Physics
Dr. Es Way mewoldsen@lcusd.net
Course Description
This is a laboratory course
in Physics that prepares the students for the California STAR exam in physics
by covering the appropriate State Science Standards. The essential topics are
motion and forces, conservation of energy and momentum, heat and thermodynamics,
waves, and electronic and magnetic phenomena. In class the emphasis is on
concepts, lab work, and making appropriate connections with the pre-calculus
classes.
To
earn an O in citizenship, I expect you to:
Respect
other students desire to learn and listen attentively.
Be
cooperative and maintain a positive attitude.
Have
no truancies and no more than one unexcused tardy per quarter.
Be
quiet and ready to start working (have materials ready) by the second bell.
Act
appropriately and safely during lab work.
Clean
up thoroughly when you leave the classroom.
Tell
me ahead of time if you will miss a test and bring an excuse note from your
parents.
Ask
your parents to email me if you have fallen sick on the day of a test.
The
only thing that should enter your mouth during class is air and water from a
bottle.
Turn
in labs and homework on the day due.
To
earn an S, I expect you to:
To
follow the above rules with only minor infractions.
To
have no truancies and no more than two unexcused tardies per quarter.
To
earn an N, I expect you will have:
Violate
the above on many occasions. I will call your parents to report this type
of behavior.
To
earn a U, I expect you will have:
Been
disrespectful to me or to one of the other students.
Been
truant more than once.
Have 4
or more unexcused tardies in a quarter.
Cheated
on a test.
A separate total will be kept
for Formative material (Homework/Quizzes/Lab Reports 30%), and Summative
material (Chapter tests and review tests 70%). Grades will
not be rounded up. Students receiving a semester grade below C- will
be advised to drop the class. There will not be any dropped tests.
A+ 97.0%
+ A
94.0 96.9% A- 90.0 93.9%
B+ 87.0 89.9% B 84.0 86.9%
B- 80.0 83.9%
C+ 77.0 79.9% C 74.0 76.9%
C- 70.0 73.9%
D+ 67.0 69.9% D 64.0 66.9%
D- 60.0 63.9%
Tests will examine your ability to recall information
and apply the knowledge. If you miss a test due to an excused absence, you must
see me on the day you return. If you are absent please ask your parent to
contact me by phone or email if you are ill on the day of a test.
CHEATING OR TRUANCY ON A TEST DAY WILL RESULT IN A ZERO FO THE TEST and a U in
the class. I will call home during the test to check on absent students
and schedule a make-up test. This may be in another form such as
essay-type questions. Tests may be taken home, and therefore you may not
to do test corrections.
Multiple Choice:
Which of the following is not
required when determining velocity?
A.
direction
B. distance
traveled
C.
time
D. mass
Math Problems:
A clown leaves a cannon with a
velocity of 100 m/s at an angle of 37o. If there is no air
resistance, how far away does the clown hope is the center of the net?
Short Answers:
Explain
the why the ocean is cyan, the sky is blue and sunsets are red.
Homework/Quizzes/Labs
Homework will be turned in on the day of the
test. No homework will be accepted late except for excused absences and
then within the same number of days you were absent. Quizzes will be used
to help prepare you for the tests. Do not copy as you will not the material for
the test and both participants will get a zero.
Lab Reports are based on a 20-point scale and are
due the day after the lab is completed. No lab reports will be accepted
late. If you are absent on the day of a lab, you may be asked to write a report
on the concept if the lab has been taken down.
Assignments
Assignments
are given 1) written on the board, or 2) verbally communicated in the class.
Extra Help
I will be
available to help students before and after school. Review sessions will
be available before each exam.
Study Tips
Do all the work
and reading. It is essential that you take notes from the textbook and
the lectures. Many students like to form a study group to review before
the test.
LAB SAFETY
POLICY OF SCIENCE STUDENTS
La
While
working in the laboratory, you will have important responsibilities that do not
apply to other classrooms. You will be working with materials and
apparatus that, if handled carelessly or improperly, have the potential to
cause pain serious injury or death. A science laboratory can be a save
place to work, if you are alert, cautious, and follow directions with
care. The following practices should be studied
Laboratory
Preparation Read the procedure and complete the pre-lab assignment before coming
to class. Follow the directions precisely (but paraphrase them) and make
note of any changes in procedure given.
Eye
Protection Wear safety goggles at
all times when doing an experiment involving chemicals. If a chemical
splashes into your eye, use the wash fountain by irrigating your eye
continuously for 15 minutes. Notify me immediately. Never direct
water from the faucet into the eye as the high pressure may cause more damage.
Conditions
of Work Area You should maintain a
work area that is free of books, coats, book bags, chemical spills, excess
chemicals, and trash. No objects should be on the floor as this may cause
someone to trip and fall. Cleanup spills immediately.
Disposal
of Waste Material Waste paper,
towels, and other trash must be discarded in the wastebaskets; waste chemicals
in the labeled waste containers. Do not throw matches into wastebaskets
except after running water over them.
Chemical
Spills on Your Body A safety shower
is located in the laboratory and should only be used to wash chemicals from
your body if the sink is not sufficient. Contaminated clothing should be
removed as soon as possible.
Fire
on You or Your Lab Partner STOP,
DROP AND ROLL. Someone should immediately retrieve a fire blanket to roll
in. Never wrap a fire blanket around someone who is standing up, as this
will cause the fire to rise to the head and chest area. If you are near the
safety shower, get under it instead.
Fire
in the Laboratory Notify the
teacher immediately if any smoke or fire is seen and then follow their
instructions.
Accident
Reports Report any accident to the
teacher immediately, no matter how minor. This includes any burn,
scratch, cut or contact with corrosive liquid (acid or base). Also report
any defective or broken equipment and other potential dangers at once.
But most important remember to stay calm.
Safety
Stations Know the location of the
emergency shower, eye wash fountain, fire extinguisher, safety goggle storage,
and exits.
Hair Confine long hair with a band, hairpins or a hairnet.
Eating
and Drinking Since there is a possibility of food substances becoming
contaminated, no eating or drinking is allowed in the laboratory.
Unauthorized
Experiments Under no circumstances
should you conduct any experiment other than those that have been assigned,
unless you have discussed it with me and have my permission.
Hands Wash your hands in the sink before you leave the
lab. Avoid touching your eyes and face. Under no circumstances are
you to apply make-up in class.
Electrical
Appliances Always remove an
electrical plug by the plug and not the cord.
This Safety Policy may be updated from time to time.