Test Day!

Everyone had their Chapter 3 test today and, I'll be honest, I wasn't surprised to see people taking a long time to finish. This exam always gives people more trouble than any other. Some suggestions I can make:

1. When I say something will definitely be on the test - it will. I said there would be a projectile-launched-at-an-angle question on the exam and even what I'd ask for it. People should have practiced that one so it went smooth as silk.


2. Listen closely in class when I outline what information will be available to you. For instance, if you got slowed down by the formulas I provided, remember that I told you exactly what you would get. Let that guide your studying, not other resources will not be available if you don't remember them exactly.


3. For all exams - look for patterns. Often a problem that seems new and unique, isn't. It's another problem you did just from a different point of view. The airplane dropping a box problem is basically your ball rolling off the table problems, kicking a rock off a cliff problem, etc. They work the same way and the same assumptions/implicit knowledge applies.


4. Since we go over homework before you turn it in, use that help as a check for when you need extra help. Waiting until the last minute can leave you with too many questions and not enough time to process any answers. Also, I cannot always be available at a moment's notice to stay after school. Count on asking me one day to stay the next or to see you the following morning. If I can stay that afternoon, I'll let you know, but if you budget your time wisely, you can get the help you need and not be frustrated because I have to take the dogs to the vet and can't stay after school when you want/need me

Monday begins our study of forces. F Block will conduct a lab investigation on forces and equilibrium and the rest of you lot will dive into the nature of forces, free-body diagrams and may get a taste of Newton's first law of motion. Have a good weekend!

Geek Test

+10 geek points if you've seen at least one episode with each of these... ok, one only had one episode, so you have to be a real geek to have seen it...

Test Day -1

Tomorrow, everyone has their Chapter 3 test. Today, we reviewed through the material, page by page, highlighting what you should know and be able to do for tomorrow. Hopefully, you downloaded the review sheet that's been up on Edline and have been studying a little at a time for the exam. Putting it all off until the last minute is not a great idea, especially if what you have trouble with is the problem-solving piece. You can't last-minute-memorize the skills needed for that part of the exam, so I am hopeful that everyone who has needed extra help has seen me to get the assistance they needed. On Monday, we begin our look at forces, the culprit promoting acceleration.

Winding Down with Kinematics

Today, groups either cleaned up notions about projectiles or jumped into relative motion. Unfortunately, a meeting pulled me out of class for C and E blocks, but we'll have plenty of time to pick up relative velocity tomorrow as we review for Friday's exam. B Block conducted their Projectile Motion lab and got to put into practice the concepts and calculations we discussed in class. As we look towards Friday, here are some videos to help you with working problems dealing with projectiles:

And More Projectiles...

Although B Block did start their discussion of relative motion today, the first portion of their period and the other blocks of the day continued on with projectiles. C Block conducted their Projectile Motion lab, investigating the properties of and practicing calculations with horizontally-launched projectiles. E and F Blocks had more practice time working with projectiles launched at angle, which we will go over tomorrow. Remember - the exam is on Friday, so Thursday is going to be some review time for people. I'd start looking over things now and be ready with questions...

Projectiles!

Today was projectiles launched at an angle day for all blocks - some getting their first bite at the information, others getting some review and more practice. Horizontally-launched projectile are a little easier to work with since we have only 1/2 of a parabola to work with and we know that v_i,y will be 0 m/s. That goes out the window for many projectiles, such as balls thrown through the air or missiles launched at a target. Some of the initial velocity is in the x-direction and some is in the y-direction, and you need to find those values and use them appropriately in your analyses. Most often, the x-component of the initial velocity will be found through the cosine function and the y-component through the sine function. So, for a problem where a projectile was launched at 20 m/s at an angle of 30°, you would see me write on the board:


v_x = 20 m/s(cos 30°)
v_i,y = 20 m/s(sin 30°)

right off the bat. Then, just make sure to use the proper velocity component when you work in the x- or y-directions. Another helpful trick is to break the parabola in two. This can make solving for time in the air simple. Solve for time for one-half of the parabola and then multiply times two to get full time in the air. Then, with that time, finding horizontal range is super simple (v_x = Δx/t). Different groups have different problems that they are working on tonight, and we will check over them tomorrow before moving forward. If more practice is needed, we'll take the time to do that. C Block will be doing a lab on horizontally-launched projectiles and some groups may dip toes in relative motion, depending on quickly we move through our projectiles review. Test on Friday and the Chapter 3 review sheet is up on Edline. Then - Forces!

Chicks Rock Science Hard

Projectile Motion

All blocks today worked with projectile motion - some blocks working with horizontal projectiles and others with projectiles launched at angle. B and C blocks worked with projectiles launched at an angle, building on the techniques they practiced with horizontally-launched projectiles. We lose the ability to set the initial velocity in the y-direction to 0 m/s, which complicates matters, but if you work thoughtfully and in a stepwise fashion, the problems are manageable. Break the initial velocity into it's x-and y-components, remember that v_x is constant and the y-velocity at the top of the rise is 0 m/s and that if you launch and land at the same point, you have a symmetrical parabola. That last piece can be of great help, since sometimes it is easy to work with one half of the parabola, rather than the whole thing, and just multiply your values by two. Solve for time to top of rise and multiply by two to get the entire time in the air, for instance. On Monday, we will look over these some more and get more practice, if necessary.

E Block worked on the Projectile Motion lab, which verified the assumptions and calculations we worked on with our practice problems. As long as you know height, you can calculate how long it takes the projectile to hit the ground. With time and and a known, constant horizontal velocity, predicting horizontal displacement is quick and easy. We'll go over this lab on Monday and then start on projectiles launched at an angle.

F Block had their horizontal projectile lecture, which helped to clarify and explain observations made in yesterday's lab. Yes, the velocity in the x-direction is constant. Yes, the acceleration in the y-direction is the standard velocity for gravity. Yes, you can analyze each component of the motion separately, for they are independent. Use the skills you practice in lab and the example problem we worked on the board to tackle the homework problems this weekend. On Monday, we'll go over them and then start with projectiles launched at an angle.

Have a good weekend!

The Value of Science Education

Do you think he thought this up by himself?

Not Many of You...

... will understand this. Those who do - sorry, pal..

Bombing the Enemy

F Block conducted a lab investigation on horizontally-launched projectiles. The mission was simple - use photogates to determine the velocity of a ball-bearing, take the height of the launch platform and determine where to place the target for the bearing to hit. The thing was, the bearing was only allowed to hit the ground once - when groups were ready to make their bombing run for me (and the rest of the class to see). This lab required careful measurements of horizontal velocity and height and careful calculation of the bearing's horizontal displacement. Groups did an excellent job - the targets were either nailed on the first go or with a little lateral adjustment of the target. The range calculations were fine, but the launch ramp and target were a little off right-left. Tomorrow, E Block sees if they can make as good a showing...

B and C Blocks reviewed the idea of projectiles launched horizontally and had class time to work practice problems for this type of motion. Remember that time is y-dependent and the most commonly used formula to find time for these problems is Δy = v_ot + 1/2at². Since the initial velocity in the y-direction is 0 m/s, the formula simplifies to: Δy = 1/2at². Once you have time, solving for horizontal aspects of the motion is simple. You've got one formula to use: v_x = Δx/t. You're generally asked for either horizontal displacement (and they give you v_x) or for launch velocity (and they give you Δx). Just use the time you found for the y-component of the motion and you're good as gold. We'll look over these tomorrow and then start to discuss projectiles launched at an angle. They take a bit more work, but it builds on what we've already done, so it won't be exhausting.

E Block had their full horizontally-launched projectiles chat today and also has a set of problems to work. We'll be going over those on Monday, since tomorrow is your lab block. I'd get them out of the way tonight for two reasons:

1. They will help you with you lab calculations tomorrow.


2. You'll have the lab write-up to do over the weekend, so don't give yourself double homework.

For everyone, the test is looking like it will be next Friday. That's a little later than I had planned but we're losing a couple of periods next week for various things, so c'est la vie...

Horizontal Projectiles

Here's a decent video discussing the basics of projectile motion, using a horizontally-launched projectile as an example:

Straddling a Line

Two blocks today dove into projectile motion and two blocks delved deeper into vector operations and non-perpendicular vectors. B and C Blocks began their discussion of projectile motion and we started with basic characteristics of this type of motion and spent time focusing on projectiles launched horizontally. Projectiles can be thought of objects in free fall that are given a little bonus - a horizontal velocity. Remember that whatever happens in the horizontal direction is independent of the party going on in the vertical plane and vice versa. So, the components of the motion can be analyzed independently using our familiar kinematics formulas. For motion in the x-direction, the velocity (in the absence of air resistance) remains constant, because there is no net external force acting in that direction to accelerate the object. Motion in the y-direction is accelerated by gravity. Everything we talked about and practiced for an object being dropped or tossed straight up into the air applies to the vertical motion of a projectile. Also, remember that the initial velocity in the vertical direction for a horizontal projectile is 0 m/s. Tomorrow, we'll finish up that chat and work problems with this type of projectile before adding another twist - what do you do with a projectile launched at an angle?

E and F Blocks reviewed vector resolution and working with non-perpendicular vectors. The most attention was given to those non-perpendicular beasts, because they are a handful to work with. Read the problem closely and carefully draw your vector diagram. Don't be afraid to draw the first vector, then draw a nice coordinate plane at the tip of this guy. Then, draw the second right at the tip of the first vector, right at the origin of the grid exactly as if the first vector wasn't there at all. Do that for every vector in the problem. Break down each vector into it's x- and y-components and pay attention to what trig function is used to determine each. Then, make you list of Σx and Σy, making sure the signs of each vector you add to the lists have the proper sign. Now, it's a matter of adding everybody up and making that final, blessed right triangle and getting the magnitude and direction of the resultant. Tomorrow, E Block will start discussing projectile motion and F Block will conduct a lab investigation focusing on horizontally-launched projectiles.

More Vectors!

Today, various discussions were launched for vector resolution and working with non-perpendicular vectors. Both vector combination and vector resolution are going to be used this year as we work with things like force and momentum, so make sure that you are very confident in your vector operation skills. Non-perpendicular vectors are the test - if you can successfully work problems with non-perpendicular vectors, then you can wear the vector crown with pride...

Tomorrow, we'll review these ideas and apply them to the concept of horizontally-launched projectiles. When motion occurs in two dimensions, as it does with projectiles, we have to be able to break a launch velocity into it's horizontal and vertical components to analyze the motion. The lab we'll do for this section will let folks work with horizontally-launched projectiles and give groups a chance to mathematically predict where a ball will fall. Yes... there will be prizes involved...

Go Go Gamers Go

I have never hidden that I'm a gamer from way back (yeah, had the original Pong that I played on a rickety black and white TV I inherited from my grandparents) and although multiplayer jerks can give gamers a bad name, sometimes we get a bit of good press:


Gamers solve problem in 3 weeks scientists couldn't in 10 years

Stop that Celebrating

I'll be in tomorrow. Just fighting off a cold and since I hate losing a fight, this cold will be tapping the mat in no time. Everyone is working on vectors today, so I hope that folks are helping each other out. C, E and F Blocks are working vector resolution problems, sort of the flip flop of the vector combination work you did on Friday. Using the same trig relationships, take a look at your vector diagram, decide which side of your triangle is the opposite to the angle and which is the adjacent. Write out your relationship and plug in the information you know. For vector resolution, that part is easy. It's probably going to boil down to either sin Θ • hypotenuse = opposite side or cos Θ • hypotenuse = adjacent side. Now, don't always think that the adjacent side will be the x-axis and the opposite will be the y-axis. Look closely at your diagram to determine the proper relationship to use for each component of your triangle.

B Block got a heavy dose of vector work - don't be upset if you have some problems with the non-perpendicular vector piece. They take very careful attention to diagram-drawing and organization of information. Take each individual vector and resolve it into it's components, paying close attention to the signs of each component. Add up all the x-components of the vectors and all the y-components and use them to make a single right triangle, the hypotenuses of which is the resultant for the overall problem. Think of it as a puzzle or game and don't let yourself get frustrated if you''re having trouble. Put the problems aside, take a few minutes break and come back with a fresh head. We'll start going over this tomorrow and more practice is needed, that's ok.

Well, off to open a fresh box of tissues...

Vectors

Before we move into 2-dimensional motion, we have to tackle the wonderful world of vectors. The ability to combine and resolve vectors will be critical in this course and we have to make sure that the necessary skills are hammered out now. B, E and F Blocks discussed the properties of vectors today and a method for constructing vector diagrams. We'll use the tail-to-tip method in this class, but if you already know the parallelogram method, go ahead and use it. But, definitely take the time to draw a vector diagram before tackling a problem; you will be surprised how much easier setting up your problem will be and how much better you can visualize the situation with a good diagram staring you in the face. We also took time to demonstrate using the Pythagorean theorem and the tangent function to calculate the magnitude and direction of a resultant vector and will add on the sine and cosine functions when we discuss vector resolution on Monday.

C Block had an overview of vector operations and then worked through a computer simulation that allowed them to work with vectors both graphically and mathematically. You got to combine vectors, resolve vectors and work with situations were there were many vectors involved in a problem. As long as you can get them sorted into vectors along the x-axis and vectors along the y-axis, you can make a nice right triangle to find your resultant. We'll go over that activity on Monday and then put a little more flesh on the vector bone.

Blocks B, E and F may want to practice with the simulation that C Block worked on today, so here it is for your enjoyment (along with the LAB SHEET)

Test Day!

Test day is over!

Well, you've gotten a look at what a typical test looks like and it's not really going to change. Same format each time, so no surprises. If you find you run short of time, it's ok to come back and finish, but always make sure to do it in a very timely fashion. Same goes if you're absent and miss a test. Make it up quickly, since I can't return and discuss the other folks' exams until yours is taken.

Tomorrow, we start with vectors. Some of you have worked with them, others of you haven't. Some of you have worked with basic trig functions (sine, cosine, tangent), others haven't. Not a problem. We'll get everyone up to speed with some good hard grunt work and there will be no complaining! We'll need these skills to be sharp and shiny as we move into 2-dimensional motion and then into our study of every other vector topic we hit this year. C Block has long block tomorrow and we'll start with some basic discussion of vectors, then you will work with a computer simulation to walk you through adding vectors. The rest of you guys will get a more in-depth discussion of vectors and how we can use vectors to explore aspects of physics. Trust me, it won't be too painful...

2012

Ok, you got my vote...

Commencing Countdown Engines On

Tomorrow is test day for all blocks. We reviewed for all blocks between yesterday and today, literally going page by page through the book to point out relevant things to know. You have all of your homework and labs in your hands. A review sheet is online, as are the worked out solutions to the problems and the PowerPoint lecture. So, you have a mess of tools and experiences to help you tomorrow. Remember that you'll get the formulas and remember to study your Ball Toss lab for the short answer that's going to concentrate on that investigation. I will be in before school tomorrow if you have any final questions, so stop in if you need help. Good Luck!

And More Free Fall

B and C Blocks conducted the Picket Fence Free Fall lab and got nice results. Demonstrated that acceleration due to gravity is constant, graphs of position-time, velocity-time and acceleration-time showed predicted patterns and that the measured value for "g" was pretty durn close to the actual value.

E Block reviewed their lab and homework problems for free fall before launching into a review for Thursday's exam. That's how things usually work - I'll go through the text pointing out what to know, and what you can slack off on, but it's on your shoulders to get any additional help you need before test time. That goes for all the blocks - are you listening B, C and E? Tomorrow, you'll get to work on a lab that will let you more fully work with free fall motion and give you a lot of practice interpreting and doing quantitative analysis of graphs. That will also serve as a good review for the test - remember, the write-up won't be due until Friday.

F Block ran a lab that analyzed the motion of a ball in free fall and spent a good portion of the lab block interpreting the graphs of the ball's motion. Make sure you are very clear about what each graph says about the motion and what information you can get from each graph. Consider well how the ball's motion and the patterns of the graphs document what we talked about in class.

Exam review tomorrow for B, C and E Blocks, so come with questions. Remember the online resources available to you and make good use of them for test preparation. This will not bail you out of a jam:

Free Fall

Today was dominated by a study of free fall with B, C and F Blocks engaging in a discussion of free-fall motion and E Block working on an activity to experimentally determine the value for acceleration due to gravity. That lab shows quite nicely that can be measured quite simply (as long as you have a photogate) and you'll use another method on Wednesday when you conduct a more extensive investigation on the free fall motion of a ball tossed in the air.

B, C and F Blocks tramped over familiar ground in their study of free fall, since the basic rules and formulas of kinematics apply equally to vertical and horizontal motion. As long as the only force producing significant acceleration on an object is gravity, the motion is easy to describe and predict. You know the acceleration will be -9.81 m/s² and you know that at the highest point of the rise the velocity of the object will be 0 m/s. If the object is dropped from a height (already at it's highest point), the initial velocity is 0 m/s. Remember this when making your information list to solve problems. The book won't remind you in the problem's write-up, so you'll have to remember that on your own. You know that an object on the rise (with + velocity and - acceleration) will slow down and falling object (with - velocity and - acceleration) will speed up. Tomorrow, B and C Blocks will conduct an activity on acceleration due gravity and F Block will analyze the motion of a ball tossed into the air to determine if all this blah, blah, blah about free fall is really to be believed.

West Nile Virus

As you all know, we got the word that there mosquitoes in the area that tested positive for West Nile Virus. For more information:

• CDC West Nile Virus Homepage


• National Institute of Health West Nile Virus Information

Here's the cycle of infection:



Here's the culprit:



And here's the ad for the upcoming Universal Pictures film starring Keanu Reeves:




...ok... that last part was a lie...

Phinally Phriday!

And, phinally, the sun has peeked out. I will take this as a good omen...

Today was kinematics for B, C and F Blocks, which nicely capped off our stepwise investigation of the descriptors of motion (displacement, velocity, acceleration). Kinematics asks and answers questions about an object's motion, but what it does not address is the cause of the motion or the factors promoting a change in the motion. That's dynamics, and we'll catch that very soon. The homework problems are designed to give you practice in working with these formulas and, I strongly urge folk to really give them a try before looking up answers. Write down all your information and identify which variable each piece represents. Choose a formula to start working with that uses that information, or could be used to get you another piece of information with what you already have provided. Plug your variables into the formula and be very mindful of signs. Evaluate your answer logically and with common sense - does it seem right or not... Create a good problem-solving strategy now, because we are going to be doing this until June...

E Block discussed their Ball Toss lab and evaluated their results in light of our previous work on kinematics. The tossed ball is an example of an object in free-fall (if we assume friction is negligible, which our results said wasn't a bad assumption) and that was the topic of today's lecture. Free-fall motion is motion where the only force acting on the object is gravity. Anything tossed into the air or dropped from a height, without any additional propulsion supplied, is a candidate for free-fall. We spent time explaining the patterns of motion associated with free fall (lose velocity as rises, gains velocity as falls) in terms of our knowledge of the interplay between acceleration and velocity and added a few items to our mental tool box (acceleration due to gravity is constant and at the top of a rise and object's velocity is 0 m/s) to help set up and solve problems. On Monday, you will do an activity to demonstrate free-fall motion and establish experimentally a value for acceleration due to gravity.

Have a great weekend!

Acceleration

We added the last descriptor of motion - acceleration - for C and F Blocks today. Keep in mind that acceleration is not just a change of velocity, it is the rate of velocity change and can involve both the speed of the motion and the direction. And be very mindful of the meaning of signs when evaluating accelerated motion. Acceleration and velocity can have the same sign, which means the speed increases, or opposite signs that indicate the speed decreases. We went over the situations where you have zero velocity but do have acceleration (like a ball at the top of it's rise) or where you have velocity but zero acceleration (object continues to move at constant velocity). We'll go over your homework problems tomorrow and then put all these descriptors together into what are called the kinematics formulas, which are powerful tools for analyzing the motion of objects.

F Block reached kinematics land today and, after an overview of the topic and relevant formulas, were given time for practice. It is easy to trip up with these - you get signs wrong, overlook implicit information, etc. - and, since we'll use them heavily, getting started on the right foot is important. We'll review these tomorrow before launching into a discussion of free fall and how to apply the kinematics formulas to objects in free fall.

B Block got to play with basketballs today to analyze their motion as they were tossed into the air. Position/time, velocity/time and acceleration/time graphs were generated and folks were able to put what we've been talking about in lecture to practice analyzing these graphs. It was to be expected that the position/time graph was curved because the motion had acceleration. It was to be expected that the velocity/time graph was linear because the acceleration was constant. That was reinforced by the acceleration/time graph, since it was basically a straight horizontal like right around -10 m/s² (accepted value for acceleration due to gravity, on average, is -9.81 m/s²). Tomorrow, we'll discuss the lab and then head into our discussion of kinematics.

Not a Happy Rain

Wow, is today dreary... luckily, we're studying motion which is FUN FUN FUN!!!

Ok, enough of that. B and E Blocks entered into a discussion of accelerated motion. Acceleration, the rate of change of velocity, can occur either through a change of speed or direction. We'll concentrate on the speed change for now, but remember the direction piece when we hit circular motion. We took time to look at acceleration conceptually, graphically and with equations and began to creep into a full kinematics discussion that we'll hit tomorrow for E Block and on Friday for B Block. Tomorrow, for B Block, is a lab that will let you examine the position-time and velocity-time graphs we've discussed and you will use them to interpret the motion of a ball in free fall - our next topic of study.

C Block conducted their Ball Toss lab and got very good results. The software provides position-time, velocity-time and acceleration-time graphs for a single piece of motion, so the movement of the ball through the air could be visualized and analyzed in a variety of ways. Consider the shape of each graph and make sure you explain them in your lab conclusions. Why do I expect the velocity/time graph to be nicely linear, for example... we'll go over the lab tomorrow before diving into a deeper study of acceleration. We'll hit the special circumstance of acceleration due to gravity a little later in the chapter.

F Block began their discussion of motion with an introduction to frame of reference and a few basic descriptors of motion. We took special care to distinguish the vector quantities (displacement and velocity) from the scalar ones (distance and speed) and make sure that, for tonight's homework, you include direction with your answers if the value is a vector. Tomorrow, we'll add another descriptor of motion - acceleration and then use all three on Friday to examine how we can use math to describe and make predictions about motion through the use of the kinematics formulas.

Maybe it will have stopped raining by then...

At Least They Tried

Motion!

B, C and E Blocks began their study of motion today with an overview of distance/displacement and speed/velocity. We will dig into the difference between scalar and vector quantities in more detail in the next chapter, but hopefully everyone got the basic idea that vectors require a statement of direction, whereas scalars only report magnitude. We also looked at the importance of a frame of reference for evaluating motion and started quantifying motion changes graphically and with the velocity formula. Tomorrow, C Block will conduct a lab investigation that will take a very graphical approach to the study of motion, using a motion detector to track a ball tossed into the air. B and E Blocks will move on to a discussion of acceleration and the major kinematics formulas.

F Block reviewed last week's material on the scientific method and metric system, then launched into the area of accuracy/precision. Accuracy problems are usually our fault somehow, but precision limitations stem from the physical design of the measuring tool. To correctly report the precision of a measurement, rely on significant figures. This is especially important with using several measurements in a calculation. In the case of ambiguous trailing zeroes, fall back on scientific notation. Truthfully, it's more efficient to report all values that way since it can make estimated calculations easier, but SI prefixes work well, also. Tomorrow - we begin our study of motion!

...and yes, this image is relevant to motion, so don't mock me...

Happy Birthday Freddie!

Freddie Mercury, lead singer of Queen would have been 65 today. The man had a 4-octave range (if you don't know why that's impressive, ask Mrs. Laflamme) and really entertained his audience in an age when Auto-Tuning and lip-synching were unheard of. The guys who do the Google doodles crafted a tribute and it's a hoot... BTW - did you know that Queen's guitarist, Brian May, has a Ph.D in Astrophysics...

Something to Remember...

... when you go to pester your twerpy little sibling...

Math is Fun!

Gotta Watch

I make no effort to hide my love of MST3K... here's a good one...

And, We're Done

Short week due to the impending holiday, and what's better for a short week than a nice fire drill. C Block lost some time due to that, but we made it work. B and C blocks spent time discussing the concepts of accuracy and precision and why precision (though we sometimes don't give it it's fair due) is a vital part of reporting measurements. Through the use of significant figures and scientific notation, the precision of values can be made clear to everyone reading them, which is critical for science, medicine, engineering... On Tuesday, we start in on one-dimensional motion!

E Block had their lab period and conducted an introductory investigation to familiarize themselves with the Vernier probeware system. Between the sensors/probes and the data analysis features, this system allows for highly quantitative labs to be performed, which is the name of the game in physics. Also, the various sensors make possible a good number of measurements that more classical apparatus do not easily permit. We'll go over the lab on Tuesday and then hightail it into our study of kinematics. Remember to have both yesterday's assignment and the lab write-up ready to go on Tuesday.

F Block reviewed yesterday's lab and began a discussion of the metric system, dimensional analysis and the scope of physics. We'll round out Chapter 1 on Tuesday and find ourselves in our study of motion on Wednesday. Just a head's up - looking over the lab sheets, I noticed a lot of people didn't follow the proper procedure for writing the lab synopsis. I don't care if you do it in paragraph form or in a list, but ALL components should be there. Since this is the first one, I gave the people who did it correctly an extra point and those who did not still got full credit. Next time, though, expect a reduction in grade.