Physics, Monday, Class #1

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

Sam had gotten to class very early that morning. On her desk were a number of different textbooks, open to different lessons, and a notebook, full of ideas for classes and lab experiments. On the front chalkboard, she'd printed her name. On the chalkboard to her left were a number of complicated formulae which had nothing to do with anything she'd be teaching her students, but she'd had an idea, and there they were.

"Hi," she greeted the class, walking around her desk and leaning against it as she spoke, occasionally sipping from her cup of coffee. "Welcome to Physics. I'm Professor Carter, but I guess you can call me Sam. Most people do. It's a pretty standard class format--I'll be teaching you a concept, then you'll try to observe it in action, or try to predict what will happen based on what you've learned so far. Hopefully we'll be able to have some fun."

"Oh," she added, "I suppose I should warn you about a couple of things--first, I graduated from Fandom High a year ago, so I have a pretty good idea of how this island does and doesn't work. Feel free to ask questions or come to me with problems. Turning into an animal is not enough to miss class, and if you get gremlin-bit, you get a half absence only if you provide videotape footage. For those of you from other planets, universes, timelines, or centuries, I'll be teaching you primarily twentieth and twenty-first century Newtonian Earth physics, although we may branch off into relativity and astrophysics, primarily because I enjoy them and they raise some interesting ethical questions, as well."

"So. First, I'd like you to introduce yourselves, explain where and when you're from, any experience with physics, astronomy, or mechanics. Then, I'd like to have a discussion, so I can see how you approach issues. Since we're starting with Newton, more or less, I'd also like to discuss one of his quotes--'No great discovery was ever made without a bold guess.' What do you think the place of guesswork is in science? What do you think the biggest leap of intuition was? How do you know whether or when to trust it or not? How far do you trust it?"

"Finally, as a final project, you'll be designing and building pumpkin chuckers in teams of two. Which, for those of you who are uninitiated, are like catapults or trebuchets, but with pumpkins. So, start thinking about your design ideas and who you want to pair up with, and get back to me with the pairs by next week, okay? Now. Who's first?"

[ooc: OCD coming is here! Have fun!]

Comments

Introductions

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

Who, Where, When, Previous Experience

Re: Introductions

[thankgoditsme.livejournal.com]

"I'm Friday Next. Swindon, England, 2002. I don't have much experience, only passing interest and got mixed up with some time travel, which doesn't exist at home anymore. My sister is the mathematical genius of the family. I've picked up a little from her."

Re: Introductions

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

"Sisters are good like that," she grinned. "Is there anything in particular you'd like to learn about?"

She was dying to know about the time travel, but she'd ask later, maybe.

Re: Introductions

[sonofmogh.livejournal.com]

"I am Worf," he declared looking like he was sitting at attention. I am from the 24th century. I've taken basic quantum physics. Please give me your notes."

Re: Introductions

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

Sam blinked. "Why?"

Re: Introductions

[ktarian-wildman.livejournal.com]

"I'm Naomi Wildman," Naomi said, "I most recently lived in San Francisco, California, 2382. I grew up on a starship and I was given lessons in physics and astronomy by the ship's officers when they had the time. I also like to read about physics and astronomy in my spare time,"

Re: Introductions

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

"That's great, Naomi," Sam said. "Is there any particular branch of physics that interests you?"

Re: Introductions

[lil-yellow.livejournal.com]

"I'm called Bumblebee, and I'm from Cybertron originally, in a time analogous to Fandom. My base programming has some physics included and I've picked up more, but I'm not an expert by any means," he said.

Re: Introductions

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

More blinking. Nice to see Fandom still had some surprises. "I, uh, I see. Is there something you find more interesting about it?"

Re: Introductions

[my-tragic-past.livejournal.com]

"Name's Kevin. I'm came here from Dante's Cove, um, from like now." He thought.

"I've always been a fan of physical things -- I work out like, a lot. Sometimes, when I'm on the beach late at night, I like to look at the stars, find different star patterns and stuff. And I'm pretty good at mechanical things. I've totally been changing my own oil since I was old enough to drive."

Re: Introductions

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

Sam really, sincerely hoped Kevin didn't think this class would be about working out. Or maybe it would be? She jotted a note to herself before she answered him. "That's a good place to start, particularly with astronomy. Copernicus and Galileo did much the same thing when they were trying to figure out Earth's physical location in the universe. Which constellations did you see when you were lying there, looking up at the stars? How did it make you feel?"

Re: Introductions

[withoutverona]

"I'm Romeo Montague," Romeo stated. "I'm from Verona Beach, in California, now."

"I've not taken physics before, or much serious science save botany. I did take auto mechanics the second half of the summer."

Re: Introductions

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

"Nice to meet you, Romeo," Sam said. "Ah, auto mechanics. Did you get to work on any cool cars, or are you more interested in fixing your own?"

Re: Introductions

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

"I'm John Sheppard, from some normal version of Earth around now. My experience is iffy, but I'm not bad with numbers."

Re: Introductions

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

She raised an eyebrow at him. "How 'not bad' are we talking about?"

Re: Introductions

[mrodneymckay.livejournal.com]

Rodney sat a little straighter when it was his turn as he wanted to make a good impression. "I'm Rodney McKay and I'm from vaguely modern Canada. I already have extensive experience in physics, astronomy, and mechanics. In fact, I'd be in college already if my parents didn't insist on me having a 'normal childhood,'" he added with disdain. And airquotes. That good impression might not be going so well.

Re: Introductions

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

This? This was her punishment for not checking the class rosters this morning. "How's that turning out for you?"

Re: Introductions

[first-guardian.livejournal.com]

"I am Ichigo Kurosaki. I'm from Karakura Town, Japan, about two months in the future," Ichigo introduced himself with a shrug. "I don't have any previous experience, but it was seemed to be one of the classes that could be useful later on."

Re: Introductions

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

"You're not wrong," she told him. "What are your interests, when you're not stuck in classes?"

Re: Introductions

[techno-tosh.livejournal.com]

"Hello. I'm Toshiko Sato. I'm from London, England," Tosh began, looking around shyly at her classmates. She was still kind of boggling about the time difference and the yellow robot thing in the class. "It was 1992 when I left there. I've got some experience with physics, astronomy, mathematics...And anything I did not learn in school, I learned from reading about it."

Re: Introductions

[carter-i-am.livejournal.com]

"That's a good way to learn," Sam said, then asked, "Have you tested any of your knowledge in a lab, or in other settings?"

Re: Introductions

[itsjustlanguage.livejournal.com]

"My name is Hoshi Sato, and I'm from Kyoto, Japan. I'm also from about 140 years in the future," she began. "I've been attending Fandom High for a year, but before that I studied at home with a special tutor. We covered everything up to introductory warp field theory."

Re: Introductions

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

"My name is Sokka, and I'm from a world without much technology -- we've got some steam power, but not much. But I know everything there is to know about that, and then some, because I'm practically a genius. Everything I know is self-taught, too." He shrugged. "And... Uh. I know a little about twentieth-century Earth stuff, too. As for astrophysics? Planetariums are AWESOME!!!"

Re: Introductions

[the_merriest]

"Hiya!" Rikku bounced. "I'm Rikku, I'm from Spira, and it kinda sucks. We don't have a lot of technology, so my people kinda went diving in ruins and we reverse-engineered anything we could get our hands on. We kinda rewired things just to try to get them to work. So it's not very ... official, kinda experience? But it's useful. I have lots of junk in my room that I like to piece apart and then rewire different ways, 'cause, um. I'm weird like that."

Re: Introductions

[carsexual]

"Uh, I'm Sam Witwicky--that's 'Witwicky'--I'm from...now, I guess, and the United States, uh, out west, and my car is a sentient robot from outer space. That's. About it. My girlfriend is the mechanic. I'm here to learn."