Admissions

In most cases, we are performing our usual set of 13 experiments of the fall semester. These are experiments about Newtonian Mechanics, which are designed to illustrate carefully the concepts introduced in the lectures. Of course, this fall we cannot do the experiments in our laboratory. As with all the classes at Lake Forest College, the sessions meet at the usual scheduled time:  Monday through Friday, noon to 4 PM Central Daylight Time. Most students are present in the session synchronously via Zoom with one instructor. The instructor answers questions and can view the student's work using the screen-share feature.  The students review the outcome of the experiment and create a report about the experiment.

We have four kinds of remote methods to perform the experiments.

1. Analysis of data taken by the instructor in advance or during the laboratory period. Example:  Time of flight of a falling object.
2. Exploring computer simulations of physical situations, in which parameters may be easily changed. Example:  Physlets showing wave phenomena.
3. Construction of devices using common household items. Example:  Study projectile motion by throwing a ball and recording the trajectory with a smart phone. Students construct a hanging weight on a string of known length to calibrate the video.
4. Use special equipment provided by Lake Forest College. Example:  Sensor carts to measure position, velocity, acceleration, and force

The laboratory sections have ten to thirteen students, and therefore students receive individual attention, similar to in-person teaching.

Some students are not able to attend and watch a recording of the session. They can receive asynchronous support via email or Zoom.