AP Physics 🔭

2026-2027 Agendas

👨‍🏫 Mr. Porter

Buggy Lab 🚗

Purpose

Collect data on your buggies so that you can represent the motion (all aspescts) of both buggies on the same graph. Your final models should be able to predict the position of your buggy at specified times.

Question

Does your Buggy move in a consistent manner? [Define consistent]

Constraints

You will be given scenario card that describes the setup of your buggies

Scenarios

  • You can ignore the speed label, just use the colors for reference

Do Now: Register for...

  1. AP Classroom ->> AP Exam Prep & Review
  1. Physics Classroom ->> General Physics Practice & Homework

2025.09.09 AP Physics

❓ of the 📅: Is it OK to ask the genie for infinite wishes? 🧞

📋 Agenda

  1. Do Now
  2. Board Meeting
  3. Test out Physics Classroom -> Variables MOP
  4. Buggy Lab

🎯 Goals

🥅 Establish Board Meeting Norms

📆 Upcoming

  • Safety Contract Post

Physics Classroom

  • Interactives are a large collection of HTML5 interactive physics and chemistry simulations.
  • Concept Builders help discover and solidify learning concepts and discover and correct incorrect ideas.
  • Minds On challenge student's understanding in a game where correct answers progress you to the finish line.
  • Calc Pad provides students with math-based questions to practice their understanding and usage of equations and formulas.
  • Science Reasoning help students to learn and grow their scientific thinking and reasoning skills in the context of various physics related tasks.

Buggy Lab 🚗

Purpose

Collect data on your buggies so that you can represent the motion (all aspescts) of both buggies on the same graph. Your final models should be able to predict the position of your buggy at specified times.

Constraints

You will be given scenario card that describes the setup of your buggies

Scenarios

  • You can ignore the speed label, just use the colors for reference

AP Physics Do Now

  1. Go to Data Collection Best Practices Interactive
  2. Read and click through the examples
  3. Reflect on your Coefficient of Restitution lab, did you follow these practices? How can you improve upon your design?

2025.09.08 AP Physics

❓ of the 📅: Do you think it would be easier to give up sugar or technology?

📋 Agenda

  1. Do Now
  2. Co. of Restitution Lab
    1. Finish Collecting Data
    2. Graph
    3. Whiteboard Results
  3. Board Meeting
  4. Finish Lab Notebook

🎯 Goals

🥅 Learn quality data collection techniques

🥅 Engage in scientific discussion

🥅 Use graphs and data to answer questions

Board Meeting

On your whiteboard

  • Hypothesis and results
    • What did you do and what did you find? How does your data support or refute your hypothesis?

Things to consider:

  • What does your graph look like? Linear, curve, etc?
    • What does that mean? What do the graphical features like slope/intercept mean?
  • How confident are you in your data? High or low levels of uncertainty?

2025.09.05 AP Physics

❓ of the 📅: Sweet or savory for breakfast?

📋 Agenda

  1. Sit Anywhere
  2. Do Now (fill out questionnaire & card)
  3. Question of the Day
  4. Grouping Game
  5. Survival Island

🎯 Goals

🥅 Introductions

🥅 Classroom Culture

🏠 Homework

  • Signed Safety Contract

Do Now

  1. Fill out index card:
    1. Name
    2. Phone number to reach your parents/guardians if you sleep through the AP Exam
    3. Favorite Candy
    4. Favorite Emoji
    5. Emoji the describes your current mood
  2. Fill out Paper Quesionnaire

Lab Grouping Game

  • There are 13 of you
  • Based on your cards get into LOGICAL groups of three (plus one group of 4)
  • Check whole class answer with Mr. Porter
    • 4 Chances to Check
  • Reorganize if necessary

(Yes this is the game Connections)

Answers

  • KINDS OF BEANS - KIDNEY, MUNG, NAVY
  • DEVISE - CONCOCT, ENGINEER, HATCH
  • NASA SPACECRAFT - GALILEO, VIKING, VOYAGER
  • GAMES WHERE YOU SAY THE GAME’S NAME - BINGO, TAG, UNO

Survival Island 🌴

  1. Share your survival skill that you wrote down with your group
  2. Using everyone's skill develop a plan to survive or escape the deserted island
  3. On your whiteboard present your plan (drawing, mind map, set of instructions)
    • Highlight everyone's skill

Surivial Plan...

Coefficient of Restitution Lab

Determine whether the coefficient of restitution, , for a specific ball remains constant when dropped from various heights. Do this by comparing drop height to bounce height for your assigned ball.

🥼 Lets Science! 🥼

📓 Lab Notebooks 📓

What is a Lab Notebook?

  • A detailed, chronological record of a scientist's research activities, experiments, and observations.
  • Documentation of the scientific process from intial ideas to final results and conclusions.

Why keep lab notebooks?

  • Document Research
  • Develop Ideas
  • Organize Data
  • Collaboration Tool
  • Publication Support
  • Troubleshooting
  • Intellectual Property Protection
  • Historical Record

Lab Notebooks can be Legal Documents

  • Proof of invention in Patent Cases
  • Intellectual Property Protection
  • Admissibility in court - must be properly maintained
  • Note: Often property of the instituation where the research was conducted (i.e. Property of Regeneron, or Property of Cornell University)

Remember

  • Lab notebooks are most importantly scientific documentation
  • They represent the scientific process and are record of your thinking
    • This means your ideas and conclusions and hypotheses can change based on new data

Lab Notebook

  • Write in pen
  • All mistakes get a single cross through
  • Full Date (YYYY/MM/DD) at the beginning of each entry (for multiday labs date start of each day)
  • Enter Lab Pages into table of contents

Lab Notebook - Pre Lab

  • Title and objective of the experiment:

    • Write a clear, concise title for each experiment.
    • State the main objective or purpose of the experiment in 1-2 sentences.

  • Theoretical background:

    • Briefly explain the relevant scientific principles.
    • Include key equations or concepts that will be tested or applied.

  • Hypotheses:

    • State your predictions about the experiment's outcome.
    • Base these on your understanding of the theory.

Lab Notebook - Pre Lab

  • Materials and equipment list:
    • Provide a detailed list of all materials and equipment used.
    • Include model numbers and specifications where relevant.
  • Experimental procedure outline:
    • Write a step-by-step outline of the planned procedure.
    • Be specific enough that someone could replicate your experiment.

During the Experiment

  • Raw data in tables with units:
    • Create neat, organized tables for all numerical data.
    • Always include units and uncertainty estimates.
    • Label columns clearly and use consistent significant figures.
  • Observations and qualitative notes:
    • Record all relevant observations, even if they seem unimportant.
    • Note any unexpected occurrences or anomalies.

During the Experiment

  • Any changes to the planned procedure:
    • Document any deviations from the original procedure.
    • Explain why changes were made and how they might affect results.
  • Sketches or diagrams of experimental setup:
    • Include clear, labeled diagrams of your experimental setup.
    • Add dimensions and important details to aid in replication.

Post Lab

  • Data analysis and calculations:
    • Show all steps in your calculations, including formulas used.
    • Explain your reasoning for each step of the analysis.
  • Graphs and charts:
    • Create neat, properly labeled graphs and charts.
    • Include titles, axis labels with units, and legends where appropriate.

Post Lab

  • Discussion of results:
    • Interpret your results in the context of the experiment's objectives.
    • Explain any patterns or trends observed in the data
  • Comparison with hypotheses:
    • Explicitly state whether your results support or refute your hypotheses.
    • Discuss possible reasons for any discrepancies.
  • Sources of error and uncertainty:
    • Identify potential sources of experimental error.
    • Discuss how these might have affected your results.
    • Quantify uncertainties where possible.

Post Lab

  • Conclusions:
    • Summarize the main findings of the experiment.
    • Relate these back to the original objectives and broader scientific principles.
    • Suggest improvements or future directions for the experiment.

Ball Bounce Lab

Question:

Is the coefficient of restitution constant for your ball? Do this by comparing drop height to bounce height for your assigned ball.


Ball Bounce Lab

Question:

Is the coefficient of restitution constant for your ball? Do this by comparing drop height to bounce height for your assigned ball.

Background:

The coefficient of restitution (symbol: ) is a dimensionless quantity that describes how much energy is conserved in a collision, specifically how well an object bounces back after impact. It is used to characterize the elasticity of collisions between two bodies.


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