physics

Target shoot: Ball on ramp, conservation of energy

July 21, 2009

Many physics teachers do a "target shoot" lab for conservation of energy. The basics of the lab is that students roll a ball down a curved ramp and predict where it will land. By calculating the change in gravitational energy from the top to the bottom of the ramp ("Phase A" in the sketch), students [...]

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Ball in water on elevator: Buoyancy

April 20, 2009

OK. Float a ball in a beaker of water in an elevator. The ball floats because the buoyant force of the water displaced by the ball is equal to the weight of the water. Now, accelerate the elevator upward. What happens to the ball? Does it: Sink lower, rise higher, or stay the same? Here's [...]

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New NorCal/Nevada American Association of Physics Teachers web site

January 29, 2009

One of my new tasks for 2009 is Web Weaver for the Northern California/Nevade American Association of Physics Teachers. Today we launched a re-designed web site, powered by WordPress, my favorite Content Management System (CMS). Visit ncnaapt.org. If you don't see a menu on the right side, the new server location probably hasn't made it [...]

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Great physics cartoon

December 1, 2008

Egg drop contest One of the classic physics projects is an egg drop contest. Students develop an apparatus to hold an egg that will be dropped from the second or third floor (depending on how high the teacher can get easily). This cartoon is a great twist on that, and maybe a reason to use [...]

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