Work and Power Lab

This lab for a grade 11 physics course encourages students to express their interpretations of a situation involving the physical principles of work and power in both written and numerical formats. This lad could easily be expanded through the inclusion of a writing activity that would ask students to consider the scenario presented in the worksheet's final series of problems and to compose a narrative of the "race" between the two individuals in question that incorporates appropriate terminology and demonstrates student understanding of relevant physical processes.

A Problem in Dynamics

James Clerk Maxwell "A Problem in Dynamics" reflects some of the problems that Peterson identifies with student poetry in the disciplines of physics, chemistry, and biology; Maxwell oscillates between abandoning rhyme for meaning – a decision that Peterson advocates – and sacrificing the clarity of images and ideas in order to maintain his rhyme scheme.

As Peterson observes, the poetics of Patrick Lane and Michael Ondaatje involves a reduction and a progressive erosion of verse through successive revisions. That which remains after this process is little more than a skeletal essence, creating a Giacometti statue of a poem. In his rejection of such approaches, Maxwell delights in the expansiveness of his piece. Rather than distilling complex concepts and seeking to express the “dynamics problem” simply, Maxwell creates an at times bloated and unwieldy block of verse. Yet Maxwell does not simply reject the kind of aesthetic principles that define the aforementioned artists; he deliberately counters his natural inclinations as a physicist As a scientist, Maxwell would ideally seek to balance the demands of precision, accuracy, and concision, yet in translating a physics problem into verse, he deliberately confounds both physicists and students of English literature alike, despite the relatively simple situation that he describes. 

While any researcher in a particular scientific field embraces a particular lexicon and mode of communication that is common to all his or her peers, the language that he or she adopts is opaque to the uninitiated. To some extent, each scientific discipline speaks its own language. Yet most share a set of basic terms and conventions, expressing complex concepts through a shared language of mathematics. Those outside of the hard sciences lack this language, and the scientists' method of communicating simply and precisely becomes a barrier to understanding. Here, Maxwell plays with the language of the liberal arts, contorting it until it becomes an impediment to understanding.

Considering the poetic ideal of Lane and Ondaatje in the context of physics, mathematics is the highest poetry, for no symbol – no language – other than that of mathematics could represent its principles and convey Maxwell's intended meaning more clearly and concisely than a few simple lines of differentiated equations. Yet, Maxwell's humor depends on his verbosity and his over-complication of the physical principles. The poem's affective power, its ability to make us laugh, lies in its tortured attempt to translate between the conventions of scientific discourse and the physicists primary language of mathematics into a poetic structure and a complex English language.

The poem then offers students the chance to re-translate Maxwell's meaning and explore the ways in which our scientific modes of communication – which can at times frustrate students immensely – allows us to express and share ideas more quickly and easily than traditional English. A teacher could explore a variety of questions with his or her students related to the poetic form and its potential in a physics classroom. Could students adopt an approach similar to Maxwell's in order to simplify a problem at their level (one that does not involve a description and use of differential equations) into a narrative poem without sacrificing meaning for rhyme or rhythm? Could the poetic form be used to express a problem solving process involving simplification, identification, and solution? 

Physics Exemplar: Grade 11 Waves and Nodes

The following example of a student lab report that details the results of an experiment involving waves and nodal points represents level 4 work for the grade 11 university preparation physics course.
  

Physics Exemplar: Grade 12 Photoelectric Effect

The following example of a student lab report is yet another example of level 4 work for the grade 12 university preparation physics course (SPH4U) that reflects the results of an experiment involving the photoelectric effect.
  

Physics Exemplar: Grade 12 Diffraction Grating Lab Report

The following example of a student lab report represents level 4 work for the grade 12 university preparation physics course (SPH4U). It could be used as a mentor text or an exemplar for students as the develop lab reports to convey the results of an experiment involving the use of a diffraction grating.
 

Physics Exemplar: Grade 11 Waves Lab Report

The following components of a grade 11 lab on wave motion reflect level 4 work. The expansive introduction goes well beyond expectations for the assignment, to the point that the student might be advised to consider reducing future introduction sections in order to make better use of his time.

Lab Reports in a Physics Classroom

In typical high-school science classrooms, hands-on lab activities provide students with opportunities to make connections between theoretical concepts and real world situations, develop questions regarding the application and function of those concepts, and apply scientific principles of inquiry as they seek out answers.

Lab experiments – both “recipe” labs in which procedures are provided and self-directed inquiry-based actives – address the common Stream A of the Ontario Curriculum for all science courses; Overall Expectations for this stream (taken from Grade 11 University Preparation Physics) are as follows:

• A1. demonstrate scientific investigation skills (related to both inquiry and research) in the four areas of skills (initiating and planning, performing and recording, analysing and interpreting, and communicating);
• A2. identify and describe careers and Canadian contributions related to the fields of science under study.

Lab reports, which follow similar conventions across all scientific disciplines, are the primary formal method by which students convey information and results obtained through any lab activity. The composition of these reports addresses each of the major elements and skills demanded by Overall Expectation A1, as Students initiate and plan a scientific inquiry, execute the lab activity while collecting and recording data in accordance with the laboratory etiquette and conventions, analyze the data that they have collected through a variety of written, graphical, and mathematical means, and then report – i.e. communicate – the results that they have obtained and the conclusion that they have reached with reference to experimental data. Such reports consist of several distinct, titled sections:

1. Title: A clear and straightforward reflection of the content of the report.
2. Abstract: A brief summary of the experiment, its objectives, results, and conclusions.
3. Introduction: A statement that explains the physical principles or theory that relate to the experiment that the student has undertaken, possibly involving a review of, or reference to, scientific literature, that addresses the reasons and purposes for the experiment.
4. Objective(s)/Hypothesis: A concise statement of the purpose of the experiment or the expectations for its outcome. Often included in the introduction.
5. Theory (If there is no introduction): A presentation of the physics that is associated with the experiment, including derivations of equations, theoretical predictions for the experiment to be carried out, and an explanation of the the physical principles that the experiment is designed to test.
6. Procedure/Methods: A clear and concise set of instructions that detail the steps by which the experiment was performed.
7. Data: A representation of raw experimental data, generally tabulated, that often includes estimated uncertainties.
8. (Data) Analysis: An analysis of the experimental data in light of your objectives/hypothesis and theoretical principles. This section includes graphical representations and interpretations of data.
9. Results/Discussion: A discussion of the lab's results that emphasizes interpretation and the relation of experimental data to theory. The results section may replace both the data and analysis components, reflecting the same information.
10. Conclusion: A concise response to the experiment's objectives with reference to results.

Convention dictates that the lab report should be written in the passive voice and the third person in order to create an air of impartiality and detachment.

As noted above, some variance exists in the lab report formats employed in different institutions: many teachers or schools eliminate the “Materials and Methods” section, especially if the report reflects on the results of a “recipe lab,” or term it the “Procedure;” others forgo an “Introduction” or replace it with an internal “Theory” component that serves much the same purpose. Recipe labs generally have as their objective the confirmation of a pre-established theory, while inquiry activities designed to address questions to which students do not have an answer may require a “Hypothesis” section. If students know their goal – determine the coefficient of static friction of a textbook and a calculator, for instance – they may list that as their objective and develop an associated procedure or method to achieve the objective that they have set.

In order to teach students the conventions of the lab report format, I would rely heavily on the use of exemplars. Together with students, I would generate a set of observations as my class explores a mentor text. After providing students with a checklist, I would then ask them to assess a variety of exemplars that reflect levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 quality, having them identify strengths, flaws, and areas for improvement. Student groups would then grade the exemplars based on achievement chart levels.

A number of useful strategies are available at the NCSU website, including the following outline:

http://www.ncsu.edu/labwrite/instructors/intro_teachinglwr.htm#introlabreports

Introduction to Lab Reports (for those without access to ppt)

1. Brainstorm with your students what they think the purpose of a lab report is.
   
2. After discussing the purpose, ask students to list and describe the parts of a lab report. You may use the “Parts of a Lab Report” overhead and/or the handout during this discussion.
   
3. Have students brainstorm the differences between a lab report and a scientific journal article. Click the following link to show them a sample journal article, http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/AJHG/journal/issues/v66n6/991447/991447.html or find one of your own. Use “A Comparison of the Scientific Article and the Lab Report” as an overhead or handout during this discussion.
   
4. Pass out a sample lab report and “Guide for Analyzing a Laboratory Report” handout.
   
5. Put students into groups and either assign each group analyze one part of the lab report, or have each group analyze the entire lab report.
   
6. Have an open discussion where groups share what they learned during this activity.
   

Handouts you’ll need:

1. OVERHEAD/HANDOUT: Parts of a Lab Report with Brief Descriptions
   
2. OVERHEAD/HANDOUT: A Comparison of the Scientific Article and the Lab Report
   
3. A Sample Lab Report (choose one from this link)
   
4. Guide for Analyzing a Lab Report

Provide students with the following handout as a resource for analyzing exemplars in class.

http://www.ncsu.edu/labwrite/instructors/ta-analysisguide.pdf

Once students have become familiar with basic lab report format, introduce sample lab reports from the following web site. Though these reports reflect college level work, they allow students to look beyond the requirements of their grade level, making connections and comparisons to more advanced material that will allow them to better understand the conventions of their own format.

http://www.ncsu.edu/labwrite/res/labreport/res-sample-labrep.html

My next series of posts will consist of several exemplars that represent level four work at grades 11 and 12, as noted alongside each mentor text.

Virtual Particles

The poem "Virtual Particles" could be integrated into a Grade 11 physics course as a mentor text in an Energy and Society unit that explores nuclear fusion and nuclear fission.

Students could be asked to translate the poem into conventional scientific discourse, making connections with mathematical formulae related to half-life reactions and concepts of particle decay. A discussion of these "translated poems" could highlight the respective strengths and weakness of the two pieces, potential impediments to understanding in both English and Physics contexts, and the differences between students' translations in both structure and content. What words or phrases did they associate with a particular formula? Did the poem's structure influence the format or organization of their poem (were they sequential responses to the ideas raised in the poem or were they logical progressions through the material itself as it was taught)?

Students could also consider simple questions of value. Does the poem contribute anything meaningful to our discussion of nuclear physics? Could it be used as a memory aid in some way?

Finally, in lieu of a translation piece, students could be asked to respond to the poem in whatever manner or form they wished: mathematically, through the use of scientific discourse, through a response poem, etc.

Narrative in the Physics Classroom

David Booth's vision of enhanced literacy in Whatever Happened to Language Arts depends largely on guiding students to make connections between literary and historical narratives and their personal life stories. In some way, all the tales that “we” tell become a part of “us” both as a collective and as a collection of individuals. Students must be guided to “[find themselves] in story,” for“as personal storytellers … we learn from the stories of others and we take the truths out of these narratives .… our stories connect us to the others in our lives” (52). In order to reach students and create lasting, critical readers and thinkers, we must guide them to relate to, and to internalize, the narratives that we present to them.

Throughout my practicum placement in a university preparation grade 11 physics classroom and a university preparation grade 12 physics classroom, I attempted to explore the narratives that surround the discovery of certain fundamental principles of physics on both an individual level and on the level of the academic discipline itself.  The qualitative and subjective data that I collected through these explorations and student responses to them suggests that the use of narrative and framing techniques can connect abstract principles of the discipline to students' lived experiences, increasing students' immediate engagement in the classroom as well as their short and long term retention of information.

In one specific case, I introduced the concept of kinetic energy and couched its mathematical derivation in a narrative involving historical developments of cannons and the technological advances that improved their design. After having obtained the students' interest – based on a subjective assessment of their engagement in the class by monitoring levels of noise or “chatter,” inappropriate student-student interactions generally, and eye contact between myself and my students – I introduced an hypothetical narrative regarding cannon-based warfare. One side in the conflict had developed cannons that fired cannonballs of twice the mass, and the other side had developed cannonballs that could be fired with twice the velocity. As an impartial third party, we were tasked with determining who would win in such a conflict, all else being equal. Applying Kinematics, the work-energy theorem, and basic algebraic manipulations of established formulae, we then found that the latter group had the advantage.

In a second example, I then used the definition and formula related to kinetic energy in order to determine the energy that would be released by a collision between Earth and an actual Near Earth Object of a substantial mass, moving at a substantial speed. The value of energy released was so large that it had no significance in itself, so I related it to the Tsar bomb, the largest nuclear weapon ever detonated, by describing the energy released by its explosion – equivalent to the energy released by an explosion of a block of TNT approximately 320 m³, or as tall and as wide as the Eiffel Tower. The energy released by the collision between Earth and the Near Earth Object was almost five times that which was released by the Tsar Bomb's nuclear reaction. Several students approached me with questions regarding this example and tangentially related physics subjects. Not only had they absorbed the fundamental principles that I had sought to teach them, they had begun to make connections between the physics and their experience and background knowledge. As a

result, they appeared to enjoy the lesson and were eager participants in the ensuing problem-solving session and discussions.

The power of narrative that David Booth identifies can indeed be exploited in subjects other than English. Couching the principles of physics in narratives or real-life examples drawn from student experiences not only makes the material more relevant to them, it also generates engagement and in turn helps to curtail behavioral problems – an engaged student is less prone to act out. Given the ease with which Booth's theories related to narrative were applied in a physics classroom, I am eager for future opportunists to explore other strategies – that were originally intended for application in the limited context of an English course – in diverse and new settings.

Works Cited

Booth, David. Whatever Happened to Language Arts? Markham, Ontario: Pembroke Publishers Limited, 2009. Print.