MyndersePhysics

A fun activity for end-of-year review. Have students watch old Looney Tunes cartoon and find examples of good and bad physics.

The Rutherford Penny lab is designed to give the students hands-on experience in making indirect measurements. They will determine the diameter of a penny be statistical analysis.

Use only post-1982 pennies, the US Mint changed the mass in 1982. This lab is designed to help understand the idea of quantizing a measurement, in this case mass. I use 13 flim canisters filled with various amounts of pennies. By looking at the increasing masses, the students should realize that the amounts go up by 2.5 grams or a multiple of them.