Physics, a course taught by Ms. Chase, aligns well with the AP Physics C - Mechanics, AP Physics C - Electricity and Magnetism, and AP Physics 1 curriculums. The style of the course varies from listening to lectures about different topics to conducting our own labs to test hypotheses. We cover various elements of the fundamentals of physics, and thus far, we've covered kinematics, dynamics, energy, collisions, and circular motion.
One of the labs we got to do this year was a dynamics lab in which we got to explore any topic related to dynamics of our choice! My group and I decided to investigate whether or not the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration of a cart traveling along a metal track in a modified Atwood's machine on an inclined plane obeys Newton's Second Law. We did this by hanging two masses on each end of the modified Atwood's machine and changing the angle of the machine, then measuring the average acceleration. To learn more, take a look at the PDF by clicking here!
Another lab we got to complete earlier in the school year was the Acceleration on an Inclined Plane lab. In this lab, we got to explore how acceleration was affected by changing the distance, and we got to prove (and convince ourselves) of the no-time kinematics equation. This was the first lab we got to do, and it was really fun to get to learn how to write an analysis and conclusion, as well as to carry out the lab with my group. Take a look at my solution to the right to see the general format and content of this lab, or click here!