AP Physics: Exploding Carts

Students worked on the exploding carts lab to build momentum. I rushed through the intro in my 4th hour since they didn’t have a chance to start collecting data, and students struggled with some pieces as a result, especially with what it looks like to graph ratios instead of numbers. I could also tell it’s been a while since we did a true model-building lab; a lot of groups got very focused on specific numbers, rather than the overall pattern. I need to do a better job of making sure we do those kinds of labs regularly.

Physical Science: Speed of Sound

Students used a closed pipe to find the speed of sound. As a result of some of the changes I made this year, students had a much better conceptual understanding of the lab than in the past. The calculation to get the speed didn’t quite seem to fit, though.

While students worked, I conferenced with students about their progress on a project. I met with every student, whether or not they had a draft. I really liked getting a chance to talk to each group; I think it gave a few students a push to stop procrastinating.