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Phy 201
Your 'collaborative labs' report has been received. Scroll down through the document to see any comments I might have inserted, and my final comment at the end.
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You will participate during the semester in two series of collaborative lab activities.
The first is designed to be relatively painless, and to begin to develop a degree of teamwork
and collaboration.
These activities are designed for teams of four individuals, each with a specific function:
The designer will come up with the idea for the activity and will specify for other team members
how the activity is to be conducted.
The experimenter will follow the designer's instructions to set up the experiment and collect
data.
The analyzer will analyze the data.
The interpreter will describe what the results mean.
For each series of activities, you will participate in four different investigations, one as designer,
another as experimenter, another as analyzer and another as interpreter.
As each investigation progresses, you will follow the work of your fellow team members.
Please summarize the above, as best you can, in your own words:
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Throughout the course, I will participate in two series of collaborative lab activities with other
students. The lab activities are designed for four students to participate in, each taking turns at
creating the activity and specify how it is to be conducted, executing the experiment, analyzing
the data, interpreting the data.
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The first series of activities will be spread out over the first half of the semester, the second series
over the second half of the semester.
The first series will be based on systems you have seen in the Key Systems videos.
You will begin by describing at least three ideas for investigations related to the Key Systems
videos. Valid ideas will ultimately be developed proposals, each of which will describe a
question that could be investigated and tested using simple materials such as those seen in the
videos. You will eventually develop three proposals, one of which will be chosen for an
investigation. You will be the designer for that investigation.
At this point we're just beginning to explore ideas for the first series of investigations. Your
instructor will work with you to further develop your ideas, and perhaps to explore other
related possibilities.
Right now you don't have a wide variety of experimental techniques available to you, so this
first series of investigations will be relatively simple.
List below three ideas for things you think might be fairly easy to test, based on the systems you
have seen so far.
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1. Test to see if a pendulum mass effects frequency within a given period.
2. How does the mass of a marble effect the rate at which it travels down an incline.
3. Will a smaller washer slide down an incline at a different rate than a larger washer.
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Discuss your first idea. How do you think it might be tested? What sort of items do you think
might be required? How do you think your idea might be tested?
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In order to test if the mass of the pendulum effects the frequency within a given period, two
pendulums would need to be created with the same length of string. One could have a small
washer and the other could have a larger (presumably heavier) washer. Two trials, one with
the small pendulum held at the same length and released to have the same amplitude as the
second larger pendulum. Count and record the frequencies within a one minute period and
compare the results of the two pendulums.
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Discuss your second idea. How do you think it might be tested? What sort of items do you think
might be required? How do you think your idea might be tested?
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To test this idea, two marbles of differing masses would be needed, along with a book or other
flat ramp-like surface to travel down. If a book is used as a ramp by using a stack of coins or
dominoes to raise one end, both marbles could be released simultaneously. Whichever marble
reached the end of the boof first would determine if the smaller or larger mass will result in a
faster travel time.
Alternately, a grooved ramp could be used with one marble at a time, as long as the TIMER
program was used to document the intervals.
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Discuss your third idea. How do you think it might be tested? What sort of items do you think
might be required? How do you think your idea might be tested?
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The washer mass idea could be tested in a similar manner as the marble mass down an incline
idea. Both washers would be release from an inclined book side by side. Which ever reaches
the end of the incline first would inform how mass size of a washer effects rate at which it travels
down the incline.
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Your instructor is trying to gauge the typical time spent by students on these activities. Please
answer the following question as accurately as you can, understanding that your answer will be
used only for the stated purpose and has no bearing on your grades:
Approximately how long did it take you to complete this activity?
45min.
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Very good ideas.
I'll soon be assigning groups and selecting activities from among those suggested. Expect me to get back to you on this sometime later this week.
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