PHYSICS
SECTION I: METHODS OF SCIENCE AND NEWTONIAN MECHANICS
Overview ……………………………………………………………………..……1
Pythagoras Was a Square …………………………………………………………..7
Square Deal ……………………………………………………………………….11
Stable Mates ……………………………………………………………………....15
Catching Some Rays ……………………………………………………………....19
Inertial Conditions (Newton’s First Law) ………………………………………......25
Catching Big Air …………………………………………………………………..29
Bubble Bubble – Speed and Graphing …………………………………………......33
Galileo’s Heartbeat …………………………………………………………….…39
Moving Experience – Visualizing Motion …………………………………….….....43
Gravity of the Situation: Free Fall ……………………………………………….....47
May the Force be with You ……………………………………………………….51
Friction Among Us ……………………………………………………………..…55
Newton’s Car – Forces and Motion …………………………………….………...59
A “Weighty Subject” – Mechanical Advantage ……………………………….....…63
Conservation Conversation: Momentum ……………………………….………......67
Grounds for Descent I: Falling Coffee Filters………………………………….........73
Grounds for Descent II: Computer Modeling ……………………………………....77
A Real Drag ……………………………………………………………………....83
Forever Blowing Bubbles – Size Dependence of Terminal Velocity …………….......87
Newton’s Toy Box ………………………………………………………………..91
Joules of Wisdom I – Energy ……………………………………………………...97
Joules of Wisdom II – Energy …………………………………………………....101
Inclined to be Efficient ………………………………………………………...…107
Workout: Work and Power ……………………………………………………...113
Journey to the Center of Gravity ………………………………………………....117
Java Script ………………………………………………………………………123
Twister! Tornado in a Bottle …………………………………………………......127
Spinning Sandboxes ……………………………………………………………..131
Roll Out: Toilet Paper Physics …………………………………………………...135
Assessment: Forces and Motion ………………………………………………....141
SECTION II: VIBRATIONS AND SOUND
Overview ……………………………………………………………………….159
Grandfather’s Clock ……………………………………………………………..161
Free Fleas in Breezy Trees – Resonance ………………………………………....165
Making Waves ………………………………………………………………..…169
Pythagoras Sounds Off – Vibrating Objects and Pitch …………………………....175
Pythagoras Sounds Off II – Wind Instruments …………………………………....181
Singing Rods …………………………………………………..…………….…..185
Assessment: Vibrations and Waves …………………………....…………………189
SECTION III: FLUIDS
Overview ……………………………………………………………………..…193
The Biggest Fritos® Always Rise to the Top ………………..………………….....195
Pressure Packed: Bernoulli and Descartes ………………………………………..199
All Aboard – Floating and Sinking ………………………………………….....…205
Buoyancy, Pressure, and Archimedes’ Principle ……………………………….....209
Contact II: Liquids …………………………………………………………….....211
Assessment: Buoyancy and Fluids in Motion …………………………………......215
SECTION IV: HEAT AND TEMPERATURE
Overview ……………………………………………………………………….223
Why Did the Pirate Insulate his Ship? ……………………………………….....…227
The Seven Percent Solution: Mixing ……………………………………………...231
Heat in the Kitchen – This Spud’s for you ……………………………………......235
Water in the Root Cellar: Phase Changes …………………………………....……239
Assessment: Heat and Heat Flow ……………………………………………...…243
SECTION V: ELECTRICTY AND MAGNETISM
Overview ………………………………………………………………………..255
You’ll Get a Charge Out of This: Electrostatics ……………………………..….....259
Circuit Training ………………………………………………………………......271
Current Events I, or catching the Energizer Bunny - Electric Circuits ………...........281
Current Events II ……………………………………………………………...…283
Feeling Cranky …………………………………………………………………..287
Electrical Connections I ……………………………………………………….....291
Electrical Connections II ………………………………………………………....295
Tesla’s Domain – Magnetic Fields …………………………………………......…301
Jumpin’ Jimminy: The Electric Jump Rope ……………………………………......305
Assessment: Electricity and Magnetism …………….......…………………………309
SECTION VI: LIGHT AND OPTICS
Overview ………………………………………………………………………..315
Sunshine on my Shoulder Makes Me Happy ……………………………......……319
Seeing the Light – Mirrors and Lenses …………………………………………....323
Great Balls of (Sun) Fire! ………………………………………………………...345
Why Don’t Fish Wear Goggles? (Making Water and Air Lenses) …………….......349
A Polarizing Issue: Wave Nature of Light …………………………………….......359
Running Interference ……………………………………………………………..367
Thinking Clean Thoughts: Soap Bubbles ……………………………………….....375
Assessment: Light and Optics ………………………………………………….....377
SECTION VII: MODERN PHYSICS
Overview ………………………………………………………………………..387
A “BOHRING” Topic – Spectroscopy ………………………………………..…391
To BB or Not to BB - Measuring Small Things ………………………………......397
Rutherford Revisited – Hidden Geometry …………………………………….......401
Nuclear Marbles, or Rutherford’s Revenge ……………………………………....405
Elementary , My Dear Watson! – Quantum Numbers ………………………….....409
Watson’s Appendix ………………………………………………….…………..417
Assessment: Modern Physics ………………………………………………….....421
APPENDIX ……………………………………………………………………..xiii