AP Physics: Projectiles With v-t Graphs

Students took their first crack at projectiles launched at an angle. As with the rest of motion, I’m having them solve from velocity vs. time graphs, rather than the typical equations. I’ve had a number of students tell me they feel like this topic is easier than acceleration, which is a nice opportunity to show students the progress they’ve made so far this year.

Physical Science: Static Electricity

Students did their first lab on static electricity today. I modified a lab from Eugenia Etkina’s PUM curriculum to make use of the static electricity kits we have. Most of the tests involved hanging a rubber rod from a string, so students had some trouble telling whether the rod was spinning due to static forces or due to tension in the string. Students pretty quickly figured out they could check by trying to repel the hanging rod in the opposite direction, they made some good observations. It was also tough to build up really big charges on the rods, so I might consider switching the equipment next year.