Author Description

The Workshop Physics Activity Guide is a set of student workbooks designed to serve as the foundation for a two-semester calculus-based introductory physics course. It consists of four Modules, with a total of 28 units, that interweave text materials with activities that include prediction, qualitative observation, explanation, equation derivation, mathematical modeling, quantitative experiments, and problem solving. The modules help students understand the basis of knowledge in physics as interplay between observations, experiments, definitions, and mathematical theory. The inquiry-based activities in the modules give students the opportunity to work collaboratively to solve problems, while thinking critically to make predictions and observations. Students use a powerful set of computer tools to record, display, and analyze data, as well as to develop mathematical models of physical phenomena. The design of many of the activities is based on the outcomes of physics education research. Module 2 Unit 8 Momentum and Collisions in One Dimension Unit 9 Momentum and Collisions in Two Dimensions Unit 10 Work and Energy Unit 11 Energy Conservation Unit 12 Rotational Motion Unit 13 Rotational Momentum and its Relation to Torque Unit 14 Simple Harmonic Motion Unit 15 Oscillations, Determinism, and Chaos