Download The Physical Science - Physics course consists of 52 lessons, which

2013-2014
Physical Science – Physics
Teacher: Angela Costello
Course Description:
The Physical Science - Physics course consists of 52 lessons, which address key
concepts and processes from force and motion, work, power, machines, energy, heat,
and, electricity. The course presents a foundation of physics that will assist students in
advanced physics courses. Concepts are explored through animations and videos.
Grading Scale:
A 95-100, A- 90-94, B+ 88-89, B 84-87, B- 80-83, C+ 78-79, C 74-77, C- 70-73,
D+ 68-69, D 64-67, D- 60-63, E 0-59
Grading Categories: In this class your grade will consist of the following
Post-tests
90%
Review Test 10%
Unit 1: Motion
MHSCE Standards: P2.1 Position – Time; P2.2 Velocity – Time; P2.3x Frames of
Reference
Students will be able to:
 Identify the frames of reference and describe how they are used to measure
motion; Distinguish between distance and displacement; Calculate displacement
using vector addition
 Compare and contrast average speed and instantaneous speed; Interpret
distance-time graphs; Describe how velocities combine; Use a distance-time
graph to determine speed
 Identify changes in motion that produce acceleration; Calculate the acceleration
of an object; Interpret speed-time and distance-time graphs; Describe
instantaneous acceleration
Unit 2: Forces and Motion
MHSCE Standards: P3.1 Basic Forces in Nature; P3.1x Forces; P3.2 Net Forces; P3.3
Newton’s Third Law; P3.4 Forces and Acceleration
Students will be able to:
 Describe examples of force and identify appropriate SI units used to measure
force; Explain how the motion of an object is affected when balanced and
unbalanced forces act on it; Compare and contrast the four kinds of friction;
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Describe how Earth's gravity and air resistance affect falling objects; Describe
the path of a projectile and identify the forces that produce projectile motion
Describe Newton's first law of motion and its relation to inertia; Describe
Newton's second law of motion and use it to calculate acceleration, force, and
mass values; Relate the mass of an object to its weight; Determine how length
and steepness of a ramp affect the rate of acceleration on an object
Explain how action and reaction forces are related according to Newton's third
law of motion; Calculate the momentum of an object and describe what happens
when momentum is conserved during a collision; Review the development of
amusement park rides over time
Identify the forms of electromagnetic force that can both attract and repel; Identify
and describe the universal forces acting within the nucleus; Define Newton's law
of universal gravitation and describe the factors affecting gravitational force;
Describe centripetal force and the type of motion it produces
Unit 3: Forces in Fluids
MHSCE Standards: P3.1 Basic Forces in Nature; P3.1x Forces; P3.2 Net Forces
Students will be able to:
 Describe and calculate pressure; Describe the relationship between water depth
and the pressure it exerts; Explain how altitude affects air pressure
 Describe how pressure is transmitted in a fluid according to Pascal's principle;
Explain how the speed and pressure of a fluid are related according to Bernoulli's
principle
 Explain the effect of buoyancy on the apparent weight of an object; Use
Archimedes' principle to explain the relationship between displacement and
buoyant force; Describe the relationship between density and buoyancy
Unit 4: Work, Power, and Machines
MHSCE Standards: P4.1 Energy Transfer; P4.1x Energy Transfer – Work; P4.2 Energy
Transformation; P4.3 Kinetic and Potential Energy; P4.3x Kinetic and Potential Energy –
Calculations
Students will be able to:
 Describe the conditions that must exist for a force to do work on an object;
Calculate the work done on an object; Describe and calculate power
 Describe what a machine is and how it makes work easier to do; Relate the work
input to a machine to the work output of the machine; Review the development of
machines from the 1700s to the early 1900s
 Compare a machine's actual mechanical advantage to its ideal mechanical
advantage; Explain why the efficiency of a machine is always less than 100%;
Determine the mechanical advantage of a pair of bicycle gears
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Name, describe, and give an example of a lever; Name, describe, and give an
example of a wheel and axle; Name, describe, and give an example of an
inclined plane; Name, describe, and give examples of a wedge and a screw;
Name, describe, and give examples of pulleys and pulley systems; Define and
identify compound machines
Unit 5: Energy
MHSCE Standards: P4.1 Energy Transfer; P4.1x Energy Transfer – Work; P4.2 Energy
Transformation; P4.3 Kinetic and Potential Energy; P4.3x Kinetic and Potential Energy –
Calculations
Students will be able to:
 Describe the relationship between work and energy; Relate kinetic energy to
mass and speed and calculate these quantities; Analyze how potential energy is
related to an object's position and give examples of gravitational and elastic
potential energy; Give examples of the major forms of energy and explain how
each is produced; Describe how the energy of a moving object is influenced by
its mass
 Describe conversions of energy from one form to another; State and apply the
law of conservation of energy; Analyze how energy is conserved in conversions
between kinetic energy and potential energy and solve equations that equate
initial energy to final energy; Describe the relationship between energy and mass
and calculate how much energy is equivalent to a given mass
 Classify energy resources as renewable or nonrenewable; Describe ways to
conserve energy resources
Unit 6: Thermal Energy and Sounds
MHSCE Standards: P4.1 Energy Transfer; P4.2 Energy Transformation; P4.11x Heat,
Temperature, and Efficiency
Students will be able to:
 Explain how heat and work transfer energy; Calculate thermal energy,
temperature change, or mass using the specific heat equation; Describe how a
calorimeter operates and calculate thermal energy changes or specific heat using
calorimetry measurements
 Describe conduction; Describe convection; Describe radiation
 Apply the law of conservation energy to conversions between thermal energy
and other forms of energy; Apply the second law of thermodynamics in situations
where thermal energy moves from cooler to warmer objects; State the third law
of thermodynamics
 Describe how the different types of heating systems operate; Describe how
cooling systems, such as refrigerators and air conditioners, operate
Unit 7: Mechanical Waves and Sounds
MHSCE Standards: P4.4 Wave Characteristics; P4.4x Wave Characteristics –
Calculations; P4.5 Mechanical Wave Propagation; P4.8 Wave Behavior – Reflection
and Refraction; P4.8x Wave Behavior – Diffraction, Interference, and Refraction
Students will be able to:
 Define mechanical waves and relate waves to energy; Describe transverse
waves and discuss how they are produced; Describe longitudinal waves and
discuss how they are produced; Describe surface waves and discuss how they
are produced
 Define frequency, period, and wavelength and describe these properties for
different kinds of waves; Solve equations relating wave speed to wavelength and
frequency or period; Describe how to measure amplitude and relate amplitude to
the energy of a wave
 Describe how reflection, refraction, and diffraction affect waves; Distinguish
between constructive and destructive interference and explain how standing
waves form
 Describe the properties of sound waves and explain how sound is produced and
reproduced; Explain how relative motion determines the frequency of sound an
observer hears; Read varying viewpoints on the topic of noise pollution in the
ocean
 Analyze the functions of the main regions of the human ear; Describe how sound
waves behave in applications such as ultrasound and music; Review the
development of sound recording over time
Unit 8: The Electromagnetic Spectrum and Light
MHSCE Standards: P4.9 Nature of Light; P4.r9 Nature of Light – Wave-Particle Nature
Students will be able to:
 Describe the characteristics of electromagnetic waves in a vacuum and how
Michelson measured the speed of light; Calculate the wavelength and frequency
of an electromagnetic wave given its speed; Describe the evidence for the dual
nature of electromagnetic radiation; Describe how the intensity of light changes
with distance from a light source
 Rank and classify electromagnetic waves based on their frequencies and
wavelengths; Describe the uses for radio waves and infrared rays; Describe the
uses for visible light, ultraviolet rays, X-rays, and gamma rays
 Classify materials as transparent, translucent, or opaque to visible light; Describe
what happens when light is reflected, refracted, polarized, or scattered
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Explain how a prism disperses white light into different colors; Analyze factors
that determine the color of an object; Distinguish among primary, secondary, and
complementary colors of light and of pigments
Unit 10: Electricity
MHSCE Standards: P4.10 Current Electricity – Circuits; P4.10x Current Electricity –
Ohm’s Law, Work, and Power
Students will be able to:
 Analyze factors that affect the strength and direction of electric forces and fields;
Describe how electric forces and fields affect electric charges; Describe how
electric charges are transferred and explain why electric discharges occur
 Describe electric current and indentify the two types of current; Describe the
factors that affect resistance; Explain how voltage produces electric current;
Calculate voltage, current, and resistance using Ohm's law
 Analyze circuit diagrams for series circuits and parallel circuits; Demonstrate how
current moves in parallel and series circuits; Solve equations that relate electric
power to current, voltage, and electrical energy; Describe devices and
procedures for maintaining electrical safety
 Explain how electronics conveys information with analog or digital signals;
Describe electronic devices used to control electron flow; Describe how solidstate components are used in electronic devices; Read varying viewpoints on the
topic of electric cars
Student Aides:
Study Guides
Fill in the Blank Notes
On-line calculators
Graphing Calculators
Graph Paper
Science Help Websites