Conceptual Understanding in Introductory Physics XXXIV: Parallel and Perpendicular Components of Force

Draw an arrow representing an arbitrary force vector and another arrow representing an arbitrary momentum arrow. Label both arrows. Ask the student to perform the following task: Decompose the force vector into a component parallel to the momentum vector and a component perpendicular to the force vector. Tell whether or not the given force will […]

Conceptual Understanding in Introductory Physics XXXIII: Drawing Systems

The instructor draw a random diagram showing an arbitrary number of interacting (e.g. gravitationally) entities (e.g. stars, asteroids, etc.) represented as numbered dots. The student is asked to perform the following tasks: Draw a system boundary such that the system experiences a net external force. Name each entity that contributes to this net external force. […]

Conceptual Understanding in Introductory Physics XXVI: System Schemas

This question might serve as a final exam for an introductory physics course. It could serve that purpose for my own courses, but it may not be appropriate for your courses so don’t worry if that’s the case. If you do not include system schemas in your course then this question won’t make any sense […]

Matter & Interactions I, Week 11

As (almost) usual, I’m writing this on the Monday after the week in question. This week we hit chapter 5, which is packed full of interesting physics and mathematics! We encounter the infamous time derivative of a unit vector (aka a direction), which I have found quite mysterious because of the rather hand waving ways […]

Matter & Interactions I, Week 8

This post was written one week late. This week was devoted to chatper 3 of Matter & Interactions. The fundamental physics still centers almost exclusively on the momentum principle. Student are seeing more ways to apply it. I’m asking quite a lot of my students. I expect them to read an entire chapter, doing the […]

Matter & Interactions I, Week 7

I will edit this post at a later date to include diagrams (SURPRISE: That didn’t happen!). This was a pretty good week. Students are beginning to ask deeper, more insightful questions and that tells me they’re engaging in the material more than before. We formally began chapter 2 on the momentum principle, but I did […]