Physics at Loveland High, while more or less standardized, is still unique in the number and type of projects it supports. Split into three levels, General Physics, Accelerated Physics, and AP Physics, this program suits the needs of every student. The prerequisite for General Physics is Geometry, and General Physics is not a prerequisite for Accelerated Physics.
In General Physics, students study mostly the conceptual side of physics, and at a slower pace than can be expected in Accelerated.
The only prerequisite for Accelerated Physics is Trigonometry, or Functions, as the class is called at LHS. In Accelerated, the student learns from a more mathematical standpoint. AP Physics is an extension of the student's learning at a college level. Physics is a lot of hard work, but from building cars and catapults to competing on a Rube Goldberg project, Physics is an experience the student will never forget.
The class itself is divided into six units:
Motion and Forces
Momentum and Energy
Torque and Gravity
Circular Motion
Waves, Sound, and Light
Modern Physics and Relativity
Although it starts out simple, the class soon escalates into the true study of Physics which the teacher, Mrs. Tanner, calls "The Final Frontier". This frontier, simply put, is the study of the smallest, the oldest, the fastest, and the coldest things in the universe.
Cars, Catapults, and Roller Coasters
At LHS, physics favors the hands-on approach. From the first unit, in which students make cars and catapults to study motion and forces, to the last unit, in which students tackle the Rube Goldberg Project, students are learning about physics in ways they're sure never to forget.
In fact, Loveland has become so recognized for this approach that Mrs. Tanner, the physics teacher, got published for one of her original projects, the roller coaster. In the second unit, Momentum and energy, students construct their own roller coaster and study it. When a national magazine, The Physics Teacher, heard about the project, they jumped. An article was published about the project for all of America to see, but Mrs. Tanner isn't letting that get to her. "I don't like publicity very much, "she says, and then she goes on teaching the minds of young people a different way of thinking.
The Rube Goldberg Project
The Rube Goldberg Project is one of the highlights of the year, in which the current Physics classes make a complex machine to do a very simple task. Students are graded on the complexity of their machine, and whether it works or not.
The project at left was designed to light a candle. It got 341 points and had approximately 30 steps.
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