Physics 620I: Force & Motion

Assignments:

Each student will be expected to purchase a reading booklet at the time of registration or at the first class. This booklet will contain material that should be read before the beginning of the second class. For our typical course, there are two full eight-hour days of classes, although other schedules are possible. There must be several days between the two full day classes to allow a project to be completed outside of class.

Between the two classes, each student is required to complete a teacher project. This may require some research and construction. The primary consideration is your understanding of the project, your ingenuity, and your description of how other teachers could also use it. A short typed description (perhaps only 2-3 pages) must be handed in giving resource material, instructions for building and utilizing the item. A short discussion of how this project might be useful in the classroom would be appropriate. Do not put binders of any kind on your report. Use a cover sheet with your name, address, school, grade taught, email address, and staple the report in the upper left-hand corner. Also during the second class you will give a short (5-8 minutes) presentation to the class. Some useful information will be given in this booklet to help with the project, but each student is expected to do further research to improve on the ideas presented here. Do not just copy what is given here. Try to improve it.

Grading:

Because this is a graduate level class, only passing grades of A and B (with + and - possible) are given. A C grade is failing. It is also possible to audit the class, but ALL the work must be completed, including the project. Grades will be primarily assigned by the local adjunct professor and will depend on class attendance and participation as well as the presentation of the homework project. This presentation includes the oral one before the class as well as the document handed in describing the project. See the discussion above in Assignments. Anyone failing to complete the class will be given a grade of Incomplete, which if not completed within one semester will result in a grade of F.

Reading Booklet:

A reading booklet will be prepared for class members that includes useful information on force and motion as well as possible homework projects and teacher applications. This booklet will be available at the first class.

Instructor Contact:

Contact the local adjunct professor during the first class for her/his address and office hours. Professor Thornton may be contacted as described on the previous page.

Lesson Plan:

First Day of Class

Second Day of Class

Teacher Activities:

We have listed here many activities that teachers can choose to do. These are activities that can be built and performed using the resources supplied to the classes. A group of four teachers should work together to do as many of the activities below as time permits, but there is no expectation that all the activities will be done. There should be as much sharing between groups as possible.

Teacher Projects:

Try to have only one person in a class per project. Reference material is contained in the Teacher Project folder that your instructor has, but we do not have copyright permission to make additional copies. Remember that you are expected to use other reference material, not just the material contained here! Two persons are allowed to do Projects #4 and 5.

Simple Machines

Friction

Newton's Laws

Kinds of Motion

Motion and Energy

• pendulum bob mass vs. period
• pendulum length vs. period

Miscellaneous

References:

Teacher Investigations:

SOLs Covered: