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April 15th*. Tax Day. Just the mention of this date evokes the same feeling in most adults; stress, fear, anger, and frustration. According to research conducted by The Pew Research Center in 2013, the majority of adults (56%) feel either hate or dislike doing their taxes.
Every year in my Theoretical Physics class, we learn about vibration and waves using the wave equation, which relates the speed of a wave to the product of its wavelength and frequency. We naturally progress into the physics of music, which marries the concepts of ratios and patterns in mathematics, standing waves in strings and air columns, pitch, resonances, and so much more!
The Beekman Science Department attended a professional development workshop at Rockefeller University this week. The gorgeous East Side campus boasts 82 research labs and 200 graduate students. It is also home to the RockEdu Science Outreach program.
One of my favorite TV shows is "The Big Bang Theory" and its theme song, with its catchy tune, summarizes the evolution of the universe, earth, and all things living on it quite accurately! If you are not familiar with the lyrics, or even if you are, read (or sing along) below:
Our whole universe was in a hot, dense state
Then nearly fourteen billion years ago expansion started, wait
The earth began to cool, the autotrophs began to drool
Neanderthals developed tools
We built a wall (we built the pyramids)
Is that a bird? Is that a plane? No, it’s our Physics Egg Drop Experiment! Every year, after we complete the unit on Forces, Impulse and Momentum, the students in my Physics class have an opportunity to test out their engineering and creativity skills in a project where they are tasked with protecting two eggs from breaking when dropped from the 4th floor of our townhouse building into the garden.
"Don’t try this at home!" This is the usual lament heard on TV or internet programs to warn against imitating a dangerous activity that you just saw. However, for my blog post today, I will be writing about something you should try at home! A fun, engaging experiment that enables you to determine the speed of light as Galileo Galilei, Hippolyte Fizeau, and Albert Michelson all did.
After teaching for over 16 years at Beekman, it's nice to take a moment to reflect on all the amazing years and think of the highs as well as the lows. Earlier this quarter, the teachers got an opportunity to do a vlog entry on student success stories. One that stood out in my mind was of a former student, Emma, who was in my Algebra 2 class about 11 years ago.
One of my earlier memories of my dad was watching him fill a small tub in the driveway with water on a clear day as he explained to us, his daughters that were just starting out in elementary school, that we were going to witness a solar eclipse through the reflection of the sun and sky in the water.
As we gather around the TV this Sunday with friends and family to watch one of the biggest sporting events of the year, wolf down chicken wings and nachos, sing along to the half-time show and chuckle at million dollar commercials, there’s another thing that we can do as well – discuss the science behind all that football!
