Everyone: Light Review

Today we reviewed a bit that we already know about waves and light. Bellwork:

We spent most of the period finishing last night's homework or starting Light Review.

Everyone: Color and Polarization

Today we combined two lessons that I usually do on separate days. First, The bellwork:

The underlined colors in number two are the primary colors of light. We used an old color addition box to show how the primary colors add to make other colors, but you can get the same information here. Note that white and black are not really "colors" in physics because they do not have a designated wavelength - white is all colors and black is no light at all.

We also talked about how screens on devices like televisions and cell phones use RGB pixels to make different colors. You can read about that here.

Then we switched to the other lesson, which was kicked off by number three in bellwork. It would be a good idea to read about stereoscopic vision here. We moved on to polarizers and demonstrated how the difference between unpolarized light an polarized light as well as how polarizers function with some springs and golf clubs. You can read about polarization in the intro to the Wikipedia page.

We then we talked about ways we use polarizers or polarized light. There are lots of examples later in the Wikipedia page, but we focused on polarized sunglasses and 3D movies. The 3D movies are explained in the second paragraph of the Display Technologies section.

Your homework tonight is a light waves practice worksheet that Ms. Trinkley gave me before the printers broke. Please put your answers on the back.

Everyone: Doppler Effect

Today we talked about the Doppler Effect and sonic booms. Your notes ended up written on the board with bellwork:

We used this simulation and this one to explain how the Doppler effect happens, but if you missed it the Wikipedia page is pretty good. In this video you can hear the Doppler effect for a passing car.

There is no homework because the copiers are still down, but your Electromagnetic Spectrum Project is due today. If yours is electronic, email it to miss.volkening@gmail.com

Video: Connections Episode 4: Faith in Numbers

Today we watched Connections: An Alternative View of Change, Episode 4: "Faith in Numbers"

There is a reading guide for the video, but it is optional. If you fill it out, you automatically get 5/5, even if it's wrong. But every correct answer past 5 is extra credit - that's not a lot of extra credit, but with so few assignments in the gradebook this early in the semester it can make a big difference.

Reminder: your Electromagnetic Spectrum Project is due Monday.

Video: Connections Episode 2: Death in the Morning

Today we watched Connections: An Alternative View of Change, Episode 2: "Death in the Morning"

There is a reading guide for the video, but it is optional. If you fill it out, you automatically get 5/5, even if it's wrong. But every correct answer past 5 is extra credit - that's not a lot of extra credit, but with so few assignments in the gradebook this early in the semester it can make a big difference.

Electromagnetic Spectrum Continued

Today we watched this series of videos: Tour of the Electromagnetic Spectrum

Then you had time to work on your EM Spectrum Project, which will be due next Monday.

Fair warning: I will be gone Friday.

Everyone: Electromagnetic Spectrum

Today we are talking about the electromagnetic spectrum - one of my favorite things! First, bellwork:

Then, depending on your class we watched one of these videos:

Weird sounding song
Catchy song
Tour of the EM Spectrum Introduction

We might watch the rest of that playlist (see the whole thing here) next week.

We then went over the spectrum in more detail with a powerpoint.

Next week we will be working on the EM Spectrum Project. I did not officially pass it out today, but some people took it to get started.

Everyone: Intro to Light

Today we started talking about light and electromagnetic waves.

We watched this video and homework is Waves III.

Everyone: Standing Waves and Harmonics

There was no bellwork today. Instead, we jumped right into the several things we needed to get done.

1. Turn in Ranking Tasks: Waves from Monday
2. Complete Waves Lab II and turn it in.
3. Read pages 369-373 and take notes on page 372 (There is a pretty good overview of the info on page 272 here and here).
4. Complete Waves II, which is due Thursday (period 1 is excused from this).

Everyone: Wave Interference and Sound Waves

First we completed a bellwork about wave interference, during which we also watched some animations here and here.

Next we talked about sound waves. I tried using a Powerpoint for notes, which you can find here, but we also interspersed demonstrations with a tuning fork and tone generator that I can't reproduce here.

Homework tonight is Ranking Tasks: Waves.

Everyone: Speed of a Wave

 Today we did a little review on bellwork and learned the equation for the speed of a wave.

The honors classes then looked at how to find the origin of an earthquake.

Homework is Waves I, due Monday.

Everyone: Kinds of Waves

Today we named the two types of waves you created during your lab and defined them. We also talked about water waves and tsunamis. A page of nice wave animations by Daniel A. Russel can be found here. There is no homework.

Everyone: Waves

Today we introduced mechanical waves by completing a qualitative lab: Waves I.

I also passed out permission forms to those of you that we're randomly selected to participate in an alternative assessment. The first 90 students that return the form will participate, and 12 students that complete the test will be admitted to the KEYS Summer Internship.

Bellwork intro:

After the lab, we put names to some of the things you had investigated:

Welcome Back!

Welcome back from break, everyone! Today we have a guest speaker to give you information about the KEYS summer program at the University of Arizona. For more information, visit: KEYS.pharmacy.arizona.edu. This looks like a great opportunity and I hope you will apply.

For the rest of the period we talked about the science classes you have already taken and what is still required, both for high school graduation and for post-secondary educational options.

We will start new material for the semester with a qualitative wave lab on your block day.