Physical Science: Exploring Sound

Students did a lab to start exploring some of the properties of sound waves. They were very impressed by the tuning forks and a lot of groups went beyond the questions I’d posed and came up with more things to explore. One thing that drives a lot of people nuts about 9th graders is their lack of inhibitions, but I’ve come to love that uninhibitedness in this class because it means they don’t hesitate to share their excitement over an interesting observation, ask a crazy question, or do an extra experiment.

Physics: Projectile Calculations

Now that students know what the velocity vs. time graphs look like for a projectile, they dove into some problems. I’m continuing having them use graphical solutions a’la Kelly O’Shea where students solve from velocity vs. time graphs, rather than getting the kinematic equations. Compared to when I’ve given students the equations, students are much more aware of how projectile motion connects to the earlier constant velocity and constant acceleration models, and therefore less freaked out by motion in two dimensions.