H   H
The Fundamental Science
 
                                 
        What is Physics?
Why should we care?		      
Ready-Set-Go
1,2,3,4,5		    
                             
        IN THE VERY BEGINNING there was a void—a curious form of vacuum—a nothingness containing no space, no time, no matter, no light, no sound. Yet the laws of nature were in place, and this curious vacuum held potential. Like a giant boulder perched at the edge of a towering cliff…Lederman          
                             
       
Writer's Gallery		          
                                 
Where do we begin?
          Melting glaciers: unexpected boost to rising oceans    
                                 
    Scientists, lobbyists, politicians and just regular people are all debating the causes of some of the most dramatic climate change in thousands of years. One oneside, many imply that it is the growing number of people and our desire for more energy and consummables that produce too much atmospheric carbon dioxide. On the otherside, some suggest that this climate behaviour is a simple natural event with no known cause.
What should we do? Should we do anything?
    Is this alarmist rhetoric? Can we prevent coastal flooding? Should we curb human development? Where do we begin to dissect this problem? Is it even possible to find the cause of this complex climatic behaviour? Can we reconstruct past (Paleo) data that will reveal the nature of Global Climate changes? Sure we can. Geological, biological and chemical clues are everywhere---if one can utilize fundamental physical principles discovered by humans over the last million years.
What are the fundamental physical principles that can help
civilization make smart decisions?
                                 
    Pattern Seekers (Problem Solvers)  
                                 
        Observing Patterns in Nature. . .    
                                 
       

    Scientists look for patterns in nature that they can use to explain and predict natural phenomena. It rains because there are clouds in the sky. . .take cover! Fossils are found in certain strata in the Earth. . .we can date them. It takes Jupiter 12 years to travel around the Sun. . .it will look close to Venus this week. These are patterns in nature. We know enough to get out of the rain, which fossils are older and predict where Venus and Jupiter will be at any time. The universe is not random. It does not rain on cloudless days. Fossils can be dated as to when they were deposited. And, Jupiter does not travel faster than Venus, when someone else looks!

                           . . .doing physics is the act of observing nature and discovering her secrets.

    
                                 
        Why is Paleoclimatology so important to us, today?
What are the problems associated with Paleoclimatology?
What is Paleoclimatology?
    
           
             
          Why should we care about this data?
Can we construct meaning from the graph?
These are the 'word problems' that you shrank from in middle school.
 And, they are back with a vengeance!		    
                                   
      Standard Physical Quantities, Units and Conversions  
                                   
                   
                                   
       
                                   
    a. Sample unit conversion problems
 1. Cube of water
 2. Light year
 3. Price of gold
 4. Unit Analysis
b. Trigonometry/Vectors
  1. Sin-Cos-Tan: a ratio of the length of the sides of a triangle. 'Sohcahtoa'
  2. The resultant, decomposition, adding vectors.
c. Problem-Solving advice
d. Homework problems.(in your mail)
   

A Good TA learns how to teach.

How can I learn to ask "good" questions?

A good teacher must not only ask "good" questions, but must also ask them well. It is important, for example, to begin to ask questions of your students from the first day of class. If the students get used to hearing only your voice, they will not budge when you ask a question of them during the fourth or fifth class sessions.

What kinds of questions did you ask today?

Knowing how to ask good questions enhances your comprehension by focusing on main ideas and making connections among ideas and making connections among ideas.

     
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