Physics, taught by Mrs. Chase is a physics class that stretches all the way from Physics 1(beginner) to AP Physics. It is a fast-moving, heavily math, and laboratory-based class. Within physics, we always are either doing mathematics to prove physics theories on paper or demonstrating those theories through laboratory experiments. We learn how to do lab write-ups and see how to complete experiments, which helps greatly with our school's research project.
The Inclined plane lab was a challenging experience in which I was required to drop an object off of an inclined plane and see if the actual acceleration was close to the predicted. This was my first physics lab ever and I got a crazy percent error, so this lab made me learn a lot about how important it is to be accurate when doing labs. It also taught me how labs are the backbone to the physics we do today
In Physics class, the Dynamics lab required me to create my own experiment to attempt to prove a hypothesis of my choosing. I chose to prove that surface area does not affect the coefficient of friction of an object. I did this using an Atwood's machine with the same weight but with different surface areas being dragged across the tool. I measured the velocity they fell at to calculate the acceleration, allowing me to then calculate the force of friction which could be used to find the coefficient of friction. This lab helped me realize how experiments prove Physics theories as this proved surface area does not affect the coefficient of friction.