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Re: physics final project



mitch foster wrote:
I'm a 10th grade conceptual physics teacher ("Physics First") --
new to the group. I'm curious if anyone has any ideas/
suggestions for a culminating or final project in physics that
somehow involves say all of a semester's main concepts in one
meaningful, tied-together, multiple part, theme?
For example, a project that includes concepts of heat, heat
transfer, waves & vibrations, sound, light, and electricity &
magnetism.

I believe a steam-powered television set would cover all the bases you
mentioned :-)

Seriously, your chances of success are better if you keep things
simpler. Shoot for simple projects that relate just 2 or 3 physics
topics. Been there, done that.

For example, a homemade thermocouple relates heat and electricity. A
wire electrically heated to incandescence relates electricity and heat
and light. A simple homemade motor relates electricity and magnetism,
as does an electric buzzer. One of my students once made an electric
clock; well, ok, it was a electromagnetic metronome, but it ticked off
the seconds and she called it her electric clock.

The highest number of your concepts that I have come up with (quickly)
in a single simple project is 5. You can relate electricity and
magnetism and vibrations and sound and waves in a demo with a long piece
of string glued to a loudspeaker. A light beam reflected off a mirror
glued to a loudspeaker relates electricity and magnetism and vibrations
and sound and light; you and I also know that waves are involved, but
the demo I have in mind is not convincing in that regard.

I agree with Joshua Green: Herb's proposal for a lengthy exam is a
really bad idea for you and your students. When I was a young youthful
youth of a teacher, I quizzed and tested and examined my students to a
fare-thee-well. Initially, you teach the way you were taught, right?
How misguided and wasteful that seems, looking back from the perspective
of 35 years as a teacher.

Best wishes,

Larry

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Larry Cartwright Retired Physics Teacher
<exit60@cablespeed.com> Charlotte MI 48813 USA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Good judgment comes from experience,
and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
- If you're leadin' the herd, take a look back
now and then to make sure it's still there.
- There's two things every cowpoke wants: a horse
that can read his mind and a boss that can't.
- Never miss a good chance to shut up.
-- from The Cowboys' Guide To Life
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~