The Week of 11/29-12/3 (updated on 12/1)

Congratulations Physics Students.  You have made it through the toughest part of the course!  Traditionally Chapters 3 and 4 are the chapters that give students the most confusion.  But things are just getting going.  Before Winter Break we will do a Full Inquiry Lab, start a project, and do an Egg Drop.  We will definitely be busy!
Here's the week coming up:

• Monday 11/29:  Physics definition of work and kinetic energy.  HW#11 p. 170 1+3, p. 173 1-3 (4 EC).
• Tuesday 11/30:  Check off HW #11 and go over.  Potential energy (elastic and gravitational).  HW #12 p. 177 1-4.  
• Wednesday 12/1:  Mid-day FLEX!  Come in for test corrections, help, or other makeup.
• Thursday 12/2:  Check off HW #12 and go over.  Conservation of Mechanical Energy.  HW#13 p. 182 1-5.   Hooke's Law data taking and Spring Inquiry Introduction. Write up Question, Background, Hypothesis, Variables, Procedure, and Data Table.
• Friday 12/3:  Take Data for Spring Inquiry Lab.  Check off HW #13.  

A Note About Conferences and Grades (Parents Please Read!)

Greetings!  I look forward to meeting many of you at Parent-Teacher Conferences next week.  One thing I want you to know is that I will be at all sessions EXCEPT the morning session on Tuesday.  I think the school reported that .80 time teachers would be absent on the Monday AM session, but I had already made appointments for my own childrens' conferences for Tuesday morning.  So any time but Tuesday morning please come in!

I have been entering grades for 2nd quarter, but be careful when you look at 2nd quarter grades because they only reflect the last 2 weeks of class.  If you want to know your student's accurate SEMESTER grade (the one that counts), please make sure that you are looking at the semester grade report.  Previously I had tinkered with adjusting this by adding a bunch of points to the 2nd quarter grade, but I just undid this because the semester grade calculations were coming out wrong.  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to e-mail me at mkenny@pps.k12.or.us

Thanks!

Chapter 4 Review

In looking at the Chapter 4 Review, there are 2 problems that you may want to skip and come back to later.  They are #4 and #7.  I apologize that #7 is not very well written.  It should say that a "car is traveling at 50.0 km/h on a flat highway on a rainy day when the driver puts on the brakes."

Here are all of the answers.  We will go over them on Thursday.

1.  430 N
2.  49 N
3.  250 N
4.  0.331
5.  a)  0.883 N    b)  14.0 N
6.   51 N
7.  a)  -.981 m/s2     b)  98.2 m    c)  16.4 m
8.  4990 N
9.  - 1.48 m/s2

The Week of 11/15-11/19

• Monday 11/15:  Check off HW p. 145 1+2 and go over.  More on friction problems.  HW p. 147 1,2,4 (3 is extra credit).  Dynamics Cart Lab due tomorrow.
• Tuesday 11/16:  Turn in Dynamics Cart Lab (see documents for instructions).  Perform Slipping and Sliding Lab.  Check off HW and go over.
• Thursday 11/18:  Chapter 4 Review Sheet.  Review Newton's Laws.
• Friday 11/19:   Turn in Chapter 4 Review.  Take short Chapter 4 Test.

The Week of 11/8-11/12

Remember that even Block Day is Tuesday this week and odd Block Day is Wednesday.  Mid-day FLEX is on Tuesday!

Monday 11/8:  Chapter 3 Tests back and recollect.  More on forces:  balanced forces, free body diagrams, and Newton's 1st Law.  HW p. 133 1+3.
Wednesday 11/10:  Check off HW and go over.  Newton's 2nd and 3rd Laws.  Newton's Laws Lab.  HW p. 138 2-5.
Thursday 11/11:  Veteran's Day.  No School.
Friday 11/12:  Check off p. 138 HW and go over.  Normal force and friction.  HW p. 145 1+2