Distance Vs Displacement

We are doing a lab calculating distance and displacement. One of the tasks is to go from my room onto Main Street making a right triangle. To calculate displacement they have to use  the *gasp* Pythagorem theorem. 

Buggies

We are currently getting the hang of using Vernier's Graphical Analysis in combination with their Video Physics App. We use the Buggies because they are a nice constant speed. The Video Physics app is great to track and analyze moving objects.  This is a staple for us in our Newtonian Physics units. 

Instantaneous Vs Average

Today we introduce the concept of instantaneous speed versus average speed. I told them that average speed will haunt them for the rest of their physics career. I also got some art to go along with my formulas. 

2016-2017 New Year Update

I am renewing my commitment to updating this blog to show what we are doing. It's nothing special but I need to do a better job of showing the madness we create. 

As tradition dictates we always start school playing with Hot Wheels that morphs into our first full blown lab.  This lab makes the students design an experiment that tests 3 things that might effect the speed of the Hot Wheels. It's their first taste of an inquiry lab. They seems to struggle at first then they come around.