965 when 42% of us smoked, even though most of us have spoken English and/or Spanish the whole time. Chen's paper is packed with technical jargon, so I can't say I've plodded through the whole thing just yet. But it also hasn't been published by a reputable journal. It's too bad that it's already gotten so much press, because I'd bet it will never make it past the peer review process. Only time will tell, provided I can pay attention that long.
The other paper that has me in a tiff has indeed been published in a scientific journal, but it happens to be a journal that seems to put out a lot of pretty dicey stuff - the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS). According to an article in the Washington Post, the authors claim that non-native pythons and anacondas are decimating the small animal population in the Everglades. The problem is this, predators as a rule CAN'T devastate prey populations because as soon as prey populations fall, predators starve to death and the prey populations rebound.
Invasive animals don't typically wipe out the things they eat. The ebb and flow of predator and prey populations is described by the well known Lotka-Volterra equation, which makes it clear that any reduction in prey animal numbers is going to be relatively manageable and temporary, as snakes first gorge and then die off. Invasive species are, however, a serious threat to OTHER things that eat the things they eat. That is, anacondas and pythons are more likely to out-compete, and potentially devastate, the native alligator population, than to wipe out the rabbits, raccoons, opposums and bobcats that they compete for.
Of course, I'm no expert on either of these topics. It's just that my inner skeptic tells me that both papers seem suspiciously designed to grab headlines with shocking and dubious claims. I'd promise to keep an eye on the stories to see if they hold up over time, but my English proficiency is making it hard to think of doing anything besides eating, drinking, and blowing all my money on exotic, carnivorous pets that will eventually grow to be longer than my house. Que sera sera.
From: http://physicscentral.com/buzz/blog/index.cfm?postid=3538849605085231428
A couple interesting stories in the news have started my skeptical radar ringing. I love surprising and counter-intuitive science discoveries, but some are just too hard to swallow.
The first of the two news pieces I read today that made me go "hmmm" is about Yale researcher M. Keith Chen who has written a paper that suggests that some languages tend to weaken the connection we feel to future events. This makes speakers of English and Spanish, for example, less concerned about the long term effects of their behavior than speakers of languages like Mandarin Chinese. According to Chen, this helps explain why we English and Spanish speakers are fat, save less, and smoke more than speakers of Mandarin.
I might have bought the connection to obesity and spend thriftiness, but according to Wikipedia the Chinese are the heaviest smokers in the world, with the prevalence among men at about 60%, while only about 20% of Americans smoke. What's more, smoking in the US has fallen dramatically since 1965 when 42% of us smoked, even though most of us have spoken English and/or Spanish the whole time. Chen's paper is packed with technical jargon, so I can't say I've plodded through the whole thing just yet. But it also hasn't been published by a reputable journal. It's too bad that it's already gotten so much press, because I'd bet it will never make it past the peer review process. Only time will tell, provided I can pay attention that long.
The other paper that has me in a tiff has indeed been published in a scientific journal, but it happens to be a journal that seems to put out a lot of pretty dicey stuff - the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS). According to an article in the Washington Post, the authors claim that non-native pythons and anacondas are decimating the small animal population in the Everglades. The problem is this, predators as a rule CAN'T devastate prey populations because as soon as prey populations fall, predators starve to death and the prey populations rebound.
Invasive animals don't typically wipe out the things they eat. The ebb and flow of predator and prey populations is described by the well known Lotka-Volterra equation, which makes it clear that any reduction in prey animal numbers is going to be relatively manageable and temporary, as snakes first gorge and then die off. Invasive species are, however, a serious threat to OTHER things that eat the things they eat. That is, anacondas and pythons are more likely to out-compete, and potentially devastate, the native alligator population, than to wipe out the rabbits, raccoons, opposums and bobcats that they compete for.
Of course, I'm no expert on either of these topics. It's just that my inner skeptic tells me that both papers seem suspiciously designed to grab headlines with shocking and dubious claims. I'd promise to keep an eye on the stories to see if they hold up over time, but my English proficiency is making it hard to think of doing anything besides eating, drinking, and blowing all my money on exotic, carnivorous pets that will eventually grow to be longer than my house. Que sera sera.
From: http://physicscentral.com/buzz/blog/index.cfm?postid=3538849605085231428
High-tech road science: Where nano meets pavement
When people think about the latest technological advancements, images of 3-D HDTVs, smart phones, and other sleek electronic devices are likely to come to mind. Much less likely are images of the road that gets them to school or work each day, or the driveway they leave the car in at night. However, the dark, unassuming pavement that most people only notice when they hit a pothole is the subject of a lot of cutting-edge research; new developments in asphalt pavement could dramatically reduce fuel consumption, environmental pollution, and the frequency and cost of maintenance. Read the full story at the document on the right.
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Famous Dead Guys in Physics - Leonhard Euler
... after 1730 he carried out state projects dealing with cartography, science education, magnetism, fire engines, machines, and ship building. ... The core of his research program was now set in place: number theory; infinitary analysis including its emerging branches, differential equations and the calculus of variations; and rational mechanics. He viewed these three fields as intimately interconnected. Studies of number theory were vital to the foundations of calculus, and special functions and differential equations were essential to rational mechanics, which supplied concrete problems. The publication of many articles and his book Mechanica (1736-37), which extensively presented Newtonian dynamics in the form of mathematical analysis for the first time, started Euler on the way to major mathematical work.
During the twenty-five years spent in Berlin, Euler wrote around 380 articles. He wrote books on the calculus of variations; on the calculation of planetary orbits; on artillery and ballistics (extending the book by Robins); on analysis; on shipbuilding and navigation; on the motion of the moon; lectures on the differential calculus; and a popular scientific publication Letters to a Princess of Germany (3 vols., 1768-72).
Soon after his return to Russia, Euler became almost entirely blind after an illness. In 1771 his home was destroyed by fire and he was able to save only himself and his mathematical manuscripts. A cataract operation shortly after the fire, still in 1771, restored his sight for a few days but Euler seems to have failed to take the necessary care of himself and he became totally blind. Because of his remarkable memory he was able to continue with his work on optics, algebra, and lunar motion. Amazingly after his return to St Petersburg (when Euler was 59) he produced almost half his total works despite the total blindness.
He was the most prolific writer of mathematics of all time. He made large bounds forward in the study of modern analytic geometry and trigonometry where he was the first to consider sin, cos etc. as functions rather than as chords as Ptolemy had done. He made decisive and formative contributions to geometry, calculus and number theory. He integrated Leibniz's differential calculus and Newton's method of fluxions into mathematical analysis. He introduced beta and gamma functions, and integrating factors for differential equations. He studied continuum mechanics, lunar theory with Clairaut, the three body problem, elasticity, acoustics, the wave theory of light, hydraulics, and music. He laid the foundation of analytical mechanics, especially in his Theory of the Motions of Rigid Bodies (1765). We owe to Euler the notation f (x) for a function (1734), e for the base of natural logs (1727), i for the square root of -1 (1777), π for pi, ∑ for summation (1755), the notation for finite differences Δy and Δ2y and many others.
From: http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Euler.html
During the twenty-five years spent in Berlin, Euler wrote around 380 articles. He wrote books on the calculus of variations; on the calculation of planetary orbits; on artillery and ballistics (extending the book by Robins); on analysis; on shipbuilding and navigation; on the motion of the moon; lectures on the differential calculus; and a popular scientific publication Letters to a Princess of Germany (3 vols., 1768-72).
Soon after his return to Russia, Euler became almost entirely blind after an illness. In 1771 his home was destroyed by fire and he was able to save only himself and his mathematical manuscripts. A cataract operation shortly after the fire, still in 1771, restored his sight for a few days but Euler seems to have failed to take the necessary care of himself and he became totally blind. Because of his remarkable memory he was able to continue with his work on optics, algebra, and lunar motion. Amazingly after his return to St Petersburg (when Euler was 59) he produced almost half his total works despite the total blindness.
He was the most prolific writer of mathematics of all time. He made large bounds forward in the study of modern analytic geometry and trigonometry where he was the first to consider sin, cos etc. as functions rather than as chords as Ptolemy had done. He made decisive and formative contributions to geometry, calculus and number theory. He integrated Leibniz's differential calculus and Newton's method of fluxions into mathematical analysis. He introduced beta and gamma functions, and integrating factors for differential equations. He studied continuum mechanics, lunar theory with Clairaut, the three body problem, elasticity, acoustics, the wave theory of light, hydraulics, and music. He laid the foundation of analytical mechanics, especially in his Theory of the Motions of Rigid Bodies (1765). We owe to Euler the notation f (x) for a function (1734), e for the base of natural logs (1727), i for the square root of -1 (1777), π for pi, ∑ for summation (1755), the notation for finite differences Δy and Δ2y and many others.
From: http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Euler.html