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Collisions and Deformations Afternoon Module Room 407 0.5 Physics Credit Instructor: Billy Pasour Intro This is a Newtonian physics course that deals specifically with the dynamics involved in collisions. Students will smash things together and study the results. The class will study the behavior of billiard balls and shuffleboard pucks. We will learn the basic physics equations that will allow us to predict the behavior of these objects in a collision. The knowledge learned in this course will be used to answer the essential question “What happens in a collision?” Focus Skills The focus skills of this course are to solve problems and to put information in context. There will be a lot of math in this course, though we shouldn’t need to delve into anything higher than trigonometry. More important than just learning how to do the math, however, is learning how to use the math to manipulate and interpret empirically derived evidence. In predicting how objects interact, equations must be not only memorized but fully understood, so that the student may derive the equations if they are forgotten. Course Materials Students will receive handouts from the instructor which come from various sources. Some of these sources will be college level physics textbooks, others will be articles from the pop science media. These handouts will supplement in class instruction and discussion. Students will need to keep a notebook specifically for this course so that they can keep track of various class experiments and demonstrations. Assignments Work Ethic Work ethic pertains to how a student conducts him or herself in class. Is the student focused? Does he or she ask insightful questions, or inform me if he or she doesn’t understand? Conversely, does he or she participate in side conversations or get distracted? The answers to these questions make up the work ethic grade. Homework Students will receive weekly homework in the form of physics problems that test comprehension of in-class topics. Tests There will be two tests in this course; one which will be a traditional written test with physics problems, and another where students will be required to set up an experiment and do a lab write-up explaining the dynamics of the situation. This test will lead directly into exhibition work, as it will be the last chance for students to test out ideas before designing a physics demonstration to present for their exhibition. Exhibition The exhibition is the centerpiece of this class, and its weight in the grading system is appropriate to that importance. In order to make the exhibition less daunting, there will be several benchmarks along the way so that you have every opportunity to be prepared when the day arrives. In addition, these benchmarks account for part of the exhibition grade so that you have incentive to complete them and create a great exhibition. Do not let these benchmarks pigeon hole you, however; my opinion is that exhibitions should be creative and entertaining as well as informative. Therefore, the benchmarks are designed to ensure a solid foundation rather than dictate the format of your presentation. The benchmarks are: 1. Topic (A statement of what you’re going to do and why you’re going to do it) 2. Short answer to essential question (What specifically happens in your collision) 3. Free body diagram of your collision (Show how the forces are dispersed through the structural elements of your apparatus) 4. Outline (What format will your exhibition be in, and how will you use the time available) 5. Rehearsal (Be ambitious and see what works) The final exhibition is the culmination of all these benchmarks. With each benchmark you will get a grade and feedback, and you will ideally use the benchmarks as an opportunity to make an excellent exhibition. Here is the point breakdown for the assignments: Work Ethic: 20% Homework: 20% Tests: 20% Exhibition Benchmarks: 20% Exhibition: 20% Portfolio The portfolio item in this course will be your final lab and lab write-up. This could meet several portfolio requirements (an example of a creative work, a demonstration of mathematics, a visual illustration of ideas, or a science experiment with lab report). Spirit of the Classroom This class will be split between lecturing and hands on activities. Building and working with materials is fun, but it is important to base that work on a solid mathematical foundation. Therefore students should feel free to ask me questions at any time, and to help their peers if they are having trouble.