Info for Saturday Extra Credit

http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&attid=0.1&thid=11fb9dd4687e2a9e&mt=application%2Fpdf

http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&attid=0.2&thid=11fb9dd4687e2a9e&mt=application%2Fpdf

From your SI

Hey guys! Just to let you know, I had a fairly abysmal turnout rate on Wednesday for SI, but I realize that after 3 hours and 40 minutes of physics, most of us were pretty tired out. I'll be shifting the hours around this next week to see what would be the best. For the next week, I'll be having a one hour session before each class in the physics room, along with a 1 hour session on Thursday from 4-5.

My contact information is the following:

email: peter.s.tran@gmail.com
MSN Messenger: peter.s.tran@gmail.com
AIM: jianeses

feel free to contact me anytime with emails or IM's and I'll do my best to get back to you in a timely fashion.

Ah, BTW, a hint for the blogs. Equations are good =)

Physics Day 2 (02/25/2009)

I began to wonder what exactly I was walking into when, on the second day of class, we were assigned homework that is the equivalent of the dreaded dm integrals we all did in Physics 4A. But then I remembered that physics is an objective science and, unlike its subjective counterparts philosophy and english, has a step-by-step mathematical process that, if followed correctly, will guarantee your success. (I wont get a C on my midterm because the teacher has differing opinons on the meaning of life.) Besides, Peter is always willing to help any of us with our homework, despite the fact that most of us have neglected his SI sessions recently. (Don't worry Peter, as I'm sure you're well aware, the class will come crawling to you for help come mid-semester after our first exam.)

Well, if you weren't in class, you missed out on your chance to purchase a notebook from Kara. You will need one for our upcoming project to record your daily progress and what have you. (Make sure it has graphing paper in it.) Kara will have them in class Monday, otherwise, get one for $1.80 at Staples.

During class we followed along pages 9 through 16 (1.6 to 2.9) in our 101 page packet. Yeah, I counted (three times, actually). Do you need a special stapler to use those INDUSTRIAL SIZED staples? hmmm...

Anywho... most important concept of the day was electric potential which can, in many ways, relate to gravitational potential energy. Electric fields are, indeed, conservative and therefore work done by an electric field is INDEPENDENT of the path taken. (This is key, folks)

Then we remembered that the only thing we love more than integrating, is integrating from inifinty. Yes, integrating FROM infinity. Remember how we used this trick for gravity? Yeah, now we use it to find the electric potential at a distance r from a point charge by integrating from inifinty to r. Remember, the electric (and gravitationa) potentials at inifinity are ZERO.

One last thing: When dealing with electrons and protons in an atom, we found their gravitational attraction to be SO small as compared to their electrical attraction, it is NEGLIGIBLE.

Now a little inspiration:

Somebody said that it couldnt be done,
But he with a chuckle replied
That "maybe it couldnt," but he would be one
Who wouldnt say so till hed tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldnt be done, and he did it.

With that being said, lets all get an A this semester!!!

Physics 4B Day 1

Incase you weren't paying attention class, unlike me, this blog will update you on what happens during class.

Best thing about Day 1: WE GET TO SET THINGS ON FIRE!!!

Worst thing about Day 1: We don't get to do that till later in the semester.

Anyways, first things first, we all received a MASSIVE GIANTIC SUPER HUMONGOUS PACKET that we will (assumedly) complete by the next test "celebration of knowledge." Ontop of that, we were informed that for the first twelve weeks, we will have a robotics project that will be done in groups of 3.

After Mr. Mason introduced himself and told us his life story, we got to start working on our MASSIVE GIANTIC SUPER HUMONGOUS PACKET. After he organized everyone into six different groups of 3 people each, we began working. So, we went got ourselves some scotch tape, a rod stand, glass/plastic rod, a patch of fur, and a piece of silk, and we used them to answer the questions in the packet by performing little experiments. Then we learned about Coulomb's Law.

Now we get to a good part... ELECTROCUTING PETER!!!

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Well... not really... more like having him conduct various experiments on a Van de Graaf generator.

First, Peter attached strips of paper all around the metal ball on the generator. When the generator was turned on, the ends of the strips lifted into the air. This happens because the strips all acquire the same charge and repel each other.

Second, Peter touched a flourescent light to the metal ball on the generator. The flourescent light glowed from the point it touched the generator to the point Peter's hand was holding. The charge induced on the light caused it to glow, and the charge flowed through the light to Peter.

Third, Peter placed a pie tin filled with paper confetti ontop of the generator. When the generator was turned on, the paper confetti flew out of the tin. Both the paper and the tin acquired the same charge, so the paper was repeled from the tin and flew out of it.

Fourth and lastly, Peter blew bubbles (after a failed first attempt haha) at the generator. The bubbles fly towards the generator then are repeled from it once they get close. Because the bubbles are uncharged, they are attracted to the charged metal ball, but once they become charged by touching the ball, they are repeled.

Afterward, for some obscure reason, Mr. Mason put the metal ball from the Van de Graaf inside a microwave. Unfortunately, nothing happened. Then Mr. Mason put aluminum foil inside the microwave, and we all watched it FRY or rather get electrocuted. Visually, it was like lightning trapped in a box.

For the rest of class, we worked on the packet until we had finished up to section 1.5.

At the end of class, Mr. Mason gave us the class syllabus and Mastering Physics homework.

In short, today's theme was:

Welcome to Physics 4B

Welcome to Physics 4B for 2009.

Tonight you need to do your first mastering physics assignment:
(www.masteringphysics.com)

You also need to read the syllabus, find at least two mistakes and then email me those mistakes.