Category: Physics in the Universe

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Distance learning: By Zoom and by phone

During daily office hours, I will be available to students to connect in ‘real time.’ The main platform I will use will be Zoom, but you can also just phone in to join the Zoom meeting without having to use a Zoom app or the web. It’s just like making a phone call.

For security reasons, the Travis USD has added a required password for Zoom meetings. My password can be found in the yellow at the bottom of this page, listed as Enter this number.

Calling in by phone to a Zoom meeting

Dial 408-638-0968

You will be prompted to enter the meeting ID. My ID is 569-283-4396 (don’t include the dashes) followed by #

If the meeting has not already started and “join before host” is not enabled (I’ll usually not have this enabled), press # to wait for me to open the meeting.

You will be prompted to enter your unique participant ID. Press # to skip this step.

Enter this number: 772227

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3/17 PotU: Chapter 18.1 Electromagnetic Waves

Notes, tips, and other help

Videos

Waves review video, with introduction to electromagnetic waves

The equation E=hf you do not need to know, but the relationship shown by the wave (the higher the frequency, the higher the energy) you should understand conceptually.

How is the speed of light measured?

This video is a bit long, but it explores how we determined the speed of light (as shown on page 534 of your textbook). This embeded video is set to start with how they first measured the speed of light. The rest of the video is optional, but available for those who might be interested.

Physics girl describes electromagnetic waves

https://youtu.be/4e8HT3GGw6c

Minute Physics

These two one-minute videos demonstrate the “Wave or Particle” discussion presented on page 536.

This one is a bit harder to understand.

In the end, however, we don’t say electromagnetic waves are waves or particles: They are simply electromagnetic radiation, which sometimes acts like a wave and sometimes like a particle. It’s sort of like asking if water is a solid or a liquid: In different situations it can be a solid, but in others it’s a liquid.

Online resources

ck-12 Light waves simulation

This simulation offers you plenty of options to investigate electromagnetic waves. This should help with understanding the chapter.

PhET simulation

PhET provides a great simulation to experiment with radio waves and electronmagnetic fields. This version runs with Java only, so it won’t run on phones. If Java is not installed on your computer, and you wish to install it, instructions are here for Macs and Windows.

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PotU 3/16: Learn from Home Weeks 1 & 2

Your assignment for the next two weeks is to read, take notes, and complete questions from Chapter 18, Electromagnetic Waves and Light, in your textbook.

There are five sections in Chapter 18, so your pace should be completing about one section every two days.

When we return to school, you will have an open-notes test on Chapter 18, so be sure to take good notes (printed materials are not allowed on the test, just your hand-written notes as well as your hand-written answers to questions at the back of the chapter.

Learning Resources

  • If you can’t find your textbook, I have scanned it and you can read/download each section here.
  • Starting on Tuesday, I will hold an optional Question and Answer session via Zoom from Noon until 1:00. If you have any questions, feel free to log in and ask.
    • Zoom requires an app for your computer or phone, but the company has a great reputation and is not full of ‘bloatware.’
    • You can visit Zoom on the web here, or using a phone app you can enter this Meeting ID: 569-283-4396
    • I think you need to create a Zoom account to join a meeting but you can use it in the future as well.
    • Due to the COVID1-19 emergency, Zoom is allowing free student and teacher upgraded accounts for the rest of the spring.
  • I will be posting online tools to help with understanding each section, so keep an eye out here if you have questions (I’ll add links below for each section as I create them.
  • You may also post questions on the bottom of each section post, and I will answer them there.
  • If you with to email me, I will answer your email as well as posting the question and answer on the corresponding section page.
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3/13 PotU: Quiz on energy in mousetrap cars and earthquakes.

No warm up today, instead…

image of a sample bubbled in student ID
  • Turn in your bookends/warm up sheet in the tray in the front.
  • Get out your notes from yesterday: One page, handwritten only.
  • Have a pencil or pen, plus a calculator.
  • Clear everything else off your desk.
  • Put all phones and headphones/buds/etc. in your bags.

Quiz

The quiz has 16 multiple choice questions on the front, plus one energy transformation bar graph set on the back.

Remember to bubble in your student ID and read all directions.

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3/12 PotU: Review for quiz

Warm up

Earthquake waves carry energy. Which wave travels faster, S or P waves?

Remember to copy the complete question.

Answer

The P waves get there first (primary), so they travel faster.

Today’s agenda

Today we will conduct a Kahoot!.

You will earn classwork credit for completing it, so include all students names (first and last) when you register. Your username will be randomly created, due to too many inappropriate usernames in the past.

You need to take notes as we go through the Kahoot! You may use your notes from today on the quiz tomorrow.

If you would like to review this Kahoot! later, you can view it here.

Returned quiz answers

Waves and energy quiz answers (Jan 31)

Version A

  1. A
  2. D
  3. A
  4. A
  5. C
  6. A
  7. B
  8. A
  9. A
  10. B
  11. D
  12. C

Version B

  1. A
  2. C
  3. A
  4. A
  5. D
  6. A
  7. B
  8. A
  9. B
  10. D
  11. C
  12. A

Quiz: Earthquakes and Tsunamis, 2/24

  1. .

Weekly quiz: Jan 15

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3/11 PotU: Last day for car trials; breakdown cars.

Warm up

If a car travels 7 meters in 14 seconds, what is its speed? What if it takes 28 seconds to complete the 7 meters.

Show the equations you use with numbers, units, and the correct answer in order to get a stamp!

Answers

  • 7 meters ÷ 14 seconds = 0.5 m/s
  • 7 meters ÷ 28 seconds = 0.25 m/s

Today’s work

Mousetrap car

  • Complete testing your car and calculating the values on the “Page 7” sheet.
  • Make sure you take quality notes explaining what happened as your car moved.
  • Disassemble your car and return:
    • Mousetrap
    • Base wood
    • Wheels (4)
    • Axles (2)
  • When your car is completely disassembled, bring up your parts and your quarter sheet “Group members and what you did” at the same time.
  • Turn in Page 7.

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3/10 PotU: Mousetrap car testing.

Warm up:

Two parts: Calculate the speed of a car that traveled 2.7 m in 3.5 s. Calculate the average of 3.2m/s, 4.2m/s, and 3.7m/s.

You must have all the information written, show the equation you used, and your answer (must be correct) to get a stamp today. Have your Page 7 of the mouse trap car out as well.

Answers

  • Speed: 2.7 m ÷ 3.5 s = 0.77 m/s
  • Average: (3.2+4.2+3.7) ÷ 3 = 3.7 m/s

Today’s work

Your car should be ready to go. Before the end of the period, you need to:

  • Run your car for three trials.
    • Record the time and distance your car traveled.
    • Record notes describing the motion of your car.
  • Calculate each trial’s speed and averages.
  • Turn in your 1/4 sheet (one per group) describing what each member of your group did. If you had three members of your group, add the third person’s information on the back.
    • Remember, claiming credit for someone else’s work is plagiarism and has negative academic consequences.

Don’t forget Honors photo project, due tomorrow by midnight. TurnItIn instructions are on the web page for the project.

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3/9 PotU: Running the mousetrap cars!

Warm up

Copy the energy bar graph below, then name the components of your system and add bars representing the energy at the three different stages described.

image showing three energy bar charts plus a system box

Today’s work

Your car should be ready to go; no more than five minutes to get it ready. Before the end of the period, you need to:

  • Run your car for three trials.
    • Record the time and distance your car traveled.
    • Record notes describing the motion of your car.
  • Calculate each trial’s speed and averages.

If your group does not finish these steps, you must come in at lunch or after school today.

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3/6 PotU: Mousetrap car testing

Warm up

What two things need to happen to add energy to a system by working?

Answer

Work requires a force and pushing through a distance.

Classwork

Fine tuning your car

  • Fine-tuning your car so it will run at least two meters.
  • Tips to make your car run better:
    • Students who used fishing wire seemed to get good results. You may want to swap out your string for fishing wire if your car doesn’t run well.
    • Duct tape seems to work best for attaching your string to your axel.

Record the force your mousetrap applies to your wheels.

  • Measure the force at three angles: 45°, 90°, and 135°. Record these values in the table in your packet, then calculate the average.
  • Measure the length of your lever arm, then calculate the the distance it travels (half the circumference) by multiply by 3.14 ( π )
  • Calculate the work done: average force times the distance.
  • Measure the mass of your car on the scale.

Turn in your packet today.

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3/5 PotU: Momentum, acceleration, and mousetrap cars

Sideview sketch of a mouse trap car.

Warm up

Carefully sketch a side-view of your mousetrap car and explain how it converts elastic energy into kinetic energy.

Sideview sketch of a mouse trap car.

Classwork agenda

Work on and complete

Momentum in collisions

  • Complete all problems
  • Turn in before you leave.

Mouse Trap Cars packet

  • Complete through #14.
  • Complete #19-24.
  • Get a stamp before you leave.

Outside of class-time work

Your mousetrap car needs to be ready to go tomorrow. Complete it during lunch or 7th period today.