Physical Science: Speed of Sound

Students worked on the classic speed of sound lab using a closed resonance tube. Since this is one of the first labs my 9th graders do that has an accepted value, it provides a great opportunity for discussion on experimental error, which will happen once students finish the lab tomorrow.

Physics: Projectiles Practical

Students did a lab practical for projectile motion where they had to predict where on the ground a marble would land after being sent down a short ramp. In the past, I’ve used a cup, but most students hit the side rather than landing in it, so this year I used the school’s retired referral forms as carbon paper. I also pulled a jerk physics teacher move. After students got a successful prediction, I gave them a marble with a different mass and had them predict where the new marble would land without allowing them to make any new measurements. Most groups had to wrestle with it for a while and even try some calculations before realizing it should land in the same spot. I decided I need to keep this extra challenge in the practical when one student victoriously declared “Misconception changed!” after hitting their prediction with the new mass.