F=ma Physics • 2022

New this year: one Pre-F=ma class will be offered on November 14, 2021.

This is a course at the San Diego Math Circle preparing students for the F=ma contest offered by the American Association of Physics Teachers, to select for the USA Physics Olympiad.

The course runs from 1 PM to 2:30 PM Pacific Time on numerous Sundays from November 21, 2021 to February 6, 2022:

1. November 14, 2021 (Pre-F=ma)
2. November 21, 2021
3. December 5, 2021
4. December 12, 2021
5. January 9, 2022
6. January 16, 2022
7. January 23, 2022
8. January 30, 2022
9. February 6, 2022

The official schedule is kept in the San Diego Math Circle Master Calendar.

Whiteboards and notes are toward the bottom of the page.

New for the 2022 season! The Pre-F=ma session is intended to give students in lower grades with less experience in math and physics a smoother transition to the regular F=ma series.

Discussed in class –

• Projectile motion
• Newtonian mechanics
• Extremal analysis and applications

Homework –

• Prepare for a diagnostic exam next week!
• Even if you are well prepared or have taken plenty of diagnostics, do attend so I can get a sense of what material is most needed.

Old exams –

• Linked below. Please save 2018-2021 exams for later.

Discussed in class –

• Diagnostic exam: F=ma 2018B.

Homework –

• None.

Discussed in class –

• Difficult problems from F=ma 2018B: #4, 6, 9, 13, 17, 18, 20 & 22.
• See Dimensional Analysis and Springs in Series and Parallel notes.
• Also see Problem 11 from F=ma Physics 2020 Homework 1.

Homework –

• Solve the in-series spring system with two different spring constants. Hint: the equilibrium condition is unchanged.

Discussed in class –

• Difficult problems (continued) from F=ma 2018B: #7, 10, 12, 14, 16, 19 & 21.
• See Error Propagation and Pendulums (from F=ma Physics 2020) notes.
• Also see Problem 11 from F=ma Physics 2020 Homework 1.

Homework –

• Read about and use relative error propagation techniques to solve F=ma 2018B #19.

Discussed in class –

• Special topic session: rotational dynamics.
• See Rotation (from F=ma Physics 2021) and Moments of Inertia notes.
• Problems from F=ma 2017: #14 & 15

Homework –

• None.

Discussed in class –

• Special topic session: orbits.
• See Orbits (from F=ma Physics 2021).
• Problems from F=ma 2017: #1, 6 & 25 and 2016: #4, 8 & 9.

Homework –

• Generalize Kepler's Third Law to elliptical orbits. (Slide 3)
• "Optionaler": Show that you can ignore the second beam in a scenario like that in 2017 #6.

Prepare for a real practice exam next week.

Discussed in class –

• Practice exam: F=ma 2019A.

Homework –

• None.

Discussed in class –

• Difficult and requested problems from F=ma 2019A: #3, 14, 16, 17, 19, 21, 23, 24, 25, 5 & 9.

Homework –

• Check limiting cases for 2019A #3. (Slide 1)
• Check that a spring oscillator subject to gravity can be solved by considering either an adjusted equilibrium length or a modified spring force.

Request topics and problems to cover in our final session next week.

Discussed in class –

• Requested topics through F=ma 2019B: #6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 16, 17, 18 & 25.

Homework –

• Read about Gauss's Law and its applications to gravity problems. (Slide 1 & 2)
• Compute the moments of inertia of (a) a square and (b) a cube, both of side length L. (Slide 5)

Good luck on your exam!

The registration deadline for the 2022 F=ma exams is January 21, 2022.

The 2022 F=ma exams will be administered on:

• Exam A, February 9, 2022
• Exam B, February 15, 2022

I am not directly involved in the administration of the exams, so all questions should be directed to the SDMC administration.