Physics 11-28-17 The Work Energy Theorem & Conservation of Energy

PHYSICS: See?! I wasn’t kidding about the balancing rocks movement!

Great job today on making connections between work and energy! I think you’ll like using the work-energy theorem, it’ll save you some time and a couple of steps. Don’t forget about friction!


Photo by Deniz Altindas on Unsplash

Physics 12-1-11 Work-Energy Problems

PHYSICS – Happy first day of December! Great work on the problems today! I think it was a good idea for us to regroup and make sure you had the work-energy theorem down before we move on to the last part of the chapter tomorrow. Are you still trying to follow formulas, or are you starting to be able to think through the problems and and begin to make connections?

Be careful – don’t just start grabbing formulas and throwing in numbers. Make sure the formulas make sense – ask yourself every time why it makes sense for you to put that particular number in that particular part of the formula. And work them over and over and over until it comes naturally to you!

This means that the homework for tonight is changed. You have one final review worksheet that will be due next Tuesday. I scanned and linked a copy for you here – it’s two pages. Start with the questions and problems that are circled – I may add more to the list later. Chapter 5 Review Worksheet 2


flickr photo by -BeNnO-

Physics 11-29-11 Chapter 5 Review Worksheet Problems

PHYSICS – Hey guys, it was good to get back to exercising the old gray matter today! Here are some of the problems from the first chapter 5 review worksheet: 3, 4, 5, 2, and 10. Watch out for 2 and 10! You did a great job on them with me in class, but make double sure you can work them also by yourself. That’s homework tonight, re-work by yourself the ones you didn’t get before. And then do it again til you make sure you have it! 🙂

I’ve never seen Old Faithful in person, have you? So we calculated the velocity of the water coming from the bottom – reckon how much power that would be? Power? Let’s talk about that tomorrow!



flickr photo by jurvetson

Physics 11-18-11 Law of Conservation of Energy

PHYSICS: So why is the first hill of a roller coaster always the highest? Here’s the lecture from Monday on the conservation of energy. Great job on the concepts and problems today – let’s put it to practice next week, and even this weekend on that take-home lab. Hey, if you were to design a roller coaster, what would it look like?!? 🙂


flickr photo by thecrypt

Physics 11-16-11 Work Energy Theorem

PHYSICS: Great job on the problems today – good connections between work and energy. I think you’ll like using the work-energy theorem, it’ll save you some time and a couple of steps. Don’t forget about friction!

flickr photo by raysto