Dissection of rat

Hugh McGuinness

9th Grade Science - Ross School

The Moving Universe

I expect this year’s science class to be truly exciting as we study the physics of motion, astronomy, optics and a little human physiology. In Integrated Studies you will focus on the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. This is the period in which modern science was not only born, but also came to be a dominant perspective for viewing human experience. Thus we will not only learn the content of specific scientific disciplines, but also begin to study the scientific method itself, investigating its power and limitations.

In the early Renaissance, scientific thought throughout Europe was dominated by the Greek view that physical law was different in the heavens than it was on earth. Celestial bodies were thought to move in “perfect” circular motion, whereas on earth all things behaved in imperfect, “fallen” ways. In the heavens movement was eternal, while on earth all things came to rest. In fact no laws of motion had been quantified, as the Greeks were satisfied with untested generalizations about the way the physical world worked. When Nicolaus Copernicus postulated that the earth was not the center of the universe in 1543, but was merely another planet that circled the sun, a crack was opened in the Greek view of the world. If the earth revolved around the sun, then it, too, might be governed by the same physical laws that governed the other planets. Later, in the early 17th century, Galileo and Johannes Kepler provided data to support Copernicus and refute the notion that the earth is at the center of all things. Imagine the psychological and existential tumult that the people living in this era must have felt!

At the same time as the model of the universe was being re-structured, scientists began to understand the physical laws that govern life on earth. The most notable of these researchers was Galileo who, using ingenious devices such as music to mark time, was able to determine laws of motion experimentally. We will repeat some of Galileo’s experiments in order to derive these laws ourselves. It remained for Isaac Newton in the late 17th century to unify physics by pointing out that the laws of motion on earth are exactly the same as those that apply to heavenly bodies. For the first time in human history, the heavens were seen as comprehensible, bearing some similarities to the earth.

The Renaissance was also marked by the application of this new methodology to all sciences. Medicine, which had relied on information handed down from 1500 years earlier, was re-examined by scientists using observational and experimental study. The new ways of portraying the human body, which distinguishes Renaissance art, was paralleled by a similar re-examination in the understanding of human anatomy, physiology and illness. We will duplicate this observational method of study in an integrated project with the art domain when we dissect various animals during our study of the human body and its anatomy and physiology.

Expectations:

  1. Arrival in class: I expect that when the bell sounds at the beginning of class you will be in your seat and that you will have your notebook open and a pencil, a pen and a calculator at your disposal. If computers or textbooks are required, they are to be on your desk. All other “luggage” (i.e., bookbags, books etc.) should be in the Glass Hall.
  2. Notebooks: All students are expected to bring a notebook for taking notes during class and/or a ring-binder for handouts to class. (If you already have a ring binder or a multi-subject notebook, make a section specifically for science.) You may use a ring-binder for all of your materials. In the ring-binder, which I will inspect periodically, you must keep all handouts, study sheets, reading material, tests, etc. that are associated with the class.
  3. Computers may not be used for taking notes during class. You may never be on-line during class (unless it is part of the exercise), or using the computer for any purpose other than the task the exercise requires. Computers will be confiscated if you are playing games or using e-mail during class.
  4. Lateness: Class begins when the bell sounds. Students are expected to be present in class at this point, and be ready to begin working. Failure to be ready will result in being marked late. Three late marks in a trimester will result in a detention.
  5. Class Notes: In class you must keep notes. They should begin with the date, and then clearly indicate the activities carried out in class. These include the warm-up problem, which should be written in your notebook along with its solution. Notebooks must be kept neat, and should reflect the work being done in class. Each new activity should be labeled with a visible title. Periodically I will collect the notebooks.
  6. Calculator: You must have a scientific calculator for this class. The graphing calculator that you have for math is acceptable or you can by cheap scientific calculators at K-mart.
  7. Writing utensils: All students must come to class with a pen and a pencil.
  8. New Rules: These are not the only regulations: I will update this list with new rules periodically.
  9. Assigned Seats: After the first month I will assign seats in the classroom and lab partners for experiments.

Course Materials:

Text material will be handed out throughout the year. When we study Newtonian mechanics, you will receive a textbook. At each class you are expected to have a notebook in which to keep class notes and experimental data, a ring-binder in which to keep handouts, a scientific calculator, a pen and a pencil.

If you need to contact me, you can e-mail me at hmcguinness@ross.org, phone me at my office (907-5229) or at home (725-6037), but please no calls after 10 pm.

Course Outcomes & Grading

During the year you will be graded on the following five outcomes. These are divided into three categories: Process Outcomes, Content Outcomes and Application Outcomes.

Process:

Content:

Application:

Outcomes 2, 3 and 5 are the most important, and students cannot pass the course unless they receive a proficient grade in at least two out of three of these. In addition, it will be impossible to receive a distinguished mark for the course, if the final mark for outcomes 2 and 3 are not distinguished at the end of the year.

Your grades on these outcomes will be determined through a series of quizzes, tests, experiments, lab reports and homework assignments. On occasion you will receive an assignment for which you will be asked to achieve mastery. This means that you will have to repeat the assignment until you receive a sufficient grade to pass the assignment.

On all assignments for which you are receiving a grade, you may not work with, receive help from, or provide help to other students. In general it is not a good idea to copy answers from other people because this usually means that you have not understood the material.

Cheat Sheets

Throughout the year you are expected to keep a paper on which you write all the information, formulas, math equations, conversion factors, etc. that you might have difficulty memorizing. The only things not allowed to be on the sheet are Newton’s 3 Laws of Motion. You may use these sheets on exams.

Homework

In general you should expect to do 2-3 hours of homework per week. I recommend that after each class that you review the notes so you can tell if you understand the material and make sure that all the handouts are safely filed in your notebook. Homework will largely consist of problem sets, reading and lab reports.