Real-World Vector Addition

An airplane landing in a crosswind is a real-world example of vector addition. When a strong wind blows across a runway, the pilot must aim the plane into the wind in so that a component of the plane's velocity will cancel the crosswind. The key is to get the resultant velocity vector to point directly along the runway.

It all sounds rather simple on paper, but in reality the application can be quite challenging, as seen in the video below:

Homework: 11/20/08 - 12/02/08

Note
Class trips disrupt the first two days of this cycle, and Thanksgiving break falls in the middle.

SC12: Physics
Day 1/2: Class Trips
HW: --
Day 3/4: Exam: Newton's Laws
HW: None - enjoy break!
** Thanksgiving Break **
Day 5/6: Friction
HW: P. 145, 4C: 1 - 3

SC12P: AP Physics C (Mechanics)
Day 1: Class Trips
HW: --
Day 3: Examples of Relative Motion, quiz on Newton's 2nd Law
HW: None - enjoy break!
** Thanksgiving Break **
Day 5: More Applications of Newton's Laws
HW: P. 130-131 : 26, 28, 31, 32

Homework: 11/10/08 - 11/19/08

SC12: Physics
Day 1/2: Newton's 1st Law
HW: Finish reading Chapter 4
Day 3/4: Lab: Force vs Acceleration
HW: Begin lab report
Day 5/6: Newton's 2nd & 3rd Laws of Motion
HW: P. 133, 4A: 1, 3; P. 138, 4B: 1, 3; Study for Exam

SC12P: AP Physics C (Mechanics)
Day 1: Discussion of Relative Velocity
HW: Finish previous HW
Day 3: Lab: Force vs Acceleration
HW: Begin lab report
Day 5: Applications of Newton's laws
HW: P. 129-130: 19, 23, 24, 25

Homework: 10/31/08 - 11/7/08

Note
Mr. G will be attending SSUNS 2008 at McGill University on Days 5 & 6

SC12: Physics
Day 1/2: Inertia, Newton's 1st law of motion
HW: Read 4.2
Day 3/4: Examples of Newton's Laws
HW: Read remainder of Ch. 4
Day 5/6: Film - The Elegant Universe, Part 3
HW: Complete Part 3 worksheet

SC12P: AP Physics C (Mechanics)
Day 1: Hallowe'en Party
HW: Read section on Relative Velocity
Day 3: Relative Velocity and Circular Motion
HW: P. 95: 29, 31, 34, 35, 39
Day 5: Newton's Laws
HW: P. 128: 1, 9, 12, 14
Day 6 Lab: Multiple Choice Problem Set
HW: Finish M/C set

Homework Folders

Since, during the upcoming test, you need to hand in all of your assignments since the last test, I thought I'd post a handy guide to what new assignments should be in the folder.

Sc12 - Physics: 4 Assignments
HW 6: P. 91, Practice 3A: 1-4
HW 7: P. 94, Practice 3B: 1, 3; P. 102, Practice 3D: 1, 3
HW 8: P. 104, Practice 3E: 3, 5
HW 9: P. 109, Practice 3F: 1-3

SC12P- AP Physics: 5 Assignments
HW 6: P. 65: 1-5
HW 7: Pp. 65-70: 7, 24, 25, 38, 62
HW 8: P. 93: 2, 5, 6, 8
HW 9: Pp. 93-94: 9, 11, 14, 16
HW 10: P. 97-98: 52, 56

Don't forget that the lab report on horizontally-launched projectiles is due in ALL classes on the day of the exam.

Homework: 10/23/08 - 10/30/08

!!IMPORTANT!!
This is the last cycle in the first marking period. All outstanding work MUST be completed by the end of this cycle (Thursday, 10/30/08) or it will result in a grade of ZERO for that assignment.

SC12: Physics
Day 1/2: Lab #2: Velocity of a Projectile; Projectiles Launched at an Angle
HW: Begin data analysis; P. 104, 3E: 3, 5
Day 3/4: Relative Velocity
HW: P. 109, 3F: 1 - 3; Bring HW folder to next class
Day 5/6: Unit Exam 2: Vectors and Projectile Motion
HW: Read 4.1

SC12P: AP Physics C (Mechanics)
Day 1: Projectile Motion
HW: Pp. 93-94: 9, 11, 14, 16
Day 3: Projectiles Launched from Cliffs
HW: p. 97-98: 52, 56; Bring HW folder to next class
Day 5: Unit Exam: 2-Dimensional Motion
HW: Read 5.1
Day 6 Lab: Exam Discussion
HW: no homework

Homework: 10/15/08 - 10/22/08

SC12: Physics
Day 1/2: Scalars and Vectors, Vector Operations
HW: P. 91, Practice 3A: 1-4
Day 3/4: Vector Addition
HW: Read Pp. 92-93: Resolving Vectors Into Components
Day 5/6: Vector Components, Projectile Motion
HW: P. 94, Practice 3B: 1, 3; P. 102, Practice 3D: 1, 3

SC12P: AP Physics C (Mechanics)
Day 1: Vector Components
HW: Pp. 65-70: 7, 24, 25, 38, 62
Day 3: Vector Operations, Postion and Velocity Vectors
HW: Read Chapter 4.1
Day 5: Two-Dimensional Motion with Uniform Acceleration
HW: P. 93: 2, 5, 6, 8
Day 6 Lab: Lab #2: Velocity of a Projectile
HW: Begin data analysis

Homework: 10/03/08 - 10/14/08

SC12: Physics
Day 1/2: Exam Review
HW: Study for exam
Day 3/4: Unit 1 Exam: Accelerated Motion
HW: No Homework
Day 5/6: Exam Discussion
HW: Read Ch. 3.1

SC12P: AP Physics C (Mechanics)
Day 1: Exam Review
HW: Study for exam
Day 3: Exam 1: Accelerated Motion
HW: No Homework
Day 5: Exam Discussion
HW: Read Chapter 3: Vectors
Day 6 Lab: Coordinate Systems, Vectors and Scalars, Vector Properties
HW: P. 65: 1-5

Homework: 09/24/08 - 10/02/08

Note
Mr. G will be at on the 9th Grade Bryn Mawr Trip for Day 1

SC12: Physics
Day 1/2: Film - The Elegant Universe, Part 2
HW: Complete Part 2 worksheet
Day 3/4: Motion with Constant Acceleration
HW: P.53, Practice 2C: 1, 3, 5
Day 5/6: More with Acceleration; Freely Falling Motion
HW: P.64, Practice 2F: 1, 2, 3

SC12P: AP Physics C (Mechanics)
Day 1: Film - The Elegant Universe, Part 3
HW: Complete Part 3 worksheet
Day 3: Freely falling objects
HW: Pp. 49-50: 36, 44, 45
Day 5: Kinematic Equations derived from Calculus
HW: P. 50: 46, 47, 48
Day 6 Lab: Equipment shake-down trial: new motion detectors
HW: Come prepared with questions for review

Homework: 09/16/08 - 09/23/08

Note
Mr. G will be at on the 9th Grade Bryn Mawr Trip for Days 5 & 6

SC12: Physics
Day 1/2: Lab #1: Physics & Measurement
HW: Begin lab report
Day 3/4: Acceleration
HW: P.49, Practice 2B: 1, 3
Day 5/6: Film - The Elegant Universe, Part 1
HW: Complete Part 1 worksheet

SC12P: AP Physics C (Mechanics)
Day 1: Velocity & Acceleration
HW: Pp. 46-47: 5, 13, 15
Day 3: One-dimensional Motion with Constant Acceleration
HW: PPp. 47-49: 20, 23, 25, 26
Day 5: Film - The Elegant Universe, Part 1
HW: Complete Part 1 worksheet
Day 6: Film - The Elegant Universe, Part 2
HW: Complete Part 2 worksheet

Large Hadron Collider (LHC) Information

MSNBC has a great interactive tour of the LHC.

Check out the very cool LHC live webcams.

You can also click this link to see if the LHC has destroyed the world yet: Has the Large Hadron Collider destroyed the world yet?

"End Day," produced a few years ago by the BBC, addresses possible end-of-the-world scenarios. One of those included a LHC-like collider creating a black hole. Here is the relevant clip, along with explanations as to why it can never actually happen.

Welcome Back!

A Quick Tour of the MPH Physics Webpage

Welcome to the MPH Physics webpage. Here you'll find several resources to help you with your classwork throughout the year.

This page is updated with a new assignment sheet before the start of every new cycle during the school year. The first assignment sheet is below. Additionally, announcements regarding local lectures or events that may be of interest will be posted as they come up.

Links can be found down the right-hand-side of the page. You can download additional copies of the syllabi and equation sheets for each course, as well as view java applets that illustrate key ideas. The Physics Links section contains several interesting and useful sites for anyone who wants to study a particular topic in more depth, or is just looking for some quick review. Finally, old posts are archived at the bottom of the page. Though the calendar changes somewhat from year to year, a clever student could gain a good idea of future assignments by studying the old posts.

If there is anything I can add to make the site more useful to you, or if you find a link that is dead, please let me know!

Sincerely,
Mr. G


Homework: 09/08/08 - 09/15/08

SC12: Physics
Day 1/2: Class Introduction, SI Base Units, Metric Prefixes
HW: Read 1.1 - 1.2
Day 3/4: Accuracy and Precision, Significant Figures, Experiment #1
HW: Read 1.3; P.14, Practice 1A: 1-5
Day 5/6: Displacement & Velocity
HW: Read Ch. 2.1; Work P.44, Practice 2A: 2, 4, 6

SC12P: AP Physics C (Mechanics)
Day 1: Class Introduction
HW: Read Chapter 1
Day 3: SI Base Units, Dimensional Analysis, Significant Figures
HW: Pp. 14-18: 4, 9, 33, 44, 60
Day 5: Position & Velocity
HW: Pp. 46: 1, 3
Day 6 Lab: Experiment 1 - Physics and Measurement
HW: Complete lab report

Physics Final Exam

Friday, May 30, 9:00 am - 11:00 am in the gymnasium. You may not leave before 10:30 am.

What Really Goes On At The LHC

So what, exactly, does the Large Hadron Collider do?

Why do we need it?

In this presentation from TED.com, physicist Brian Cox explains what we hope to accomplish with the LHC experiments.

End Day

Imagine waking up to the last day on Earth.

So begins End Day, a 2005 docu-drama produced by the BBC that depicts various doomsday scenarios. The documentary follows the fictional scientist Dr. Howell as he travels from his London hotel room to his laboratory in New York City, and shows how each scenario affects his journey as well as those around him, with various experts providing commentary on that specific disaster as it unfolds.

Inspired by the predictions of scientists, End Day creates apocalyptic scenarios that go beyond reality. In a single hour, the film explores five different fictional disasters, from a giant tsunami hitting New York to a deadly meteorite strike on Berlin.

Of particular interest in the final scenario, the only one wherein Dr. Howell reaches his laboratory unhindered. Upon arrival, he and his colleagues initiate a highly controversial experiment using the world's largest particle accelerator. The experiment quickly goes out of control, resulting in the creation of a new type of matter called a strangelet, which begins to consume and destroy all matter around it. The phenomenon wreaks havoc on Earth's weather systems and atmosphere, insinuating that the entire planet will eventually be destroyed.

A similar controversy currently surrounds an experiment planned at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) located in Geneva, Switzerland. The LHC is a circular particle accelerator 27 km (17 miles) in circumference, buried on average 110 m (360 ft) below ground. Concerns have been raised that performing collisions at previously unexplored energies might unleash new and disastrous phenomena. These include the production of micro black holes and strangelets, potentially resulting in a doomsday scenario. If strangelets can actually exist, and if they were produced at LHC, they could conceivably initiate a runaway fusion process in which all the nuclei in the planet were converted to strange matter, similar to a strange star. According to Dr. Frank Close, Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford,"The chance of this happening is like you winning the major prize on the lottery three weeks in succession. The problem is that people believe it is possible to win the lottery three weeks in succession."

On 21 March 2008 a complaint requesting an injunction against the LHC's startup was filed before the US District Court of Hawaii by a group of seven concerned individuals. The restraining order is a demand for an injunction of 4 months time after issuance of the LHC Safety Assessment Group's (LSAG) Safety Review originally promised by January 1, 2008, to review the LHC's most recent safety documentation, after it has been issued, and a permanent injunction until the LHC can be demonstrated to be reasonably safe within industry standards.

End Day is hosted on Google Video, and is presented in its entirety below.

The Atomic Cafe

The Atomic Café is an acclaimed documentary film about the beginnings of the era of nuclear warfare, created from a broad range of archival of film from the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s - including newsreel clips, television news footage, U.S. government-produced films (including military training films), advertisements, television and radio programs. News footage reflected the prevailing understandings of the media and public.

The film was produced over a five-year period through the collaborative efforts of three directors: Jayne Loader, and brothers Kevin and Pierce Rafferty. The filmmakers opted to not use narration and instead they deploy carefully constructed sequences of film clips to make their points. The soundtrack utilizes atomic-themed songs from the Cold War-era to underscore the themes of the film.

Though the topic of atomic holocaust is a grave matter, the film approaches it with black humor. Much of the humor derives from the modern audience's reaction to the old training films, such as the Duck and Cover film shown in schools.

The film is hosted at Google Video and is 80 minutes long. The entire film is embedded in this blog and can be watched by hitting the "Play" button in the video window below.

Galloping Gertie

When the original Tacoma Narrows bridge was built in 1940, its design inadvertently caused it to resonate with the wind gusts through the Narrows. The bridge had a tendency to sway in the wind, which earned it the nickname "Galloping Gertie." The ultimate fate of this constant swaying is dramatically illustrated in the following newsreel.



The bridge even made an appearance in an advertisement for Pioneer speakers in the '90s.

The Doppler Effect

The Doppler Effect results when a wave source and an observer are in relative motion. The most notable example is with sound, but it occurs with all waves. Click on each link below to see examples and explanations of the Doppler Effect.

• Doppler Effect (police car - observer's viewpoint)
• Doppler Effect (police car - source's viewpoint)
• Explanation of the Doppler Effect
• Doppler Effect Applet

Wave Applet

This is a really neat applet from the University of Colorado that allows you to control a variety of parameters for waves on a string. Check it out!

Wave Applet

Wave Forms

[The following animations were created using a modifed version of the Mathematica^® Notebook " Sound Waves" by Mats Bengtsson, and come from http://www.kettering.edu/~drussell/Demos/waves/wavemotion.html]

Longitudinal Waves
In a longitudinal wave the particle displacement is parallel to the direction of wave propagation. The animation below shows a one-dimensional longitudinal plane wave propagating down a tube. The particles do not move down the tube with the wave; they simply oscillate back and forth about their individual equilibrium positions. Pick a single particle and watch its motion. The wave is seen as the motion of the compressed region (ie, it is a pressure wave), which moves from left to right.




Transverse Waves
In a transverse wave the particle displacement is perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation. The animation below shows a one-dimensional transverse plane wave propagating from left to right. The particles do not move along with the wave; they simply oscillate up and down about their individual equilibrium positions as the wave passes by. Pick a single particle and watch its motion.

Homework: 03/13/08 - 03/24/08

SC12: Physics
Day 1/2: Determining Period and Frequency for Various Systems
HW: P.449; 12B: 2, 3; P.451; 12C: 1, 3, 5
Day 3/4: Open-Book Exam: Simple Harmonic Motion (Ch. 12.1-12.2)
HW: Read Ch. 12.3 - 12.4
Day 5/6: Wave Motion, Wave Types, Wave Interactions
HW: P. 457; 12D: 1, 4; P. 465: 4

SC12P: AP Physics C (Mechanics)
Day 1: Introduction to Torque
HW: No homework (MPH Musical)
Day 3: Torque & Rotational Work
HW: Pp. 302 - 303: 33, 37, 43, 44
Day 5: Open-Book Exam: Rotational Motion
HW: Read Chapter 11: Angular Momentum

SC12APEM: Electricity & Magnetism Independent Study
Biot-Savart Law

Homework: 03/05/08 - 03/12/08

SC12: Physics
Day 1/2: Roller Coaster presentations
HW: Read Ch. 12: Vibrations and Waves
Day 3/4: Lab: Properties of a Pendulum
HW: Begin Lab Report
Day 5/6: Hooke's Law; Simple Harmonic Motion
HW: P. 441; 12A: 1 - 4

SC12P: AP Physics C (Mechanics)
Day 1: Rotational Kinematics; Lab: Conservation of Momentum
HW: Begin Lab Report; Pp. 299- 300: 1, 5, 11, 17
Day 3: Rotational Kinetic Energy; Moments of Inertia
HW: Pp. 301 - 302: 21, 23, 26, 31
Day 5: More on Moments of Inertia
HW: No homework (MPH Musical)

SC12APEM: Electricity & Magnetism Independent Study
Torque on a current-carrying loop; Motion of a charged particle in a uniform magnetic field

Homework: 02/26/08 - 03/04/08

SC12: Physics
Day 1/2: Roller Coaster calculations and modeling
HW: Finalize design and calculations
Day 3/4: Work on 3-D coaster models
HW: Continue to work on models
Day 5/6: Finish 3-D coaster models
HW: Prepare for presentation

SC12P: AP Physics C (Mechanics)
Day 1: Collisions in 1- and 2-Dimesions
HW: Pp. 261 - 262: 16, 17, 18, 29
Day 3: More on Collisions, examples
HW: Read Ch. 9.5: Center of Mass
Day 5: Center of Mass
HW: Pp. 263 - 264: 35, 37, 39, 44

SC12APEM: Electricity & Magnetism Independent Study
Work problems on Magnetic Fields

Homework: 02/11/08 - 02/25/08

SC12: Physics
Day 1/2: Film: Supercoasters (Part 1)
HW: ---
Day 3/4: Film: Supercoasters (Part 2)
HW: Begin Coaster Design process
Day 5/6: Preliminary Coaster designs and Calculations
HW: ---

SC12P: AP Physics C (Mechanics)
Day 1: Linear Momentum and Its Conservation
HW: P. 260: 3, 4, 5
Day 3: Impulse and Momentum
HW: P. 261: 9, 11, 12
Day 5: Work-Kinetic Energy Theorem, Power
HW: ---

SC12APEM: Electricity & Magnetism Independent Study
Work on problems concerning RC circuits and charging/discharging capacitors

Homework: 02/01/08 - 02/08/08

SC12: Physics
Day 1/2: Inelastic Collisions
HW: P. 224, 6E: 1, 2, 3
Day 3/4: Roller Coaster Physics: Energy Conservation
HW: ---
Day 5/6: Roller Coaster Physics: Forces on Hills and Loops
HW: ---

SC12P: AP Physics C (Mechanics)
Day 1: Isolated and Non-isolated systems
HW: Pp. 218 - 219: 4, 5, 7
Day 3: Situations Involving Kinetic Friction
HW: P. 220: 19
Day 5: Conservation of Mechanical Energy
HW: Pp. 224: 55, 59, 62

SC12APEM: Electricity & Magnetism Independent Study
Work problems on Kirchhoff's laws

Homework: 01/24/08 - /01/31/08

SC12: Physics
Day 1/2: Return/Rework Exam
HW: Read Chapter 6
Day 3/4: Linear Momentum and Impulse
HW: P. 211, 6B: 1, 3
Day 5/6: Conservation of Momentum
HW: P. 219, 6D: 1 - 4

SC12P: AP Physics C (Mechanics)
Day 1: Potential Energy of a System
HW: P. 192: 38
Day 3: Conservative and Nonconservative Forces
HW: P. 192: 39
Day 5: Relationship between Conservative Forces and Potential Energy; Energy Diagrams
HW: P. 192: 46, 47

SC12APEM: Electricity & Magnetism Independent Study
Work on problems involving resistor networks

Homework: 01/15/08 - 01/23/08

SC12: Physics
Day 1/2: Power
HW: P. 189, 5F: 1-5
Day 3/4: Unit Review: Work and Energy
HW: Study for Exam
Day 5/6: Exam: Work and Energy
HW: ---

SC12P: AP Physics C (Mechanics)
Day 1: Integrals and Integration
HW: Read Ch. 7 and come prepared with questions
Day 3: Exam Review
HW: Study for Exam
Day 5: Work-Kinetic Energy Theorem, Power
HW: Take-home exam

SC12APEM: Electricity & Magnetism Independent Study
Continue to work on Current, Resistance, Ohm's Law, and Electrical Power

Homemade Silly Putty

Several people have asked for it, so here's a link to a good recipe for homemade Silly Putty. A simple web search yields several recipes that suggest using liquid starch, but the resulting goo is pretty nasty stuff. This recipe uses Borax, which works considerably better. The recipe is from Steve Spangler Science, a site filled with some really cool, hands-on experiments.

Homework: 01/07/08 - 01/14/08

SC12: Physics
Day 1/2: Gravitional Potential Energy
HW: P. 174, 5C: 2, 4; P.180, 5D: 3
Day 3/4: Lab: Hooke's Law
HW: Begin lab report
Day 5/6: Elastic Potential Energy, Conservation of Energy
HW: P. 180, 5D: 1, 2; P. 185, 5E: 2, 3, 5

SC12P: AP Physics C (Mechanics)
Day 1: Work Done by a Constant Force
HW: P. 189: 1-4
Day 3: The Scalar Product of Two Vectors
HW: P. 189: 6, 7, 9a
Day 5: Work Done by a Varying Force
HW: Pp. 189 - 190: 12, 14, 21, 25

SC12APEM: Electricity & Magnetism Independent Study
Current, Resistance, Ohm's Law, Electrical Power