It probably took Hugh and Jeffrey (I hope the use of first names isn't as presumptuous as my earlier post) about 90 seconds each to change my approach.
New plans for me:
I will *probably* still cover 1 & 2 D motion first. I will still cover 1-d accelerations horizontally first. I will still use a_g instead of g. At this stage, sticking to what little gun or knife I have left to fight with, I will still only address a_g as a measure of acceleration w/ the caveat that we will see this again later.
I will significantly change my approach when we get to forces. I'll probably start with the discussion recommended by Hugh & Jeffrey. This is a great approach to introduce fields.
I've tried discussing fields here in the past. I've always tried going from Universal gravity to fields. It's official: I'll go from fields to Universal gravity.
I am usually pretty darn stubborn. You guys won pretty quickly. I guess this is why Clint Eastwood liked that rifle so much in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Gun beats Knife (was I even armed?).
p.s. Do you also introduce symmetry at the point of introducing fields? I quickly admit that I do not do much with symmetry in h.s. While we do address conservation laws, I do not discuss symmetry or invarience. I am certainly showing my limits here.
Paul Lulai (where I am eating an egg & crow sandwich)
Physics Teacher & Online Learning Coordinator
St. Anthony Village Senior High
Saint Anthony Village, MN
55418
(w) 612-706-1144
(fax) 612-706-1020
plulai@stanthony.k12.mn.us