Physics+Focus

Some core concepts and skills
=Categories of Activities (possibly to inform layered curriculum units)=

Read/Study and Reflect (including problem solving)

 * U. Texas
 * Physics text (which, unfortunately, is not so good)
 * Physlets from Giancoli site?
 * [|Physics Classroom]
 * Applets/Physlets
 * YouTube videos
 * Other?
 * [|MIT open courseware (HS focus)]

Available Resources and Related Experiments
The real thing--this requires using the darkroom to develop the photographs. We have a nice darkroom, but it is a little tricky to teach the students to use it independently. However, the darkroom also has enlargers, which can be used to make prints from negatives. Nice connections here between chemistry and light. || [|Ray Tracing Activity.doc] (better for students taking geometry, but some math can be skipped if necessary)
 * Slinkies || These can be good for showing basics of wave motion: wavelength, period, frequency, speed, reflection off of boundaries, and resonance ||
 * Tuning forks and Audacity software || The sound from a tuning fork (or any other source) can be recorded on a computer and then viewed in detail with a program like Audacity (which is free and can be loaded onto all of our computers). Students can view a graph of the wave and measure the period of the wave (and perhaps calculate the wavelength). ||
 * Audacity and musical instruments || The Audacity software can be used to analyze sound from musical instruments. Students can make their own simple instruments (for example, rubber bands over boxes or other sounding boxes) and view the resulting wave with the software. ||
 * Solar cells || These can be used for experiments to determine the electrical power that we can get from sunlight. They are very easy to use and measurements can be made with the Lab Pro voltage sensors or our voltmeters. They can also drive simple motors if the sun is bright enough ||
 * Small bulbs and LEDs || We have lots of batteries that can be used to light bulbs as low power light sources. The LEDs come in a few different colors, so connections to color can be made. This is also a connection between electrical energy and light energy. ||
 * Lamps || We have about half a dozen lamps (and should be able to order more fairly easily). These can serve as light sources when playing with lenses. For example, students could be challenged to make a simple projector (yes, I know that the technology is out of date now...) ||
 * Lenses, "optical bench" sets, and the Optical Bench applet || We have quite a few lenses. The "optical bench" is mainly just a meter stick with accessories that can hold lenses and candles. My feeling is that the real optical bench could be used more effectively with the support of the "optical bench applet". This free applet lets kids move light sources and lenses and then see where images show up--then they can test the idea with the real apparatus. ||
 * Lenses and telescopes || With just two lenses and construction paper, kids can make a simple, but effective telescope. They can be assessed by reading an "eye chart" from a distance with their telescope. This has proven especially fun for kids in the past. ||
 * Pointer lasers || We have lots of these. I have used these in several interesting ways in the past:
 * The beam can be seen if you sprinkle something like talcum powder around it
 * Students can make a "maze" of mirrors and then see if the laser beam actually makes it around the maze
 * You can make a "double slit" experiment with a glass slide and some black electrical tape. When the laser passes through the slits, you can see interference fringes formed (suggesting light's wave-like properties)
 * The laser light through a diffraction grating (which we have many of) will create a very obvious interference pattern. If you think you can get it across to 9th graders, this has connections to the techniques of x-ray diffraction which are used to determine the detailed structure of crystals and even proteins! ||
 * Vernier light sensors and LDRs || We have several of these (and many LDRs). Many experiments seem possible here. Different colors of light, different distances from the light source, etc. ||
 * Computer speakers or online sound files || There are many sound sources available online. Several students last year investigated sounds of different animals. One way to analyze a bird song is with a spectrogram, and Audacity is able to do this. Some aspects of this are understandable to 9th graders. ||
 * Speed of sound with pvc tubes or echoes outdoors || This can be determined in several ways. One fun way is to go outside and actual try to measure sound speed with echos off the school! It is also possible to determine sound speed through resonance in a tube (but the mathematical reasoning behind this is probably hard for all but the most mathematically advanced students). I need to get the pvc tubes... ||
 * Prisms || Good for making rainbows, especially if bright sunlight is available. This could be combined with light sensors. ||
 * Polarizing film || Polarized light allows for a variety of experiments, but it can also be quickly demonstrated as yet another peculiar property of light. ||
 * Pinhole cameras || Simple version--you get to see the effect by making a tube from construction paper
 * Eyeballs || I think Mike has some of these (cows or sheep or something?) Kids can dissect them and make measurements of the lens and retina. A clear lens can even be removed and it optical properties determined. ||
 * Raybox || I think we only have one, but this could be used by students doing an independent investigation. ||
 * Radio control cars || Radio waves are EM waves of very long wavelength. Students might be able to investigate the range of the rays or how well they penetrate walls or other materials. We probably have a dozen cheap cars ready to go. ||
 * Wave table || We only have a small one, but it could be used with an overhead projector. However, a student group might be able to do some simple experiments with water waves and the effects of depth. They can measure wave speed, and they can try to explore refraction of water waves. ||
 * Links || Some ideas at http://www.camse.org/scienceonthemove/documents/MSL_Physics.html ||
 * Walkie talkies || I'm told that cheap ones are available at Decathelon which respond to 20 different frequencies. There must be some kind of inquiry that could be done with these. ||

Building Projects and Design Challenges

 * Telescopes
 * Electronic wiggles
 * Microscopes
 * Projectors
 * Pinhole cameras
 * Model of the eye
 * Exploring lasers and interference
 * A basic seismometer
 * A speaker box
 * Laser Fence
 * A container for heating a given amount of water in sunlight
 * A device for starting a fire from sunlight in the shortest possible time
 * An "extra ear" designed so that the user can pick up very faint sounds
 * Remote control (level 1)
 * Remote control (level 2)
 * Detecting infrared
 * Spy circuits
 * Fiber optic exploration (relates to Internet)

Teacher ideas so far

 * Jim