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FizziksGuy

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Blog Entries posted by FizziksGuy

  1. FizziksGuy
    <p>Now, this took some research, some planning, and a number of tries, but matching up orbits for docking IS possible…</p>
    <p><img title="docking1.jpg" src="http://aplusphysics.com/flux/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/docking11.jpg" alt="Docking1" width="600" height="456" border="0" /></p>
    <p>But certainly not easy. Took a bit of practice (and perhaps a minor bounce off the station…)</p>
    <p><img title="docking2.jpg" src="http://aplusphysics.com/flux/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/docking2.jpg" alt="Docking2" width="600" height="340" border="0" /></p>
    <p>But in the end, the Kerbals prevailed.</p>
    <p><img title="docked1.jpg" src="http://aplusphysics.com/flux/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/docked1.jpg" alt="Docked1" width="600" height="293" border="0" /></p>
    <p>Once docked, a fuel transfer was initiated to verify the process. After that, it was party time. The Kerbal who’d been manning the space station decided he needed to get out after going a bit stir crazy. Time to ride the rocket for a spell.</p>
    <p><img title="dockedrider.jpg" src="http://aplusphysics.com/flux/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/dockedrider.jpg" alt="Dockedrider" width="600" height="338" border="0" /></p>
    <p>This, of course, left the space station unmanned, so one of our newly arrived Kerbonauts transferred himself over to the space station to take the helm.</p>
    <p><img title="crewtransfer.jpg" src="http://aplusphysics.com/flux/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/crewtransfer.jpg" alt="Crewtransfer" width="600" height="379" border="0" /></p>
    <p>So, it’s doable. Who’s next?</p>
    <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PhysicsInFlux/~4/zWn13xgl9-M" height="1" width="1"/>

    Source
  2. FizziksGuy
    <p>I’ve been playing around with the Kerbal Space Program recently because (1) it’s fun and (2) I want to know enough to be able to help my kids during their post-AP project, at least from a technical / computer perspective. My mission — have a Kerbal walk on the moon (and return home safely).</p>
    <p>The first step was designing the vehicle. I went with a one-man capsule, a small engine, and lots of extra fuel (to give me plenty of room for mistakes on my first landing mission.</p>
    <p><img title="screenshot11.png" src="http://aplusphysics.com/flux/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/screenshot111.png" alt="Screenshot11" width="600" height="337" border="0" /></p>
    <p>I made sure to add landing struts, a ladder to allow Jebediah a quick EVA, and, of course, a parachute for the command pod. The launch vehicle itself was designed in two stages, four large engines and fuel tanks to get the craft past 10 km, and another single large tank and engine to easily push into orbit, leaving the lander vehicle itself fully fueled in orbit.</p>
    <p><img title="screenshot12.jpg" src="http://aplusphysics.com/flux/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/screenshot12.jpg" alt="Screenshot12" width="317" height="600" border="0" /></p>
    <p>The launch was very straightforward. I controlled the engines carefully under 10 km to keep the velocity below 200 m/s and avoid overheating. At 12 km I performed an orbital tilt to 45 degrees, got speed up, and then coasted to the highest point in the path, at which point I turned again on an orbital maneuver.</p>
    <p><img title="screenshot14.jpg" src="http://aplusphysics.com/flux/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/screenshot14.jpg" alt="Screenshot14" width="600" height="495" border="0" /></p>
    <p><img title="screenshot15.png" src="http://aplusphysics.com/flux/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/screenshot15.png" alt="Screenshot15" width="600" height="337" border="0" /></p>
    <p>Separation was clean.</p>
    <p><img title="screenshot17.jpg" src="http://aplusphysics.com/flux/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/screenshot17.jpg" alt="Screenshot17" width="600" height="288" border="0" /></p>
    <p>This left me with the landing craft fully fueled in a stable Earth orbit, ready to begin maneuvers to head to the Mun.</p>
    <p><img title="screenshot18.jpg" src="http://aplusphysics.com/flux/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/screenshot18.jpg" alt="Screenshot18" width="600" height="371" border="0" /></p>
    <p>As I approached the moon I adjusted my orbit to bring me down near “the bright side,” and set my orientation to maintain a retrograde orbit.</p>
    <p> </p>
    <p><img title="screenshot5.jpg" src="http://aplusphysics.com/flux/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/screenshot5.jpg" alt="Screenshot5" width="600" height="411" border="0" /></p>
    <p>After a few minutes of sweating with a light hand on the thrusters while maintain a retrograde orbit, I finally had the lander down on the ground (and even remembered to extend the landing struts!)</p>
    <p> </p>
    <p><img title="screenshot7.gif" src="http://aplusphysics.com/flux/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/screenshot7.gif" alt="Screenshot7" width="323" height="377" border="0" /></p>
    <p>The external tanks were just barely empty (I hadn’t separated them during the descent as I thought perhaps the extra fuel might be nice for the Mun launch. However, upon reaching the surface, they were just barely drained. Easy quiet separation. Now for the EVA. I extended the ladders and Jebediah had himself a short stroll on the Mun before climbing back in for the trip home.<img title="screenshot8.gif" src="http://aplusphysics.com/flux/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/screenshot8.gif" alt="Screenshot8" width="481" height="423" border="0" /></p>
    <p> </p>
    <p>From there, a simple launch to get back into Mun orbit, then an orbital transfer back to Earth, which brought Jebediah down nice and safe and ready for his next mission!</p>
    <p>Key Learning — having all that extra fuel was nice, but next time I could do things MUCH more efficiently at the landing stage, allowing me to launch a much lighter landing vehicle. Next challenge – Landing on Minmus and returning safely!</p>
    <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PhysicsInFlux/~4/o920EKmKED0" height="1" width="1"/>

    Source
  4. FizziksGuy
    So, not long ago I came across a sandbox simulation software package / game called Kerbal Space Program. It allows you to build space vehicles on the fictional planet of Kerbal, launch the vehicles, attempt to put Kerbals into orbit, help them travel to other planets, etc. etc. Cute. But as I looked into it a little more, it has quite a bit of scientific and educational merit. The physics modeling is pretty good, the game is extremely addictive, and I believe it could be a great way to help students in my AP Physics C course transition from pure physics to applied physics and engineering in our last few weeks of school following the AP Exam. So I bought the game. Or, rather, I bought a copy, and the school bought five copies for the kids!



    Right now I'm still working out the details of the project. In general, though, I think it'd be fun to have the kids work through the simulation with a set of challenges as part of a "space race." Each group of 3 students will form their own space exploration team. With safety of all Kerbals as their prime directive, they will be asked to complete a series of tasks, documenting and analyzing their work along with each design and launch, and sharing their findings with the other teams through the use of blogging. In this manner, we'll begin to combine technical writing, project management, and even risk management with an addictive game centered around physics principles!
    I'm thinking their challenges may look something like:
    Launch an unmanned rocket
    Launch a manned rocket safety
    Safely put a Kerbal in orbit (and bring him home)
    Safely land a Kerbal on the Mun (and bring him home)
    Safely land a Kerbal on a distant planet (and bring him home)
    etc.


    In just playing with the sim for a few minutes tonight, I managed to put a Kerbal in orbit, but them promptly left him there as I played around with an extra-vehicular activity walk… and then couldn't bring him back in as my command pod was out of fuel. Should be a hoot to see how the kids do, and if anyone else has played with the sim, wants to join us in our "experiment," etc., we'd love to work with others!
  5. FizziksGuy
    <p>So, not long ago I came across a sandbox simulation software package / game called Kerbal Space Program. It allows you to build space vehicles on the fictional planet of Kerbal, launch the vehicles, attempt to put Kerbals into orbit, help them travel to other planets, etc. etc. Cute. But as I looked into it a little more, it has quite a bit of scientific and educational merit. The physics modeling is pretty good, the game is extremely addictive, and I believe it could be a great way to help students in my AP Physics C course transition from pure physics to applied physics and engineering in our last few weeks of school following the AP Exam. So I bought the game. Or, rather, I bought a copy, and the school bought five copies for the kids!</p>
    <p><img style="float: left;" title="screenshot0.png" src="http://aplusphysics.com/flux/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/screenshot0.png" alt="Screenshot0" width="300" height="168" border="0" /></p>
    <p>Right now I’m still working out the details of the project. In general, though, I think it’d be fun to have the kids work through the simulation with a set of challenges as part of a “space race.” Each group of 3 students will form their own space exploration team. With safety of all Kerbals as their prime directive, they will be asked to complete a series of tasks, documenting and analyzing their work along with each design and launch, and sharing their findings with the other teams through the use of blogging. In this manner, we’ll begin to combine technical writing, project management, and even risk management with an addictive game centered around physics principles!</p>
    <ul>
    <li>I’m thinking their challenges may look something like:</li>
    <li>Launch an unmanned rocket</li>
    <li>Launch a manned rocket safety</li>
    <li>Safely put a Kerbal in orbit (and bring him home)</li>
    <li>Safely land a Kerbal on the Mun (and bring him home)</li>
    <li>Safely land a Kerbal on a distant planet (and bring him home)</li>
    <li>etc.<img style="float: right;" title="screenshot2.png" src="http://aplusphysics.com/flux/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/screenshot2.png" alt="Screenshot2" width="300" height="168" border="0" /></li>
    </ul>
    <p>In just playing with the sim for a few minutes tonight, I managed to put a Kerbal in orbit, but them promptly left him there as I played around with an extra-vehicular activity walk… and then couldn’t bring him back in as my command pod was out of fuel. Should be a hoot to see how the kids do, and if anyone else has played with the sim, wants to join us in our “experiment,” etc., we’d love to work with others!</p>
    <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PhysicsInFlux/~4/9oHkx50l8qE" height="1" width="1"/>

    Source
  6. FizziksGuy
    <p>A couple weeks ago I had this crazy idea for a four-week project to do with my AP-C students after their AP exams. Typically we embark on a number of individualized, small-team projects, coupled with a study of semiconductor physics. This year, however, I wanted to change it up. I want to build excitement for the sciences and engineering. I want to try and truly capture the kids’ interest. So, taking a lead from a physics teacher tweet, I began exploring the Kerbal Space Program.</p>
    <p><iframe width="350" height="197" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RkDOOsGg-9I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
    <p>I first wrote about some basic ideas around the program last week in <a href="http://aplusphysics.com/flux/aplusphysics/kerbals-in-space-gamifying-the-physics-of-space-exploration-physics-physicsed-ksp/">Kerbals in Space? Gamifying the Physics of Space Exploration</a>. Since then, with the help and guidance of a variety of folks ranging from our school’s IT experts all the way to Kerbal Space Program enthusiasts from around the world, I think we have a pilot program (pun intended) ready to launch (pun still intended). As we blast into this new foray, my larger goal is to explore whether something as simple as the Kerbal Space Program or other “gamified” simulation has the potential for implementation earlier in the K-12 curriculum. If it works with seniors, could it be used with juniors? With freshman? With junior high students? With 5th and 6th graders? All with the ultimate goal of launching students into the challenge and excitement available in STEM disciplines.</p>
    <p>We need to grab the attention of our up and coming society at an early age, and allow them to observe the need for math, science, writing, communication, and technology, and how these skills open doorways for them to engage in such fun and challenging activities. There are tons of good programs out there promoting interest in STEM, from robotics programs to alternative fuel teams to green teams… I’m hoping the excitement of space, presented in such a fun way, allows students to reach some key conclusions on their own. First, just playing the sim is fun. For a while. Then you realize no matter what you do you tend to crash into things and can’t make it to any moons or planets. It’s time to pull out paper, pencil, calculator, and jump on the Kerbal WIKI to do some research and learn about dynamics, energy, transfer orbits, staging, etc. In this way, the students themselves are driving their own learning with a purpose, a pull system, so to speak, as opposed to pushing information out to them and then asking them to apply what they’ve learned.</p>
    <p>It’ll be a fun experiment. I’ve completed the<a href="http://www.aplusphysics.com/projects/kerbal.html"> Kerbal Space Program Education Project definition page</a>. We’ll see how it goes from here, and if anyone wants to join us on this exploration, we’d love to have you along!</p>
    <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PhysicsInFlux/~4/qrDRqz4Oaag" height="1" width="1"/>

    Source
  13. FizziksGuy
    <p>I ran across this “SWEAT” pledge from Mike Rowe and absolutely loved it, so thought I’d share… a great philosophy for taking ownership and control of your life! Learn more about this effort by clicking on the image itself.</p>
    <div style="width: 622px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="[url="http://profoundlydisconnected.com/foundation/poster/pledgedownload/"]http://profoundlydisconnected.com/foundation/poster/pledgedownload/[/url]"><img class="" [url="src="]src="http://profoundlydisconnected.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Resized-Downloadable-SWEAT-Pledge.jpg"[/url] alt="Mike Rowe's SWEAT Pledge" width="612" height="765" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Mike Rowe’s SWEAT Pledge</p></div>
    <p>&nbsp;</p>
    <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="[url="http://aplusphysics.com/flux/events/mike-rowes-s-w-e-a-t-pledge/"]http://aplusphysics.com/flux/events/mike-rowes-s-w-e-a-t-pledge/[/url]">Mike Rowe’s S.W.E.A.T. Pledge</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" [url="href="]href="http://aplusphysics.com/flux">Physics[/url] In Flux</a>.</p>
    <img src="[url="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PhysicsInFlux/~4/Tk4pKgiv6Yk"]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PhysicsInFlux/~4/Tk4pKgiv6Yk[/url]" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>


    <a href="[url="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PhysicsInFlux/~3/Tk4pKgiv6Yk/"]http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PhysicsInFlux/~3/Tk4pKgiv6Yk/[/url]" class='bbc_url' rel='nofollow external'>Source</a>
  14. 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.
  17. 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.
  19. FizziksGuy
    Guess what... November 1st starts the annual month-long NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) extravaganza. Amateur and professional writers across the world will struggle to write 50,000 words during the month, with the support and assistance of thousands of others from the NaNoWriMo.org website. The reason? One month to write 50,000 words is a challenge, and that challenge will keep you moving forward in your writing, saving edits and redrafts for later. Join us and see what you can do!


    http://youtu.be/miBhmLA62O4

    www.NaNoWriMo.org
  20. FizziksGuy
    You may have noticed it’s been a LONG time since I’ve updated this physics education blog.  More likely you haven’t noticed, because it’s been a LONG time since I’ve updated this blog.  This hasn’t been due to a lack of topics to write about, but rather, it’s been a conscious choice to plow full steam ahead on a project that began in June of 2013 and that I’m thrilled to announce is now available, The AP Physics C Companion: Mechanics.  But first, some background.
    Traditional AP Physics C
    As a teacher of calculus based physics (AP Physics C – Mechanics and AP Physics C – Electricity and Magnetism), I’m faced with a very unique challenge in those courses.  I typically enjoy classes of bright, motivated students who are preparing for careers in engineering, science, medicine, and other technically challenging fields.  And I love teaching the content of these courses — the level of technical challenge keeps me motivated, and I love the highly mathematical nature of the course.
    In teaching the class, however, what I found is a very aggressive schedule to fit both courses into the school year, and my students are co-enrolled in calculus (which means they typically need to solve calculus problems in physics before they’ve been introduced to the calculus in their mathematics classes).  Further, teaching in a traditional style, I found that most topics fit fairly well into our 42-minute periods.  Students come in to class, begin with a warm-up question tied to the previous day’s topic, which we spend a few minutes reviewing, then I have time to present a single topic with an example or two each day.  If we don’t take any breaks, and throw in a quiz or test every couple weeks, as well as some fairly straightforward lab activities, we JUST barely get through all of our material in time for the May AP exams.
    What I especially enjoy about this class and this method of teaching, however, is the face-to-face time with the kids during the daily lessons.  Class sizes for AP Physics C is typically small enough that we have a very informal style that is warm and inviting, yet challenging for all.  The students enjoy the class, taking notes from their seats each day, and doing book problems and old AP problems for homework in the evenings.  And our AP scores each year are solid.
    In September of 2011, however, I decided to try something different.  I wanted to get away from the teacher-centric model, as I realized that I was the hardest working person in the classroom.  This contrasted with the best teaching advice I ever received, when our assistant principal and my mentor explained that I should strive to “Look like the laziest teacher in the building while the students are in the classroom, and the hardest working teacher in the building the moment they leave.”  What he meant was students should be doing the work in the classroom, especially as I continuously espoused my belief that physics is something you do, not something you know.  Although the students were doing OK in their passive roles as notetakers, this was a credit to the strength of these students, not my teaching.
    A New AP Physics C Methodology
    Instead, I began to imagine a classroom in which students directed their own learning, building lifelong learning skills that would serve them well outside the narrow discipline of future physics courses.  With the blessings of our administration, I undertook a giant experiment in the classroom.  We went through the year with the goal of having zero teacher lectures.  Instead, I completely “flipped” the classroom.  Students were expected to watch video mini-lessons on topics outside of class, as well as read the textbook and take notes, saving classroom time for group discussions and problem solving, hands-on lab activities, and deeper dives into topics of interest.
    I ended up going back to traditional lectures on two topics — Gauss’s Law and the Biot-Savart Law, but for the most part the class ran independently.  I built up “packets” of assignments, practice problems, labs and activities for each unit, and students worked at their own pace (within reason) through each unit.  Unit exams were given when students said they were ready, with multiple re-take opportunities.  This evolved into a self-paced course, and at the end of the year, I found AP scores were significantly higher than in past years, which in retrospect shouldn’t have been surprising.  Teaching in this more hands-off manner is very uncomfortable, however.  I “feel” like I’m doing a great job when I’m working hard, presenting great lectures, and interacting with the students.  Stepping back and watching the students work, only getting involved to ask the occasional question or provide some basic clarification and support is extremely challenging.  Given the results, though, I tried it again the following year.  Same result!
    These classes were regularly polled for feedback on the course.  General observations were that many students felt more intimidated and lost at the beginning of the course.  As well, there were several points throughout the year in which the students felt quite frustrated.  Polls at the end of the year, however, indicated students felt very confident in their self-teaching abilities, their ability to work through challenges they initially thought impossible, and their comfort level with their preparation for future studies.  The most common opportunity they identified for improvement — learning how to read the textbook.
    In an effort to address this, I’ve implemented a variety of changes in my classroom.  First off, we take some time at the beginning of the year and again after mid-terms to talk about and practice strategies for reading a technical text.  We also take some time to talk about how to actively use the video lessons and example problems so that study time is efficient and productive.
    The AP Physics C Companion: Mechanics

    Finally, I started work on a “companion” text to the AP Physics C curriculum, focused on distilling down the key points from the text and illustrating them with a variety of applications.  Not really a review book (though it could be used in that sense), but rather a cleaned-up version of instructor notes for the course that could be applicable to any calculus-based mechanics course.  A large focus of the book is trading off technical complexity for illustrated application of concepts, including justifications for problem solving steps in the problems themselves, and well-documented problem solutions.
    I’ve been using the notes and draft chapters of this book for several years in my classes, which has allowed me a “test run” of various sections and the opportunity to see what works with students, and what needs further revision.  The final result, I’m excited to say, is now available as “The AP Physics C Companion: Mechanics.”  It will first be available in black and white print editions from APlusPhysics.com and Amazon, as well as a full-color PDF edition on APlusPhysics.com.  Shortly thereafter, print editions (both color and black and white) will be available from any retailer, including Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  Finally, bulk purchases will be available directly from sales@sillybeagle.com (Silly Beagle Productions) at substantial discounts.
    Where’s the E&M Book?
    I’ve already been asked repeatedly if there’s an E&M version planned.  The answer is rather convoluted, however.  The E&M version is half done — the draft is complete as part of my class work and has been for more than a year.  I haven’t typeset it yet, however (probably a 6-12 month project), or worked on the graphics for a few reasons.  First, it is a huge investment of time to do so, which puts other projects on the back burner.  Second, the market for such a book could be pretty small.  As only 27,000 students took the AP Physics C: E&M exam last year, that’s a very limited market to cater to.  Though the book would be appropriate for an introductory calculus-based E&M course, a very significant portion of students taking the E&M exam would have to purchase and use the book in order to recuperate the costs involved in putting out the book (which are substantial).  As most any science author will tell you, there’s not much profit to be made in writing these types of books, and margins are mighty slim.  It’s a labor of love because you want to help students (yours and others).  I’m already pushing the limits of ‘wise decisions’ in marketing a book to the AP-C Mechanics market (53K test takers last year), and hoping it at least breaks even.
    Before making any commitments to an E&M version, I want to obtain feedback from the mechanics version — are students and instructors finding it helpful, what is a reasonable percentage of the market to anticipate, would it at least break even, and how is the new format received (fewer pages, larger format and type, color vs. B&W, etc.)  Given all that, I imagine it’s probably likely at some point I’ll get to work on it (after every book I tend to think I’m done, then eventually change my mind and start on another one).  However, it feels good to “fool myself” for awhile and pretend I’m done while I work on updating the APlusPhysics site, continue work on instructional videos, and perhaps get to bed a little earlier in the evenings.
    For now, however, I’m excited to announce the release of The AP Physics C Companion: Mechanics.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed putting it together!
    *AP and Advanced Placement Program are registered trademarks of the College Board, which does not sponsor or endorse this product.
    The post New AP Physics C Mechanics Book Release appeared first on Physics In Flux.


  21. FizziksGuy
    You may have noticed it’s been a LONG time since I’ve updated this physics education blog.  More likely you haven’t noticed, because it’s been a LONG time since I’ve updated this blog.  This hasn’t been due to a lack of topics to write about, but rather, it’s been a conscious choice to plow full steam ahead on a project that began in June of 2013 and that I’m thrilled to announce is now available, The AP Physics C Companion: Mechanics.  But first, some background.
    Traditional AP Physics C
    As a teacher of calculus based physics (AP Physics C – Mechanics and AP Physics C – Electricity and Magnetism), I’m faced with a very unique challenge in those courses.  I typically enjoy classes of bright, motivated students who are preparing for careers in engineering, science, medicine, and other technically challenging fields.  And I love teaching the content of these courses — the level of technical challenge keeps me motivated, and I love the highly mathematical nature of the course.
    http://aplusphysics.com/flux/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/teacher_pointing_at_whiteboard_lg_clr.gifIn teaching the class, however, what I found is a very aggressive schedule to fit both courses into the school year, and my students are co-enrolled in calculus (which means they typically need to solve calculus problems in physics before they’ve been introduced to the calculus in their mathematics classes).  Further, teaching in a traditional style, I found that most topics fit fairly well into our 42-minute periods.  Students come in to class, begin with a warm-up question tied to the previous day’s topic, which we spend a few minutes reviewing, then I have time to present a single topic with an example or two each day.  If we don’t take any breaks, and throw in a quiz or test every couple weeks, as well as some fairly straightforward lab activities, we JUST barely get through all of our material in time for the May AP exams.
    What I especially enjoy about this class and this method of teaching, however, is the face-to-face time with the kids during the daily lessons.  Class sizes for AP Physics C is typically small enough that we have a very informal style that is warm and inviting, yet challenging for all.  The students enjoy the class, taking notes from their seats each day, and doing book problems and old AP problems for homework in the evenings.  And our AP scores each year are solid.
    In September of 2011, however, I decided to try something different.  I wanted to get away from the teacher-centric model, as I realized that I was the hardest working person in the classroom.  This contrasted with the best teaching advice I ever received, when our assistant principal and my mentor explained that I should strive to “Look like the laziest teacher in the building while the students are in the classroom, and the hardest working teacher in the building the moment they leave.”  What he meant was students should be doing the work in the classroom, especially as I continuously espoused my belief that physics is something you do, not something you know.  Although the students were doing OK in their passive roles as notetakers, this was a credit to the strength of these students, not my teaching.
    A New AP Physics C Methodology
    Instead, I began to imagine a classroom in which students directed their own learning, building lifelong learning skills that would serve them well outside the narrow discipline of future physics courses.  With the blessings of our administration, I undertook a giant experiment in the classroom.  We went through the year with the goal of having zero teacher lectures.  Instead, I completely “flipped” the classroom.  Students were expected to watch video mini-lessons on topics outside of class, as well as read the textbook and take notes, saving classroom time for group discussions and problem solving, hands-on lab activities, and deeper dives into topics of interest.
    I ended up going back to traditional lectures on two topics — Gauss’s Law and the Biot-Savart Law, but for the most part the class ran independently.  I built up “packets” of assignments, practice problems, labs and activities for each unit, and students worked at their own pace (within reason) through each unit.  Unit exams were given when students said they were ready, with multiple re-take opportunities.  This evolved into a self-paced course, and at the end of the year, I found AP scores were significantly higher than in past years, which in retrospect shouldn’t have been surprising.  Teaching in this more hands-off manner is very uncomfortable, however.  I “feel” like I’m doing a great job when I’m working hard, presenting great lectures, and interacting with the students.  Stepping back and watching the students work, only getting involved to ask the occasional question or provide some basic clarification and support is extremely challenging.  Given the results, though, I tried it again the following year.  Same result!
    http://aplusphysics.com/flux/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/student_girl_reading_on_floor_lg_clr.gifThese classes were regularly polled for feedback on the course.  General observations were that many students felt more intimidated and lost at the beginning of the course.  As well, there were several points throughout the year in which the students felt quite frustrated.  Polls at the end of the year, however, indicated students felt very confident in their self-teaching abilities, their ability to work through challenges they initially thought impossible, and their comfort level with their preparation for future studies.  The most common opportunity they identified for improvement — learning how to read the textbook.
    In an effort to address this, I’ve implemented a variety of changes in my classroom.  First off, we take some time at the beginning of the year and again after mid-terms to talk about and practice strategies for reading a technical text.  We also take some time to talk about how to actively use the video lessons and example problems so that study time is efficient and productive.
    The AP Physics C Companion: Mechanics
    http://aplusphysics.com/flux/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/ISColorCover-1-6-17.jpg
    Finally, I started work on a “companion” text to the AP Physics C curriculum, focused on distilling down the key points from the text and illustrating them with a variety of applications.  Not really a review book (though it could be used in that sense), but rather a cleaned-up version of instructor notes for the course that could be applicable to any calculus-based mechanics course.  A large focus of the book is trading off technical complexity for illustrated application of concepts, including justifications for problem solving steps in the problems themselves, and well-documented problem solutions.
    I’ve been using the notes and draft chapters of this book for several years in my classes, which has allowed me a “test run” of various sections and the opportunity to see what works with students, and what needs further revision.  The final result, I’m excited to say, is now available as “The AP Physics C Companion: Mechanics.”  It will first be available in black and white print editions from APlusPhysics.com and Amazon, as well as a full-color PDF edition on APlusPhysics.com.  Shortly thereafter, print editions (both color and black and white) will be available from any retailer, including Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  Finally, bulk purchases will be available directly from sales@sillybeagle.com (Silly Beagle Productions) at substantial discounts.
    Where’s the E&M Book?
    I’ve already been asked repeatedly if there’s an E&M version planned.  The answer is rather convoluted, however.  The E&M version is half done — the draft is complete as part of my class work and has been for more than a year.  I haven’t typeset it yet, however (probably a 6-12 month project), or worked on the graphics for a few reasons.  First, it is a huge investment of time to do so, which puts other projects on the back burner.  Second, the market for such a book could be pretty small.  As only 27,000 students took the AP Physics C: E&M exam last year, that’s a very limited market to cater to.  Though the book would be appropriate for an introductory calculus-based E&M course, a very significant portion of students taking the E&M exam would have to purchase and use the book in order to recuperate the costs involved in putting out the book (which are substantial).  As most any science author will tell you, there’s not much profit to be made in writing these types of books, and margins are mighty slim.  It’s a labor of love because you want to help students (yours and others).  I’m already pushing the limits of ‘wise decisions’ in marketing a book to the AP-C Mechanics market (53K test takers last year), and hoping it at least breaks even.
    http://aplusphysics.com/flux/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/hammock_man_relaxing_hg_clr.gifBefore making any commitments to an E&M version, I want to obtain feedback from the mechanics version — are students and instructors finding it helpful, what is a reasonable percentage of the market to anticipate, would it at least break even, and how is the new format received (fewer pages, larger format and type, color vs. B&W, etc.)  Given all that, I imagine it’s probably likely at some point I’ll get to work on it (after every book I tend to think I’m done, then eventually change my mind and start on another one).  However, it feels good to “fool myself” for awhile and pretend I’m done while I work on updating the APlusPhysics site, continue work on instructional videos, and perhaps get to bed a little earlier in the evenings.
    For now, however, I’m excited to announce the release of The AP Physics C Companion: Mechanics.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed putting it together!
    *AP and Advanced Placement Program are registered trademarks of the College Board, which does not sponsor or endorse this product.
    The post New AP Physics C Mechanics Book Release appeared first on Physics In Flux.
    http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PhysicsInFlux/~4/hOpRuWPSi9w
  22. 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.
  23. 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.
  24. FizziksGuy
    <p>So last year I took every single question from the last 17 NY Regents Physics exams, organized them by topic, and printed them neatly into worksheet / workbook formats for myself and others to use. They’ve been pretty popular, but have also been a fairly high maintenance item, as I have been receiving at least 10-15 e-mails per week about the worksheets. Some requests have come from teachers asking if I have created an answer sheet to go with them. Other requests have been from students looking to check their answers. Some have even been from students posing as instructors attempting to find the answers to the worksheets. But far and away, the most popular question has centered around whether I might offer a print version of the worksheets.</p>
    <p><a href="http://aplusphysics.com/regents/wb"><img style="float: right;" title="RegentsQA-500-TranspBkgd.jpg" src="http://aplusphysics.com/flux/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/RegentsQA-500-TranspBkgd.jpg" alt="RegentsQA 500 TranspBkgd" width="300" height="203" border="0" /></a></p>
    <p>It’s taken awhile, but I’ve finally cleaned up all the sheets, arranged them into a workbook format, solved every single problem, added answer sheets, and sent them off for publication. The result — yesterday, <a href="http://aplusphysics.com/regents/wb">The Ultimate Regents Physics Question and Answer Book</a> was released.</p>
    <p>I’m planning on leaving the individual worksheets available for download on the APlusPhysics site — the book is merely provided as a convenience for those who’d rather have a hard copy, bound compendium of all the worksheets, with the answers included. Because these sheets are also popular as homework assignments, quizzes, etc., I don’t plan on posting the answer sheets publicly… that’s just making things a little too easy for students hoping to avoid productive work. The list price on the book is $11.99, which (typically) Amazon discounts within a few weeks of publication. I think that’s a reasonable price for a resource that took me many, many hours to compile, with the goal of hopefully recouping the costs required to publish the book within a year or so if all goes well.</p>
    <p>Having said that, last night I received a troubling e-mail. Before even one copy had sold, I received a request asking if I would donate copies of the workbook to cover an entire physics course at a school. Now, I understand there’s no harm in asking, so I politely responded that the cost for any donated/promotional copies come directly out of the pocket of a high school teacher (me), and that the entire content was already available for download and printing direct from the APlusPhysics website. The follow-up, however, left me troubled. The response stated that the copies were for an inner city school and therefore computers and Internet access to download and print the files wasn’t reasonable.</p>
    <p>Maybe I’m being naive, but I have trouble believing that there are school districts (and individual schools) that are SO poor that there isn’t a single computer with an Internet connection anywhere in the school. Or let’s say that there aren’t ANY computers in the school — how can not one teacher have access to a computer and Internet to obtain the files on their own time? And in what world is it reasonable that I should pick up the costs to print and ship a volume of copies to a school where they can’t find a way to download and print freely available files (which I also pay to host)?</p>
    <p>Rant ended. I’m more than happy to give away a ton of my work (and time) for free, but there are some costs associated with making these resources available. The software to create the site, the hosting fees, publication costs, licensing costs, etc. Almost all of the content in the books is already freely available on the site for educational use, and I LOVE when folks make use of these resources. But, the reality is that all of these things have some cost, and if I want to continue to build a terrific physics resource for our students, a few of the items on the site have to generate enough income to cover the costs of the site.</p>
    <p>Now, with that out of the way, I’m excited to be diving into the next project at full speed — review / guide books for the new AP-1 and AP-2 courses. Background work / development has been going on for over a year, and, if all goes as planned, the first draft should be underway within a couple weeks!!!!!</p>
    <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PhysicsInFlux/~4/ttfO5au910Q" height="1" width="1"/>

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