Course Title: Physics
Honors
Subject: Science
Grade Level: 11,
12
Department/School: Science
/ High School
Duration: Full
Year
Number of Credits: 6.00
Prerequisite: A grade of “B” or better in Algebra II Honors and
teacher recommendation
Elective or Required: Elective
Author: Michael Dancho
Date Submitted: Summer 2004
Course Description
This
fast-paced Physics Honors course is designed for a highly motivated student
with strong mathematical ability who plans to
pursue a career in life sciences, medicine, geology, mathematics, physical
science, engineering, or related fields. It is also meant as a preparation course for
the Advanced Placement Physics B course that is offered as a second-year
physics course at
The
major goals of the course are to study the interaction of matter and energy
through the mastery of the basic principles of physics, and to apply these
principles -- using the scientific method--to the solution of problems. Analytical methods involving freshman college
level mathematics are emphasized throughout the course. Problem solving is a major component of this
course!
Laboratory work is performed and designed to discover or to apply the basic principles of physics.
As of this writing, we are
experimenting with the content of this fast-paced Honors Physics course (based
on the AP Physics B curriculum) and time constraints set by the school
year.
GLEN RIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
SCIENCE
The
Our students will use the scientific method to understand and respond to questions about science, technology, and societal and world problems. Students will be challenged and encouraged to take risks and to develop critical thinking skills as they apply to real-world experiences.
Science
(Those directly related to Physics are
in BOLD print.)
STANDARD
5.1 (SCIENTIFIC PROCESSES) ALL STUDENTS WILL DEVELOP PROBLEM-SOLVING,
DECISION-MAKING AND INQUIRY SKILLS, REFLECTED BY FORMULATING USABLE QUESTIONS
AND HYPOTHESES, PLANNING EXPERIMENTS, CONDUCTING SYSTEMATIC OBSERVATIONS,
INTERPRETING AND ANALYZING DATA, DRAWING CONCLUSIONS, AND COMMUNICATING
RESULTS.
STANDARD
5.2 (SCIENCE AND SOCIETY) ALL STUDENTS WILL
DEVELOP AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW PEOPLE OF VARIOUS CULTURES HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO
THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, AND HOW MAJOR DISCOVERIES AND EVENTS
HAVE ADVANCED SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY.
STANDARD
5.3 (MATHEMATICAL APPLICATIONS) ALL STUDENTS WILL
INTEGRATE MATHEMATICS AS A TOOL FOR PROBLEM-SOLVING IN SCIENCE, AND AS A MEANS
OF EXPRESSING AND/OR MODELING SCIENTIFIC THEORIES.
STANDARD 5.4 (NATURE
AND PROCESS OF TECHNOLOGY) ALL STUDENTS WILL UNDERSTAND THE
INTERRELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND DEVELOP A CONCEPTUAL
UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURE AND PROCESS OF TECHNOLOGY.
STANDARD 5.5 (CHARACTERISTICS OF LIFE) ALL STUDENTS WILL GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING OF
THE STRUCTURE, CHARACTERISTICS, AND BASIC NEEDS OF ORGANISMS AND WILL
INVESTIGATE THE DIVERSITY OF LIFE.
STANDARD 5.6 (CHEMISTRY) ALL STUDENTS WILL GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING OF
THE STRUCTURE AND BEHAVIOR OF MATTER.
STANDARD
5.7 (PHYSICS) ALL STUDENTS WILL GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING
OF NATURAL LAWS AS THEY APPLY TO MOTION, FORCES, AND ENERGY TRANSFORMATIONS
STANDARD 5.8 (EARTH SCIENCE) ALL STUDENTS WILL GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING
OF THE STRUCTURE, DYNAMICS, AND GEOPHYSICAL SYSTEMS OF THE EARTH.
STANDARD 5.9 (ASTRONOMY and SPACE SCIENCE) ALL STUDENTS WILL GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING OF
THE ORIGIN, EVOLUTION, AND STRUCTURE OF THE UNIVERSE
STANDARD 5.10 (ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES) ALL STUDENTS WILL DEVELOP AN
UNDERSTANDING OF THE ENVIRONMENT AS A SYSTEM OF INTERDEPENDENT COMPONENTS
AFFECTED BY HUMAN ACTIVITY AND NATURAL PHENOMENA.
Physics Honors
Curriculum Description
As of this writing, we are experimenting with
the content of the Physics Honors course and the effect of time restraints.
Currently, the content of this fast-paced
Physics Honors course will follow a major portion of the AP Physics B course
curriculum on an introductory level:
·
Fundamentals
·
Newtonian Mechanics,
·
Electricity and Magnetism, and
·
Waves and Optics.
It
is our intention that the second-year AP Physics B course
would then complete the AP Curriculum with
·
Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Physics
·
Atomic and Nuclear Physics
and review the
entire AP Physics B curriculum.
Fundamentals
Goal: This
unit is meant to introduce and review the tools and processes of physics with
the fundamentals of physics, its methods, and its relevance to society, as well
as the basics of measurement, data, mathematical operations, and the use of the
scientific method in laboratory activities.
Objectives:
Upon completion of
this unit dealing with fundamentals, students should be able to
1.
Define
the physics and list some of its major fields of study: mechanics, fluids, electricity, magnetism,
electromagnetism, waves, sound, light, heat and thermodynamics, as well as
atomic and nuclear physics.
2. Relate
physics to other fields of study and to careers, as well as its relevance to
decisions facing a well-informed citizen in a technological society. (5.2 A.1,
5.4 A.1)
3. Appreciate
the historical role played by the ancient Greeks (especially Aristotle) in the
history of science, as well as that played by Galileo as the Father of
Experimental Science. (5.2 B.1)
4. Relate
creativity and collaboration in science and in physics using observation, theory
creation, testing of theory, and the tentative nature of theory. (5.1 A.3)
5. Explain
the role of models, theories, principles, and laws in physics, and how they are
all based on experimental evidence.
These entries link objectives to
the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards for Science.
6. Demonstrate
an ability to use a scientific
method of investigation used in our
class and based on observation, question, experiment design, measurement, data
analysis, results, sources of experimental error, and ideas for further
investigation.
7. Understand
that while there is no single “scientific method,” there are common
methods used by all scientists.
8. Demonstrate
an ability to follow the orderly
approach to problem-solving used in
this physics class. (5.3 B.1)
9. Realize
that the discoveries of physics are based on measurement of physical
quantities; differentiate between a unit of measurement and a standard
of measurement.
10. State
the Systeme Internationale (SI) , cgs, and British
System standard units of mass, length, and time.
11. Differentiate between a base unit and a
derived unit of measurement.
12. Perform analysis of lab data by determining
the:
a) percent difference between two
measurements
b) mean,
median, and range for a set of data
c) absolute deviation and relative deviation for a set of data
d) absolute error and relative error between an experimentally
determined data value and an accepted value for the data.
13. Demonstrate
a working knowledge of measurement and uncertainty--including estimated
uncertainty, percent uncertainty, and significant figures. (5.3 B.1)
14. Distinguish
between accuracy and precision and indicate the precision of a measurement
using the proper number of significant figures when recording measurements. (5.3 B.1)
15. Recognize
the existence of significant figure rules used to deal with expressing the
proper number of significant figures in the results of mathematical operations.
16. Use
the convention that operational results will be rounded to three significant figures in this class.
17. Express
a measurement in decimal and in scientific notation (exponential notation), and
perform basic mathematical operations with measurements expressed in scientific
notation. (5.3 A.1)
18. State
the abbreviations and values of some commonly used metric prefixes (giga, mega,
kilo, hecto, deka, deci, centi, milli, micro, nano, and pico).
19. Use
the conversion factor method (factor-label method) to
convert measurements from one unit to another unit.
20. Demonstrate
an ability to manipulate algebraic equations, especially for use in dimensional
analysis.
21. Demonstrate
the use of order of magnitude in rapid estimating of computational
results. (5.3 A.1)
22. Distinguish between dependent and independent
variables when investigating
relationships between physical quantities in experimental
activities.
23. Correctly
plot data points on a graph according to convention, and understand how smooth
curves drawn through data points represent the mathematical relationship
between the independent and dependent variables. (5.3 D.1)
24. Recognize
linear (direct) relationships and calculate the slope of a straight line with
appropriate units. (5.3 D.1)
25. Recognize
parabolic (quadratic), hyperbolic (inverse), and inverse square relationships,
and calculate their respective “constants of proportionality.” (5.3 D.1)
26. Use technology to apply the scientific method
to experimental investigations:
a) make observations of real life phenomena,
b) state questions or problems that may be
solved using the experimental method,
c) select and use appropriate instrumentation
to design and conduct investigations,
d) understand,
evaluate, and state safe procedures for conducting science investigations,
e) use appropriate measurements to collect
data,
f) organize and analyze
data and communicate experimental findings using words, charts, pictures, or
diagrams,
g) evaluate conclusions, weight evidence, and recognize that
arguments may not have equivalent merit,
h) evaluate sources of experimental error, and
i) explain how experimental results lead to further
investigations.
(5.1 A.1, 5.1 B.1, 5.1 B.2, 5.1 C.1, 5.3 D.1)
27. Apply
computer technology and spreadsheet software programs to analyze and present
data from physics investigations. (5.3
D.4)
28. Assess the risks and benefits associated with
alternative solutions to problems. (5.1.A.2)
29. Explore
cases that demonstrate the interdisciplinary nature of the scientific
enterprise. (5.1 A.4)
30. Recognize
the role of the scientific community in responding to changing social and
political conditions, and how scientific and
technological achievement effect historical events. (5.2 A.1)
31. Explain
and give an example of how theory, experiment, and physics research lead to the
application of such scientific discoveries in physics into technological advances and assess the impact of introducing a new
technology in terms of alternative solutions, costs, tradeoffs, risks,
benefits, and environmental impact. (5.4
A.1, 5.4 B.1)
32. Plan,
develop, and implement a proposal to solve an authentic, technological problem. (5.4 C.1)
Duration of Time: 3 Weeks
Activities:
-
Measurement
and Error Analysis
-
Measuring
Mass, Length, and Time
- Springs and Hooke’s Law
- Period of a Pendulum
A. Kinematics
1. Motion in One Dimension (5.3 C.1)
a) Students should understand the general
relationships among position, velocity, and
acceleration for the motion of a particle along a straight line so that given a
graph of one of the kinematic quantities, position, velocity, or accelerations,
as a function of time, they can recognize in what time intervals the other two
are positive, negative, or zero, and can identify or sketch a graph of each as
a function of time.
b) Students should understand the special case
of motion with constant acceleration so that they can:
(1) Write
down expressions for velocity and position as a function of time, and identify or sketch graphs of these quantities.
(2) Use the equations v = vo + a t, s = so + vo t +
½ a t2, and v2
= vo2 + 2a (s-so) to solve problems
involving one-dimensional motion with constant acceleration.
2. Motion in Two Dimensions
a) Students should know how to deal with
displacement and velocity vectors so they can:
(1) Relate velocity, displacement, and time for
motion with constant velocity.
(2) Calculate the component of a vector along a
specified axis, or resolve a vector into components along two specified
mutually perpendicular axes.
(3) Add vectors in order to find the net
displacement of a particle that undergoes successive straight-line
displacements.
(4) Subtract displacement vectors in order to
find the location of one particle relative to another, or calculate the average
velocity of a particle.
(5) Add or subtract velocity vectors in order to
calculate the velocity change or average acceleration of a particle, or the
velocity of one particle relative to another.
b) Students
should understand the motion of projectiles in a uniform gravitational field so
they can:
(1) Write down expressions for the horizontal and
vertical components of velocity and position as functions of time, and sketch
or identify graphs of these components.
(2) Use these expressions in analyzing the motion
of a projectile that is projected above
level ground with a specified initial velocity.
1.
Static
Equilibrium (First Law) (5.7 A.1)
Students should
be able to analyze situations in which a particle remains at rest, or moves
with constant velocity, under the influence of several forces.
2.
Dynamics of
a Single Particle (Second Law) (5.7
A.1)
a)
Students should understand the relation between the
force that acts on a body and the resulting change in the body’s velocity so
they can:
(1)
Calculate, for a body moving in one direction, the
velocity change that results when a constant force F acts over a specified time interval.
(2)
Determine, for a body moving in a plane whose velocity
vector undergoes a specified change over a specified time interval, the average
force that acted on it.
b) Students should understand how
(1) Draw a
well-labeled diagram showing all real forces that act on a body.
(2)
Write down the vector equation that results from
applying
c) Students should be able to analyze
situations in which a body moves with specified acceleration under the
influence of one or more forces so they can determine the magnitude and
direction of the net force, or of one of the forces
that makes up the net force, in situations such as the following:
(1)
Motion up and down with constant acceleration (in an
elevator, for example).
(2)
Motion in a horizontal circle (e.g. ,
mass on a rotating merry-go-round, or a car rounding a banked curve).
(3)
Motion in a vertical circle (e.g. mass swinging on the
end of a string, cart rolling down a curved track, rider on a Ferris wheel).
d)
Students should understand the significance of the
coefficient of friction so they can:
(1)
Write down the relationship between the normal and
frictional forces on a surface.
(2)
Analyze situations in which a body slides down a rough
inclined plane or is pulled or pushed across a rough surface.
(3)
Analyze static situations involving friction to
determine under what circumstances a body will start to slip, or to calculate
the magnitude of the force of static friction.
3.
Systems of
Two or More Bodies (Third Law) (5.7
A.2)
a)
Students should understand
b)
Students should be able to apply
c)
Students should know that the tension is constant in a
light string that passes over a massless pulley and should be able to use this
fact in analyzing the motion of a system of two bodies joined by a string.
C.
Work,
Energy, and Power (5.3 C.1)
1. Work
and Work-Energy Theorem
(5.7 A.6)
a) Students should understand the definition of
work so they can:
(1)
Calculate the work done by a specified constant force
on a body that undergoes a specified displacement.
(2)
Relate the work done by a force to the area under a
graph of force as a function of position, and calculate this work where the
force is a linear function of position.
(3)
Use the scalar product operation to calculate the work
performed by a specified constant force F
on a body that undergoes a displacement in a plane.
b)
Students should understand the work-energy theorem so
they can:
(1)
Calculate the change in kinetic energy or speed that
results from performing a specified amount of work on a body.
(2)
Calculate the work performed by the net force, or by
each of the forces that makes up the net force, on a body that undergoes a
specified change in speed or kinetic energy.
(3)
Apply the theorem to determine the change in a body’s
kinetic energy and speed that results from the
application of specified forces, or to determine the force that is required to
bring the body to rest in a specified distance.
2. Conservative Forces and
Potential Energy (5.7.A.6)
a) Students should understand the concept of
potential energy so they can:
(1)
Write an expression for the force exerted by an ideal
spring and for the potential energy stored in a stretched or compressed spring.
(2)
Calculate the potential energy of a single body in a
uniform gravitational field.
3. Conservation of Energy (5.7.A.6, 5.7.B.2, 5.7.B.3)
a) Students should understand conservation of
energy so they can:
(1)
Identify situations in which mechanical energy is or is
not conserved.
(2)
Apply conservation of energy in analyzing the motion of
bodies that are moving in a gravitational field and are subject to constraints
imposed by strings or surfaces.
(3)
Apply conservation of energy in analyzing the motion of
bodies that move under the influence of springs.
4. Power (5.7.A.6)
a) Students should understand the definition of
power so that they can:
(1)
Calculate the power required to maintain the motion of
a body with constant velocity (e.g., to move a body along a level surface, to
raise a body at a constant rate, or to overcome friction for a body that is
moving at constant speed).
(2)
Calculate the work performed by a force that supplies
constant power, or the average power supplied by a force that performs a specified
amount of work.
D. Systems
of Particles, Linear Momentum
(5.3.C.1)
1.
Impulse and
Momentum
a) Students should understand impulse and
linear momentum so they can:
(1)
Relate mass, velocity, and linear momentum for a moving
body, and calculate the total linear momentum of a system of bodies.
(2)
Relate impulse to the change in linear momentum and the
average force acting on a body.
2.
Conservation
of Linear Momentum, Collisions (5.7.A.6)
a) Students should understand linear momentum
conservation so they can:
(1)
Identify situations in which linear momentum, or a
component of the linear momentum vector, is conserved.
(2)
Apply linear momentum conservation to determine final
velocity when two bodies that are moving along the same line, or at right
angles, collide and stick together, and calculate how much kinetic energy is
lost in such a situation.
(3)
Analyze collisions of particles in one and two
dimensions to determine unknown masses or velocities, and calculate how much
kinetic energy is lost in a collision.
E.
Circular
Motion and Rotation (5.3.C.1)
1.
Uniform
Circular Motion
a) Students should understand the uniform
circular motion of a particle so that they can:
(1)
Relate the radius of the circle and the speed or rate
of revolution of the particle to the magnitude of the centripetal acceleration.
(2)
Describe the direction of the particle’s velocity and
acceleration at any instant during the motion.
(3)
Determine the components of the velocity and
acceleration vectors at any instant, and sketch or identify graphs of these
quantities.
2.
Angular
Momentum (of a particle) and Its Conservation
a) Students should understand angular momentum
so they can recognize the conditions under which the law of conservation is
applicable and relate this law to one- and two-particle systems such as satellite
orbits.
3.
Torque and
Rotational Statics
a)
Students should understand the concept of torque so
they can:
(1)
Calculate the magnitude and sense of the torque
associated with a given force.
(2)
Calculate the torque on a rigid body due to gravity.
b)
Students should be able to analyze problems in statics
so they can:
(1)
State the conditions for translational and rotational
equilibrium of a rigid body.
(2)
Apply these conditions in analyzing the equilibrium of
a rigid body under the combined influence of a number of coplanar forces applied
at different locations.
F. Oscillations (5.3.C.1, 5.7.A.6)
1.
Students should
understand the kinematics of
simple harmonic motion so they can:
a)
Sketch or identify a graph of displacement as a
function of time, and determine from such a graph the amplitude, period, and
frequency of the motion.
b)
Write down an appropriate expression for displacement
of the form A sin w
t or A cos w t to
describe the motion.
c)
Identify points in the motion where the velocity is
zero or achieves its maximum positive or negative value.
d)
State qualitatively the relation between acceleration
and displacement.
e)
Identify points in the motion where the acceleration is
zero or achieves its greatest positive or negative value.
f) State qualitatively the relation between
frequency and period.
g) State how the total energy of an oscillating
system depends on the amplitude of the motion, sketch or identify a graph of
kinetic energy or potential energy as a function of time, and identify points
in the motion where this energy is all potential or all kinetic.
h) Calculate the kinetic and potential energies
of an oscillating system as functions of time, sketch or identify graphs of
these functions, and prove that the sum of the kinetic and potential energy is
constant.
2.
Students should
be able to apply their knowledge of simple
harmonic motion to the case of a mass on a spring, so they can apply the expression for the period of oscillation
of a mass on a spring.
3.
Students should
be able to apply their knowledge of simple
harmonic motion to the case of a pendulum, so they can
a) Apply
the expression for the period of a simple pendulum.
b) State
what approximation must be made in deriving the period.
G.
Gravitation (5.3.C.1,
5.7.A.3, 5.7.A.6)
1.
Students should
know Newton’s Law of Universal
Gravitation so they can:
a) Determine
the force that one spherically symmetrical mass exerts on another.
b) Determine
the strength of the gravitational field at a specified point outside a
spherically symmetrical mass.
2.
Students should
understand the motion of a body
in orbit under the influence of
gravitational forces so they can
a) For
a circular orbit:
(1)
Recognize that the motion does not depend on the body’s
mass; describe qualitatively how the velocity, period of revolution, and
centripetal acceleration depend upon the radius of the orbit; and derive
expressions for the velocity and period of revolution in such an orbit.
b) For
a general orbit: