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There will always be a few kids who are exceptionally over-prepared.
The question is, what to do with these kids, so that they don't get
bored to death and/or drive everybody else crazy.
It is guaranteed that they won't be paying attention in class.
There's no reason why they should. So the best you can do is give
them something else to do, something educational.
This is a fun thing to discuss. I offer a few obvious ideas, to
get the ball rolling:
*) If all else fails, tell them to bring a library book to class.
They can sit in the back and read.
*) It's even better if they read a /physics/ book. A good place to
start is PSSC _Physics_. This is a physicist's physics book.
http://www.textbookleague.org/32pssc1.htm
Some people consider it too challenging for the typical student ...
but that makes it just right for the student who needs a bit of a
challenge. So the assignment is to read PSSC _Physics_ cover to
cover and work all the end-of-chapter problems.
This means the student will have something to do for a few weeks,
and will learn some serious physics. It requires very little effort
from the teacher. It requires some preparation, namely obtaining
a copy or two of the book.
*) Continuing down that road: Have 'em read Feynman volume I. This
is the quintessential "physicist's physics book".
Are they going to understand everything in that book? Of course not.
I've read the thing ten times over the years, because each time I
get something I didn't get previously.
*) Have 'em do some lab work. Part of the idea is to find things that
place minimal demands on the teacher, who is already overloaded dealing
with the main group of students. Another part of the idea is to find
things that can be done in the far corner of the room without distracting
the main group of students.
-- IMHO a fine assignment in this category is this: Set up a ripple
tank and do some experiments with it. Diffraction. Refraction.
Interference. Dispersion relations. There are many hours of good
things that could be done.
This meets all the requirements: It is safe, quiet, highly educational,
et cetera. It requires having the apparatus, but other than that it
doesn't require much from the teacher.
(Imagine this student a couple of years later, taking a college course
in electrodynamics or quantum mechanics, and imagine how nice it is
to actually know something about waves.)
-- Set up an oscilloscope to show Lissajous patterns. Read Rayleigh's
_Theory of Sound_ to see some of the clever physics that can be done
using Lissajous patterns. As a modern example, plot the power-line
waveform (as seen at the output of a doorbell transformer, *not* the
power line itself, for safety reasons). Plot it versus a 60Hz local
oscillator.
-- Set up an oscilloscope in XY mode to plot the B versus H hysteresis
curve for a magnetic material.
(Imagine how advantageous it is for the student to actually know how to
operate an oscilloscope.)
-- An idea from Ludwik: Set up an audio speaker and turntable (or two
speakers, X and Y) plus a mirror and laser, to make a giant oscilloscope
that draws waveforms on the wall of the room.
-- Perform a random-walk experiment by tossing coins and moving a marker
accordingly. Plot distance versus N.
(Imagine how advantageous it is for the student to actually have a clue
about probability.)
-- Choose some project, not necessarily original, and do it. There are
lots of possibilities:
http://www.google.com/search?q=physics+build+project
++ Think of some *original* project and do it.
++ Help the other students with their assignments.
-- etc. etc. etc.
========================
It would be good to hear from other folks about their ideas for self-study
... and other tactics for dealing with students who have wildly disparate
levels of preparation.
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Forum for Physics Educators
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