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FizziksGuy

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Blog Entries posted by FizziksGuy

  1. FizziksGuy
    We have some exciting news! The free APlusPhysics website has been selected as a finalist in a contest to receive a free professional site redesign, but we need your help! Voting for the contest finalists is open now through Dec. 20, and we need all the help we can get. As a member of the APlusPhysics community, any help you can provide by voting and/or spreading the word would be greatly appreciated.

    You can vote by visiting the following link: https://www.facebook.com/LogoSnap/app_127709503932081

    Thank you so much for your time and support. We're thrilled to continue bringing quality physics education materials to the public, and wish you and your families all the best this holiday season. Make it a great day!



    Sincerely,

    Dan Fullerton
    APlusPhysics.com



  2. FizziksGuy
    WISH, the Women in STEM High School Aerospace Scholars project is now accepting applications from female high school juniors from across the country. Selected participants will complete online activities and participate in online forums focusing on science, technology, engineering and mathematic (STEM) topics to be eligible for the summer experience at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. During the summer experience, they will chart a course for Mars, engage with NASA female role models, interact with scientists and engineers and learn about careers in STEM. The deadline for applications is January 3, 2013. Visit http://wish.aerospacescholars.org for more details.
  3. FizziksGuy
    It's been a crazy couple months, but last night I finished up the flipped class videos covering the entire AP Physics C: Mechanics curriculum. My goal was to try and target all the major points of the course requirements in roughly 6 hours worth of videos, realizing, of course, that students would need some background in physics in order to handle the material at this speed. I have a bit of tweaking to do (there's a minor math typo in the SHM video, for example, that I'll redo at my earliest convenience), but I'm pretty excited that the entire set of videos clocks in right around 6:18:00.

    [ATTACH=CONFIG]544[/ATTACH]When people first hear this, the typical reaction I receive is "you must not have done a good job to cover all that material in such a short period of time." I look at it from the alternate perspective -- I'm boiling down the course into the key concepts and examples that illustrate them. These videos are not meant to be a substitute for an in-the-classroom standard course -- far from it, for that purpose, they would be an abysmal failure (as, I imagine, any video-based system would fail). Instead, these are meant as an additional resource, a tool, for students to review the take-away highlights from each subject, reinforcing major principles and applications.

    Physics is something you do, not something you know, therefore the meat of any course is taking resources such as these and applying them in a variety of situations. Practice, exploration, discovery -- that's how you learn. But having a concise review available on demand certainly can't hurt.

    So, for those interested in such a resource, I hope you find these videos useful and enjoyable. At the beginning of the year I'd never planned to undertake this project, but student requests in early September got me started, and ongoing feedback on the value of these has been tremendous. Our most recent unit, in which I completely flipped the classroom (absolutely no lecture in class, students watched videos at night and each day was hands-on exploration, lab, group problem solving, and reflection) led to the highest end-of-unit exam grades I've seen from a class to date. This reinforces how effective this method of instruction can be with motivated students who engage fully in the process.

    In short, I hope others are also able to take some value from these videos. For the 6 hours of completed videos, I would estimate I've put in close to 120 hours of work (organizing, researching, presenting, taping, re-taping, re-re-taping, editing, producing, etc.) beyond what I would have done just to teach my standard lectures, but I believe I've created a resource I can use again and again, year after year, tweaking and updating the videos as I find improved methods and alternate explanations. Not sure I want to take on the E&M half of the course this year… I have a ton of other projects on my docket (some of which are quite extensive with looming deadlines), but would love your feedback if you find these of value, if you don't, or if you'd like to see E&M completed as well.
    Make it a great day!

    Link to AP Physics C: Mechanics videos

    Link to AP Physics C: Mechanics guide sheets (accompany videos)

    (PS -- did you know APlusPhysics has a facebook page? https://www.facebook.com/pages/APlusPhysics-Regents-Physics-Essentials-and-Honors-Physics-Essentials/217361071607226?ref=hl
  4. FizziksGuy
    I took a brief stab at estimating the cost of 4 credit hours worth of freshman physics (assuming a 16-credit-hour load) at a number of institutions for a semester course to help illustrate the value of taking AP Physics in high school. These values are quick estimations and are not guaranteed in any way for validity or accuracy. For better information, please feel free to make your own comparisons.



    http://infogr.am/AP-Physics-C--Mechanics-Cost/
  6. FizziksGuy
    I'm pretty sure this isn't the exact video clip I remember seeing explained, but it does recount the basic gist of the story in which a bullet fired randomly into the air comes back down with a high velocity to strike an innocent some distance away, consistent with our physics discussions about the symmetry of free fall (neglecting air resistance). Note that the video is graphic and disturbing, and not for the faint of heart.

    Find more details on annotated Mythbusters.

    [TABLE]

    [TR="bgcolor: #e5e5e5"] [TD]SPIKE[/TD]
    [TD="align: right"][/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD="colspan: 2"]Nite Capped[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR="bgcolor: #353535"]
    [TD="colspan: 2, align: right"]www.spike.com[/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD="colspan: 2"][/TD]
    [/TR]
    [TR]
    [TD="colspan: 2"][TABLE]

    [TR] [TD]Spike Full Episodes[/TD]
    [TD]Spike Video Clips[/TD]
    [TD]Spike on Facebook[/TD]
    [/TR]

    [/TABLE] [/TD]
    [/TR]
    [/TABLE]
  7. FizziksGuy

    Momentumous's 1st Post

    By FizziksGuy,

    Soooooooooo this is my second day of AP Physics-C. I'm waiting for the day where I hear something and get the "oh-crud-what-did-I-get-myself-into" moment still....
    But for now; Physics!






    Still figuring out this blogging business... so not sure how to make that like a preview... ah well.
  8. FizziksGuy
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]433[/ATTACH]I'm thrilled to announce that Physics: Fundamentals and Problem Solving has been released for the iPad today. This book, which is for the iPad only, is an algebra-based physics book featuring hundreds of worked-out problems, video mini-lessons, and other interactive elements designed for the introductory physics student.

    Topics covered include vectors and scalars, kinematics, dynamics, momentum, circular motion, gravity, rotational motion, work, energy, power, fluids, thermal physics, electrostatics, circuits, magnetism, microelectronics, waves, sound, optics, and selected topics in modern physics.

    Physics: Fundamentals and Problem Solving is integrated with the APlusPhysics.com website, which features free online discussion and help forums, student and educator blogs, interactive quizzes, thousands of supplemental problems, and even a student-created physics wiki.

    The book requires an iPad and the iBooks 2 application. The non-interactive version, known as Honors Physics Essentials, is available for other iOS devices through the iBooks store; for the Kindle and other devices running the Kindle App through the Kindle Store; for the Nook through the Barnes and Noble Nook Store; and in hard copy format from Amazon.com as well as Barnes and Noble.
  9. FizziksGuy
    I’m thrilled to announce that Physics: Fundamentals and Problem Solving has been released for the iPad today. This book, which is for the iPad only, is an algebra-based physics book featuring hundreds of worked-out problems, video mini-lessons, and other interactive elements designed for the introductory physics student.
    Topics covered include vectors and scalars, kinematics, dynamics, momentum, circular motion, gravity, rotational motion, work, energy, power, fluids, thermal physics, electrostatics, circuits, magnetism, microelectronics, waves, sound, optics, and selected topics in modern physics.
    Physics: Fundamentals and Problem Solving is integrated with the APlusPhysics.com website, which features free online discussion and help forums, student and educator blogs, interactive quizzes, thousands of supplemental problems, and even a student-created physics wiki.
    The book requires an iPad and the iBooks 2 application. The non-interactive version, known as Honors Physics Essentials, is available for other iOS devices through the iBooks store; for the Kindle and other devices running the Kindle App through the Kindle Store; for the Nook through the Barnes and Noble Nook Store; and in hard copy format from Amazon.com as well as Barnes and Noble.
    Check out some screenshots from the book below:
    http://aplusphysics.com/flux/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/photo-copy-9-150x150.pnghttp://aplusphysics.com/flux/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/photo-copy-3-150x150.pnghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PhysicsInFlux/~4/GV_sPDGouVs

    Source
  15. FizziksGuy
    As we close in on the end of our year in high school physics, I thought it'd be helpful to myself (and perhaps to others) to put together a compendium of some of the best Regents/Honors Physics resources to assist students in preparing for their final exams. Without further ado, and in no particular order:

    [ATTACH=CONFIG]417[/ATTACH]APlusPhysics: Dan Fullerton's (my) site to assist students and educators specifically around the NY Regents Physics curriculum, which has been expanding and generalizing to curricula outside the state as well. The Regents Physics section of the site, however, is by far the strongest and most complete. This site includes online tutorials covering the entire Regents Physics course, interactive quizzes pulling from a database of hundreds of old Regents Physics Exam questions, video tutorials of every major topic covered by the exam, and is also tied in quite closely with the Regents Physics Essentials review book. In addition, every Regents Physics questions from the past 16 exams has been pulled into worksheets by topic to allow for highly directed practice.

    ScienceWithMrNoon: Brendan Noon's physics site has a wide variety of great content, including topic-based interactive quizzes and tons of great physics videos. His course calendar, as well, is loaded with tons of great resources by topic!

    St. Mary's Physics: Tony Mangiacapre's site, full of great lessons and interactive simulations across the entire Regents Physics curriculum. I'm especially fond of the Photoelectric Effect simulation -- makes for a great computer-based lab activity! This site is also closely linked with Tony's 123physics.com, featuring more than 1300 Regents Physics Exam questions broken down by topic for students to practice, as well as more great videos.

    RegentsPrep.org: The Oswego City School District (with Dr. Tom Altman) has pulled together a strong collection of resources broken into Explanations, Demos, Labs, and Quizzes to assist students and educators in preparing for the Regents Physics exam.

    Altman Science: The charismatic Dr. Tom Altman provides real-life demonstrations and explanations of physics concepts in action as part of the High School Physics Project. Further, he's broken down a number of old Regents Exams and walked through solutions to each and every question in video format, page by page. In addition, his laser videos are "wicked cool" as well!

    Past Regents Exams: The name says it all -- an amazing archive of old Regents Physics exams!

    Regents Physics Essentials: I'd feel negligent if I didn't point out the Regents Physics Essentials review book I put together at student urging a few years back. *There are a number of great review books to help students get ready for the exam, but this book takes a slightly different twist by providing students a straightforward, clear explanation of the fundamental concepts and more than 500 sample questions with fully-worked out solutions directly integrated in the text.



    As stated by my physics teaching cohort in crime at our high school, "the best review book is the one students will actually use," and this was written to be friendly, fun, and concise. Plus, if students/teachers want extra problems without solutions given, the worksheets are available free online! You can check out the book's free preview on APlusPhysics or use Amazon's "Look Inside" feature!
  16. FizziksGuy
    As we close in on the end of our year in high school physics, I thought it’d be helpful to myself (and perhaps to others) to put together a compendium of some of the best Regents/Honors Physics resources to assist students in preparing for their final exams. Without further ado, and in no particular order:

    APlusPhysics: Dan Fullerton’s (my) site to assist students and educators specifically around the NY Regents Physics curriculum, which has been expanding and generalizing to curricula outside the state as well. The Regents Physics section of the site, however, is by far the strongest and most complete. This site includes online tutorials covering the entire Regents Physics course, interactive quizzes pulling from a database of hundreds of old Regents Physics Exam questions, video tutorials of every major topic covered by the exam, and is also tied in quite closely with the Regents Physics Essentials review book. In addition, every Regents Physics questions from the past 16 exams has been pulled into worksheets by topic to allow for highly directed practice.
    ScienceWithMrNoon: Brendan Noon‘s physics site has a wide variety of great content, including topic-based interactive quizzes and tons of great physics videos. His course calendar, as well, is loaded with tons of great resources by topic!
    St. Mary’s Physics: Tony Mangiacapre‘s site, full of great lessons and interactive simulations across the entire Regents Physics curriculum. I’m especially fond of the Photoelectric Effect simulation — makes for a great computer-based lab activity! This site is also closely linked with Tony’s 123physics.com, featuring more than 1300 Regents Physics Exam questions broken down by topic for students to practice, as well as more great videos.
    RegentsPrep.org: The Oswego City School District (with Dr. Tom Altman) has pulled together a strong collection of resources broken into Explanations, Demos, Labs, and Quizzes to assist students and educators in preparing for the Regents Physics exam.
    Altman Science: The charismatic Dr. Tom Altman provides real-life demonstrations and explanations of physics concepts in action as part of the High School Physics Project. Further, he’s broken down a number of old Regents Exams and walked through solutions to each and every question in video format, page by page. In addition, his laser videos are “wicked cool” as well!
    Past Regents Exams: The name says it all — an amazing archive of old Regents Physics exams!
    Regents Physics Essentials: I’d feel negligent in my feeble attempts at self-marketing if I didn’t point out the Regents Physics Essentials review book I put together at student urging a few years back. There are a number of great review books to help students get ready for the exam, but this book takes a slightly different twist by providing students a straightforward, clear explanation of the fundamental concepts and more than 500 sample questions with fully-worked out solutions directly integrated in the text. As stated by my physics teaching cohort in crime at our high school, “the best review book is the one students will actually use,” and this was written to be friendly, fun, and concise. Plus, if students/teachers want extra problems without solutions given, the worksheets are available free online! You can check out the book’s free preview on APlusPhysics or use Amazon’s “Look Inside” feature!

    Source
  18. FizziksGuy
    Hello high school physics teachers! My name is Rob Pearson, and I’m director of microelectronic engineering programs at Rochester Institute of Technology.
    I really like what I do and I want to tell you why. I also want to tell you why I am sharing this with you. I bet you would like to see students more engaged with the concepts you teach and the math employed in your courses. I am an engineer, so I think about problem solving (applications) first and basic science second. But like any good engineer (think MacGyver, to use an outdated reference) I know that I need to be handy with tools like math and physics if I am going to do anything useful. Come to think about it, why didn’t MacGyver ever say he was an engineer? What if your student could help solve challenging problems, use math and science every day, and have a rewarding career and also make a good salary? Typical bachelor of science graduates of RIT’s microelectronic engineering program receive multiple job offers with average starting salaries in the $60-70k range.
    Now back to what I do as an electrical engineer. Some aspects of electrical engineering can be dry and theoretical, but I fabricate semiconductor devices — millions of them on a chip and billions of them on each silicon wafer. The process of making these “magical” semiconductor systems is intricate and uses lots of physics, optics, mechanics, chemistry, you name it. So how does this relate to your physics course? Let me give you some examples. You teach about the Lorentz force and the right-hand rule. You could use a motor winding to illustrate the usefulness but I can give you another example the mixes physics and chemistry. We introduce elements from groups III and V on the periodic table into silicon (group IV) to change the conductivity of the silicon and make our devices. One way to introduce these elements is by ion implantation. Ion implanter functionality is based on the Lorentz force. We use tunable electro-magnets to sort ions in a vacuum by mass to charge ratio and then accelerate them using a variable high-voltage (200,000 V) supply. There is plenty of physics to talk about in this tool. Another example is a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) device called an accelerometer. It consists of a tiny mass on a tiny beam and when the mass is accelerated it produces a proportional electrical signal.
    But wait, there’s more! It’s great that I can use these basic science courses and concepts in what I do, but what I really like is communicating the exciting possibilities of what has yet to be designed and built. Look at the changes that have occurred in our phones over just the last five years! They have touch screens, accelerometers, Global Positioning Systems, maps, computers, music players, TVs, videos (3D too!)… they can be video projectors, photo albums, and gaming systems. And that’s just one of many systems that rely on semiconductor products.
    What will your students do if they take up a career in this challenging field? Do you remember the tricorder that Dr. McCoy had on Star Trek? That portable medical lab in one compact unit is nearing reality. Great strides are being made in the intersection of electronics, biology, and chemistry. Further miniaturization of electronics is needed to take our current sci fi tech and turn it into practical high tech.
    The biggest challenge I face running an undergraduate college engineering program that focuses on microelectronics and semiconductor processing is finding bright young high school students who even know that this field exists. Please help us spread the word.
    I hope that maybe you can encourage an interested student or two of yours to go on to study microelectronics or nanotechnology in college, and invite you to learn more about our programs and microelectronics by visiting our web page at http://www.rit.edu/kgcoe/ue/.
    Sincerely,

    Rob Pearson, PhD
    Director, Microelectronic Engineering Programs
    Rochester Institute of Technology
    robert.pearson@rit.edu

    (Please note that further information about semiconductors and microelectronics in high school can be found as part of the Semiconductor Technology Enrichment Program materials available at APlusPhysics.com. Special thanks to Dr. Rob Pearson for submitting his article as a guest post to Physics In Flux.)

    Source
  20. FizziksGuy
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]316[/ATTACH]The Rochester Area Physics Teacher's Out Reach (RAPTOR) will hold its first meeting of 2012 at the Rochester Institute of Technology on Saturday, January 14th from 9 am-noon EST.* Physics education enthusiasts all over the world are welcome to attend this meeting live via this link.

    The meeting will feature a presentation by Dan Fullerton, author of Regents Physics Essentials, Honors Physics Essentials, and developer of APlusPhysics.com, as well as a presentation and discussion centered around physics lessons addressing New York's Common Core State Standards and how these changes will affect physics education.

    Come for the free donuts and stay for the demos, and if you can’t attend in person, join us online! Special thanks to Brendan Noon of Science With Mr. Noon for organizing this event.
  21. FizziksGuy
    Happy Holidays!

    [ATTACH=CONFIG]315[/ATTACH]I am thrilled to announce the release of Honors Physics Essentials, an algebra-based physics book designed to assist beginning physics students in their high school and introductory college physics courses as an invaluable supplemental resource in class as well as a review guide for standardized physics assessments such as the SAT Subject Test in Physics, PRAXIS Physics, and CST Physics exams. You can find it online at Amazon.com for only $12.95.


    Honors Physics Essentials is an easy-to-read guide to algebra-based introductory physics, featuring more than 500 worked-out problems with full solutions and covering topics such as: kinematics, dynamics, momentum, impulse, gravity, uniform circular motion, rotational kinematics, work, energy, power, electrostatics, circuits, magnetism, microelectronics, waves, sound, optics, thermal physics, fluids, and modern physics.


    The 384-page 6”x9” paperback book is integrated with the APlusPhysics.com website, which includes online question and answer forums, videos, animations, and supplemental problems to help students master Honors Physics Essentials. You can find more information at http://www.aplusphysics.com/honors. Volume discounts and e-book versions are available, as are class and site licenses for electronic versions starting as low as $3 per student.


    I have so many people to thank for their contributions to this endeavor that I hardly know where to begin. First, I'd like to thank all the fans of the first book, Regents Physics Essentials (RPE), and fans of the APlusPhysics website. It was your requests, feedback, and encouragement that prompted the writing of this book. Following the release of RPE, reader response was tremendous, and your requests for a similar book extending beyond the scope of the NY Regents Curriculum that could be used in physics classrooms across the country as well as for standardized test preparation made the development of this book a personal necessity.


    Second, I must thank my two outstanding editors, Jeff Guercio and Joe Kunz, who graciously took many hours out of their busy lives to help make this book (and Regents Physics Essentials) clear, concise, and readable. I'd also like to thank my student Emily, who first proposed turning our course notes into a review book, and Andrew, who reinforced that you can do anything if you set your mind to it. I'd also like to thank Muse, whose enthusiasm for this book has been contagious.

    Last, but certainly not least, I'd like to thank all the teachers and professors who contributed to this endeavor. In attempting to write a physics book that would serve the needs of Honors Physics students across the country (and beyond), the input of these teachers and professors has been instrumental in tailoring this book to the needs of a majority of students, while at the same time keeping the length (and cost) low enough to remain attractive to its intended audience.


    I've enjoyed working on this project throughout the past two years, but as in any extended project, I'm breathing a sigh of relief to have reached the finish line (at least for now). I hope you find the APlusPhysics website and family of resources a useful tool in your study / instruction of physics, and I look forward to growing our online learning community in the coming years.

    Thank you, thank you, thank you, and best wishes on an amazing 2012!
  23. FizziksGuy
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]308[/ATTACH]Honors Physics Essentials is an easy-to-read guide to algebra-based introductory physics, featuring more than 500 worked-out problems with full solutions and covering topics such as: kinematics, dynamics, momentum, impulse, gravity, uniform circular motion, rotational kinematics, work, energy, power, electrostatics, circuits, magnetism, microelectronics, waves, sound, optics, thermal physics, fluids, and modern physics.

    This book is designed to assist beginning physics students in their high school and introductory college physics courses as an invaluable supplemental resource in class as well as a review guide for standardized physics assessments such as the SAT Subject Test in Physics, PRAXIS Physics, and CST Physics exams.

    Honors Physics Essentials is integrated with the APlusPhysics.com website, which includes online question and answer forums, videos, animations, and supplemental problems to help you master high school physics. Check it out at http://www.aplusphysics.com/honors.

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