Physics
Physics is a year long course available to all juniors and seniors. The course covers a wide variety of physical science topics in considerable depth. Though subjects are learned conceptually, students will need experience in mathematics covered in algebra, geometry, and trigonometry to be successful.
Physics Outline
Linear Motion Unit
- Students will be able to give examples or explanations of how motion is relative.
- Using knowledge of speed, velocity, and acceleration, students will be able to create position, velocity, and acceleration graphs from observed scenarios of motion.
- By using knowledge of how the distance, velocity, and acceleration of a falling object change over time, students will be able to calculate and solve free fall problems.
Projectile Motion
- Students will be able to add vectors using the parallelogram method or stacking method.
- Using knowledge of vectors and trigonometry, students will be able to determine the acceleration down an incline plane.
- Students will be able to manipulate the parabolic path, the hang time, height, or distance of a projectile.
Newton's Laws
- Students will describe and explain scenarios of motion using Newton's three laws of motion.
- Using knowledge of friction and normal force, students will be able to determine the forces involved in keeping an object in equilibrium.
- Students will be able to explain what factors effect pressure and be able to compute it under different situations.
- Students will be able to explain what factors effect friction and be able to compute it under different situations.
Momentum and Energy
- Knowing that momentum is always conserved, students will be able to predict the velocities of objects after they collide or break apart.
- Students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of how momentum and impulse are related.
- After studying energy, students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of both work and power.
- Understanding the conservation of energy, students will be able to calculate the amount of mechanical energy an object has due to its position or velocity.
- Students will be able to calculate the mechanical advantage of simple machines to help them determine the forces that are being applied.
- Students will be able to list the sources of energy on earth and formulate their opinion on the use of different types of energy.
Circular Motion and Gravity
- Students will be able to distinguish between linear speed and rotational speed.
- Students will be able to give examples of and reasons for centripetal and centrifugal forces.
- Students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of the relationship between rotational inertia, mass, and radius.
- Understanding the conservation of angular momentum, students will predict the change in rotational velocity when a change in rotational inertia occurs.
- Students will be able to explain how gravity follows the inverse square law.
Special Relativity
- Students will be able to identify and explain the two postulates of Einstein's Special Relativity Theory.
- Students will be able to describe how momentum, length, energy, and time change at speeds near the speed of light.
- Students will be able to describe how mass and energy are related.
Sound and Light
- Students will be able to describe and compare the properties of sound and light waves.
- Students will be able to describe the change in waves emitted from moving bodies.
- Students will be able to give examples of the relationship between resonance and the amplitude of a wave.
- Students will be able to recognize examples of interference in sound and light waves.
- Students will predict how light diffracts, reflects, or refracts by studying the frequency of the light, the properties of the material, and the angles of impact on surfaces.
- Students will be able to manipulate polarized lenses to obtain a desired brightness.
- Understanding color by addition and subtraction, students will be able to predict the color of an object under different circumstances.
Electricity
- Students will be able to identify the subatomic particles in an atom and their electrical properties.
- Students will be able to explain how electricity follows the inverse square law.
- Students will be able to predict how well a material will conduct electricty from its properties.
- Students will be able to compare the ways in which objects are electrically charged and the process of polarization.
- Students will be able to explain how and why electrical force fields are sometimes shielded.
- To show knowledge of currents, voltage, and resistance, students will apply Ohm's Law to electrical circuits.
- Students will be able to compare direct and alternating current.
- Students will be able to create and compare series and parallel circuits.
Solids, Liquids, and Gases
- Using knowledge of elasticity, compression, and tension, students will be able to predict how solid objects will behave under different stresses.
- Students will be able to compare how surface area and volume change as objects change in size.
- Students will be able to describe what factors cause changes in pressure in liquids.
- With knowledge of Archimedes' Principle, students will be able to predict the buoyancy of an object in water or air.
- With knowledge of Pascal's Principle, students will be able to amplify their forces using the pressure of a fluid.
- Understanding the atmosphere, students will be able to compare how mercury and aneroid barometers are similar and different from an altimeter.
- Students will be able to predict changes in pressure, volume, and temperature by applying Boyle's and Charles' Laws.
- Students will be able to give examples of the application of Bernoulli's Principle.
Atomic and Nuclear Physics
- With understanding of the photoelectric effect, students will be able to compare the frequency of light to its energy.
- Using an understanding of the properties of nucleons, students can explain the instability of a large nucleus.
- Students will be able to compare the three types of radiation.
- Students will be able to write the correct chemical symbols of different types of isotopes.
- With an understanding of radioactive decay, students will be able to describe how scientists use the natural transmutation of elements and their known half-lifes to determine the age of extremely old objects.
- Students will be able to describe a nuclear fission reaction and be able to compare it to a nuclear fusion reaction.
- Students will be able to explain why so much energy is released during a nuclear reaction by relating it to the equivalence of mass and energy.
Physics Grading Policy | Physics Golden Rod Sheets | Physics Class Supplies
District 145 Public Schools
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Educational Service Unit #6, Milford, Nebraska
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