Description
These geoPHYSICS resources are designed to provide an avenue to help physics teachers connect and apply the principles of physics to the Earth. Recognizing the limited time for adding new topics to the physics curriculum, the approach taken with these resources is to integrate geophysics topics and applications into the existing physics curriculum without requiring that teachers spend extra time on concepts. For example, why can't a student learn how the magnitude of an earthquake is calculated while demonstrating their basic knowledge of waves? or why do Newton's Laws have to be endlessly applied to car's or boats rather than tectonic plates or seismographs. Thus, by applying the Conceptual Physics approach used by Paul G. Hewitt these resources seek to make connections between the concepts of physics and the Earth and its study.
Audience
Grades 5 to 12
This is a new area of work for IRIS so the following resources are all usable as is but are still in development. If you have edits, comments, suggestions or ideas please share them hubenth "at" iris.edu
Problem Set
As an example we have created a single problem set... "Waves - Anatomy of waves on a string"
Warm-Up
A collection powerpoint slides (20.2mb) designed to be used as warm-ups before class or at the end of class as closers. Topics covered in slides include:
- Newton's First Law
- Electromagnetic Induction
- Horizontal and transverse waves
- Resonance & frequency
- Electromagnetic spectrum, speed, waves properities
- Waves and material properities
- Superposition of waves
- Kinetic energy and work
- Attenuation, work, Huygen’s principle
- Refraction
