Back in the Saddle

Sorry to all for being out two days, but I was dead. Expired. Past-tense. You get the picture. But, all reports from the subs were good and solid work was done by all - just shows how little I need to be there at all..

Honors Physics went over their midterm exams and all questions were addressed, since this material will make a return appearance on the final. Plus, we keep using the basics over and over, so everyone should be on as firm a ground as possible. Tomorrow, we'll conduct a lab investigation that targets the pressure-temperature relationship for an isovolumetric thermodynamic process. On Friday, we'll discuss the lab and jump into the deep end of our unit for thermodynamics.

Physical Science B conducted a lab investigation that had students generate and evaluate standing waves. First lesson - making standing waves is not easy! They will only form when exactly 1/2 wavelength will fit in the medium, so you had to get the frequency just right or else you had nothing but dancing spaghetti. Students were able (finally!) to create standing waves with one, two and three antinodes, calculate frequency, wavelength and wave speed for the waves and make predictions about waves with more than three antinodes. We had time in class to discuss the lab and results, so we'll pick up where we left off before midterms in class tomorrow - the Doppler Effect.

Physical Science E reviewed their midterm exams and addressed all questions/problems on the test for which people had issues. We then began to review basic properties of waves by going over the worksheet packet that was distributed on Monday. We'll finish up with that tomorrow, review the calculations for wave speed and then move on to describing the Doppler Effect. Our next area of wave studies will be the topics of reflection, refraction and diffraction. This will be only a cursory overview, as we'll examine these topics in far more detail with the sound and light chapter.

Physics F and G went over their midterm exams and took time to work out any remaining problems with the test items. Keep the exams under lock and key as you will want them as a study tool for the cumulative final exam. We then picked up with heat by reviewing the concept of specific heat and moving forward into latent heat and change of state. We will finish up with that topic tomorrow and the lab work that you will conduct on Friday (G) and Monday (F) will address both specific heat and latent heat. The exam for this chapter will fall middle-end of next week and we'll firm up the date in class.

Homework

Honors Physics A: Read over lab investigation
Physical Science B: Complete lab write up
Physical Science E: None
Physics F and G: None

Monday's classwork/homework

Honors Physics A: Read 11.1 and complete Practice 11A and the 11.1 Section Review
Physical Science B and E: Complete Waves worksheet packet
Physics F and G: Complete Chapter Review items #23-29

Tuesday's classwork/homework

Honors Physics A: Read Section 11.2 and complete the 11.2 Section Review
Physical Science B and E: Read Section 14.3 and complete the 14.3 Section Review.
Physics F and G: Read Section 10.4 in the textbook, complete the 10.4 Section Review and Chapter Review items #34-40