(Saturday Hands On Physics Program)
This program is not in session at this time
Free Opportunity for High School Students: The program is designed to supplement the high-school physics curriculum. The program would follow courses required for the AP Physics C exam; it would consist primarily of experiments and problem solving which will be preceded with a quick overview of the chapters.
The program would be led by a Faculty member at the department of physics and assisted by a graduate teaching assistant.
There will be intense development in three critical areas:
- Fundamental conceptual development,
- Connection to real-world experiences through scientific inquiry and
- Critical thinking skills using mathematical applications and problem solving at the single-variable calculus level.
With the learning cycle to be used, students will encounter engagement, exploration, explanation, extension, and evaluation. Animation and short videos will be used in some instance in order to engage students in initial activities to introduce questions before moving to exploration and explanation. This will also initiate discourse between students where opportunities to address misconceptions will often surface.
The labs would predominantly be hands-on and will rely on more fundamental equipment
and graphs would be plotted by hand. Occasionally, a Pasco data collection and analysis
system would be used so students would be prepared for different techniques. Students
will work in small groups in order to promote group work in a variety of ways beginning
with experimental design and report writing. Students are expected to maintain two
folders, one for the overview and another for the lab activities.