Asynchronous Collaborative Investigations

These investigations are based on hands-on observations and collaborative analysis.

Materials for conducting these investigations will be mailed when the request is received by the instructor, according to instructions provided under Course Materials.

You will begin each investigation by setting up and observing a simple physical system and submitting your qualitative and quantitative observations.  Other students will be doing the same.

After the deadline for submitting observations, all submissions will be made available to all participants in a special portfolio page.

Participants will then analyze \observations using the tools and techniques developed in course assignments.  Every participant will analyze his or her own observations, and will be assigned to also analyze those of one other participant.  Results will be compared and discussion will ensue.

After another deadline all submitted work will be made available to everyone, and another round of discussion and analysis will follow.

Standards of etiquette, as previously defined, will be followed.  The instructor will mediate the exchange of information.

Discussion boards may at some point be opened, depending on the quality of interaction and the instructor's assessment of the potential benefit of doing so.

Second investigation:

Pendulum behavior.

Complete instructions will be provided with your materials.

You will begin by constructing a pendulum and observing the frequency of its oscillation, in cycles per minute.

You will repeat for two additional pendulums, one half the length of the first, the other double the length of the first.

You will report your observations as a frequency vs. length table, and as a frequency vs. length graph.

You will speculate on the nature and properties of the function that models the frequency of a pendulum in terms of its length.