Phullerton’s Phantabulously Phun Physics Phridays

As part of our ongoing mission in this class to better understand the world around us by taking our theoretical classroom knowledge and applying it to the ‘real world,’ I’d like to review our experimental assignment known as “Physics Phridays.” Adapted from an AAPT article by Maria Falbo, the assignment will run as follows:

  • Each student is to find three (3) examples of physics inaccuracies or misrepresentations in the media over the course of the year.
  • Highlighted examples are reviewed on Fridays as single-page PowerPoints, videos, whiteboard explanations, or other live presentation explaining why the example is inaccurate and what could be done to correct it.
  • Examples are to be relevant and substantial (i.e. misspellings and typos don’t count).
  • Examples may not be repeated within a class or across classes. First to present is first to get credit.
  • All three examples will count as one test grade (100 points) for the fourth quarter. Extra credit may be given for truly outstanding presentations.