Teach Fzx Tuesday - Video Substitute

Out for two weeks for shoulder surgery with no physics certified sub, I had to figure out a way to keep the class moving and give them good labs to do.  The topic was circuits.

I used the district provided iPad and iMovie to provide practical instruction on ammeter and voltmeter use.

How to Use an Ammeter

I put out a compare and contrast video on series vs. parallel circuits:

Freaky Fzx Friday - Cell Phones and Cancer

Grandma probably told you not to stand in front of the microwave and I've been told not to use my cell phone too much.  And to keep it in my pack, not my pants.

Articles have been written about cops with cancer from their radar guns.  Products are marketed to ameliorate the cancerous effects of electromagnetic waves.  Why all the fear?

When I check cancer.gov and mayoclinic.org I find carefully worded science speak that no average person could get through.  Their conclusion?

"no consensus"
"no one knows"

Scientists agree on climate change but medicine can't figure out whether cell phones cause cancer after decades of fear and studies?  Ironic.  I disagree with their conclusions.

Freaky Fzx Friday - Uncertainty

Heisenberg gets pulled over by the police for speeding.

Werner Heisenberg, not this guy.

The officer approaches the vehicle and asks him if he knows how fast he was going.  Unlike the blue meth cook, Heisenberg answers just like any good electron would

Freaky Fzx Friday - Gluons

Nuclei contain protons all smashed into a tiny space.  Since positive protons strongly repel each other, what kind of krazy glue holds them together?  It's a particle we call the GLUON.

Atoms are tiny.  Take a look at the thickness of your fingernail and imagine that you could split that thickness into ten million - 10,000,000 - parts.  That's the size of the atom.

Take that atom width and split it into 10,000 equal parts and that's the nucleus.  One tenth that diameter is the size of a proton or neutron and split that by 1,000 again and you have the quarks from a story two weeks ago.

The atom is the solar system and the nucleus is the sun.  The rest is empty.

Teach Fzx Tuesday - Plagiarism

My children lie, cheat, and steal on a regular basis.  It seems that the little angels are far from the innocent cherubs we imagine them to be.

TheBoy used to take things from LittleBoy until he got bigger.  Now LittleBoy punches, kicks, and pushes his big brother on a regular basis.  Each knows exactly how to send the other into a screaming fit of rage.  And LittleBoy annoys BabyGirl enough to make her cry at least five times a day.

So we have to train the children of our society not to lie, cheat, or steal and all of us know adults who need more honesty lessons.  The task of teaching these lessons falls on parents, teachers, and coaches and it is a difficult job.

Freaky Fzx Friday: Wave <==> Particle Duality

ELECTRONS DO NOT ORBIT THE NUCLEUS LIKE PLANETS ORBIT THE SUN.

Don't feel bad if you thought they did since even the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission thinks so.  Check out their chosen symbol:

Even though the electrons have almost nothing to do with NUCLEAR fission, that's what they put on their main page.

Fzx in Action - Dryer Belt Replacement

The dryer drum quit turning and it wasn't drying my clothes.  Since I figured that hanging them out to dry in sub-freezing temps wasn't going to work, I popped off the little inspection door and took a gander inside.  I could hear the motor whirring so I was looking for a broken belt.

Those belts are fiber-reinforced