Middle and High School … from a Montessori Point of View
Our exercise in building simple electric motors was quite a success. Students enjoyed doing it, even though it was challenging making the coil just right so it would spin easily. They persisted and enjoyed that wonderful eureka moment when it actually worked. Motor Speed One group wanted to figure out how fast the armature was … Continue reading “Making Motors”
Notes: What creates magnetic fields? (36.3) Magnetic fields are created by moving electric charges. At the atomic level: In atoms, most of the magnetic field comes from the spinning of electrons (remember electrons have a negative charge). In most elements, the magnetic fields of electrons pair up and cancel each other out Only certain elements, … Continue reading “Magnetism”
The greater the resistance (R) of a circuit, the less current (I) will flow through it (an inverse relationship). The equation is: Current = Voltage / Resistance Resistors can be actual resistors, lamps, toasters, or anything else that uses electricity. Even the wires have resistance (but we don’t usually consider that since it’s small compared … Continue reading “Resistance in Circuits”
World-shaker tries to draw the modern parallels to 1984 and Brave New World in graphic form. Orwell’s (1948) distopian view of the future in 1984, warned against the government developing the ability to exert constant, repressive monitoring of everyone, controlling the means of communication and, perhaps more importantly, the use of language. Huxley’s (1932) Brave … Continue reading “1984 or A Brave New World”
So I put together this interactive parabola program using VPython (code here) for students encountering these curves in Algebra. It’s a more interactive version of the Excel parabola program in that you can move the curve by dragging on some control points, rather than just having to enter the coefficients of the equation. The program … Continue reading “Parabola Program”
There was a neat little conference today, organized by LEGO’s Education division. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to include robotics in my math and science classes, but since I haven’t had the time to delve into it, I was wondering if the LEGO Robotics sets would be an easy way to get … Continue reading “Considering LEGO Robotics”
Abstract A series of still photographs of a projectile (soccer ball) in motion were used to determine the equation for the height of the ball (h(t) = 4.9 t2 + 14.2 t + 1.25), the initial velocity of the ball (14.2 m), the maximum height of the ball (11.6 m), and the time between each … Continue reading “Projectile Motion”
I did a little exercise at the start of my high-school physics class today that introduced different types of experimental error. We’re starting the second quarter now and it’s time for their lab reports to including more discussion about potential sources of error, how they might fix some of them, and what they might mean. … Continue reading “Figuring Out Experimental Error”