Teach Fzx Tuesday - Simple Machine Switcheroo

Vladimir Putin's Winter Olympics were the source of my latest insight into simple machines.

After struggling to teach pulleys and inclined planes and levers for decades, I am finally beginning to understand them.  Working with levers and wheels-and-axles and gears I became convinced that every machine designed to multiply the input force could become a machine that multiplies speed just by switching the input and the output.

Tch Fzx - Forces First

I grew up in NY and took state-wide Regents exams in High School for all my major subjects.  That meant three Math, one Literature, one Social Studies, one Spanish, and four Science exams.  They were all end-of-year cumulative finals and the teachers had to get us ready.  I thought I was quite well prepared academically for my university experience compared to my PA classmates at Grove City College.

I used to credit that preparation to my New York State of Mind Regents education.  Looking back from farther in the future I now understand that the Corning-Painted Post School District, home of Corning Inc. and Ingersoll Rand, provided a high quality education for those students who were willing to work.

I found myself surrounded by supportive parents, good teachers, and like-minded students who all believed strongly in the importance of education.  We supplemented our textbook with paperbacks like these - published specifically for New York.

Mulberry Waffles

Whenever you see this on the sidewalk

you can make these

Freaky Fzx Friday - Relativity Revolution

Einstein wasn't so great when he proposed the Special Theory of Relativity.  He just revolutionized the world with a simple twist of thought.  I only like him because we both love two wheels.

Go Al go!

Teach Fzx Tuesday - Video Substitute 2

A tale of two Substitutes.

Conversing with a substitute recently, I heard the story of a teacher who ended up taking two months off for a medical problem.  He took a week off at a time; perhaps hoping to get back to work soon.  There were rarely lesson plans and there was never any direct communication with the sub who took over for the last few weeks.

During that two month absence there were two large packets of worksheets sent in.  Nothing else.  The final exam consisted of a stock textbook final exam that had to be modified significantly by the sub to fit what the students had completed....

Freaky Fzx Friday - Coordinated Toilet Water

Everybody always told me that toilet water spins in the opposite direction direction in the southern hemisphere.  I lived in Paraguay for a year so I KNOW IT'S NOT TRUE but Smarter Every Day and Veritasium just did synchronized videos on the subject.  Intriguing Results

Open both videos on different screens.  Or different windows.  Or two Shaler Area iPads.  Or right here.  Sync them and watch.

Northern Hemisphere - Smarter Every Day

Southern Hemisphere - Veritasium

WATCH THE IN-SYNC VIDEOS BEFORE YOU CONTINUE

Teach Fzx Tuesday - When They Don't Care

"My students don't want to review for the final so I'm not going to force them."

It's final exam week and I hear it every time.  From teachers.  The high school year's almost over and nobody wants to be here so let's fiesta!!

Silly me - Yo pensaba que se festeja los fines de semana y los feriados y el verano - why we party the day before the most important exam in the class is beyond me, but it's common.