Physics – Page 4 – Lee Trampleasure's Blog

July 31, 2015

How close are you? The “Why” behind Percent Error

There’s an old saying, “Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.” People would say this in response to someone saying “Well, I was close.” So, why does close count in horseshoes and hand grenades, and why is this the introduction to a science paper? Horseshoes: If you’ve never played before (I bet most of you haven’t), the goal is...

Chemistry/Math education/Modeling/Physics/Science Education Comments: 0

July 26, 2015

Bouncing Ball Lab Introduces Models and Foreshadows Future Physics Concepts

I use this lab as an introduction to my physics class at all levels: First year and AP. The goal of the lab is to introduce students to the role of physics in making predictions, and for me to see where they have strengths and weaknesses in lab procedures and data analysis.

Modeling/Physics/Science Education Comments: 9

October 14, 2014

Frictional force on a block on a ramp that has a wall holding it up

Today in class, students were asked to draw a force diagram for the drawing shown on the right. The drawing shows a block on a ramp with a “wall” holding it back. The question that we couldn’t answer easily is, ‘Does the friction between the ramp’s surface and the block need to be accounted for in the force diagram.’ Then,...

Modeling/Physics Comments: 0

March 27, 2014

If a nucleus is full of positively charged protons, why doesn’t it fly apart?

In my physical science class this week, I realized the textbook was introducing the structure of the atom and positive and negative charges, but not answering addressing the clear question that follows the presented information is “what the heck keeps all those protons together in the nucleus?” The book does get around to the nuclear forces, but not until many...

Chemistry/Physics/Science Education Comments: 0

January 11, 2013

Next Generation Science Standards, second draft published

The second draft of the Next Generation Science Standards were released this week. You can find them all here: www.nextgenscience.org/next-generation-science-standards You can search them here: www.nextgenscience.org/search-standards-dci I have exported pages containing all DCI Arranged Standards – Public Release High School only.

Modeling/Physics/Science Education Comments: 0

May 18, 2012

Grading labs: A faster method using pre-printed return address labels.

Grading tends to be the biggest time consuming task for teachers. For those teachers who want students to complete lab write-ups that truly reflect discover and learning, providing feedback on labs can be an even more daunting task. This year I started using a system that has significantly sped up grading the mechanics of the lab, allowing me to spend...

Modeling/Physics/Science Education Comments: 3

April 21, 2012

Newton’s Laws and shopping carts falling out of truck

Watch the following video, the try to answer the questions below it: What is happening to the truck and the carts when the carts start following off the truck? What causes the carts to fall off the truck? While the truck is moving, the left row of carts doesn’t fall off the truck. Can you explain why they don’t? At...

Physics/Science Education Comments: 0

March 15, 2012

Modeling Instruction: Review of acceleration lab

I’ve been using Modeling Instruction in my physics class for the past five years, and keep wondering how to handle the problem of students who miss the whiteboard sessions (where students share their results and we reach class conclusions). These sessions are critical for student growth, as this is where they are challenged to look for patterns in their data,...

Modeling/Physics/Science Education Comments: 0

February 5, 2012

Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol workshop at AAPT conference

At the AAPT Winter Conference, I attended a workshop on the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) (emphasis on “reformed teaching” not “reformed protocol”). Below are my notes on that workshop. [This workshop runs 8:00-5:00 on Sunday, and I’m live blogging this so, if you’re reading during this time, reload the page for the most up-t0-date content.] Intro question: What does...

Modeling/Physics/Science Education Comment: 1

December 7, 2010

“You can’t put something on the final we haven’t seen!!!”

Today as a finals review “warm up” (although it ended up taking the whole period) I presented the students with four beakers of water: One with ice, one at room temp, one on a hot plate “low” (about 37C) and one boiling. I used Logger Pro to show the four temperatures on a projector screen (a sensor in each beaker)....

Modeling/Physics/Science Education Comments: 2

Category: Physics