2019 MS Physics CH

Hi folks, Today we got started talking about Newton's three laws of motion. We began with the first law which is "An object in motion stays in motion and an object at rest stays at rest unless a force acts against it." We did quite a few fun "tricks" with inertia to get the hang of it. 2 assignments for homework: 1.  Read the Newton's First Law chapter of the eBook and do all the questions at the end of the chapter. 2.  Find three "real life" examples of Newton's first law and take a picture of them. You can either print out the pictures or email them to me.  Tell me why they are examples of Newton's first law. Best, Jim Mueller (919) 907-3217

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Hi folks, Today we took the time to explore another major force of nature, friction.  Friction is as simple as two things rubbing against one another but, as we discovered with our lab work today, it's not that simple in reality.  It's very hard to predict what kinds of things will have more friction than others.   For homework this week please answer the following questions based on today's lecture and lab. 1.  What is the definition of friction? 2.  What is the definition of static friction? 3.  What is the definition of kinetic friction? 4.  When I drop a feather and a hammer on Earth, why does the hammer hit first if gravity accelerates all things equally? 5.  Why does a race car have a flat tire without any tread? 6.  Why does the tire on a normal car have tread? 7.  What does the tread on a tire do to help the car? 8.   In the lab we did today with the shoes, what two things were having a "tug-o-war"? 9.  If a shoe moved ...

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Hi folks, Gravity is a big topic and today we spent some more time really getting into it.  We talked about the difference between mass and weight and we talked about what weightless really means.  We also spent a bit of time with a couple of formulas.  We went outside and threw a ball straight up.  Then we came back inside and spent some time with two formulas to see how fast our throw was and how high our throw was.  The point of the math at this level is to just see that math is a tool that can be used to look at real world problems.  Math is more than just problems in a book.  Don't worry about the math on quizzes or homework the students won't be graded on it. For homework this week, read the Gravity chapter (Pg 23) and the Acceleration chapter  (pg 54) in the Bite-Size Physics book.  Please do all the questions, except for the math ones at the end of both chapters.  Please read the "Deeper Lesson" part of the gravity chapter as wel...

Hi folks, We are going to spend a little bit of time outside for physics today so please be sure to wear a jacket.  It's supposed to be a bit chilly. Best, Jim Mueller (919) 907-3217

Hi folks, Today we introduced the concept of gravity to everyone. We explored the concept that gravity accelerates everything at the same rate.  Next week we will dive even deeper into gravity. Just in case you want to show/explain the "Monkey and the Tree" problem to someone,  here's the video we saw in class. For homework this week, please do the following questions that are all based on today's lecture.  If you don't remember the answer, please check your notes and if it's not in your notes feel free to watch the recording.  Answers are included so that you can be sure you have the right answers for next week's quiz.   What kinds of things have a gravitational pull? 2.   If a heavy ball and a light ball are both dropped at the same time, which one hits the ground first? 3.  In the video with the bowling ball and the feathers, why did the feathers fall slower than the ball the first time and faster than the ball the second time? 4.  I...

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Hi folks, Today we moved our conversation of motion forward by discussing the concept of acceleration.  We did a lab where we found how the speed of a rubber band car changed over time.   For homework this week please answer the following questions.  (I've included answers so that you can check yourself when you are done.  Be sure to study this homework, your past homework and your last quiz.  There will be a quiz next week so be ready!) 1.  What is the definition of velocity? 2.  How is velocity different than speed? 3.  What is the definition of acceleration? 4.  What does velocity have to do with acceleration? 5.  What three things can a driver do to accelerate a car? 6.  A kicker kicks a ball high into the air and when it comes down it stops dead in a sand pit.   a.  When is the ball accelerating? b.  When is the ball accelerating the most? 7.  If a bicycle is coming to a stop is it accelerating? 8. ...