Conference Day

We had an abbreviated day due to parent-teacher conferences, but some work did get done regardless.

Physics A and B reviewed for their Chapter 6 exam, with Physics B (having a modified long block), having some time to explore conservation of momentum for rotating systems. Angular momentum is another conserved value, like linear momentum, but depends on different variables. For linear speed, we have angular speed - the speed at which the object rotates. For mass, we have moment of inertia - the resistance of an object to changes in its rotation. Moment of inertia does depend on the quantity of mass present, but also on how that mass is distributed around the rotational axis. Then your hands were away from your body, your rotational speed was lower than when your hands were drawn in close. With more of your mass distributed away from the axis of rotation, the harder you were to rotate (greater moment of inertia) and with your arms drawn in, you had more mass clustered near the axis of rotation (lower moment of inertia). Low moment of inertia, higher rotational speed; high moment of inertia, lower rotational speed. The product of the two, however, would remain constant since angular momentum had to be conserved. For both blocks, after tomorrow's test, we move on to circular motion and gravitation.

Honors Physics reviewed for their Chapter 7 exam and on Friday, we take on forces in fluids.