Class #17.  Wednesday, 5/25/2011

Warm-Up: 

There are three misteaks in thi sentence.  Can you find all three?

Today:

  • Work on final exam practice test.
  • There is a mistake on #4 of the practice test.  #4 should say "force equaling approximately 1/4 pound."  The answer is "1 N."

Homework:

Final exam practice test is due at the beginning of class on Friday.

 
Class #16.  Monday, 5/23/2011

Warm-Up: 

  1. What five letter word does every Harvard graduate pronounce wrong?
  2. If you were spelling numbers (in English) instead of saying them, how high would you have to count before using the letter "A?"

Today:

Homework:

  • Complete the Final Exam practice test.  Due next class

Absent Students:

  • Schedule a time to take your test.
  • Complete Practice Test (above)

 
Class #15.  Thursday, 5/19/2011

Warm-Up: 

Suppose you are in a car, and you accelerate from a stop light.  You speed up for 10 seconds, and you travel a distance of 80m.  What are the formulas for...

  1. Average velocity? 
  2. Change in Velocity? 
  3. Acceleration?

Today:

Homework:

  • Study for the test.  Test on Monday.

Absent Students:

  1. Complete the warm-up question.

 
Class #14.  Tuesday, 5/17/2011

Warm-Up: 

F=PA and F=ma.

  1. What do the letters "PA" mean?
  2. What do the letters "ma" mean?
  3. Even if it contains very low pressure, a hovercraft can support a lot of weight.  Which of the formulas above tells us this?

Today:

Homework:

  • Study for the test.  Test next Wednesday.

Absent Students:

  1. Complete the warm-up question.
  2. Complete the Practice test and watch the accompanying video, above.

 
Class #13.  Friday, 5/13/2011

Warm-Up: 

  1. What is the opposite of a suction cup? 
  2. Explain your reasoning.

Today:

  1. Finish potato gun activity sheet.  Discuss answers.
  2. Potato Gun Problems -- video link showing how to complete these problems
  3. Make miniature hovercrafts.  Try to alter your hovercraft so that you can make it glide as far as possible without touching it.

Homework:

  • None

Absent Students:

  1. Complete the warm-up question.
  2. Watch the video above and complete the potato gun problems

 
Class #12.  Wednesday, 5/11/2011

Warm-Up: 

1. What is "work?"

2.  How do you feel after you have done work?

3.  Why?

Today:

Shoot Potato Guns.  Find a way to achieve the fastest launch with no more than 50psi.  Complete at least five launches, and complete a table of calculations.  Once you have perfected your method, demonstrate it for Mr. Stapleton and show him how to calculate velocity.  Try to explain how your particular method makes potatoes go faster.

Homework:

  • None

Absent Students:

Complete the warm-up question.

 
Class #11.  Monday, 5/9/2011

Warm-Up: 

A potato travels between two photogates that are 0.2m apart.  A timer attached to the photogates says that it took the potato 0.003s to travel that far.  What is the potato's velocity?

Today:

  • Practice test 4 and Final Test

Next Class:  Shoot Potato Guns.  Find a way to achieve the fastest launch with no more than 50psi.  Once you have perfected your method, demonstrate it for Mr. Stapleton -- including showing your velocity calculations.  Try to explain how your particular method makes potatoes go faster.

Homework:

  • None

Absent Students:

  • Complete the warm-up question.
  • Schedule a time to take the test, outside of normal class time.

 
Class #10.  Thursday, 5/5/2011

Warm-Up: 

How does this potato gun work?  How can we measure a potato's velocity?

Today:

  • Sorry, I still haven't caught up with grading late tests.
  • Complete Practice Test 2 .  Go over practice test 2.  Then take practice tests 3 and 4.  If you get a score above 90% on either #3 or #4 -- under test conditions -- you do not have to take the test next class.  You can keep the practice test score.
  • Next topic -- pneumatic potato guns: velocity of a potato

Homework:

  • Test next class. Study for Test.  Be able to complete a test like the practice tests.

Absent Students:

  • Complete the Warm-Up, above
  • Complete practice test 2.
  • Study by watching the video from last class.  Practice tests 1 and 2 are the same except for the fact that the plate features have different letters.  For that reason, the video explaining practice test 1 can be used to understand practice test 2.
  • Practice the parts you have trouble with, over and over.

 
Class #9.  Tuesday, 5/3/2011

Warm-Up: 

  1. What is the name of a plate boundary where two continental plates hit each other?
  2. Sketch a cross-section diagram of this plate boundary, and tell what types of features would be found at this location.

Today:

  • Blocks 1 & 2: Return Tests
  • Finish Plate Boundary Diagrams and Plate Features.
  • Plate Tectonics Practice Test 1
  • Practice drawing plate boundaries
  • Begin ractice Test 2

Homework:

  • Blocks 1-2: None
  • Block 3: Finish Practice Test 1

Absent Students:

 
Class #8.  Friday, 4/29/11

Warm-Up: 

Magma is made of melted rock.  When rock is mixed with water, and the mix is then melted, the magma is explosive.  When there is no water mixed with the rock before it is melted, the magma is less explosive.

  1. Why would the presence of water in rock make the resulting magma more explosive?
  2. Which of the three situations in the picture probably produces the most explosive magma?

Today:

  • Blocks 1 & 2: Test
  • Block 3: Return Tests, Rinish video
  • Plate Tectonics -- Plate Boundary Diagrams and Plate Features 

Homework:

Absent Students:
Class #7.  Wednesday, 4/27/11

Warm-Up: 

  1. Our atmosphere is in constant motion, circulating the air and delivering a variety of weather.  All of that movement requires a lot of energy.  Where does that energy come from?
  2. The Earth's mantle is in constant motion, circulating magma and creating volcanoes, earthquakes, and mountains.  All of that movement requires a lot of energy.  Where does that energy come from?

Today:

  • Blocks 1 & 2, Volcano Video
  • Block 3, Test; begin volcano video (watched 12 minutes)
  • Plate Tectonics -- Plate Boundary Diagrams and Plate Features

Homework:

Absent Students:

 
Class #6.  Monday, 4/25/11

Warm-Up: 

  1. What's the best way to use a dry towel as a whip?
  2. If a tsunami hits the three coastlines shown in the diagram, in which picture will there likely be the most damage?
  3. What is the connection between questions 1 and 2?

Today:

  • Complete Test Review, on your own paper.
  • Review answers to test review.

Homework:

Test next class.  Study notes and test review (Link to answers). Video of Mr. Stapleton going over the answers.  You might want to print them out from the link, so that you have them as you watch the video.

Coming Soon:

  • Finish Plate Tectonics
  • Physics of Hovercrafts
  • Potato Guns

Absent Students:

  1. Complete the warm-up, above
  2. Complete the test review (Test Review).  Then check your answers using the video above.
Class #5.  Thursday, 4/14/11

Warm-Up: 

  1. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Coriolis Effect causes winds to curve clockwise.  Why, then, do tornadoes and hurricanes swirl counter-clockwise?
  2. What kind of pressure creates hurricanes and tornadoes?
  3. What is the most deadly aspect of a hurricane?  What causes it?
  4. Sometimes a big storm, such as a hurricane or tornado, can cause peoples' ears to "pop."  In this case, do eardrums stretch inward or outward?

Today:

  • Finish notes on circulation of atmosphere.
  • Begin Plate Tectonics (handout)

Homework:

None

Absent Students:

  1. Complete the warm-up question, above.
  2. Complete pages 1 and 2 of plate tectonics handout while you watch this video...  http://www.schooltube.com/video/a6dcdbc05117862c6b1f/Plate-Tectonics-Part-I
     

 
Class #4.  Tuesday, 4/12/11

Warm-Up: 

  1. A bomber is flying over a bombing target.  When should it drop its bomb?
  2. Explain your answer to #1.
  3. What part of the Earth is spinning the fastest? How fast is it moving?
  4. What part is spinning the most slowly?

Today:

  • Blocks 1 and 3: cloud formation quiz.
  • Prevailing winds and climate patterns
  • Draw the Earth's prevailing winds and the circulation of Earth's atmosphere.

Homework:

Absent Students:

  • Complete Warm-up

 
Class #3.  Friday, 4/8/11

Warm-Up: 

  1. What is the white, fluffy stuff in the picture?  Is it dangerous?
  2. How does a power plant make electricity? (nuclear, coal, hydro, wind)

Today:

  • Pressure Quiz
  • Finish Cloud formation sheets.  Make a cloud in a bottle.  Learn how clouds form.

Homework:

  • Blocks 1 and 3: Quiz next class over cloud formation packet.  Study!

Absent Students:

  • Complete the warm-up, above.

 
Class #2.  Wednesday, 4/6/11

Warm-Up: 

  1. Sometimes you can "see your breath."  Sometimes you can't.  Describe the necessary conditions for being able to see your breath.
  2. When you see your breath, what are you really seeing?

Today:

  • Blocks 1 and 3: finish video and questions
  • Block 2: finish grading questions
  • Cloud formation

Homework:

  • Quiz next class over pressure notes -- grade will count!  Study pressure notes.

Absent Students:

  • Complete warm-up, above, and turn in
  • Print out the cloud formation handout, above.  Then watch this video and complete the first part of the handout.
  • Study for quiz (see "homework," above).

 
4th Quarter, Class #1.  Monday, 4/4/11

Warm-Up: 

  1. How can you prove that air has mass?
  2. How can you prove that air has weight?

Today:

Homework:

  • None

Absent Students:

  • Complete warm-up, above, and turn in

Click here for last quarter's stuff...