Author | Lightnews

Bree Barnett Dreyfuss @barnettdreyfuss.bsky.social · 21h

I feel like you could strap a phone to some of the big RC cars. I feel like this should happen!

Bree Barnett Dreyfuss @barnettdreyfuss.bsky.social · 1d

When a TA "fixed" mine he oiled it and replaced a belt. This seems more serious...
There are simple pump systems now, would the experiments be something you could do with a smaller/cheaper one?

Bree Barnett Dreyfuss @barnettdreyfuss.bsky.social · 1d

#Teach180 Day 58
AP learned about gravitational potential energy beyond the immediate vicinity of Earth. Students always struggle with the Ug=0 at infinity ♾️ part. It takes practice and I find they do better when we compare two positions to think about Kinetic Energy gained. 🧪🎢

1 2

Bree Barnett Dreyfuss @barnettdreyfuss.bsky.social · 1d

#Teach180 Day 57
AP students learned about how the gravitational acceleration changes as we fall through a hole in a planet. Good conversations and places to expand in the future.
Physics learned about vertical net force problems like in elevators. The infamous student on a scale problem. 🧪🎢

Bree Barnett Dreyfuss @barnettdreyfuss.bsky.social · 3d

#Teach180 Day 56
AP continued diving into gravitational force and acceleration.
Physics reviewed some more 3rd law concepts and did a practice problems based on the itsy bitsy spider with a Halloween decoration. The spider drops down rhen pulls itself back up. Attach to a force sensor, voila! 🎢🧪

2

Bree Barnett Dreyfuss @barnettdreyfuss.bsky.social · 5d

#Teach180
AP physics started learning about the law of gravitation by doing some ranking activities before some brief notes.
Physics started learning about Newton's 3rd law with notes and demos.
Both conversations will have to continue on Monday. 🧪🎢

Bree Barnett Dreyfuss @barnettdreyfuss.bsky.social · 6d

I write a lot of letters of rec for students that were juniors in my AP Physics class. So far, 28 students with 35 letters submitted, 6 to go by 11/1, 4 at a later date. There will be just as many current juniors asking for summer program letters.
Necessary but exhausting process full of privilege.

7

Bree Barnett Dreyfuss @barnettdreyfuss.bsky.social · 6d

#Teach180 Day 54
Even periods of AP Physics discussed my pumpkin bungee problem (odds has a variant). There are always different approaches but the majority of groups are successful the fiest time through it. I'd love it to be real and not theoretical but it's still a good challenge either way! 🎢🧪

Bree Barnett Dreyfuss @barnettdreyfuss.bsky.social · 8d

#Teach180 Day 53 cont.
Physics did a balanced forces lab based on @kellyoshea.bsky.social. They start off calling every force a force of gravity but end up with good results. All you need are the push pull scales, balances that can read in Newtons and some mystery masses. 🧪🎢

A spring scale that is covered pushes down on a 100 gram mass while it sits on top of a digital balance. The balance reads 3.23 N.

One spring scale hangs from another. A metal ball with an unknown mass hangs from the bottom scale. The top scale reads about 9.5 N while the bottom one reads 9 N.

2 1 4

Bree Barnett Dreyfuss @barnettdreyfuss.bsky.social · 8d

#Teach180 Day 53
AP Physics odd block worked through a group challenge question involving a pumpkin and a spring. Its a different variant than I usually do so I'm sure there are some changes that would make it better. Great discussions and problem solving; I hope it makes them thinking deeply. 🧪🎢

1

Bree Barnett Dreyfuss @barnettdreyfuss.bsky.social · 8d

I have a tennis ball version I made because its as inertia low as I can make it.

1

Reposted by Bree Barnett Dreyfuss

AAPTHQ @aapthq.bsky.social · 9d

Join us for the next AAPT Virtual Coffee Hour on "An Evening with Paul Hewitt" with presenters Paul Hewitt and John Suchocki, Conceptual Academy on November 18 at 7:30 pm EST. This event is open to the public. ow.ly/fJfn50XbSZy #AAPTCoffeeHour #PhysicsEducation #ITeachPhysics

2 1

Bree Barnett Dreyfuss @barnettdreyfuss.bsky.social · 9d

#TeachPhysics Day 52
AP Physics tested on Work & Energy. Physics had a quick progress monitoring quiz and finished their scale activity exploring how their normal force changes with different activities. 🧪🎢

Bree Barnett Dreyfuss @barnettdreyfuss.bsky.social · 9d

Its a heavy ball with three eye hooks in it so that you can hang it from string and pull in two different directions on string from the other eye hooks. Here is Bruce Yeaney's bowling ball version:
youtu.be/Wn-IXgxNSiE?...

Inertia ball demonstration // Homemade Science with Bruce Yeany

YouTube video by Homemade Science with Bruce Yeany

youtu.be

1 2

Bree Barnett Dreyfuss @barnettdreyfuss.bsky.social · 10d

#Teach180 Day 51
Physics discussed the "inertia ball," which I do better now thanks to @rhettallain.bsky.social but is still really tricky for students. Considering not doing it in forces but push it back to momentum instead? When does everyone else do it? 🎢🧪

1

Bree Barnett Dreyfuss @barnettdreyfuss.bsky.social · 10d

#Teach180 Day 51
AP Physics reviewed some practice problems from last week and worked on some released FRQs from pre 2025. Lots of good conversations between students, I didn't let them see the rubric this time so that they could sit with the struggle for a bit, of course they get to see it later 🎢🧪

1

Bree Barnett Dreyfuss @barnettdreyfuss.bsky.social · 11d

1) Kinetic and potential energy to time
2) Kinetic and potential energy to position
3) Net force to position
4) Net force to time
In each I think they can label the values they solve for to prove it does/doesn't smash. I'd need a basic sketch for smash and not smashed results.
Other ideas? 🧪🎢

1 5

Bree Barnett Dreyfuss @barnettdreyfuss.bsky.social · 11d

🧪🎢Each year I do a pumpkin bungee drop in AP C Mech. Groups are randomly given a spring length? Spring constant, Pumpkin height and mass. They have to determine if it smashes or not and find either max speed if it survives or impact speed. I want to add graph sketching this year. Ideas so far: 1/2

1 5

Bree Barnett Dreyfuss @barnettdreyfuss.bsky.social · 13d

#Teach180 Day 50 for physics was continuing learning about net force and free body diagrams. Mastery of those problems will continue for awhile but I'm hoping to nip some of the missteps in the bud early this way. 🎢🧪

Bree Barnett Dreyfuss @barnettdreyfuss.bsky.social · 13d

#Teach180 Day 50 happened without me. I'm at the state science teachers conference and luckily my studebt teacher could lead my classes. AP Physics did @the-physics-well.net 's GoldenEye bungee jump problem (which will help prep them for their group spring assessment next week). 🧪

1 1

Bree Barnett Dreyfuss @barnettdreyfuss.bsky.social · 14d

Used this today in AP C by the way and the kids literally "oooo"-ed and "awww"-ed. They were impressed and it helped with understanding. That constant slope on the left was *chef's kiss*.

1 2

Bree Barnett Dreyfuss @barnettdreyfuss.bsky.social · 14d

#Teach180 Day 49
Block day so rinse repeat. Its interesting to see how the different classes receive the same content. Yesterday the class was moderately engaged, not bored but not the excitement of a lab day. Today the first of the day was eager, the second utterly bored. Told the same jokes! 🧪🎢

1 1

Bree Barnett Dreyfuss @barnettdreyfuss.bsky.social · 15d

I hadn't, this is great! Thanks for making sure I saw it.

1

Reposted by Bree Barnett Dreyfuss

AAPTHQ @aapthq.bsky.social · 16d

Register for #AAPTWM26 and take advantage of Early Bird registration rates! Early Bird rates end after November 14th. ow.ly/32Qt50X1LRM #AAPTConference #AAPTMeeting #ITeachPhysics

1 1

Reposted by Bree Barnett Dreyfuss

AAPTHQ @aapthq.bsky.social · 15d

Join us for the next AAPT Virtual Coffee Hour on "An Evening with Paul Hewitt" with presenters Paul Hewitt and John Suchocki, Conceptual Academy on November 18 at 7:30 pm EST. This event is open to the public. ow.ly/E25v50XbSZA #AAPTCoffeeHour #PhysicsEducation #ITeachPhysics

3 6