Today was all about machines. In the O, L, and S sections we covered all of the ways that machines make work easier--changing the direction of force, changing the distance the force operates, and/or changing the magnitude of the force. We played the Scottie Pippen Homework Game, but for the O and L sections it is getting very old for me--so many of the students simply either do not do their homework, or they put little or no effort into getting the information from the book.
My goal with homework is to have students learn to access the information on their own, before we discuss the concepts in class. That is how it works. For some students, who take the homework seriously, their comprehension is strong. When they don't understand something, they are more attuned during class to make sure they learn that item. They can ask appropriate questions. Too often, though, students don't take ownership of the information. They give up before they try to really answer the questions. I wish I had an answer for how to motivate students more.
In the W section we completed the levers and work lab. In this lab a meter stick is used to balance weights, and the distances that they balance is compared. It turns out the the work for each side must be the same, so that the distance x the weight on side a equals the distance x the weight on side b. Amazing, I think, that it works out so well. These students did well at the lab and finished with time to spare.
Sweet justice.
