Current and Resistance

For today's modular classes we essentially just have two lessons back to back:

Notes: Electric Potential Part 2 and Current

Notes: Electric Resistance

We also went over one of the problems on Electricity TIPERs #4, whose due date has been moved to Monday/Tuesday.

For today's lecture the homeworks are:

p. 609 MC #3, 4, 14
Electricity TIPERs #1
Electricity TIPERs #5

We will be doing labs on Monday/Tuesday so bring your lab notebooks.

Electric Potential Energy and Electric Potential

Notes: Electric Potential Energy and Electric Potential

Charge and Coulomb's Law

Today we started our last unit: Electricity. We began by conducting a qualitative lab with pieces of tape, aluminium foil, and paper: Sticky Tape Activity. Please note that the first two pages are instructions, then the rest of the pages have places to make you diagrams and write your answers. This packet does count as a lab grade, so don't forget to turn it in.

Later we used your results to talk about charge, conservation of charge, how to charge/discharge things, and Coulomb's Law.

Notes: Charge and Coulomb's Law


Your homework tonight is Electricity Homework #1.

Sound and Standing Waves Test

Today is your test. Have a great Spring Break, and please come back to school refreshed and ready to start our next and last unit: electricity.

Work Day

Today is yours to work on whatever you need to do. Remember that your lab is due today, your test is tomorrow, and anything you want to get on the quarter grade is due tomorrow at 8 AM.

Lab: Speed of Sound in Air

Today you are completing the Speed of Sound in Air Lab. This is due on Wednesday. Below are some tips that were posted on the whiteboard.

If you missed this lab, there is a way to do it online, but it's a bit involved. You will have to use two different simulators.

This simulator is the best because it explains the lab and most closely emulates the physical process involved: http://physics.bu.edu/~duffy/HTML5/speed_of_sound.html

The only problem is that it only has 3 available frequencies, and we need at least 6 for a good graph. So while I want you to play with this applet, I want you to actually get your data with a different applet:

http://www.physics.smu.edu/~olness/www/05fall1320/applet/pipe-waves.html

You will need to follow the download instructions and run it off of your computer, not in the web browser window. It may not want to run at first because it uses an old version of Java, but just keep hitting “run anyway” and it will work. In the applet, choose “one side open” under "Form of tube" and make sure "Vibrational mode" is set to "Fundamental." Then you can put in different lengths of tubes and write down the frequencies it gives. This is sort of backwards from the real lab, in which we are choosing frequencies and finding the corresponding lengths of tubes, but you will get the same frequency vs. length data in the end.

Work Time/Pre-Lab and Practice Test

Most of today was yours to work on whatever you want. I did take some of the period to explain the lab we'll be doing on Monday/Tuesday. Your homework is to complete the pre-lab. The lab sheet is here.

You also picked up the Sound and Standing Waves Practice Test.

Harmonics in Music

Today we talked about the physics behind things like notes, timbre, octaves, etc. You aren't actually expected to know any of this and it will NOT be on any tests.

Notes: Harmonics in Music

In addition to the links in the the PowerPoint, you might find this site useful:

EarMaster: Understanding basic Music Theory
Michael Norris: Harmonic Series Calculator

Homework tonight is an FRQ from the AP test two years ago: 2015 FRQ 5. Email miss.volkening@gmail.com for a copy if you need it.

Coming up:

• You have a test next week, either Wednesday or Thursday.
• You have a lab on Monday/Tuesday. You might want to find and download a tone generator app for your phone, though if you don't my tuning forks will do fine.
• You have a work day and a practice test tomorrow
• The last day of the quarter is Thursday. I have to submit quarter grades on Friday. If you want something to make it on to the quarter grade, you need to turn it in soon.

Standing Waves Part 2

Today we completed our discussion of standing waves by looking at the standing waves that form on a string fixed (held) at both ends.

Notes: Standing Waves Part 1: Fixed Ends

Here is a great video showing the standing waves on a string: YouTube SMUPhysics

Homework tonight is p.509 #41 & 46

Standing Waves: Open Ends

Today we introduced standing waves:

Notes: Standing Waves Part 1: Open Ends

Here are the things that ended up on the board:

Homework tonight is p.506 CON #10 + p.510 #51 & 52a. For #51, just use 343 m/s for the speed of waves in air.

Resonance and Beats

Today is another mostly conceptual day:

Notes: Resonance and Beats

Homework is p.505 Multiple Choice #9 + Conceptual #6 & 11

The Doppler Effect

The Doppler Effect is one of my favorite things!

Notes: Doppler Effect

Homework is Ch. 14 (p. 505) Multiple Choice #12 + Conceptual #1, 7, 8

SHM and Waves Test

I hope you have recovered from the ACT yesterday because you have a test today!