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Physics 11
As the year-end creeps upon Brentwood’s campus, the scene is a little different for the students of Mrs Olszewski’s AP Physics 11 class.
Physics is easily one of the hardest subjects a student can take in a high school setting, but take the course and combine it with a course doubled in difficulty and that is AP physics. The class is taught on the basis of Grade 11 Physics intertwined with Grade 12 Physics. In comparison with a regular physics class, the pace of learning is almost doubled. Since the course is a mix of Physics 11 and Physics 12, in a normal year the student taking the course would write a Physics 12 exam at the end of the year and if they were to hypothetically take AP Physics 12 the following year, they would then write an AP exam also.
So far this year, the class has covered all sorts of physics theories, formulas and labs. The most recent lab done was the class's static equilibrium lab where two partners from the same cohort are to take a meter stick, a known mass, unknown mass, and a fulcrum which was a solid piece of glass-like material in the shape of a triangle. Their goal was to achieve static equilibrium while the meter stick balanced on the fulcrum using their known masses and unknown masses. Once the students had acquired all the data they needed, they were to plot and record the data on a graph and find a line of best fit.
Aside from this lab, the students have covered inclined planes, 2D projectile motion, torque, circular motion, kinematics and Newton's laws. We are currently working on the study of magnetic forces, solenoids and magnetic fields. As much of the work is very heavily reliant on math, students must be able to freely and confidently rearrange formulas and solve for variables.
Even with all this information, formulas and more, constantly being thrown at them by Mrs Olzewskis, the students somehow able to manage themselves and their emotions surprisingly well. Most people would jump off the docks behind the classroom - but not the well conditioned minds of AP Physics 11.
The class is definitely fun - at times - but it doesn't matter because unlike any other teachers here on campus, Mrs Olzewski brought her class donuts - once. Circular motion is a sweet area of study.
Sajeev S, Whittall ‘22
Physics is easily one of the hardest subjects a student can take in a high school setting, but take the course and combine it with a course doubled in difficulty and that is AP physics. The class is taught on the basis of Grade 11 Physics intertwined with Grade 12 Physics. In comparison with a regular physics class, the pace of learning is almost doubled. Since the course is a mix of Physics 11 and Physics 12, in a normal year the student taking the course would write a Physics 12 exam at the end of the year and if they were to hypothetically take AP Physics 12 the following year, they would then write an AP exam also.
So far this year, the class has covered all sorts of physics theories, formulas and labs. The most recent lab done was the class's static equilibrium lab where two partners from the same cohort are to take a meter stick, a known mass, unknown mass, and a fulcrum which was a solid piece of glass-like material in the shape of a triangle. Their goal was to achieve static equilibrium while the meter stick balanced on the fulcrum using their known masses and unknown masses. Once the students had acquired all the data they needed, they were to plot and record the data on a graph and find a line of best fit.
Aside from this lab, the students have covered inclined planes, 2D projectile motion, torque, circular motion, kinematics and Newton's laws. We are currently working on the study of magnetic forces, solenoids and magnetic fields. As much of the work is very heavily reliant on math, students must be able to freely and confidently rearrange formulas and solve for variables.
Even with all this information, formulas and more, constantly being thrown at them by Mrs Olzewskis, the students somehow able to manage themselves and their emotions surprisingly well. Most people would jump off the docks behind the classroom - but not the well conditioned minds of AP Physics 11.
The class is definitely fun - at times - but it doesn't matter because unlike any other teachers here on campus, Mrs Olzewski brought her class donuts - once. Circular motion is a sweet area of study.
Sajeev S, Whittall ‘22