Dec 19th 1:15

Do you know the mass of your vehicle? Bring it to class to find out! I will post the rubric for the essay by tomorrow. The essay is due when you get back from vacation. Great job building and rebuilding your vehicles. Engineering is hard work!

12-13 12:20pm

Go to work and power questions in student resources and complete the assignment.

Dec 3 and in class Tuesday

You can start this at home. You have all of class on tuesday to try to finish. You are not required to hand it in for a grade. You can work on it with someone if you are having trouble. Show all your work and we will go over it on Wednesday. Try the problems on your own and then check for the correct answer and solution using the guided solution links. Go to: http://www.physicsclassroom.com/calcpad/momentum/problems.cfm

Nov 30 2:29 PM

Super job on the final everyone! Essay: Bring to class on Monday with the rubric scored and the essay underlined everywhere you got a point. For those of you that have still to do the essay I will place it here for you to read and make sure you answered all the parts. A person has a bow that takes 500N to fully pull back. They have put in the string a 0.1 kg arrow. Define Newton's three laws in terms of the person shooting an arrow. Describe what happens, and why it happens for each of Newton's three laws and the forces of friction ( and any other forces on the arrow). Describe what happens to pull back the string, and the result as you let it go. Also describe what could be done or forces on the arrow that would make the same shot go in three different locations other than the target they aim for. Each idea gets a paragraph,,,example: define Newton's first law...... it applies to the bow and arrow because... The arrow if shot over a target would...because.... define Newtons second law... it applies to the bow and arrow because... The arrow is shot with more _____ then._______...because or if the arrow was twice the mass then...because... define Newtons third law... it applies to the bow and arrow because... The force on the string is on the hand of the archer, and the force........because or the arrow would not go as far if the force...... then...because Also read 'The law of Conservation' on the Physics Classroom web page we looked at today in class. We will learn to do problems on Monday.

problem set

You must finish all the problems, as many of you did not do most of the problems.

nov 20

1. A force of 20 N acts upon a 5 kg block. Calculate the acceleration of the object. 2. An object of mass 300 kg is observed to accelerate at the rate of 4 m/s2. Calculate the force required to produce this acceleration. 3. A 5 kg block is pulled across a table by a horizontal force of 40 N with a frictional force of 8 N opposing the motion. Calculate the acceleration of the object. 4. An object of mass 30 kg is in free fall in a vacuum where there is no air resistance. Determine the acceleration of the object. 5. An object of mass 30 kg is falling in air and experiences a force due to air resistance of 50 newtons. a. Determine the net force acting on the object by doing a free-body diagram with vectors….and b. calculate the acceleration of the object. 6. A student pushes on a crate with a force of 200 N directed to the right. What force does the crate exert on the student? 7. A force of 100 N is exerted on an object of mass 40 kg that is located on a sheet of perfectly smooth ice. a. Calculate the acceleration of the object. b. If a second object identical to the first object is placed on top of the first object, what acceleration would the 100 N force produce? 8. Just before opening her parachute a skydiver of mass 50 kg reaches terminal velocity. Calculate the force of air resistance. This means they go a constant velocity and acceleration is zero. 9. For a person who has a mass 60 kg, calculate the weight in Newtons and in pounds (find a conversion app).. 10. An object of mass 10 kg is accelerated upward at 3 m/s2. What force is required? If you have problems answering questions, call a friend to discuss it.

nov 14

Be ready to finish your presentations to Mr. Hennessy. If you already went, then you did a great job, but take notes on the posted presentations.

Thurs HW

Read the information at: http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/history/newton3laws.html search two other web sites for Newton's three laws of motion. Come up with extensive definitions for these three laws and memorize them.

Nov 7th

A person throws a ball downwards into the Grand Canyon at an initial speed of 10 m/s. What is the final speed of the ball after 20 seconds? How far would it travel in 20 seconds? If the canyon is 1600 meters deep at that spot, will it hit the ground before the 20 seconds are even up? If you throw a ball up into the air with an initial velocity of 20 m/s, how long will it take until it reaches its highest point? Remember that the acceleration of the ball is now negative because it is pulling the ball down as you throw it up, therefore decreasing its speed every second. Also know at its highest point the ball has a velocity of 0 m/s. A car going down the highway at a constant acceleration of 3.2 m/s2 , travels for 15 seconds. What is the final speed, and what is the distance it travels during that period? Do the questions out in the five step format on a piece of paper and hand it in at the begging of class. If you still don't know how to do these questions, research them online.

Nov 5 homework

A person throws a ball downwards into the Grand Canyon at an initial speed of 10 m/s. What is the final speed of the ball after 10 seconds? How far would it travel in 10 seconds? If the canyon is 1600 meters deep at that spot, will it hit the ground before the 10 seconds are even up? If you throw a ball up into the air with an initial velocity of 10 m/s, how long will it take until it reaches its highest point? Remember that the acceleration of the ball is now negative because it is pulling the ball down as you throw it up, therefore decreasing its speed every second. Also know at its highest point the ball has a velocity of 0 m/s. Do the two questions out in the five step format on a piece of paper and hand it in at the begging of class. If you still don't know how to do these questions, research them online.

Nov 5

Read about falling objects in the student resources.

nov 1

We will continue with the test for half an hour of the period. If you are not done by then, plan on staying awhile to finish after school.

oct 23

Make sure to do the analysis from your sowbug race lab. You made a data table of time...displacement...and distance sowbug actually travelled. Do the average velocity for the whole displacement. Make sure to have a direction with it. Do the average speed for the entire distance travelled. Do a graph of the displacement over the whole trip. Do a graph of the displacement over the whole trip. .................................................................... Do average velocity for each segment using displacement data. Do average speeds for each segment using the distance data. ..................................................................... Graph the velocities for each interval(from displacement data). Do a second graph of speeds for each interval using the average speed for each interval (from distance data). Questions: 1. Which is faster?...the speed of the bug or the velocity of the bug? Show calculations for each and, explain why! 2. Which interval gave the fastest speed of the bug? Show calculations and explain why. 3. At which intervals is the organism moving at a constant speed? What is the evidence for this from at least two graphs? 4. In which intervals is the organism moving at a negative acceleration? Show calculations and evidence from a graph. 5.In which intervals is the organism moving at the greatest positive acceleration? Show calculations and evidence from a graph.

Oct 17

Mr Hennessy will be taking care of you the next two days while I am at a conference. when we get together Monday, make sure you have the results of the sow bug race. we will be calculating distance , displacement, velocities, speeds, and accelerations of your sowbug.

oct 11

Do the ez motion problems in student resources. Use the five step process for each one that requires calculations. Use the MCAS formula sheet if necessary, all the motion problem formulas are on the first left hand column. If you are going on the field trip you are still responsible for handing in the homework. Have fun on the field trip.

Finish looking at the presentation. Know the difference between scalar and vector measurements. Review the additive and subtractive rules for vectors and how to draw a free body diagram. We will continue tomorrow with the rest of the powerpoint and do some velocity problems.

oct 2

Prepare for a quiz on scaling and scaling proportions of actual and scaled drawings/models.

Tomorrow you will be with Mr. Hennessy to do problems related to finding unknowns using scaled (scale vs. actual) proportions.

sept 28

I posted the grades for anyone that finished my test. These grades were scaled.

sept 27, the test is tomorrow!

I hope you haven't waited until tonight to start studying for the test! Other than everything for Mr. Hennessy, there are many things covered on my portion of the test: Definitions for...Science and technology, hypothesis, theory and law, each part of the Scientific method, outlier, independent or manipulated variable, dependent or responding variable, control and variable group, controlled experiment, bar/pie/line graphs, smoothed lines or line of best fit, Requirements for each step of the Scientific method, how to interpret data tables and select the best sets of data within one, how to set up a graph measurements in the metric system and SI units when to use each type of graph ...line, bar or pie How to write a hypothesis how to write a conclusion, including the appropriate language If you have been doing the work for the project and homework, then if you study tonight you should do well. Good Luck

sept 26

Good job today on the review for the test. If you know what we went over, you should be fine. Make sure you know the steps of the engineering design so we can go over it during Mr. Hennessy's review. The test is Friday!!! If you struggled on the review, study the next two nights.

Great job on your drawings today for Mr. Hennessy. Tomorrow we review for the test on Friday which includes everything you learned from my class and Mr. Hennessy's class. Tonight I will try to include a document for review questions we will go over tomorrow. If you prepare it tonight the review will go much faster for you. Remember the expectation is that you check out both Mr.Worden's website and Mr. Hennessy's web site every night. Sometimes circumstances keep us from posting a blog, but we try our hardest to update it. The review will appear in student resources.

We need to continue with the presentations, but make sue you have all the steps, are following the lab rubric in the resources (except no abstract and no observations for this class), make sure you have a graph with the slopes or rates calculated. Make sure you have three pieces of evidence. This will make the presentations go quicker. If you already went make sure to make all corrections in order to obtain the highest grade.

Sept 17

You should have your presentations ready to go for tomorrow.

Sept 17

Tomorrow you will work on your leaf lab presentation. Keep in mind the following things:
It is an outline that follows the scientific method steps.
It has short phrases, not a script.
The hypothesis is in if ...then format
The data table and graph must have a title that mentions what variable is tested
There must be units on data and graph
line of best fit
summary of graph with mathematical relationship between the two groups
conclusion has three pieces of evidence to support or not support the hypothesis

You can present on Wednesday.

Sept 12 hw

Great job on the experiments, in a few days you will put together a keynote presentation on controlled experiments, so keep that in mind.

sept 10 hw

Know the steps for the Scientific methos for a quiz tomorrow. Look at the graphing sites and the lab rubric.Soon there will be a link for how to write a lab report.
You will be doing a lab on variables that affect how leaf disks float when exposed to light. While not a physics lab it will show you how to design a controlled experiment. Tomorrow is a quiz and information on graphing and writing conclusions.
If there is time we will do the lab.

Sept 7 hw

Monday we will go over the steps of the Scientific method, and what they entail. Memorize the steps. You need to prepare by learning the different types of a graph, and what needs to be on a graph. Also look at the metric system. These are available on the student resources. You will design an experiment with a variable of your choice. Later you will carry out the experiment and present what you have learned.

sept 6 hw

The Scientific Method quiz we did not have time for, so it will be on Friday instead. Also prepare for class by reading the metric system and graphing resources in the student resources sidebar.

sept 4 hw

Great job on the towers! Make sure you know the steps of the scientific method for a surprise quiz on thursday. Also read the new student resources on the blog about graphing.

Aug 31 homework

Look for the 2 sites about the scientific method in the student resources and read them both. Know the steps of the scientific method and what they entail.

Hi D-block Honors Phys/tech students

If you are in my e-block class then go to the following web site: honorsphysicstech.blogspot.com



Hello to D-block students and parents, from your teacher Mr. Worden. This blog is a way for me to communicate to you what we are doing in class, give assignments and provide common resources for students to use. Make sure to look at this site each day to keep track of assignments tests and quizzes. Today the students were in an assembly and there was no class.

Good luck in the coming year.

Parents: Please read the following and send an email that shows you have found the site and read the student expectations information below. Make sure you tell me the name of your student and that it is for D block.





Honors Introductory Physics / Technology Engineering

1st, 2nd and 3rd Trimesters 2012-2013
Mr. Worden (Physics)
Mr. Hennessy (Tech.)

Contact Information: dworden@uxbridge.k12.ma.us (Physics)
phennessy@uxbridge.k12.ma.us (Tech.)

We Are A Community of Caring
~Respect~Caring~Responsibility~Family~Trust~

Uxbridge High School Mission Statement: Our mission at Uxbridge High School is to provide the resources and educational experiences to meet the diverse needs of all students, with the aim of encouraging responsible citizenship and life-long learning. In partnership with parents and community, Uxbridge High School fosters this development in a safe learning environment.

Student Learning Expectations:
1) Use a variety of learning and study strategies
2) Listen for understanding
3) Demonstrate effective oral communication
4) Read critically and for understanding
5) Write effectively
6) Demonstrate effective use of technology
7) Employ modes of artistic and creative expression
8) Demonstrate civic responsibility
9) Show respect for self, others, and the environment

Course Description: In the Honors Introductory Physics, students recognize the nature and scope of physics, including its relationship to the other sciences. Students learn about basic topics such as motion, forces, energy, heat, waves, electricity, and magnetism. They learn about natural phenomena by using physical laws to calculate quantities such as velocity, acceleration, momentum, and energy. In Technology Engineering, students develop their ability to solve problems in technology/engineering using mathematical and scientific concepts. Students are able to relate concepts and principles they have learned in science with knowledge gained in the study of technology/engineering. Students must supply their own scientific calculator


Textbook(s): Physical Science Concepts in Action, Prentice Hall

Materials: The materials necessary for this class are a three ring binder, paper, writing implement and iPad. As stated in the course description, it is the student’s responsibility to provide their own scientific calculator.

Assessments methods: This course will employ a variety of assessment methods including tests, quizzes, projects, labs and presentations.

Grading: Student’s trimester average will be calculated in the following manner.
Quizzes 10%
Tests 40%
Homework / Class Professionalism 10%
Written 10%
Projects / Labs 30%
Because the projects are worth 30%, your student must pass in each paper that is required for the project or they possibly could fail.

Attendance: Daily attendance is crucial to success in this class. The attendance policy can be found in the Uxbridge High School handbook. It is the student’s responsibility to make-up any work that is missed due to absence.

Homework: This class will have 3 to 4 homework assignments per week. The length of these assignments will vary depending on topic.

Extra Help: Extra help is available most days after school, from 1:50 to 2:50. It is the student’s responsibility to inform the teacher that they intend to stay for extra help.

Class Expectations: All students are to bring their full attention, RESPECT for one another, agenda, textbook covered, three(3) ring binder notebook, calculator, pen or pencil, ipad and homework to class every day. Everyone is expected to arrive on time, have homework and the above on your desk ready go when the bell rings. No food or drink. If students score below a 70%, they have five days to make up the test.
Course Outline:
In Introductory Physics students learn about:
the relationships between motion and forces through Newton’s laws of motion.
the difference between vector and scalar quantities and learn how to solve basic problems involving these quantities.
the conservation of energy and momentum and how these are applied to everyday situations.
heat and how thermal energy is transferred throughout the different phases of matter.
waves and how they carry energy.
electric current, voltage, and resistance by learning about Ohm’s law.
the electromagnetic spectrum in terms of wavelength and frequency.

In Technology Engineering students:
pursue engineering questions and technological solutions that emphasize research and problem solving.
achieve a more advanced level of skill in engineering design by learning how to conceptualize a problem, develop possible solutions, design and build prototypes or models, test the prototypes or models, and make modifications as necessary.
Throughout the process of engineering design, students are able to work safely with hand and/or power tools, various materials and equipment, and other resources.



Parents: Please email me that you and you son or daughter have read this, incluse their name and that they are in D block..

Have a great year!

Thank you,
Mr. Worden