Friday, November 3, 2017
10:00 - 11:00; 60 min. -
Physical Science:
Force, Speed, Velocity -
We analyzed the catapult system Will built yesterday. I reminded him of the Law of Conservation of Energy, and asked him to track energy, as it changed, from the sun to the skee ball landing in the box after the catapult. He also was tasked with tracking the energy involved when he tunes his guitar. We made a list of some of the different kinds of energy. We then reviewed the activity he designed yesterday, to determine the force of the catapult. We started by determining the distance and speed of the ball. We will continue on Monday. Homework: Review his notes on the Laws of motion and energy.

Thursday, November 2, 2017
12:30 - 1:45; 75 min. -
Physical Science:
Tinker crate arcade catapult -
Will was given the tinker crate from Kiwi.com. This crate was for an arcade catapult. Following the instructions, Will constructed a target box similar to a skee ball game. He then proceeded to construct a small catapult. He was tasked with identifying the unbalanced forces, and the flow of energy that is involved with a catapult. He also designed the process he will use to measure the force of the catapult.

Monday, October 30, 2017
1:00 - 2:30; 90 min. -
Physical Science:
Net Force and Vectors-
Will was quizzed on momentum and forces. I showed him situations where force, of different strengths and directions, was applied to an object, and asked him to determine how much force was being applied and what affect this force had on the object. I explained that this ultimate quantity of force is called the net force, and the arrows were called vectors. We worked a few examples so he was confident with the term. I then used an object with two strings attached. I let the object hang from the strings, and had Will identify if one string was exerting more force than the other. I then explained how to draw a parallelogram to show with vectors the force of the two strings.

Friday, October 27, 2017
10:00 - 11:00; 60 min. -
Physical Science:
Chain drop experiment-
Today will was quizzed on the scientific method. We conducted a slightly ‘virtual’ lab, but Will was tasked with writing out the process, starting with the question: will a mass connected to a chain, fall faster, slower or the same rate, as the same mass, free from a tender, falling from a 10 meter wall. Will made a hypothesis, and completed describing the method and determining the necessary materials. We watched a video of repeated trials of dropped masses, and recorded his observations. He then made a conclusion about his hypothesis. We will write a discussion about why a mass with a chain falls faster than a free mass, on Monday.

Thursday, October 26, 2017
12:30 - 1:45; 75 min. -
Physical Science:
Momentum-
Will was quizzed on his vocabulary. We then continued our investigation of momentum, and how it is different from force. I instructed Will to place a dime next to one end of a ruler, and flick a quarter against the other end of the ruler. We noted how far the dime moved away from the ruler. I then had him switch the coins and repeat the process. We compared the differences and discussed how momentum ‘traveled’ through the ruler to move the coins. The mass of the original coin affected the amount of momentum there was to travel. We watched Bill Nye the Science Guy for his foray into momentum, pausing periodically to discuss what we were watching.

Monday, October 23, 2017
1:00 - 2:30; 90 min. -
Physical Science:
Momentum-
Will and I reviewed his vocabulary words. I then added a few new words for this unit. Starting with momentum and collision. We discussed the units used to measure Force, Mass, Velocity, Speed, Weight, and Acceleration before adding the unit for Momentum. We discussed what would happen if a train, with no brakes, suddenly ran out of fuel. I explained that the momentum of the train would carry the train along the track for a while, and how far it traveled depended on the mass of the train and how fast it was traveling before the fuel ran dry. The formula for Momentum is mass times velocity p=mv). We worked several situations, where the mass and speed of an object were known, to determine the force and/or the momentum. We compared the processes used to determine force and momentum to find the subtle differences between the two. Homework: Review vocabulary words for the test this week.

Friday, October 20, 2017
10:00 - 11:00; 60 min. -
Physical Science:
Energy and Atoms-
Will and I reviewed the structure of the atom. I explained how the movement of the electron around the proton, is the basis of all energy, and can only be disturbed by the massive energy of a neutron star going nova, or in an atomic bomb. We discussed how all energy in matter is held in the bonds between atoms that make up molecules. Atoms of elements that are on the left side of the periodic table react quickly, especially with elements on the right side of the table, to create molecules. Energy is held in the bonds created during these reactions. Will and I examined several examples of elements reacting with other elements, and discussed some of the things Einstein discovered about the energy.

Thursday, October 19, 2017
12:30 - 1:45; 75 min. -
Physics:
Distance and Velocity-
After completing a comprehensive test on the Newtonian Laws, Will started a unit on Velocity. I explained the relationship between distances, time and velocity and Will wrote definitions in his notebook. I then posed several situations where he was challenged with determining the distance, time and velocity. He worked through the chapter questions relating to this topic.

Monday, October 16, 2017
1:00 - 2:30; 90 min. -
Physics:
Force and motion-
Will and I had a review of force mass and acceleration. I used the marble field, and instructed Will in how to shoot marbles. First I challenged him to use a shooter to hit smaller marbles into the circle, without them rolling too far, or not far enough. We discussed how he changed the force to accomplish his goal. We then played a version of the game of marbles while we discussed the forces at work and the Newtonian laws that govern our actions.

Friday, October 13, 2017
10:00 - 11:00; 60 min. -
Physics:
Laws of Motion -
Will used marbles to demonstrate the second Law of Motion. He used equal sized marbles, with one positioned at the bottom of a ramp, and the second at the top. When they collided the result was observed and noted in his notebook. He then increased the mass of one marble by using a ‘shooter’ (larger). Will placed the larger one at the top of the ramp, and the smaller at the bottom, and recorded his observations. He then switched positions and again recorded his observations. We discussed why the marbles moved in the direction and and at speed they were observed.