The discussion focuses on lab ideas for high school AP Physics, emphasizing hands-on experiments that avoid electrical components. Key suggestions include constructing a homemade calorimeter to test calorimetry principles using the formula Q=mcΔT, and exploring Newton's Law of Cooling for quantitative measurements. Additionally, the feasibility of building a wind tunnel is highlighted, which allows for experiments on airflow, wing geometries, and laminar flow. Young's Modulus is also mentioned as a potential topic for further exploration.
PREREQUISITESHigh school students enrolled in AP Physics, educators seeking lab ideas, and anyone interested in practical physics experiments that enhance understanding of thermodynamics and fluid dynamics.
Valhalla said:home-made calorimeter... you can measure the final temp and check it with a theoretical calculation based on Q=mc\Delta T
If you feel like it you could do Newton's law of cooling as well. It is the same experiment, but you have different measurements and calculations.
seems like a fantastic idea! but now i have to concern about building a wind tunnel... i'll definitely give it some thought... right now I'm also thinking about young's modulus... hmm... ok thanks for your contribution!berkeman said:My friend just did a wind tunnel with his son for a Science Fair project. The son is in grammar school, so it was a pretty simple setup and experiment. But at the AP high school level, you could have some serious fun. Maybe google wind tunnel stuff to see if that might be practical. Smoke trails, wing geometries, laminar flow versus separation versus lift...cools stuff!