Taught by Ms. Chase, Physics focuses on solving mechanics-based problems using algebra, trigonometry, and calculus concepts. We build our own labs and conduct experiments to further our understanding of the science that makes our Earth go round.
Our first lab of the year involved predicting the acceleration of a cart on an inclined plane. We hypothesized that the acceleration would be close to g * sin(theta), where g is the acceleration due to gravity and theta is the angle of the incline. We used a photogate to measure the velocity of the cart when we dropped it from different heights and compared it to our prediction. Read the report here.
Our third lab of the year asked the question: "Does the relationship between the acceleration of a cart on an inclined plane (a modified Atwood’s Machine) and the hanging mass follow Newton’s Second Law?" We predicted that the relationship between the mass of the hanging weight and the acceleration down the incline will be linear, where the slope is g(1+sin(θ))/m_T and the y-intercept is -gsin(θ). (m_T = total mass, g = gravity). Read the report here.
