Welcome!! (and syllabus)

Hiya 10th graders!

This is still mostly an experiment. It was suggested today that I didn't post that many things of interest on my last blog and I'm trying to think of how to make it more useful, so in addition to posting homeworks and handouts to print at your leisure (If i can make google docs work with it I probably won't give y'all handouts but will just post them on the blog so they can be printed directly on MLB paper and save some paper) I'll try to post random links to junk I get interested in that's related as things go along and hopefully it will entertain and be at least somewhat educational. If anyone has an idea of what else I could do to make it better, they should let me know. For starters I might try to write a few notes here about a classroom discussion, or answer questions I don't know the answers to in class.

I'm looking forward to working with you guys again and hopefully we can have some fun as well as learn a little. Don't be afraid to leave comments on a post and I'll respond as quickly as possible.

The writeup at the beginning of this syllabus is different than the one I handed you because I edited it at the school. The two are close enough, but treat the one I handed out as the official one. Here's this syllabus:

Bertrand Russell suggested that every high school student should have a course on the history of science. He said so because in the span of three generations, from Kepler to Newton, modern science was birthed (Copernicus was of the 16th century, but mattered little until these men), and few periods in history have had such profound influence over thought. In this block we will look at the lives and ideas of some of the great western thinkers and use modern mathematics and equations to help us to understand them. The main lesson book will consist of a variety of essays, lab write ups as well as several handouts which will be given to students throughout the block. We will spend a couple days building bridges to more practically see how force vectors can be spread out so that apparently weak objects can hold large amounts of weights. Participation in class discussions and experiments as well as creative thinking will be imperative. Below is a list of things we will study, and most will be covered in our MLBs by handouts, essays or lab write-ups. We will discuss all changes to this syllabus in class. Feel free to contact me at any time by phone, text or email at either (303)881-5865 or jjspottsfox@gmail.com.
Grading Guidelines:
Main Lesson Book: 40%
Homework (lab write-ups, essays and problems): 25%
Class Participation: 15%
Quizzes and Tests: 20%

Aristotelian Physics:
- Naturel
- Force and the velocity of earthbound objects
- The chaotic earth and the perfection of the celestial spheres or Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics
The Scientific Revolution:
- Galileo: his life and times
- Conceptualizing inertia
- Force proportional to acceleration
- Measuring force i.e. vectors
- Gravitational acceleration
- Projectile motion
- Force as vectors
- Breaking down and constructing vectors

Bridges and Architecture:

- Designing bridges
- Structure and force points
- Building

The Physics of Astronomy
- Ptolemy
- Copernicus
- Uniform velocity in circular rotation
- Kepler’s laws
- Newton and his rules for scientific thought
- The inverse square law

The World According to Mathematics
- Force over distance i.e. work
- Energy
- The conservation of energy
- Momentum