danaleeling

This summer term the hoop rotation laboratory was made less specific, less prescriptive of what had to be measured. In the past the laboratory was guided by the following directions and questions: In this laboratory you explored the relationship between a hula hoop diameter in centimeters and the natural rotation period for the hula hoop in seconds.  What is the nature of the mathematical relationship between the hoop diameter and hoop period? Is the relationship linear or nonlinear? What is the equation that relates hoop diameter to the hoop period? Do hoops with larger diameters have longer periods? This summer the intent was to leave the decisions on what to measure to the students. The concept was to make the laboratory more of a practical test of the students' ability to explore an unknown system. To remove some of the scaffolding and framework. This summer the directions were: If the universe is mathematical, then every physical system is obeying mathematical equa...

This term the need for limes and flowers only landed after the Ohm's law laboratory. Students were never told to bring flowers. The collapse in attendance at the end of Ohm's law left no opportunity to prep students. Limes were located and the ground orchids had come in heavy this season. Early morning load up was done because the intervening laboratory is in use at 11:30. Preloading water is also necessary. The layout was altered to reflect the loss of part one and the practical elimination of part two. There was only Spathoglottis plicata.  Soap and Zonrox replacement bleach were obtained at A1 during the morning set up. Daniel was out on the sidewalk Electrons were were in place for the morning lecture. This is day with many moving parts. Hydrogen introduction was already erased at this point. A one hour high speed crash and dash to hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions. At one hour th...

The electricity lecture opened with explaining the concept of potential energy and current using a waterfall.  The morning session moved to the presentation after one example was worked on the board. The laboratory notes were compressed on to a half of the whiteboard  Students missed the third clause. Perhaps these should be numbered explicitly. That there were three goals was missed by the class. This is also a generation that does not read. Students have never been good about reading directions, but this generation takes non-reading to a whole new level. Ellinae, Austin, and Jenry-Thor work on an Ohm's law rig. This rig had been set up by the instructor. Both the single and double battery values were already recorded. This gave the group only two more measurements to make: each group had only four batteries (cells). This would be the proximate cause of the attendance collapse. With their data in hand, they departed...

Early arrival at 7:20 to preload water was a fail this term. The power had been off since 5:00 PM the day before. This is one of the lecture-lab sequences with the most moving parts. Almost overlooked the mirrors. Water was a $10.50 purchase from A1 across the road. 12000 ml. Jed's has nothing larger than liter bottles and those were in the cold case. The 2000 ml graduated cylinders consumed a single bottle.  The cart is necessary to setting up efficiently. The oil immersion beakers are in the plastic container. They are kept separate as they are never completely degreased between terms.  This term features more diesel fumes than usual due to the El Niño westerlies. This will be the first term for the new prisms. Sometimes I feel so deserted was the setup opener. New 60° prism Spectrum. Barely. New laser set up. Didn't work as well as hoped for. Better to jus...