Pet Peeve

After spending the afternoon refreshing myself on the Hellblazer graphic novels, I got in the mood to watch the movie Constantine, which is loosely based on that comic series. This brings me to one of my pet peeves: television shows and movies should not mess with the appearance of characters described in literary vehicles. Take this situation for example. Here's how John Constantine is supposed to look, according to the original source documents, the comics in which he is featured:



He was modeled after Sting, for pete's sake. Now, here's how he looks in the movie:



Keanu Reeves does not look like Sting. Further, the comic version wears a brown trenchcoat and is English. The movie version wears a black trenchcoat and is American.

I actually like the movie, mind you, and like KR's performance in the film, but someone like James Marsters (Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) would have been a better physical fit for the role and he does a mean British accent. But what do they have him doing? Making audiobooks for the Harry Dresden novels. Dresden is 6 1/2 feet tall and dark-haired. Although I can't see Marsters while he is reading the book, just knowing he is average height and peroxide blonde is enough to make me simmer. they do have the vampire connection - Marsters played one on TV and Harry's brother is a vampire, but it is simply not enough. It is anarchy, I tell you. Pure anarchy...

Break Time!

Yeah! Hope everyone enjoys the few days off!

This was a very abbreviated week that found the Honors Physics folks completing the basic information in the Momentum and Collisions chapter, the Physics students starting this chapter and Physical Science folks starting to examine the action of forces in fluids. Honors Physics - by Monday, everyone should have completed through Practice 6G and C block will have completed #59 in the chapter review. Make sure that you can distinguish elastic from perfectly elastic collisions in terms of conservation of kinetic energy and mathematically analyze each type of collision. Physics - A block got a lecture on momentum and impulse today that E block will get next Tuesday. Monday is lab day, which will be devoted to examining the relationship between impulse and change of momentum. Physical Science got started with examining forces in fluids by discussing pressure, hydraulics and Pascal's principle. Have that worksheet completed by Monday so we can review the work in class.



As the holidays approach, people start looking for nice things to do for folks. Child's Play is a good charity that services children's hospitals. ALL of the monies and goods go to the children, none is retained for the charity itself and that is a rarity. Donations can be made through PayPal, or through Amazon.com. Hospitals set up Amazon wish lists and purchased merchandise is sent directly to the hospital. Children's Hospital in Boston is one of the hospitals serviced by the charity. The very cool thing is that Child's Play is a charity that has as its main source of donations the videogamer community. So, if you game, here's a way to do something to help out the gamer image and help sick kids in the process. Visit the Child's Play website for more information or to donate.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Momentum

Today, although Physics completed their coverage of work and power, was a day devoted to momentum. Physcial Science - Now that we've gone over the conservation of momentum problems, take time to review them both on their own and in light of Newton's 3rd law of motion. Remember that impulse ties the two concepts together, to work to put the whole picture together in your head. Here are a are a couple of pages of lines to additional information about Newton's 3rd law and momentum:

Newton's 3rd Law of Motion - Action and Reaction

Momentum

Honors Physics is on the same page, as the lab today centered around impulse and momentum. Note that the elasticity of the rubber band or bungee a decent difference in the rate of momentum change (force). If you haven't watched the video about Spiderman and Gwen Stacy that I posted a few days ago, now is a good time to give it a look over.

Physics - Time today for reviewing power and initiating a general review of the chapter's material in preparation for Tuesday's test. Note: a number of folks are starting to lose their focus in class and not use class time productively. Also, the submission of homework is beginning to drop. Don't allow yourself to fall into bad habits. Your grades for remaining quarters are used by colleges for grants and financial aid and you still have to get teacher recommendations. It's not over until its finally over, so don't shoot yourself in the foot by forgetting that senior year doesn't end for months.

The Truth Comes Out

Finally, the reason the machines got the upper hand in The Matrix. I always suspected...

Half-Day

Well, at least for you guys. Physics had both sections meet today and we reviewed our lab unit in light of conservation of energy. We'll add on the rate of energy/work performed tomorrow - power. Exam will be Tuesday, so start reviewing the material in preparation. Physical Science - did't see you guys. Honors Physics - G block sat through a lecture on momentum and impulse. C Block will get the lecture tomorrow. The lab on Friday will target impulse and its affect on the motion of an object. Ciao for now...

Energy Abounds

Momentum and work were the subjects of the day and both involve the energy state of an object. Momentum and impulse deal with energy of motion (kinetic energy)and change in this energy when forces are applied. Work and energy are kissing cousins - reported with the same unit.

Physical Science - a discussion of yesterday's lab and a review of the momentum problems homework helped solidify the basic concept of momentum. Tonight's work adds the definition and consequences of impulse to the overall picture. The answers to those problems are on the course website and remember to show your work for full credit. Physics - groups finished the energy labs and tomorrow will be debriefing day. We'll discuss the results and how they apply to the topics being examined in this unit. Honors Physics - test day for you. Tomorrow, only G block meets and we'll be introducing momentum and the momentum-impulse concept. C Block will catch up on Thursday. Your lab on Friday will investigate the concept of impulse in assiciation wiht a single moving object.

Back to Work

Weekends are always too short and Mondays are always too long. At least most of you were engaged in lab activities. Honors Physics - make ready for tomorrow's exam! Its long block, so you should have plenty of time, but be ready to use that time efficiently. I added more non-multiple choice problems this go around. Gives you a bit more opportunity for partial credit. Regardless, momentum starts right on the heels of the exam.Physics began, and some completed, the elastic potential energy lab. Tomorrow we will finish the lab discuss the whole lab unit from the perspective on conservation of mechanical energy. Physical Science investigated momentum. Technically, you were examining collisions and how they demonstrate conservation of momentum, but we'll bring that piece into the picture after we have basic momentum a bit tighter under the belts. But, it was fairly clear that if you give an object with a fixed mass more velocity, you give it more momentum. The target moved further with the increasing momentum of the cart. Later, I'll show you how to use a bit of math to model the situation But, in the meantime, here's a good video that touches on momentum, impulse and conservation of momentum (and Spiderman, which is always acceptable).

Grade Day!

For some of you, grade day is a wonderful thing. For some of you, it is a day to try and find a hiding place for your report card. Things to remember:

1. Teachers don't "give" grades. We report grades that you earn, for good or ill. We give your average to the school and they assign a letter grade based on the accepted school grading scale.



2. Your grade may be the same as, better than or worse than your progress grade based on what you did during the last half of the quarter. Everything from the first day of the quarter goes into calculating your quarter average. And every quarter's average goes into calculating your final grade for the course.



3. Don't focus on one aspect of your work as being the source of your whole grade- your average takes into account everything you've done. Great homework scores don't erase poor test scores and vice versa. If the teacher took the time to assign and grade the work, no matter how small the assignment, it counts towards your average.



4. Missing work is a zero in a gradebook. Every homework, lab, or other assignment that you don't turn in you get zero credit. You are not simply scored on the work that you submit. Late work, of course, also hurts your grade.

So, use this quarter's grade to plan your course of action for next quarter. Were your test grades low - study more and get extra help. Not doing homework - get your rear in gear and do the job. Forgetting to turn things in - pay attention. The teacher calling for an assignment and other students getting their work together and passing it forward should be a clue that something is being handed in to be graded. Do what it takes to keep your current mark or bring it up to a higher level. It is all up to you, so start making a gameplan now...

Force and Energy

Physical Science pondered Newton's 3rd Law of Motion and started ruminating on momentum. Tomorrow, we will discuss the section review questions and you will begin to work a series of problems concerning momentum and impulse. On Monday, you will investigate momentum and its conservation in lab through the study of collisions (settle down, one object bumping another qualifies as a collision - no crunching of metal required). Phyics students discussed the last form of mechanical energy in this chapter - elastic potential. You guys seem to have a good handle on kinetic and gravitational potential, so the addition of this third form to your toolbag should be simple. The lab unit into which we move tomorrow will examine all three and the idea of conservation of mechanical energy. Honors Physics - today's lab permitted insight into energy conservation from the perspective of simple harmonic motion. Groups were able to calculate the spring constant for their spring and demonstrated that an object in SHM exhibit conservation of mechanical energy. Tomorrow, we will go over the lab, tie up loose ends concerning energy conservation and introduce the idea of power. Monday, complete our discussion of power and engage in a general review. Tuesday - exam. YeeHah...

And We Return

A nice Veteran's Day off and then back to work. For Physical Science, the day was spent engaged in an examination of action/reaction forces. Your graphs nicely demonstrated that with interacting objects, forces are simultaneously and mutually generated that are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction. Even if one of the objects in the system was inanimate - like the lab bench or a chair. Using a rubber band didn't change the pattern either. Also, a reminder that this not an example of balanced forces. Balanced forces are two equal and opposite forces acting on ONE object. Action/reaction forces act on TWO DIFFERENT objects. We will discuss this more fully tomorrow and introduce a new concept - momentum.

Physics further explored the concept of work by adding in its tie to energy. Kinetic and gravitational potential energy were discussed and, tomorrow, we'll add elastic potential energy. Remember that kinetic energy is associated with active work, while the potential energies are waiting to do work or represent work done on an object where the energy was stored. The lab unit into which we'll move on Friday will study all three of these energies and the idea of energy conservation.

Honors Physics - Conservation of mechanical energy was the topic of the day, which will be explored in tomorrow's lab activity. Remember to read ahead about simple harmonic motion and Hooke's law, along with the lab activity, before tomorrow. It will facilitate the analysis of the lab data quite a bit if certain aspects of SHM are already in the brain. Some, we discussed today with our example of a pendulum and energy conversions, so keep that in mind also. The test is on the calendar for next Tuesday.

Physics LOLdog pic for today:

Project Hint

Pssssstttt...Physical Science folks....here's a little video that might help you analyze the data you collect for your garden hose projectile motion experiment. Think about what the video is showing you and the physical reasons behind these patterns. Consider time in the air, vector components of the motion (vertical vs. horizontal), vector components of displacement (horizontal vs. vertical), etc. How does your data match up? Assume, as for your data, that the initial velocity is equal for each trial (launch angle).

Wii-ducation

I admit that the CPS response pads do resemble the Wii controllers and it seemed as if the Physics kids were playing a video game during lecture. It was good on my part to get an idea of how well folks were keeping up with the material while it was being delivered. Maybe Mrs. Allbach will let us use it again someday soon. Honors Physics got a chance to go over the kinetic-potential energy lab and get an earful of information about elastic potential energy, another enegy of postion (like GPE). Our next lab will focus on this type of stored energy and provide a further investigation of the conservation of mechanical energy. Physical Science - don't put off writing up the projectile motion experiment until the last moment. Even a brief coverage has to include all sections that I specified at the onset of the assignment and should be well-written, comprehensive, neat and something you'd be proud to turn in for a grade. Test scores were pretty good - some folks are going to notice a significant improvement over the last quiz. Nice job!

Yo Way Yo

Ok...so I spent the day watching the four movies that make up the first "series" of Lexx - I Worship His Shadow, Super Nova, Eating Pattern and Giga Shadow. It has been a while since I've watched Lexx and I could hear the call of the Brunnen G echoing in my head all weekend. Great scifi show - sort of like Farscape, but it aired a couple of years before Farscape. And an eclectic assortment of guest stars (at least for series 1) - Barry Bostwick, Tim Curry, Rutger Hauer and Malcolm McDowell (did you know he is the uncle of the guy who played Dr. Bashir on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine?). So, today was a write-off.

Hopefully you guys did better. Physical Science - noses should be ground down from being kept on the grindstone. Know the material well and work efficiently. Physics - you'll be getting an introduction to work and energy and a chance to use th CPS system. I've used it with the Physical Science kids before as a stand-alone, but this time finds it melded with out usual PowerPoint lectures. There will be slides tomorrow that you won't see in your packets because they are "question" slides. Don't let that confuse you as you follow along in the packet. Honors Physics - we'll go over the energy lab and use it to clarify ideas about work. Think about what we went over for our work discussion and see how, and if, it applies to the patterns that you observed in lab. Did velocity increase when gravity did positive work? Did it decrease when gravity did negative work? Did position change when work was done on the ball? Etc... Well, back to Lexx.

"Yo Way Yo
Home Va Ya Ray.
Yo Way Rah.
Jerhume Brunnen-G!"


check out the mp3...
Kai would be proud

Moons

The full moon of each month has a name. November is the Beaver Moon - go figure...

• January: Wolf Moon

• February: Snow Moon

• March: Worm Moon

• April: Pink Moon

• May: Flower Moon

• June: Strawberry Moon

• July: Buck Moon

• August: Sturgeon Moon

• September: Harvest Moon

• October: Hunter's Moon

• November: Beaver Moon

• December: Cold Moon

Friday!

Everyone has been waiting for today, and it finally arrived. Physics students had to endure an exam, but get to play with some fun technology on Monday. Although we won't be doing a lab, we will be using Mrs. Allbach's CPS system during lecture. Think of it as having a remote control in your hand to send answers directly to my computer. Physical Science students reviewed for their exam and Honors Physics conducted a lab activity comparing the kinetic and potential energy of a tossed ball. That's all you need to know...

Well, at least its not snow...

Too much rain today, but at least it will, hopefully, strip the last leaves from the trees. I am tired of raking...

Physics - today's review touched on all topics that are likely on tomorrow's exam. Don't forget your calculators and, A block, don't forget to have today's homework assignment ready to hand in at the beginning of class.

Honors Physics - the energetic world of energy. In physics, we don't much past kinetic, gravitational potential, elastic potential and electric potential energies, but there are many more in the energy pantheon. Tomorrow's lab will target KE and GPE and the conversion between the two. We will do a lab later this unit for elastic potential energy and the determination of the spring constant using Hooke's law. Read over the lab tonight and have Practice 5D and the Section Review ready for Monday.

Physical Science - terminal velocity graphs looked very good and did match the model that I would predict for your data collection situation (-cv2). Heavier objects do fall faster than light objects because their terminal velocity is larger. Your TV for each additional filter produced a larger terminal velocity than the previous trial. Take air resistance out of the picture and they would all fall with the same acceleration. We will discuss the lab tomorrow and remember to bring questions about Monday's exam.

Back from Break

No school Tuesday and, now, back to the saltmine. And the mine was definitely salty...lots of things to do and lots of progress to make.

Physics - a discussion of the friction lab helped to frame the discussion of the lecture on air resistance. Tomorrow, bring the completed homework questions and any additional needs to prepare for Friday's exam. I'll have your labs back to you tomorrow to use for studying.

Physical Science - tidying up loose ends concerning gravity and its effects on motion. Projectile motion and orbital motion consider motion in two dimensions. You should be aware how those dimensions affect (or fail to affect) each other and describe the motion in qualitative (non-mathematical) terms. Tomorrow's law will allow you to investigate the role of air resistance in determining an object's motion. We'll discuss the lab on Friday and address any final questions about the forces unit. The exam Monday will cover the material through tomorrow's lab and reach back to our study of friction. Also, tomorrow, I'll give you a packet on how to write a lab report based on a student-created experiment (chapter review item #42). You should use that as a guideline for your write-up and we will go over it briefly tomorrow.

Honors Physics - Work can be described as a change in the energy of an object and tonight's homework looks at that aspect of the work concept. Note: although it is not stated in the problem, for 5C #3, assume that the car is sliding down the driveway - it is not being driven down the incline.

Short Week

No school tomorrow, so the week should just fly by!

Honors Physics - exam today on Chapter 4 should be graded by Wednesday, but (of course), we have to deal with the people who were absent and have to take a make-up test. Wednesday, we begin a study of work and energy, which will again tie into forces and the idea of net force.

Physics - make sure that you have completed the questions for your lab by tomorrow. We will discuss the lab in light of our lecture on friction. Thursday, general review of the chapter and Friday - EXAM!

Physical Science - it was interesting to read your essays on orbital motion. A number of your did a great job! A few helpful hints - when key words are given to include in your discussion, do not simply define the terms. Discuss how they act together to influence the topic. So, simply telling me what is inertia, gravity, free-fall, etc. is not sufficient. Tell me how they work together to produce orbital motion. Also, DO NOT copy your work from any source - that is plagarism. If I can find a website that has all or part of your essay or paper word for word, you are guilty of theft. Stealing someone's words is theft, just as if you stole their money and it is considered academic dishonesty. Read a variety of sources and synthesize the ideas, frame things in your own words, with your own analogies or examples. If you are used to simply copying and pasting material from the Internet into your papers, then you should be very aware that high-school teachers take this seriously and you do not want to be caught doing this when you submit something for a grade.