Unit 1 Reflection

During the first unit of physics this year, I learned the concepts of inertia and motion.  While learning about that, we studied Newton's first law of motion, and applied our knowledge during the hovercraft lab which gave us a visual representation of the law.  We then moved into different forces that act on objects in the real world, such as gravity, friction, and outside forces.  I learned about the concept of net forces.  Finally, we studied velocity and acceleration, and the differences between the two, and how the relate to Galileo's study of motion with ramps and free fall.  I found it rather difficult to synthesize all the different formulas in my mind.  On a quiz, I often become confused as to which formula I need to use on a particular problem.I also found it difficult to calculate net forces on different objects.  At the start of this section, I did not find many chances to use problem solving skills, as most problems were simply common sense or conceptual.  The questions in the later area of the unit were more numerical and complicated.  The trip question was by far the most complicated problem, and I had to apply my problem solving skills thoroughly to solve it. 
I feel like this unit relates greatly to the real world, especially when talking about speed and acceleration.  There were many questions on quizzes concerning cars and driving.  Also, learning more about rates and time was beneficial to students studying algebra, as rates become a point of focus during the year.  Finally, we learned how to make graphs in excel very quickly, and this is a skill that is important in many classes.