Physics Class 9 Project

[Mrx Wylie]

How well do you remember your first high school physics class? The only thing I recall was dropping an egg off of some bleachers and trying to make a device that protected that egg so that it would not crack. I also remember that there was some math involved and I think I might not have been too happy about that. Other than those memories, I cannot remember anything from that class! Sorry, Mr. Hanlon!

The Drake equation, created by Frank Drake, former director of the Carl Sagan Center at the SETI Institute, is not an equation in the traditional sense, but a way of organizing the focus of SETI researchers seeking an answer to N, which is the possible number of civilizations in our galaxy that could have detectable communication. There are seven factors in the equation that, when multiplied together, yield a probable answer for N. That value varies greatly depending on which researchers you talk to.

I wanted to begin this school year with a fun and engaging project that would also allow me to get to know my students and build a strong community for the year. The idea that I initially had after my visit to the SETI Institute was to have all my students paint a mural of the Drake equation on the exterior wall of my tenth-grade high school physics class at the MIT Academy in Vallejo, CA.

I discussed this idea with another science teacher at my school, Michael Wee, and he suggested I consider having them paint on separate wooden boards to make the mechanics of the whole project simpler, and also mobile. It turns out that the number of groups I have in each of my five physics classes equals the total number of letters in the Drake equation (eight) so I could have each group focus on one letter. Perfect!

Franck suggested that we try to get some SETI researchers to have a live videoconference with my classes to talk about how their work contributes to the Drake equation. The response from the SETI Institute was fantastic and we were able to get one SETI researcher to videoconference with each of my sections!

We used Zoom to have the following researchers videoconference with my physics classes: Pascal Lee, Franck Marchis, Douglas Caldwell, Margaret Race, and Dana Backman. This was very exciting for both me and my students. Many of my students told me that they had never experienced this, i.e. having a professional scientist videoconference their class.

The researchers were instructed to introduce themselves, talk broadly about what the Drake equation is, discuss how their work contributes to the equation, and then hold a Q&A with the students. The students were instructed to take notes and each group had to have one question prepared beforehand. Students were allowed to use these notes in their research slides.

After the research was complete, each student shared their research slides on their Chromebooks using the round-robin teaching strategy. Next, they used whiteboards to brainstorm their designs and took pictures of their ideas to share with other sections via online collaboration tool, Padlet.

Research aside, I have personally seen positive results from using art in my classroom. Students engaged in this project not only had to paint a mural of each letter involved with the Drake equation, but also had to research the equation and their letter in depth, incorporating their learnings into their design.

I believe the very act of painting something you learned about creates a deeper and more intimate learning experience for a student. This can be seen by looking at the finished product, but was also achieved when I heard some of the presentations and realized that these students were talking more intelligently about the Drake equation than I or other professionals could!

The energy generated by students creating these boards was like nothing I had ever experienced in my classroom. Students were engaged and working in teams and across teams. They were running around the room mixing paint, checking in with what other groups were doing, having discussions with me and each other about the Drake equation, and most importantly they were having fun!

In addition to these discussions and others on neuroscience and a growth mindset, we also had a lot of fun discussing the idea of finding aliens and painting a class mural. In our current unit, Science, Skepticism, and Measurement, students are learning dimensional-analysis skills and will soon apply them to develop their very own estimates for the Drake equation.

The mural will live on the outside of my physics classroom for the rest of this academic year as a stamp of the community we built inside. That stamp includes creative ideas and expression, cultural backgrounds, questions about the universe, imagination, and wonder. We will return to the Drake equation again in unit The Universe Lab: Electromagnetic Waves, when I hope to have my students use some remote telescopes to conduct their own search for communicating civilizations in our galaxy.

Regardless of what happens in the future, we tried something new, had some fun, learned about some interesting concepts, got to talk with some of the top scientists at the renowned SETI Institute, learned how to use an equation with more variables than any other physics class usually has, and did all that while making some really cool-looking art!

The Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS) project aims to make a unique measurement of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) that will transform our understanding of the universe and fundamental physics. This measurement will leave a far-reaching impact on the scientific community, the next generation of scientists, and the public. As electromagnetic radiation, the CMB has both an intensity and a polarization: It is the polarization of the CMB that CLASS will use to map over 70% of the sky.

New polarization maps from CLASS are pictured above. The polarization of light is characterized by three numbers called Stokes Parameters Q, U, and V, each represented here by an oval map. The oval maps capture the polarization in the night sky in the same way as oval geographical maps capture the surface of the earth: for every point in the sky there is a point on the oval sky map, just as each point on the earth can be found in an oval geographical map. The colors in the maps give the strength of the polarization at each point on the sky, as measured by CLASS. The measurements cover most of the maps because CLASS can observe most of the sky from Chile (75% of the total sky). These maps are an important advance in reconstructing large features in the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background and the Milky Way from an Earth-based observatory (versus from space), measurements which will ultimately tell us about when the first stars formed and the nature of the very early universe. For addition information, see the coverage of this result by NPR, space.com, and Interesting Engineering. These results were reported in our paper CLASS Angular Power Spectra and Map-Component Analysis for 40 GHz Observations through 2022, and the map data can be downloaded from NASA LAMBDA.

To know more about CLASS, explore the rest of our website and connect with us on Twitter if you have any questions or comments! Further information about the science and technology of CLASS can be found under Publications. To understand more about the project, visit our Science page and our Wikipedia page.

The purpose of the "Physics Car Project" is to apply the principles of physics that have been learned in class to a real-world scenario. This project allows students to use their knowledge of mechanics, forces, and energy to design and build a functioning car.

Some ideas for designing a physics car include using different materials for the body and wheels, creating a car that can move using only potential or kinetic energy, incorporating pulleys and levers in the design, and using a simple machine like a ramp or inclined plane.

The physics car project can be completed either individually or in a group, depending on the teacher's instructions. It is recommended to work in a group as it allows for collaboration and sharing of ideas, but individual projects can also be successful.

Yes, it is important to follow all safety guidelines and precautions while working on the physics car project. This may include wearing protective gear, using tools and materials properly, and having adult supervision if necessary.

The performance of the physics car can be evaluated based on various factors such as speed, distance traveled, and energy efficiency. Students may also be asked to explain the physics principles behind their design and how it affects the car's performance.

AP Physics, or Advanced Placement Physics, is a high school level physics course that covers topics such as mechanics, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics, and optics. It is designed to be equivalent to a first-year college level physics course and can be taken by students who have completed a pre-requisite physics class.

Some good project ideas for AP Physics could include exploring the physics behind roller coasters, designing and building a simple machine, investigating the relationship between force and motion, or analyzing the physics behind sports equipment. Other ideas could include creating a model of the solar system, studying the physics of music and sound, or conducting experiments with electromagnetism.

To come up with a unique AP Physics project idea, you can start by identifying a topic or concept that interests you. Then, think about how you can apply physics principles to this topic or concept. You can also do some research to see what other students have done in the past and use that as inspiration to come up with your own unique project idea.

This depends on the specific project requirements set by your teacher. Some AP Physics projects may require you to conduct experiments to collect data and analyze results, while others may involve more theoretical or design-based work. It is important to carefully read and follow the project guidelines given by your teacher.

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