Would this be enough for a physics lab?

[FreckledFace]

For dd's 9th grade year, I am having her do a conceptual physics course. I would prefer a lab to go with it. In case you are curious, we will be using the text by Hewitt. 

 

I found these items, would it be enough to call it a lab?

 

 

Introduction to Physics Lab Kit:

http://www.hometrainingtools.com/physics-introduction-kit/p/KT-PHYSICS/

 

And any physics experiment books at the library.

 

I don't know if this is too light, or what to expect from the home science tools physics kit above. 

Thanks for any opinions or advice! 

[regentrude]

I do not know this kit, but the value of a physics lab is not so much in a complicated experimental setup or in a huge number of experiments, but rather in careful, clean experimentation with a thorough quantitative data analysis, including statistics, error analysis, plotting of data, fitting to compare with theoretical results. A good physics lab can consist of simple experiments that use household items; it is in the execution and analysis that the educational value resides.

I would be careful with "experiment" books from the library: those often contain a large portion of *demonstrations* rather than experiments. Demonstrations are fun, but do not serve the purpose of a *lab*.

[Julie of KY]

On the arbor scientific website, there are a bunch of free labs written by Hewitt. I think they are listed as supplemental labs. I can't manage to link them at the moment. Many of them require minimal materials. Many require careful data collecting with algebraic analysis.

[thowell]

I do not know this kit, but the value of a physics lab is not so much in a complicated experimental setup or in a huge number of experiments, but rather in careful, clean experimentation with a thorough quantitative data analysis, including statistics, error analysis, plotting of data, fitting to compare with theoretical results. A good physics lab can consist of simple experiments that use household items; it is in the execution and analysis that the educational value resides.

I would be careful with "experiment" books from the library: those often contain a large portion of *demonstrations* rather than experiments. Demonstrations are fun, but do not serve the purpose of a *lab*.

Do you have a resource you can suggest for this? I have this site book marked http://www.physicscentral.com/experiment/physicsathome/index.cfm but would love others. I would love a resource that will show us how to turn our findings into quantitative data analysis, even if it is just in the beginning stages.

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Just this past school year for 9th grade, my dd used Hewitt's Conceptual Physics high school text.  My dh directed this course because he is a mechanical engineer whose favorite subject is physics!  

 

They used LabPaq PK 105 for labs.  It only had 9 labs, and I think they did about 7.  This LabPaq was manageable for 9th grade conceptual physics.  The TOC lists Measurement, Data Collection, Friction, Simple Machine-Level, Pendulum and the calculation of g, Hooke's Law, Specific Heat Capacity of Metals, Static Electricity or Electrostatics, Reflection and Refraction.  Dd and Dh worked through the text and labs... LOTS of discussion.  Dd also completed a lab report for each of  the labs.  

 

I think LabPaq has changed names?  I have no idea if PK 105 is still available.  I had a VERY difficult time trying to put this course together- I never had physics in school and had NO concept of how it was supposed to work. The labs from Hewitt's webpage didn't seem doable because the supplies were so expensive.  Many have used TOPS successfully, but even they seemed like a shot in the dark: Reading reviews, some TOPS were more likely to work than others.  I just didn't feel comfortable with that.  The LabPaq came all in one box and completely organized.  I felt a great deal of relief when it was ordered and arrived.

 

Dd had a successful year with Conceptual Physics and LabPaq.

 

[regentrude]

Do you have a resource you can suggest for this? I have this site book marked http://www.physicscentral.com/experiment/physicsathome/index.cfm but would love others. I would love a resource that will show us how to turn our findings into quantitative data analysis, even if it is just in the beginning stages.

Sorry, we just designed our own.

 

As a starting point for data analysis, here a short summary of things you can do with a middle/jr high student:

 

repeat each set of measurements a certain number of times and average. This will reduce the error.

 

As a simple estimate for the error of the measurements you can look at how much the individual values deviate from the average; take highest and lowest, and you have an error estimate. (This is for a student who does not have statistics or calculus; not cmpletely accurate, but a sensible approximation the student can easily understand.)

 

Think about where the error comes from: how accurate is the measuring tool itself (does the watch measure seconds or hundreds of seconds? does the ruler have inches or millimeters as smallest unit?) and how accurate is your procedure (reaction time before pushing stopwatch button...)

 

Plot the data points for your averages. Choose an appropriate set of axes: independent variable on the x-axis, measured or calculated quantity on the y-axis. Find an appropriate scale so your data set covers the entire plot; make sure axes reach just far enough to contain data set - you want them spread out, not clustered in a tiny portion of the graph close to one end with lots of unused space. Students tend to have difficulties with this.

(Example: if your independent variable are lengths ranging from 1 to 5 cm, let the axis end at 6 cm and not 20 cm - there's nothing there. Do same for y-axis data.)

Axes do not have to be linear; a power law relationship is easier seen in a logarithmic plot since it will be a straight line there which is easier to recognize with the naked eye. This will only make sense to a student who has covered algebra through logarithms; if he does not have this math, disregard.

 

Above and below each average, mark the highest and lowest value from your measurement set and connect with a line through the data point: this is your "error bar", a way to visually represent the accuracy of your measurement.

 

Compare with theory. For exaple: you are doing an experiment to find how the period of a pendulum depends on its length. You know from the physics book that there should be a square root relationship. Fit your data with this type of function to see if that works. (If you do not use a scientific graphing program that can fit, you should work with your data before plotting and plot the *square* of the period instead of the period itself; this way you get a linear relationship). If plotting by hand, aiming to represent something as a linear relationship is always a good strategy. Remember that the data have error: the fit curve does not have to go through each of the data points itself; it is fine if it just goes through the error bars.

 

I strongly recommend that the student begin plotting data by hand on graph paper to develop a feel for the process. Using a computer program later is good, because it is quicker and allows for easier playing with data and axes etc, but I find the act of plotting by hand very educational and would start the student there. be careful with fitting when using a computer program: think about the type of function you expect. The goal is not to find some random smooth curve that connects the points, but to see how well your data would agree with the type of function you would expect from the theory.

 

I hope this helps.

[bugs]

For dd's 9th grade year, I am having her do a conceptual physics course. I would prefer a lab to go with it. In case you are curious, we will be using the text by Hewitt. 

 

I found these items, would it be enough to call it a lab?

 

 

Introduction to Physics Lab Kit:

http://www.hometrainingtools.com/physics-introduction-kit/p/KT-PHYSICS/

 

And any physics experiment books at the library.

 

I don't know if this is too light, or what to expect from the home science tools physics kit above. 

Thanks for any opinions or advice! 

 

I have this kit and it covers some of the Mechanics section of Hewitt, so it isn't a full year's worth of labs.  If you wanted to use it, I would do so with Regentrude's approach.

 

 I do prefer hands-on approach to labs in general, but I did find these simulations very useful:  http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/category/physics .  I used this exclusively for the Electricity and Magnetism unit.  If you click on a simulation, there are Teaching Ideas presented that you could use for your lab.

[Cabertmom]

Has anyone used the Hewitt text plus the Kinetic Books virtual lab?  We'll be doing physics next year with my 3 teenagers (and I have never taken physics).  None of them particularly enjoy doing experiments, so I'm wondering if anyone has done this combination and found that it worked or didn't.