Monday

That single word is enough to cripple the spirits of any individual...

Honors Physics went over their work and energy exams and then launched into a discussion of impulse and momentum. FΔt = Δp describes the action of an impulse on an object's momentum and also nicely spotlights the role of time. Newton's 2^nd Law of Motion sometimes doesn't emphasize the role of time, as it gets hidden in the acceleration variable. But duration of force application is as important to changing an object's momentum as the force's magnitude. We discussed the idea of follow-through in sports and will highlight other examples of the role of time in tomorrow's class. Have your labs and 5A, 5B ready for tomorrow. We'll discuss the lab (which we already started doing today) and review those problems before moving on to conservation of momentum.

Physics B and F reviewed the six simple machines and how they function to make work easier. We then introduced the ideas of mechanical advantage and efficiency, which will be targeted heavily in the lab unit that we begin tomorrow. We'll look at inclined planes, all three classes of levers and pulleys (simple, movable and pulley-systems.) You'll calculate IMA and measure AMA to evaluate the machine's efficiency and also get a better look at how these machines manipulate force or distance to make work easier.

Physical Science went over their lab investigations in class and used them as an example to reintroduce the Impulse-Momentum theorem. We took time to review this idea before plunging headlong into some examples of this is mathematically applied. After we went over a couple of practice problems, students were given a sheet with additional samples to work. We'll go over these in class tomorrow before turning attention to conservation of momentum.

Homework

Honors Physics: None
Physics B and F: Complete Work and Energy review packets
Physical Science: Complete Impulse-Momentum practice problems