Research teams explore momentum

Some terms laboratory 042 goes well, other terms the laboratory seems to fall flat. By go well, I mean that the groups gel and find measurements to make, data to report, theories to investigate. Other terms the students seem lost and wanting direct instruction on what specifically to measure.


Tulpe, Merry-Jean, LoriAnn

This term I hewed closely to my own text, starting with the quote from Newton, "For the best and safest method of philosophising seems to be, first to enquire diligently into properties of things, and to establish those properties by experiments and then to proceed more slowly to hypotheses for the explanation of them. For hypotheses should be employed only in explaining the properties of things, but not assumed in determining them; unless so far as they may furnish experiments." (Letter to the French Jesuit, Gaston Pardies. Translation from the original Latin, as in Richard S. Westfall, Never at Rest: a Biography of Isaac Newton (1983), page 242. Direct source: The Renaissance Mathematicus.)


Ryan, Stravinsky, Jeff

I noted that this inverts the usual scientific method by leading with exploratory investigation, experiments, and then forming hypotheses only slowly.


MaryHellan, TJ, Dareen

I did begin with the rolling of a marble into other marbles. In the eight o'clock class I noted that the marbles varied by mass. I also demonstrated the speed relationship.


Stravinsky, Jeff

The groups seemed to develop some good ideas to explore on their own.


Merlihse, Rose Ann


TJ presents

The presentations also went well. Some terms the presentations go well, others they do not.


Tulpe presents


Rose Ann presents


Vengelynn and Jessica


Judy indicates a location on the ruler track.


Alexander, Jimboy


Daisy times



Keithann and Benjamin put the least massive marble on the ramp and the most massive on the end of the line of marbles. Then they reversed this arrangement, with the most massive rolling down the ramp and the least massive on the end of the line of marbles. They noted that in both instances only a single marble is kicked off the end of the line of marbles. From this observation they deduced the mass independence from the number of marbles kicked off the end. Where masses vary by a little, the number of marbles kicked off the end are equal to the number of inbound marbles. Only when the masses are significantly different does this change.


Emily and a view down their track


Benjamin explains the results he and Keithann discovered to the rest of the class. This is science.


Jo shares the results of his group with the class.




The group presentations went well in both sections.



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