Friday, December 8, 2017
10:00 - 11:00; 60 min. -
Physical Science:
Bottle Rocket -
Will worked very hard today, constructing the rocket for his projects. He was tasked with attaching four sets of fins to the bottle, but these fins are required to be straight and opposite of each other. This turned into an engineering problem, which we addressed scientifically. Will and I calculated the distances between fins, and found a process to assist in the proper application of the fins.
Thursday, December 7, 2017
12:30 - 1:45; 75 min. -
Physical Science:
Bottle Rocket -
Will started a bottle rocket project today. This project is a tinker crate and comes with the supplies and instructions to construct the rockets and launcher, while also working on scientific processes relevant to our work on momentum. Will used this class to construct the launch pad for the rocket. We also discussed the Newtonian laws that are to be tested during this project.
Monday, December 4, 2017
1:00 - 2:30; 90 min. -
Physical Science:
Momentum-
Will and I reviewed the process and equation of momentum. Will was tasked with describing situations where force is in play, and where momentum takes over. We then did the same for acceleration. We worked through a series of word problems where Will was given some data, but had to calculate the acceleration or the momentum, using the correct equation. Homework: calculate the momentum for a list of problems.
Assignment
Homework: calculate the momentum for a list of problems.
Friday, December 1, 2017
10:00 - 11:00; 60 min. -
Physical Science:
The physics of Santa -
Will and I used this hour to discuss what amount of force would be required to accomplish everything Santa Claus is reported to do on Christmas Eve. We used the Internet to determine how many Christian households with good children exist in on the globe. We then calculated many houses per second, Santa must visit (822.6) Using the weight of a standard Lego set as the average weight of gift per child, we figured how much his sleigh would weigh (not counting the sleigh or Santa). Then we determined how much force would be necessary to accelerate the mass to the speed required. We also discussed how that much force would flatten Santa, to the tune of over 4 million pounds. We then discussed alternative processes that would make the Santa Claus experience possible, including multiple Santas.
Thursday, November 30, 2017
1:00 - 2:30; 90 min. -
Physical Science:
Speed and Direction-
Will and I reviewed the definitions of distance, speed, and velocity. He also had some idea about friction to share with me; rolling requires more friction than sliding. We discussed the differences between substrates that contribute friction to an object moving. We then reviewed the equations for determining speed, from time and distance. Will worked some problems to use this skill, and we slowly incorporated the vocabulary associated with velocity, which requires direction along with speed. We worked on a problem where an airplane travels at 35 degrees for a given distance and time. I showed Will the two ways to use degrees as a manner of direction (and not temperature). We drew a map compass rose, and examined some maps to see them in situ. I showed him that north can be 0 degrees or 360 degrees, and we discussed how someone can turn 360 degrees. We then noticed that south is 180 degrees, west is 270 degrees and east is 90 degrees. Using the compass rose, and his iPhone compass, Will determined that 35 degrees was northeast. We worked a few problems, in which he was challenged to find the speed and velocity (including direction) from time and distance sentences. Homework: complete the word problems on velocity.
Monday, November 13, 2017
1:00 - 2:30; 90 min. -
Physical Science:
Graphing Speed -
Will reviewed the graphs that represent constant motion and acceleration. He then graphed out the process of slow, variable speed, acceleration and then deceleration. We added these graphs to his notebook. He then was tasked with examining a graph of a car trip. The graph showed a line that was diagonal in some sections, horizontal in some sections and every section varied in slope and length. He identified where the car was traveling at a constant speed, accelerating, decelerating, and stationary. We then examined a graph showing the motion of several runners in a race; a single line represented each runner. Will was able to identify who won the race, who took a breather in the middle of the race and who was very much out of shape. Will was curious about the speed of sound, so we used some of this class to research the speed of light and sound, and why there is such a thing as a sonic boom.
Friday, November 10, 2017
10:00 - 11:00; 60 min. -
Physical Science:
Graphing Speed -
Will was instructed to create a graph, with time on the x-axis and distance on the y-axis. He quickly identified that the graph would be illustrating speed. I then asked him to make a graph of a car that was not moving. He noticed that the graph was a straight horizontal line. After reviewing what constant meant, Will constructed another graph, this time for a car traveling at a constant speed of 1 mile per hour for 4 hours. The line was straight and diagonal. We added another car that was traveling at a constant 2 miles per hour, and noticed that the line was also straight and diagonal, but reached the four-mile target in a shorter amount of time. Will made one more graph showing a car that increased its speed from zero to four miles per hour. This graph read as a curved line. Will put his graphs into his science notebook. Homework: review the maps and what they illustrate.
Assignment
Homework: review the maps and what they illustrate.
Thursday, November 9, 2017
12:30 - 1:45; 75 min. -
Physical Science:
Catapult Experiment -
Will continued with his catapult experiment. First we reviewed the scientific process he used on Monday, to determine the force the catapult exerted on the ball. He had concluded collecting data by recording the mass of the ball. He conducted his analysis of the data, and applied the correct formula to find the speed of the ball from the distance and time. He also used the formula for finding acceleration from the speed at the start of the experiment and the speed at the end of the experiment. He then used Newton’s second law (F=M*A) to find the force applied to the ball. He then recorded his conclusions in relation to his hypothesis and then wrote his discussion of the process. We spent some time imagining how his conclusions on the force of a catapult, benefited those who used catapults.
Monday, November 6, 2017
1:00 - 2:30; 90 min. -
Physical Science:
The Catapult Force Experiment-
Will was tasked with using the scientific method to write up the experiment we had worked out last week, for finding the force of his catapult. We started with the question and he used a Newton scale to help find a hypothesis for the amount of force his small catapult applies on a ball. He worked out the methods, and listed the materials. We then proceeded to conduct his experiment, following his methods. We found just the correct distance for the catapult, to hit the target. Will used a stopwatch to time how long the ball took to travel from the catapult to the target. He used this data to find the speed of the ball. He then figured out the acceleration of the ball. He finally used the gram scale to find the mass of the ball. We will continue the experiment on Thursday.
