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This year I have been teaching both Physical Science and Physics for a small private Christian academy. In May I will be taking both classes on a field trip together. The two classes will be doing different activities during the day. This plan could easily be modified for science classes in other parts of the country/world.

Field Trip -- Physics Instructions

The Projects
Project #1: Acceleration Due to Gravity, Part 1 (25 points): Experimentally find the acceleration due to gravity on the grounds of the academy, at the base of Bald Mountain, and at the summit of Bald Mountain. You must use exactly the same equipment and procedure each time. The first part of this project (finding g at the academy) may be accomplished before the date of the field trip.

Project #2: Acceleration Due to Gravity Part 2 (25 points): Using an entirely different method, experimentally find the acceleration due to gravity at the top of Bald Mountain.

Hint for Projects 1 and 2: There are a variety of methods for finding the acceleration due to gravity. Some methods will provide better results than others, due to your equipment limitations. Think carefully about which method you intend to use in which location; choosing wisely will result in a better score!

On the trip to Bald Mountain, one team will ride with me; on the way back home, the other team will ride with me. The following two projects will be done while riding in the car. For both of these projects, the GPS will be available for student use. The GPS can be used to find elevation, distance traveled, and speed.

Project #3: Potential and Kinetic Energy (25 points): As we approach Height of Land, I will indicate a point as "Point A." Height of Land is "Point B." Calculate the gain in potential energy as we travel from Point A to Point B. If I then turned around and coasted back down to Point A, what would my speed be upon reaching Point A? What are some things that might prevent me from actually obtaining that speed?

Project #4: Power, Part 1 (25 points): I will stop the car by the side of the road and then accelerate to 50 mph. Calculate the horsepower of my car. Optional Bonus: I will do this on a flat section of road, unless you tell me you want me to do it on a hill. You will receive 5 bonus points for doing this project on an inclined plane.

Project #5: Power, Part 2 (25 points): During the hike up Bald Mountain, one of the chaperones will be assigned to be the "first person up the mountain" and one chaperone will be assigned to be the "last person up the mountain". Calculate the power of these two hikers.
 
Equipment
Each team will be responsible to decide what equipment to bring with them. Each team is responsible to obtain all the equipment they plan to use.

* Students may not bring a GPS; a GPS will be available only for projects 3 & 4.
* Students may only bring equipment which will fit in a backpack -- unless the equipment is approved by me.

May 8th Interview
On May 8th I will conduct an interview with each team to determine the team's readiness for the trip. This interview will count as a homework grade.

On this day I will expect to see a written list of all the equipment students plan to bring on the trip. Teams which do not have this list will receive a zero for the day. I reserve the right to veto any equipment students plan to bring, so if you are unsure about whether I will allow something, you may ask me about it in advance of May 8th.

I will also question each team about the procedures they plan to use to accomplish the projects. Each team must have a detailed plan for accomplishing each task.

Written Report
Your competition score and your grade for the field trip will be based on your write-up of the projects. Each project should be treated as a mini-lab-report, including a paragraph explaining your procedure, all of your calculations for the project, and your final result.

Random Facts About Bald Mountain
The summit of Bald Mountain is 750 meters above sea level. The parking lot is 450 meters above sea level.

The summit of Bald Mountain is home to a tall observation tower. Under normal circumstances I would not permit my students to drop anything off the observation tower. However, teams which have a good reason to do so (and a plan for keeping the drop safe for everyone) may be given permission to drop one or more items from the observation tower.

Field Trip - General Instructions for All Science Students
Both the Physical Science and Physics classes will receive a separate sheet of paper with specific instructions for the activities they will be involved in during the day. This page is general instructions for everyone attending the field trip.

Date: May 18, 2009. Please note that this date is tentative. Depending on the weather, we will do our field trip on the first good weather day that week.

Time: 8:00 AM -- 5:00 PM

Where: We will be visiting three interesting geological locations: Coos Canyon in Byron, Maine, Height of Land near Rangeley, Maine, and Bald Mountain in Oquossoc, Maine. We will stop briefly at the first two locations for exploration and observation. The bulk of our day will be spent on Bald Mountain. Students will be eating lunch at the summit of the mountain.

What To Bring:
* comfortable clothing
* comfortable shoes. (Sneakers or hiking shoes are fine, no sandals)
* backpack
* bottled water
* lunch (note: no microwave oven will be provided at the summit)
* insect repellent (optional)

Preparing for the Trip: One of the goals of this trip - for both classes - is to challenge students to take initiative and create their own plan for accomplishing tasks set before them. You will note that no instructions are given for accomplishing any of the day's tasks. Students who do not plan ahead will not succeed in their projects. On May 8th, during science class, I will be conducting interviews with teams to find out how prepared they are for their projects. This interview will count as a homework grade.

Lesson by Mr. Twitchell