10/28 Gaitan

Today, we had both the non-linear motion test review due and the first quarter exam review packet.  After we turned those in, we took the test, several people worked up to the bell, but Coats Haan said that the tests were going well before class ended.  We had no homework, due to the fact that the next week we have exams, and we just took a test.  The concept that I feel least comfortable about is writing operational definitions completely accurate. 

10/28 qod

What part of 1st quarter do you feel like you need to review the most for next week's exams?

--ch

Clyde 10/27

Today we turned in the HAC check and the blue sheet, which was worth 10 extra credit points if it hadn't been used to extend any assignments. We checked the homework from last night and then Coats-Haan went over a few of the tougher homework problems on the board. We got some time to finish our pair check from yesterday and turn it in, and then we used the rest of the time to work on the reviews due tomorrow. The two reviews are our only homework for tonight.

Also! Coats-Haan is having a review session after school tomorrow, so if you need some help before the exam, it is highly recommended that you attend. No material will be prepared specifically for the review session, but Coats-Haan is prepared to help people individually and answer any and all questions you may have about the material. You can also visit her at the beginning of the day to ask questions; the earlier you come, the more time you will have to get individual help.

QOD: In relative motion problems, we have to add vectors.  How do you know when to use ROXY?
Vectors that are going in the same direction or opposite directions can be added together by simple addition and subtraction. Vectors that, together, form a right angle can be added together by using the Pythagorean Theorem to find the resultant, which is the hypotenuse of the right triangle that the vectors form. I would say that with any combination of vectors besides these special scenarios, it would be best to use ROXY.

10/27 qod

In relative motion problems, we have to add vectors.  How do you know when to use ROXY?

--ch

10/26 qod

According to the compass on a plane, it is flying due north with an airspeed of 300 mph.  A wind is blowing due east at 85 mph.  Is the magnitude of the ground speed greater than, equal to, or the same as the air speed.  Explain your answer.
--ch

10/25 Bloomberg

Today in 3rd period physics everyone in class turned in their Dart Gun lab reports. Then we took notes on uniform circular motion which is when an object is moving around in a circle at a constant speed. We learned that an object moving in a circular motion is constantly accelerating because it is constantly changing direction. We also learned that frequency, f, is how many times the object goes around in a given time period. A period is the inverse of frequency and is how long it takes the object to move around the circle. Today Mrs. Coats- Haan and Hunter Miller had a lively discussion about Georgia Tech and Hunter's Georgia Bulldogs shirt, which lead to many other anecdotes about the intelligence of people in Georgia and Mrs. Coats- Haan's brief stint at Macy's. Once we got back on task everyone got out of their chairs and swung their arms in a circular motion. Mrs. Coats- Haan told everyone except for Michael Zimmerman to sit down. Using the length of his arm we did one of the example problems on the examples sheet. After we were done learning the lesson we did a pairs check about uniform circular motion with our lab partners. The homework for tonight was to read The Case of the Scientific Aristocrat and to do the worksheet that went along with it and  to do pg 155 numbers 1-10 in our physics book. Also later in this week we have to turn in the HAC Check, our quarter review packet, test review and if we return our three test that we took this quarter we can earn extra points.



QOD: What does it mean when we talk about the number of g's?
Answer: The number of g's is an acceleration of an object divided by the acceleration due to gravity (9.8m/s^2). For example on our example sheet we found that the centripetal acceleration of Michael Zimmerman's arm when he swung it circularly was 112m/s^2. When 112m/s^2 is divided by 9.8m/s^2 we get -11.4 g's.

10/25 qod

What does it mean we talk about the number of g's?

--ch

10/24 Alaimo

Today in physics we started the class off by having each group make final adjustments to their presentations about Barbie Einstein.  We then proceeded by having each group present their story on how Barbie Einstein died.  There were a wide variety of theories to how Barbie died, but Hunter's Scooby-Doo story was by far the most creative.  We found out that the time was 2.1 sec and the horizontal velocity was 7.3m/s.  After the presentations, Coats-Haan shared the truth about Barbie Einstein's death.  Coats-Haan then gave us two follow-up questions about Barbie Einstein which we were told to write on a piece of notebook paper.  The first was about what questions the Grand Jury should ask and about our assumptions, and the second was how high Barbie would have had to have started in order to land in the pool.   If we finished we could turn the questions in.  Three worksheets were handed out at the beginning of class: The Case of the Scientific Aristocrat, the HAC check, and The Non-Linear Motion Test Review.  The Case of the Scientific Aristocrat goes along with page 53 in the lab manual and is due Wednesday.  The HAC check is due Thursday, and the Non-Linear Motion Test Review is due Friday.  The Dart Gun Lab Reports are due tomorrow.

QOD:  The fastest person in the world has ran about 23mph.  8m/s converts to 17.89mph, so a person can run 8m/s. It is not a walking speed because a walking speed would not be as fast as 8m/s. The average walking speed for a woman is 3mph which is not nearly as fast as 17.89mph.

10/24 qod

Is 8 m/s an achievable speed for a person without mechanical aid?  If so, is it a running or walking speed.  Justify your answer.

--ch

10/21 qod

How did you calculate Barbie's horizontal velocity when she left the hotel window?

--ch

10/20 Williams

           42 - The answer to life, the universe and everything

We started class by checking last nights homework, which was p. 82 problems 14-23 from the book. Then we got the 1st Quarter Review Packet which will be due next Friday. We then discussed the answer to life the universe and everything, which it turned out only Chrissy and I actually knew what was going on, but it was all cool. (If you're curious, look into The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy.) Then for the rest of class we worked on a detailed analysis about two girls throwing balls off balconies, and found that one could throw well enough to be a professional baseball player. The only homework was to finish the detailed analysis if it wasn't already completed.

Question of the Day - Well, unless I did the whole analysis wrong, which I didn't because I checked it as I went, the balls never actually collided. BUT, if they were to have collided, then the x and y coordinates would have needed to be the same at the same time. Also, the real answer is, and always will be, 42.

10/20 qod

In the problem that we worked on today, what do you know about the x and y coordinates of the two balls when they collide?

--ch

10/19 Wandersee

FIRE AWAY!!

In class- At the start of class Coats-Haan checked our detailed analysis packets for completion. We were given the key to correct any mistakes. The rest of the class period was spent doing the dart gun lab (page 51 of our lab manual). This lab demonstrates horizontal range at different angles. We were supposed to find out whether or not the equations for projectile motion predict the actual distance covered by the dart. Oh and if you were wondering, my group found out, after several failed attempts, that the dart doesn't actually suction on to the wall.

Homework -page 82 #14-23 (more projectile motion practice)
                   -lab report (due Tuesday)

Question of the day-Use the range equation to explain mathematically, why complementary launch angles produce the same horizontal range.
Answer of the day- The range equation is Range = velocity squared*sin2theta/gravity. While I was experimenting with this equation I found out that when solving for complementary angles the result is the same because the sin2theta of any two complementary angles gives the same result. For example, sin2(20 degrees) and sin2(70 degrees) both equal .6428. Thus the results are the same because the rest of the variables in the equaiton are the same as well.

10/19 qod

Use the range equation to explain mathematically, why complementary launch angles produce the same horizontal range.

--ch

10/18 Vidas

Today in Honors Physics, we started class by going over our detailed analysis #1-16.  We also found out what really happened to Stonehenge! After this, we worked on the rest of the detailed analysis, using the key to help us.  When we got to #38 in the detailed analysis, Coats-Haan gave us notes on the horizontal range equation.  Then we continued working on the rest of detailed analysis packet.  If we did not finish this in class, we needed to finish it for homework. 

QOD:  To determine if the ball in today’s problem reaches its maximum height before or after it reaches the edge of the cliff, you first had to calculate the time required to reach the top of the ball’s trajectory, which was calculated using the first equation.  This turned out to be 0.587 seconds.  Next, you needed to calculate the horizontal distance the ball travels during the time it takes to reach the peak. Because the horizontal component is uniform motion, you can use the equation x = vt. The resulting horizontal distance is 5.84 m.  The horizontal distance from the initial x position to the edge of the cliff is 5.00 m.  So, the ball reached maximum height 0.84 m past the edge of the cliff.

10/18 qod

What are the steps to determine if the ball in today's problem reaches its maximum height before or after it reaches the edge of the cliff?

--ch

10/17 Turner

Today in Honors Physics the students streamed into a classroom that was brightly lit with the beautiful personality of ouToday in Honors Physics the students streamed into a classroom that was brightly lit with the beautiful personality of our teacher, Coats-Haan. After laboriously turning in our weekend Hewitt packets, we then proceeded to take notes over projectile motion. These notes took the majority of the class, most likely due to intermittent banter in which Coats-Haan expressed her dislike at animal cruelly but grudging admitted that Michael Vick is still a prime athletic. After Clay gave her the cold shoulder, the period seemed to decline from there. We learned some unimportant facts such as the vertical component of a projectile is independent of the horizontal component blah blah, horizontal component is in uniform motion etc. etc. More importantly we deduced that Coats-Haan’s favorite student of the day was Hunter, why this is no one knows...Also the homework was not nearly as complicated as it first appears. Half of the questions had the same answer, or so I thought? At least there were only two answers..50% chance right? 



 qod - Which component velocity of is going to affect time more, vertical or horizontal? The vertical component will affect time more since the horizontal component is in uniform motion I.E. the time is equal to the distance traveled.
qod - Also the penny and ruler experiment demonstrated that the horizontal compontents are independent of vertical components because they hit at the same time.

10/14 qod

Which component velocity of is going to affect time more, vertical or horizontal?

--ch

10/14 qod

What was the point of the experiment with the penny and the ruler?

--ch

10/13 Schwab

Today in 3rd period physics we turned in our graph packet and our test review packet. Probably about half the class was still turning stuff in a minute or so after the bell and Coats-Haan had to tell us to huring up cause we were wasting our test taking time. Then we took our Linear motion test. Tomorrow our lab report is due for the acceleration due to gravity lab.
qod- If you fire a rifle from an elevation of 1 m and drop a bullet at the same time from the same elevation, which bullet will hit the ground first, neglecting air resistance? I'm not quite sure how to answer this. If the rifle was fired down then that bullet would hit first because it would have a initial velocity much higher than 0, and so its acceleration would be high. Or if you mean shoot the bullet straight forward while dropping the other i would need to know the initial velocity, then we could use our equations to find the time. 

10/13 qod

If you fire a rifle from an elevation of 1 m and drop a bullet at the same time from the same elevation, which bullet will hit the ground first, neglecting air resistance?

--ch

Miller 10/12

Hey, We had the PSAT! Have a Great Day!

10/11Miley

We first checked problems from Pg. 54 57-62 and answered any questions people had. One of the problems we went over was #62.The question was a helicopter is lifting off the ground and is moving vertically upward. The graph is shown vertically velocity v,y versus time. How high is the helicopter after 12.0 s hasve elapsed? Mrs. Coats-Haan saids the easiest way to solve this problem was to find the velocity and time of each vector. Then you mulitply the velocity and time to figure out the distance. Then you add the 3 quanities together to get your total distance. We also could have started our linear motion review packet and our acceleration vs. time graph for homework as well. During class, we had the option to either redo last night's homework problems, start/finish our review guide, and/or start/finish our acceleration vs. time graph packet. When acceleration and velocity are the same, it means that the direction will be left or right(depending on if it's positive or negative) and it will speed up. If acceleration and velocity aren't the same, the direction will be either right or left(depending on the velocity sign) and it will slow down.

10/11 qod

What does it mean when the sign of acceleration and velocity are the same?  What does it mean when they are different?

--ch

Meese - 10/10

Today in 3rd period Honors Physics class, Mrs. Coats Haan started the class off by checking our homework from the weekend, which was page 54, #'s 30, 31, 33, 47, 49, 51, 77, and 78, and worked out a few of those problems on the board to make sure that we are prepared for our test on Thursday. Mrs. Coats-Haan then passed out a hard copy of the notes we were going over in class, a packet on the differences between position v. time, velocity v. time and acceleration v. time graphs, and a test review packet. After calming down from the overwhelming amount of paper that we had just recieved, the class was able to focus well on the notes. The notes were showing the class how to write out an acceleration v. time and how it relates to position v. time and velocity v. time. After quickly and efficently going over the notes, Mrs. Coats-Haan informed the class that we would have the rest of this class and all of class tommorrow to work on the graphing packet, the test review and tonight's homework, which was page 55, #'s 57-62. Then all groups proceeded to do whatever they felt important at the time and while Mrs. Coats-Haan answered questions as asked. Everyone was tired because it was Monday, so there wasn't a whole lot of interesting conversation today, but I will point out that I thought immediately of Honors Physics and Mrs. Coats-Haan when I saw the Fiat commercial with Jennifer Lopez on Monday Night Football. That will forever be imbedded into my brain and now I will always think of physics and Mrs. Coats-Haan when I see a Fiat or Jennifer Lopez, thanks guys! Also, to answer the question of the day, to find acceleration on a graph of velocity v. time, you need to find the slope of the line. This is justified in calculus, because in calculus you have to find the derivative of acceleration, which is velocity with respect to time and therefore are finding the slope of a velocity v. time graph, resulting in acceleration.

10/10 qod

How can you determine acceleration from a plot of velocity vs. time?

--ch

10/7 qod

How can you tell when the weight was moving the fastest by looking at the ticker tape timer?  How are you going to calculate acceleration in this lab?

--ch

10/6 Lee

When we entered Mrs. Coast-Haan’s 3^rd period Honors Physics class today, we turned in our bleacher lab write ups from Wednesday.  Mrs. Coats-Haan urged us to begin the POGIL for the day because we had a lot to get done.  She did not want us to have too much homework because she is so sweet.  The groups passed out the role sheets to each other while Mrs. Coats-Haan passed out the homework for the night.  The homework was titled 1st Quarter Honors Physics Review Problems, so it was nothing new.  For the POGIL, we had to find a pattern between the height and time and velocity and time by using the 1^st and 3^rd velocity equations.  Next, we had to graph the measurements.  Soon the bell rang, and so another wonderful physics class ended. 

qod answer:  The pattern of the velocity is that it starts a 39.2 and descends by 5 and the decimal point increases by 1.  So the next number is 34.3, then 29.4 until you reach zero and then the values increase by the same pattern but are all negative values.  The values, when graphed, create a straight line.  The pattern of height is that is starts at 1.6 and increases to 80 and then descends symmetrically.  For example, 78.8 to 80 then down to 78.8.  When graphed, the values create a parabola.   

Lee 10/6

When we entered Mrs. Coast-Haan’s 3^rd period Honors Physics class today, we turned in our bleacher lab write ups from Wednesday.  Mrs. Coats-Haan urged us to begin the POGIL for the day because we had a lot to get done.  She did not want us to have too much homework because she is so sweet.  The groups passed out the role sheets to each other while Mrs. Coats-Haan passed out the homework for the night.  The homework was titled 1st Quarter Honors Physics Review Problems, so it was nothing new.  For the POGIL, we had to find a pattern between the height and time and velocity and time by using the 1^st and 3^rd velocity equations.  Next, we had to graph the measurements.  Soon the bell rang, and so another wonderful physics class ended. 

qod answer:  The pattern of the velocity is that it starts a 39.2 and descends by 5 and the decimal point increases by 1.  So the next number is 34.3, then 29.4 until you reach zero and then the values increase by the same pattern but are all negative values.  The values, when graphed, create a straight line.  The pattern of height is that is starts at 1.6 and increases to 80 and then descends symmetrically.  For example, 78.8 to 80 then down to 78.8.  When graphed, the values create a parabola.   

10/6 qod

What are the patterns in free fall that you discovered today?

--ch

10/5 qod

What is the point of linear regression?

--ch

10/4 qod

Suppose you were standing at the top of a 10 meter high ladder and you were going to jump to a mattress below (this is a really bad idea!).  Give three possible combinations of initial and final heights for your jump.

-ch

10/3 Han

Today marked another memorable day in the Mrs. Coats-Haan third period Honors Physics class. We began the class by turning in the the 2.3 Reading Guide which was assigned to us over this wonderful Homecoming weekend. We then went right into the POGIL work which we had started on Friday. One person from each table was also told to get up and go to the back table, where the folders containing the roles of each member were located. After each table had handed out the roles and begun working on their POGIL, we were to complete them, checking our work with Coats-Haan as we approached each stop sign.  Upon completing the POGIL, each table checked their answers to the kinematic problems on the POGIL to that which Coats-Haan had placed on the board for us (she is just an absolute angel). Each table turned in one of the member's POGIL and were instructed to grade each members performance on a sheet that she gave to us. One member of the group also collected the grade sheets and turned them in. Once all the groups had successfully finished their POGILs, we then continued on to the notes that Coats-Haan had passed out while we were working. The first slide checked to make sure that we had all copied and pasted the correct kinematic formulas to our notecards which she gave us last week. The next four slides were problems based on the formulas. One of the problems included a rattlesnake, and we ended up going off track for a second on the topic of the fear of snakes. These notes took us up all the way to that dreaded bell. We collected our homework for the night which was another reading guide for sections 2.4 and 2.5 and additional book work.

QOD:  

The kinematic equation that would be most useful in this case would be:

v(final)= v(initial)+at

10/3 qod

Suppose you were using crutches and you wanted to calculate your final speed.  Let's suppose you started at 0 m/s and accelerated to 5 m/s (which is pretty darn fast for crutches).  Which kinematics equation would be the most useful for calculating your acceleration?

-ch

9/30 Gaitan

Due to the fact that we had just taken a test on Thursday, we had no homework to turn in.  Three students were late to class, and it upset Coats-Haan that we were starting late.  Once we had actually started class, we continued to add our new kinematics chapter onto previous concepts we have learned.  Consequently, Coats-Haan took Clay’s Spanish notebook away while he was working on it, because he was not fully paying attention to the lesson.  After we started to make equations from distance, time, and velocity on our kinematics POGIL, we got to choose from a variety of colors of kinematics cards.  Once we had gotten to our first checkpoint, Coats-Haan would shout out a certain phrase that we would ask her to say, but our group didn’t know what to say, so she just shouted, “I DON’T KNOW!”  We were the second group to complete the first checkpoint accurately, so we were not as jumpy as the surprise when she first shouted for another group.  Coats-Haan mentioned how we would keep our kinematic cards for a very long time, and how some siblings of students in our class had or probably still had theirs.  By the end of the day, we had already written 3 equations that we made onto our kinematics card.  We needed to learn now to accurately derive kinematics equations and apply them properly. 

In order to find the final velocity of Isaac as he is making a touchdown at a constant acceleration, one would have to know his initial velocity and add that to his acceleration multiplied by time.