Course Title:  Physics
2 Semesters – 10 Credits – 5 Class Period Per Week
 
Course Description:
            Students electing to take Physics at Woodcrest Christian High School are introduced to a wide range of physical science concepts conceptually, mathematically and in the lab setting.  These topics include:

• Fundamental Mathematics to include Scientific Notation, Trigonometry of Right Triangles, Law of Cosines, Law of Sines; Measurement; Motion in a Straight Line; Graphical Analysis of Motion; Vectors; Dynamics; Momentum and its Conservation; Motion in Two Dimensions; Law of Gravitation; Work and Power; Energy and its Conservation; Measurement of Heat; Heat as Energy; Kinetic Theory and the Structure of Matter; The Gas Laws; Waves and Transfer of Energy; The Nature of Light; Reflection and Refraction.

• The course is supplemented with instructor demonstrations and “hands on” usage of lab facilities.

• Students are evaluated on their performance in the laboratory, chapter quizzes, unit tests, semester exams, as well as, homework assignments, which include a variety of problems and current event reports in Physics.

Course Objectives:

Students will be able to… Identify that God is the creator and sustainer of all things and that physics is the study of His creation sans the study of biology. (Col. 1:15,16) Recognize and articulate the need for a set of standards for measurement and reporting of measurements. Cite the SI base units. Calculate uncertainty based on multiple measurements. Make measurements using a ruler, micrometer, digital balance, etc. and correctly report the measurement using the correct number of significant digits. Cite the rules for determining the number of significant digits in a reported number.

Students will be able to… Recognize God’s consistency through the consistency of mathematical modeling of vectors. Convert vectors in polar form to rectangular form and vice-versa.(Phys 1j) Add vectors given either polar or rectangular form. Apply graphical and analytical models of vectors to word problems.

Students will be able to… Articulate how the kinematic equations indicate authorship of the physical world. (Jn 1) Graphically represent physical scenarios, using the particle model when appropriate. Define position, distance, displacement, speed, velocity and acceleration both verbally and analytically. Solve problems that involve average speed or constant speed.(Phys 1a) Identify when 1-dimensional analysis is appropriate. Cite the kinematic formulas and apply them correctly to given scenarios. Identify free-fall motion and apply appropriate equations to solve for the unknown.

Students will be able to… Articulate God’s consistency through an understanding of Newton’s laws of motion. Cite Newton’s laws of motion and apply them correctly to appropriate scenarios.(Phys 1b,c,d) Draw free-body (force) diagrams that correctly label each force acting on an object.(Phys 1k) Identify scenarios which require 2-dimensional analysis.(Phys 1k) Calculate the properties of projectiles when air-resistance is neglected.(Phys 1i) Describe centripetal force and explain why centrifugal force is mythical.(Phys 1f,g) Calculate centripetal acceleration and force and apply their values to problems involving tension (horizontal circles only).(Phys 1l)

Students will be able to… Articulate that God is creator and sustainer and that the creation obeys laws which can be described logically and analytically. Articulate that our attempts to describe the motion of the planets must constantly be revised with additional data.(Phys 1h) Use the law of universal gravitation to estimate the force of gravity between objects.(Phys 1f) Cite Kepler’s laws of planetary motion and apply the two-body variant of the the third law to estimate the period or radius of orbit for satellites around a body. Apply the law of universal gravitation along side centripetal force to yield either a distance or velocity for a satellite.(Phys 1f,l)

Students will be able to… Convey why it is necessary to be consistent discoverers of God’s truths through a study of momentum and discussions concerning car accidents and safety developments. Define impulse and momentum verbally and analytically. Apply the impulse-momentum formula when appropriate.(Phys 2f) Determine whether a collision is inelastic or elastic and apply the conservation of momentum correctly for each situation. Calculate momentum and use the correct units.(Phys 2d)

Students will be able to… Explain the need for improved stewardship through increased safety mechanisms, more efficient machines and wiser use of resources. Identify the six simple machines and explain the method of conversion for each. Calculate the efficiency and advantages (ideal and practical) of a machine. Calculate the effort and resultant forces and displacements using appropriate formulas. Define kinetic and potential energy and work both verbally and analytically.(Phys 2a,b) Cite the work-energy theorem and apply it correctly to solve problems. Apply the conservation of energy to systems of bodies with one or two objects.(Phys 2c) Solve for the final velocities of objects after a collision.(Phys 2e,2g)

Students will be able to… Articulate an argument for the existence of a creator through the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics.(Col. 1:16)(Phys 3d,e,f) Cite and explain the laws of thermodynamics. (Phys 3a,b,d,e,f) Cite the definition of thermal energy. (Phys 3c) Determine the heat transferred between objects and calculate the equilibrium temperature.(Phys 3g) Define the states of matter by their properties including amorphous solids/viscous liquids. Calculate pressures that objects exert on other objects. Calculate the pressure under a fluid. Calculate buoyant force. Cite Pascal’s, Bernoulli’s and Archimedes principles. Define adhesion, cohesion and capillary action. Describe the processes of evaporation and condensation. Determine the length or volume of a solid that has expanded or contrasted due to a change in temperature.

Students will be able to… Articulate that God creation was intended to bring him glory.(Heb 1:3) Identify the types of waves and the method by which they carry energy.(Phys 4a,b) Solve problems that involve the wavelength, velocity, period and frequency of waves.(Phys 4c) Describe how sound is propagated and why it is dependent on medium.(Phys 4d) Identify the different wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum.(Phys 4e) Describe constructive and destructive interference, reflection, refraction, diffraction, beats, the doppler effect and polarization.(Phys 4f) Define the primary and secondary colors and pigments. Describe the effects of thin-film interference. Determine the luminous intensity on a surface.

Students will be able to… Convey the need to be consistent discoverers of God’s truth through the study of light and its behaviors. Apply the law of reflection. Apply Snell’s law to find critical angles, indices of refraction or refraction angles. Identify the types of mirrors and lenses. Apply the mirror/lens equation to find focal length or the length to an object or its image. Determine the magnification of an image. Draw diagrams to determine the location and properties of an image created by a mirror or lens. Calculate variables associated with single or double slit diffraction.

Students will be able to… Articulate that God creation was intended to bring him glory.(Heb 1:3) Define insulator and conductor. Describe how to charge by induction and conduction. Apply Coulomb’s law to fixed charges.(Phys 5k) Cite the elementary charge. Determine the electric field at a given location.(Phys 5l,m) Determine the net force on charged particles near both electric and gravitational fields.(Phys 5o) Sketch field lines around particles or small clusters of particles. Determine the change in voltage when a particle is moved in an electric field. Define a capacitor and calculate capacitance.

Students will be able to… Articulate that God creation was intended to bring him glory.(Heb 1:3) Differentiate between series and parallel connections. Calculate equivalent resistance and voltage in DC circuits using Ohm’s Law.(Phys 5a,b) Calculate the energy and power produced by an electric circuit.(Phys 5c) Build circuits resulting in particular equivalent resistances. Determine voltage drop across a resistive element.

Students will be able to… Describe how the complexity of the interaction between electricity and magnetism is evidence of an intelligent creator. Determine the strength and direction of a magnetic field. Determine the polarity of an electromagnet. Determine the magnitude and direction of force exerted on a current carrying wire exposed to a magnetic field. Build a working motor, speaker and electromagnet. Determine the amount of voltage induced when a wire moves through a magnetic field. Determine the voltage or current produced on the secondary side of a transformer.

Students will be able to… Describe how man has used knowledge of the structure of the atom in both righteous and sinful manners. Describe the structure of the atom according to the nuclear, Bohr and modified Bohr models of the atom. Name all of the hadrons, leptons and quarks. Describe the four fundamental forces. Describe radioactivity and the three forms of decay. Describe the photoelectric effect. Describe nuclear fission and fusion. Describe how LASERs function.

 
Textbook:

• Bible

• Physics ‑ Principles and Problems, by James Murphy and Robert Smoot, Published by Merrill, 1999; ISBN:0028254740

 
Required Materials

• Textbook: Physics: Principals and Problems ; ISBN:0028254740
• TI-83 or TI-84 Calculator

 
Prerequisites:

• Completion of Algebra II with a C or better