Mrs. Chase teaches physics, this course mainly aligns with the AP Physics C curriculum. Within this class, we work through topics from both Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism and we practice both algebra and calculus based approaches to problems. We move through this course at a fast pace and very in-depth leaving students with a very high level of understanding for all the topics covered.
During our first unit of kinematics, we were challenged to complete a multi-step problem involving a scenario of a rocket launching and landing. We were tasked with creating a diagram and solving each stage one by one. One unexpected challenge I ran into was clearly defining all my variables and names to be clear to the reader. This is not something I had deeply considered previously and it taught me the importance of clearly showing my methods and work. You can see my full rocket problem document here.
After learning the material for our dynamics unit we were asked to put it to the test in a lab. Students were asked to come up with a question relating to dynamics, hypothesize an answer, and prove it. In my lab, I decided to prove that the relationship between frictional force and normal force is linear. I tested my hypothesis by measuring frictional force upon a block with varying weights. At all the tested points there was a constant slope with little margin of error. I found the whole process of testing the concepts we learned in class fascinating. You can read more about my lab here.