Download AP Physics - Pompton Lakes School District

POMPTON LAKES SCHOOL DISTRICT
AP PHYSICS 2:
ALGEBRA-BASED
COURSE OF STUDY
(June 2014
Submitted By
The Science Department
Dr. Paul Amoroso, Superintendent
Mr. Vincent Przybylinski, Principal
Mr. Anthony Mattera, Vice Principal
BOARD MEMBERS
Mrs. Dale Ambrogio, Mr. Jose A. Arroyo, Mrs. Traci Cioppa, Mr. Robert Cruz,
Mr. Shawn Dougherty, Mrs. Eileen Horn, Mr. Tom Salus, Mrs. Nancy Schwartz,
Mrs. Stephanie Shaw, Mr. Timothy Troast, Jr.
I. Description
AP Physics 2: Algebra Based is a course designed for the students who have successfully
completed Honors Physics or AP Physics 1, and want to take the Physics 2: AlgebraBased Advanced Placement Test. As a continuation of the AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based
coursework, AP Physics 2 goes beyond Newtonian mechanics and explores a more
diverse set of physical phenomenon, including fluid mechanics, thermodynamics,
electricity and magnetism, optics, and atomic and nuclear physics. These topics are
dictated by the College Board’s Advanced Placement Program. Although calculus is not
a prerequisite, it is recommended that it at least be taken alongside this course. Students
must be very strong in mathematical-reasoning. Lab activities are an integral part of the
course. They, too, are scholastically demanding and require the student to have a serious
commitment toward the work. Summer assignments are required. The interpretation of
data requires a level of thought and understanding not generally found in high school
students.
II.
Objectives
A. Science Standards
5.1
Science Practices: All students will understand that science is both a body of
knowledge and an evidence-based, model-building enterprise that continually
extends, refines, and revises knowledge. The four Science Practices strands
encompass the knowledge and reasoning skills that students must acquire to be
proficient in science.
5.2
Physical Science: All students will understand that physical science principles,
including fundamental ideas about matter, energy, and motion, are powerful
conceptual tools for making sense of phenomena in physical, living, and Earth
systems science.
5.4
All students will understand that Earth operates as a set of complex, dynamic, and
interconnected systems, and is a part of the all-encompassing system of the
universe.
III.
Core Curriculum Content Standards Workplace
1.
All students will develop career planning and workplace readiness skills.
2.
All students will use information, technology, and other tools.
3.
All students will use critical thinking, decision-making, and problem solving
skills.
4.
All students will demonstrate self-management skills.
5.
All students will apply safety principles.
IV. Standard 9.1 (Career and Technical Education)
All students will develop career awareness and planning, employment skills, and
foundational knowledge necessary for success in the workplace.
Strands and Cumulative progress Indicators
Building knowledge and skills gained in preceding grades, by the end of Grade 12,
students will:
A.
Career Awareness Preparation
1.
Re-evaluate personal interests, ability and skills through various measures
including self-assessments.
2.
Evaluate academic and career skills needed in various career clusters.
3.
Analyze factors that can impact on individual’s career.
4.
Review and update their career plan and include plan in portfolio.
5.
Research current advances in technology that apply to a sector
occupational career cluster.
B.
Employment Skills
1.
Assess personal qualities that are needed to obtain and retain a job related
to career clusters.
2.
Communicate and comprehend written and verbal thoughts, ideas,
directions and information relative to educational and occupational
settings.
3.
Select and utilize appropriate technology in the design and implementation
of teacher-approved projects relevant to occupational and/or higher
educational settings.
4.
Evaluate the following academic and career skills as they relate to home,
school, community, and employment.
Communication
Punctuality
Time management
Organization
Decision making
Goal Setting
Resources allocation
Fair and equitable competition
Safety
Employment application
Teamwork
5.
Demonstrate teamwork and leadership skills that include student
participation in real world applications of career and technical educational
skills.
All students electing further study in career and technical education will
also: participate in a structural learning experience that demonstrates
interpersonal communication, teamwork and leadership skills.
Unit 1 Overview
Content Area:
Science
Unit Title:
Thermodynamics
Target Course/Grade Level: Advanced Placement Physics 2: Algebra-Based
Unit Summary: Thermodynamics is the study of work, energy, and heat. Thermodynamics deals with
large-scale observations of whole systems. The study of thermodynamics gives physicists and students the
tools necessary to analyze and simplify extremely complex systems involving vast numbers of interacting
molecules. The principles applied in the study of thermodynamics will give students a better
understanding of the energy dynamics involved in thermal expansion, heat transfer, refrigeration, and
combustion engines. In this unit, students will be given a framework for representing the microscopic
world of atoms and molecules in a very tangible, relatable context. This framework serves as an excellent
jumping point for understanding other areas of physics involved in the microscopic, especially those of
electricity and magnetism that are explored in depth later in this course.
Primary interdisciplinary connections:
 Experimental data gathering, analysis and graphing using digital tools and computer software
programs.
 Computer-based lab simulations and modeling of key scientific principles, laws and theories.
 Mathematical formulations and relationships to analyze data and draw conclusions.
st
21 century themes:
Scientific investigations and technological developments on new materials, devices and processes used in
various areas of society such as, consumer products, health care, communications, agriculture and
industry, transport and entertainment.
Unit Rationale: Thermodynamics bridges such familiar concepts in physics as work and energy, and
applies them to large systems with microscopic parts. By understanding how microscopic objects can act
as a single system with macroscopic effects, students will be well-prepared for modeling charge as the
basis for electrical systems.
Learning Targets
Standards
5.1 Science Practices: All students will understand that science is both a body of knowledge and an
evidence-based, model-building enterprise that continually extends, refines, and revises knowledge. The
four Science Practices strands encompass the knowledge and reasoning skills that students must acquire to
be proficient in science.
5.3.A Properties of Matter: All objects and substances in the natural world are composed of matter.
Matter has two fundamental properties: matter takes up space, and matter has inertia.
Content Statements
 Mathematical, physical, and computational tools are used to search for and explain core scientific
concepts and principles.
 Interpretation and manipulation of evidence-based models are used to build and critique
arguments/explanations.
 Revisions of predictions and explanations are based on systematic observations, accurate
measurements, and structured data/evidence.
 Mathematical tools and technology are used to gather, analyze, and communicate results.
 Empirical evidence is used to construct and defend arguments.
 Scientific reasoning is used to evaluate and interpret data patterns and scientific conclusions.
 Refinement of understandings, explanations, and models occurs as new evidence is incorporated.
 Data and refined models are used to revise predictions and explanations.
 Science is a practice in which an established body of knowledge is continually revised, refined, and
extended as new evidence emerges.
 Science involves practicing productive social interactions with peers, such as partner talk, whole-
group discussions, and small-group work.
 Science involves using language, both oral and written, as a tool for making thinking public.
 Ensure that instruments and specimens are properly cared for and that animals, when used, are treated
humanely, responsibly, and ethically.
CPI #
Cumulative Progress Indicator (CPI)
5.1.12.A.1
Refine interrelationships among concepts and patterns of evidence found in different
central scientific explanations.
Develop and use mathematical, physical, and computational tools to build evidence-based
models and to pose theories.
Use scientific principles and theories to build and refine standards for data collection,
posing controls, and presenting evidence.
Design investigations, collect evidence, analyze data, and evaluate evidence to determine
measures of central tendencies, causal/correlational relationships, and anomalous data.
Build, refine, and represent evidence-based models using mathematical, physical, and
computational tools.
Revise predictions and explanations using evidence, and connect explanations/arguments to
established scientific knowledge, models, and theories.
Develop quality controls to examine data sets and to examine evidence as a means of
generating and reviewing explanations.
Reflect on and revise understandings as new evidence emerges.
Use data representations and new models to revise predictions and explanations.
Consider alternative theories to interpret and evaluate evidence-based arguments.
Engage in multiple forms of discussion in order to process, make sense of, and learn from
others’ ideas, observations, and experiences.
Represent ideas using literal representations, such as graphs, tables, journals, concept maps,
and diagrams.
Electrons, protons, and neutrons are parts of the atom and have measurable properties,
including mass and, in the case of protons and electrons, charge. The nuclei of atoms are
composed of protons and neutrons. A kind of force that is only evident at nuclear distances
holds the particles of the nucleus together against the electrical repulsion between the
protons.
Differences in the physical properties of solids, liquids, and gases are explained by the
ways in which the atoms, ions, or molecules of the substances are arranged, and by the
strength of the forces of attraction between the atoms, ions, or molecules.
Heating increases the energy of the atoms composing elements and the molecules or ions
composing compounds. As the kinetic energy of the atoms, molecules, or ions increases,
the temperature of the matter increases. Heating a pure solid increases the vibrational
energy of its atoms, molecules, or ions. When the vibrational energy of the molecules of a
pure substance becomes great enough, the solid melts.
5.1.12.A.2
5.1.12.A.3
5.1.12.B.1
5.1.12.B.2
5.1.12.B.3
5.1.12.B.4
5.1.12.C.1
5.1.12.C.2
5.1.12.C.3
5.1.12.D.1
5.1.12.D.2
5.2.12.A.1
5.2.12.A.2
5.2.12.C.1
Unit Essential Questions
 How do we know thermal energy is transferred or
exchanged?
 What is the role of temperature on the transference of
thermal energy?
 How is the ideal gas law modeled to demonstrate the
relationships among temperature, pressure, and volume of
gases?
 How is the law of conservation of energy applied to the
understanding of the laws of thermodynamics?
Unit Enduring Understandings
 Big Idea 1: Objects and systems have
properties such as mass and charge.
Systems may have internal structure.
 Big Idea 3: The interactions of an
object with other objects can be
described by forces.
 Big Idea 4: Interactions between
systems can result in changes in those
systems.
 Big Idea 5: Changes that occur as a
result of interactions are constrained by
conservation laws.
Unit Learning Targets
Students will ...
 Construct representations of how the properties of a system are determined by the interactions of its
constituent substructures. [LO 1.A.5.2, SP 1.1, SP 1.4, SP 7.1]
 Design an experiment and analyze data from it to examine thermal conductivity. [LO 1.E.3.1, SP 4.1, SP
4.2, SP 5.1]
 Make predictions about the direction of energy transfer due to temperature differences based on
interactions at the microscopic level. [LO 4.C.3.1, SP 6.4]
 Describe and make predictions about the internal energy of systems. [LO 5.B.4.1, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]
 Make claims about the interaction between a system and its environment in which the environment
exerts a force on the system, thus doing work on the system and changing the energy of the system
(kinetic energy plus potential energy). [LO 5.B.5.4, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]
 Predict and calculate the energy transfer to (i.e., the work done on) an object or system from information
about a force exerted on the object or system through a distance. [LO 5.B.5.5, SP 2.2, SP 6.4]
 Make claims about various contact forces between objects based on the microscopic cause of those
forces. [LO 3.C.4.1, SP 6.1]
 Classify a given collision situation as elastic or inelastic, justify the selection of conservation of linear
momentum as the appropriate solution method for an inelastic collision, recognize that there is a
common final velocity for the colliding objects in the totally inelastic case, solve for missing variables,
and calculate their values. [LO 5.D.2.5, SP 2.1, SP 2.2]
 Make claims about how the pressure of an ideal gas is connected to the force exerted by molecules on
the walls of the container, and how changes in pressure affect the thermal equilibrium of the system.
[LO 7.A.1.1, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]
 Treating a gas molecule as an object (i.e., ignoring its internal structure), analyze qualitatively the
collisions with a container wall and determine the cause of pressure,
and at thermal equilibrium,
quantitatively calculate the pressure, force, or area for a thermodynamic problem given two of the
variables. [LO 7.A.1.2, SP 1.4, SP 2.2]
 Qualitatively connect the average of all kinetic energies of molecules in a system to the temperature of
the system. [LO 7.A.2.1, SP 7.1]
 Calculate changes in kinetic energy and potential energy of a system, using information from
representations of that system. [LO 5.B.4.2, SP 1.4, SP 2.1, SP 2.2]
 Create a plot of pressure versus volume for a thermodynamic process from given data. [LO 5.B.7.2, SP
1.1]
 Design a plan for collecting data to determine the relationships between pressure, volume, and
temperature, and amount of an ideal gas, and refine a scientific question concerning a proposed incorrect
relationship between the variables. [LO 7.A.3.2, SP 3.2, SP 4.2]
 Connect the statistical distribution of microscopic kinetic energies of molecules to the macroscopic
temperature of the system and relate this to thermodynamic processes. [LO 7.A.2.2, SP 7.1]
 Analyze graphical representations of macroscopic variables for an ideal gas to determine the
relationships between these variables and to ultimately determine the ideal gas law PV = nRT. [LO
7.A.3.3, SP 5.1]
 Make claims about how the pressure of an ideal gas is connected to the force exerted by molecules on
the walls of the container, and how changes in pressure affect the thermal equilibrium of the system.
[LO 7.A.1.1, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]
 Extrapolate from pressure and temperature or volume and temperature data to make the prediction that
there is a temperature at which the pressure or volume extrapolates to zero. [LO 7.A.3.1, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]
 Make claims about how the pressure of an ideal gas is connected to the force exerted by molecules on
the walls of the container, and how changes in pressure affect the thermal equilibrium of the system.
[LO 7.A.1.1, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]
Evidence of Learning
Summative Assessment
 Quizzes and tests
 Laboratory Experiment Reports
 Projects
Equipment needed:
Lab materials (syringes, flasks, tubes, temperature sensors, calorimeters, and measuring instruments
Teacher Resources:
Textbook and section review, study guide materials.
Formative Assessments
 Questions and answers during lectures
 Textbook-based review and reinforcement questions
 Worksheets for in-class and at-home work
Lesson Plans
Lesson
Timeframe
Lesson 1
AP Physics 2 Lab #1: Conservation of Energy
Lesson 2
AP Physics 2 Lab #2: Ideal Gas Law
Lesson 3
AP Physics 2 Lab #3: Other Gas Laws
Teacher Notes:
Make sure laptops are available for PhET simulations
Curriculum Development Resources:




http://advancesinap.collegeboard.org/math-and-science/physics
http://phet.colorado.edu
http://www.physicsclassroom.com
http://www.prettygoodphysics.com
2 weeks
2 lab periods
2 lab periods
Unit 2 Overview
Content Area:
Science
Unit Title:
Static and Dynamic Fluids
Target Course/Grade Level: Advanced Placement Physics 2: Algebra-Based
Unit Summary: This unit explores fundamental concepts in fluid mechanics. The study of fluids exposes
the physics student to the analysis of many important natural phenomena, including underwater pressure
level and buoyancy, Archimedes’ principle, and Bernoulli’s principle. These concepts will be examined in
terms of their effects in earth science and weather, biology, and technology including aircraft.
Additionally, the study of pressure and fluid flow, important to the design of plumbing and HVAC
systems, provides a great analogy to electrical potential energy and charge flow in electrical circuits,
studied in the following two units.
Primary interdisciplinary connections:
 Experimental data gathering, analysis and graphing using digital tools and computer software
programs.
 Computer-based lab simulations and modeling of key scientific principles, laws and theories.
 Mathematical formulations and relationships to analyze data and draw conclusions.
21st century themes:
Scientific investigations and technological developments on new materials, devices and processes used in
various areas of society such as, consumer products, health care, communications, agriculture and
industry, transport and entertainment.
Unit Rationale: The study of fluids is essential in a contemporary physics course. Concepts such as
buoyancy and pressure highlight the systematic nature of free-flowing particles, and are critical to
understanding such natural phenomena as weather and climate, as well as common technology as
plumbing systems and aircraft. Furthermore, a strong foundation in fluids will provide students with a
much better frame for conceptualizing the analogous relationship between fluid flow and electrical
circuits.
Learning Targets
Standards
5.1 Science Practices: All students will understand that science is both a body of knowledge and an
evidence-based, model-building enterprise that continually extends, refines, and revises knowledge. The
four Science Practices strands encompass the knowledge and reasoning skills that students must acquire to
be proficient in science.
5.2.C. Forms of Energy: Knowing the characteristics of familiar forms of energy, including potential
and kinetic energy, is useful in coming to the understanding that, for the most part, the natural world can
be explained and is predictable.
5.2.D. Energy Transfer and Conservation: The conservation of energy can be demonstrated by
keeping track of familiar forms of energy as they are transferred from one object to another.
5.2.E. Forces and Motion: It takes energy to change the motion of objects. The energy change is
understood in terms of forces.
Content Statements
 Mathematical, physical, and computational tools are used to search for and explain core scientific
concepts and principles.
 Interpretation and manipulation of evidence-based models are used to build and critique
arguments/explanations.
 Revisions of predictions and explanations are based on systematic observations, accurate
measurements, and structured data/evidence.
 Mathematical tools and technology are used to gather, analyze, and communicate results.
 Empirical evidence is used to construct and defend arguments.
 Scientific reasoning is used to evaluate and interpret data patterns and scientific conclusions.
 Refinement of understandings, explanations, and models occurs as new evidence is incorporated.
 Data and refined models are used to revise predictions and explanations.
 Science is a practice in which an established body of knowledge is continually revised, refined, and
extended as new evidence emerges.
 Science involves practicing productive social interactions with peers, such as partner talk, wholegroup discussions, and small-group work.
 Science involves using language, both oral and written, as a tool for making thinking public.
 Ensure that instruments and specimens are properly cared for and that animals, when used, are treated
humanely, responsibly, and ethically.
 Each recombination of matter and energy results in storage and dissipation of energy into the
environment as heat.
CPI #
5.1.12.A.1
5.1.12.A.2
5.1.12.A.3
5.1.12.B.1
5.1.12.B.2
5.1.12.B.3
5.1.12.B.4
5.1.12.C.1
5.1.12.C.2
5.1.12.C.3
5.1.12.D.1
5.1.12.D.2
5.2.12.C.1
5.2.12.D.1
5.2.12.E.3
5.2.12.E.4
Cumulative Progress Indicator (CPI)
Refine interrelationships among concepts and patterns of evidence found in different central
scientific explanations.
Develop and use mathematical, physical, and computational tools to build evidence-based models
and to pose theories.
Use scientific principles and theories to build and refine standards for data collection, posing
controls, and presenting evidence.
Design investigations, collect evidence, analyze data, and evaluate evidence to determine measures
of central tendencies, causal/correlational relationships, and anomalous data.
Build, refine, and represent evidence-based models using mathematical, physical, and
computational tools.
Revise predictions and explanations using evidence, and connect explanations/arguments to
established scientific knowledge, models, and theories.
Develop quality controls to examine data sets and to examine evidence as a means of generating
and reviewing explanations.
Reflect on and revise understandings as new evidence emerges.
Use data representations and new models to revise predictions and explanations.
Consider alternative theories to interpret and evaluate evidence-based arguments.
Engage in multiple forms of discussion in order to process, make sense of, and learn from others’
ideas, observations, and experiences.
Represent ideas using literal representations, such as graphs, tables, journals, concept maps, and
diagrams.
Use the kinetic molecular theory to describe and explain the properties of solids, liquids, and gases.
Model the relationship between the height of an object and its potential energy.
Compare the calculated and measured speed, average speed, and acceleration of an object in
motion, and account for differences that may exist between calculated and measured values.
Compare the translational and rotational motions of a thrown object and potential applications of
this understanding.
Unit Essential Questions
 How does Archimedes’ Principle help us to understand
why certain objects float in fluids?
 How do various factors affect fluid flow rates?
 How is the law of conservation of energy applied to
understanding the fluidity of substances?
 How do the unique chemical and physical properties of
water make life on earth possible?
Unit Enduring Understandings
 Big Idea 1: Objects and systems have
properties such as mass and charge.
Systems may have internal structure.
 Big Idea 3: The interactions of an object
with other objects can be described by
forces.
 Big Idea 4: Interactions between systems
can result in changes in those systems.
 Big Idea 5: Changes that occur as a result
of interactions are constrained by
conservation laws.
Unit Learning Targets
Students will ...
 Predict the densities, differences in densities, or changes in densities under different conditions for
natural phenomena and design an investigation to verify the prediction. [LO 1.E.1.1, SP 4.2, SP 6.4]
 Select from experimental data the information necessary to determine the density of an object and/or
compare densities of several objects. [LO 1.E.1.2, SP 4.1, SP 6.4]
 Explain contact forces (tension, friction, normal, buoyant, spring) as arising from interatomic electric
forces and that they therefore have certain directions. [LO 3.C.4.2, SP 6.2]
 Use Bernoulli’s equation to make calculations related to a moving fluid. [LO 5.B.10.1, SP 2.2]
 Use Bernoulli’s equation and/or the relationship between force and pressure to make calculations related
to a moving fluid. [LO 5.B.10.2, SP 2.2]
 Use Bernoulli’s equation and the continuity equation to make calculations related to a moving fluid. [LO
5.B.10.3, SP 2.2]
 Make calculations of quantities related to flow of a fluid, using mass conservation principles (the
continuity equation). [LO 5.F.1.1, SP 2.1, SP 2.2, SP 7.2]
 Construct an explanation of Bernoulli’s equation in terms of the conservation of energy. [LO 5.B.10.4,
SP 6.2]
 Use Bernoulli’s equation to make calculations related to a moving fluid. [LO 5.B.10.1, SP 2.2]
 Use Bernoulli’s equation and/or the relationship between force and pressure to make calculations related
to a moving fluid. [LO 5.B.10.2, SP 2.2]
Evidence of Learning
Summative Assessment

Quizzes and tests
 Laboratory Experiment Reports
 Projects
Equipment needed: Lab materials and measuring instruments
Teacher Resources: Textbook and section review, study guide materials.
Formative Assessments
 Questions and answers during lectures
 Textbook-based review and reinforcement questions
 Worksheets for in-class and at-home work
Lesson Plans
Lesson
Timeframe
Lesson 1
AP Physics 2 Lab #4: Density and the Buoyant
Force
Lesson 2
AP Physics 2 Lab #5: Continuous Fluid Flow
Lesson 3
Physics 2 Lab #6: Bernoulli’s Equation
Teacher Notes:
– Need aluminum foil and large containers of water
Curriculum Development Resources:




http://advancesinap.collegeboard.org/math-and-science/physics
http://phet.colorado.edu
http://www.physicsclassroom.com
http://www.prettygoodphysics.com
2 lab periods
1 lab period
1 lab period
Unit 3 Overview
Content Area:
Science
Unit Title:
Electric Force, Electric Field, and Electric Potential
Target Course/Grade Level: Advanced Placement Physics 2: Algebra-Based
Unit Summary: The study of the electric force is the physics students’ introduction to fundamental forces
outside of gravity. The electric force is very much like the gravitational force that students are so familiar
with, and yet the due to strength of the force and nature of electrons, the particles on which the electric
force commonly acts upon, the electrical force produces very different effects on the physical world.
Students will expand their notions of forces and develop new ideas of force fields as they learn about the
electric force. These concepts will give students a basis for understanding static electricity, sparks and
lightning, and electrical circuits, and provide students with a framework for understanding other
fundamental forces in unit 7.
Primary interdisciplinary connections:
 Experimental data gathering, analysis and graphing using digital tools and computer software
programs.
 Computer-based lab simulations and modeling of key scientific principles, laws and theories.
 Mathematical formulations and relationships to analyze data and draw conclusions.
21st century themes:
Scientific investigations and technological developments on new materials, devices and processes used in
various areas of society such as, consumer products, health care, communications, agriculture and
industry, transport and entertainment.
Unit Rationale:
Harnessing the power of the electric force has been the defining achievement of humanity in the last
century. From illuminating our world, to global communication systems, to computers, thousands of
unique pieces of technology depend on the electrical force, field, and potential. This unit provides
students an important basis for understanding the backbone of their society, and provides basic principles
that guide their study of electrical circuits, magnetism, and optics.
Learning Targets
Standards
5.1 Science Practices: All students will understand that science is both a body of knowledge and an
evidence-based, model-building enterprise that continually extends, refines, and revises knowledge. The
four Science Practices strands encompass the knowledge and reasoning skills that students must acquire to
be proficient in science.
5.2.C. Forms of Energy: Knowing the characteristics of familiar forms of energy, including potential
and kinetic energy, is useful in coming to the understanding that, for the most part, the natural world can
be explained and is predictable.
5.2.E. Forces and Motion: It takes energy to change the motion of objects. The energy change is
understood in terms of forces.
Content Statements
 Mathematical, physical, and computational tools are used to search for and explain core scientific
concepts and principles.
 Interpretation and manipulation of evidence-based models are used to build and critique
arguments/explanations.
 Revisions of predictions and explanations are based on systematic observations, accurate
measurements, and structured data/evidence.
 Mathematical tools and technology are used to gather, analyze, and communicate results.
 Empirical evidence is used to construct and defend arguments.
 Scientific reasoning is used to evaluate and interpret data patterns and scientific conclusions.
 Refinement of understandings, explanations, and models occurs as new evidence is incorporated.
 Data and refined models are used to revise predictions and explanations.
 Science is a practice in which an established body of knowledge is continually revised, refined, and
extended as new evidence emerges.
 Science involves practicing productive social interactions with peers, such as partner talk, wholegroup discussions, and small-group work.
 Science involves using language, both oral and written, as a tool for making thinking public.
 Some forces act by touching, while other forces can act without touching.
 Magnetic, electrical, and gravitational forces can act at a distance.
 The motion of an object changes only when a net force is applied.
 The magnitude of acceleration of an object depends directly on the strength of the net force, and
inversely on the mass of the object. This relationship (a=Fnet/m) is independent of the nature of the
force.
CPI #
Cumulative Progress Indicator (CPI)
5.1.12.A.1
Refine interrelationships among concepts and patterns of evidence found in different
central scientific explanations.
Develop and use mathematical, physical, and computational tools to build evidence-based
models and to pose theories.
Use scientific principles and theories to build and refine standards for data collection,
posing controls, and presenting evidence.
Design investigations, collect evidence, analyze data, and evaluate evidence to determine
measures of central tendencies, causal/correlational relationships, and anomalous data.
Build, refine, and represent evidence-based models using mathematical, physical, and
computational tools.
Revise predictions and explanations using evidence, and connect explanations/arguments
to established scientific knowledge, models, and theories.
Develop quality controls to examine data sets and to examine evidence as a means of
generating and reviewing explanations.
Reflect on and revise understandings as new evidence emerges.
Use data representations and new models to revise predictions and explanations.
Consider alternative theories to interpret and evaluate evidence-based arguments.
Engage in multiple forms of discussion in order to process, make sense of, and learn from
others’ ideas, observations, and experiences.
Represent ideas using literal representations, such as graphs, tables, journals, concept
maps, and diagrams.
Compare the calculated and measured speed, average speed, and acceleration of an object
in motion, and account for differences that may exist between calculated and measured
values.
Measure and describe the relationship between the force acting on an object and the
resulting acceleration.
5.1.12.A.2
5.1.12.A.3
5.1.12.B.1
5.1.12.B.2
5.1.12.B.3
5.1.12.B.4
5.1.12.C.1
5.1.12.C.2
5.1.12.C.3
5.1.12.D.1
5.1.12.D.2
5.2.12.E.1
5.2.12.E.4
Unit Essential Questions
 How does a charge affect other charged particles?
 How are charges transferred?
 How does the change of electric potential determine the
movement of charges?
Unit Enduring Understandings
 Big Idea 1: Objects and systems have
properties such as mass and charge.
Systems may have internal structure.
 Big Idea 2: Fields existing in space can
be used to explain interactions.
 Big Idea 3: The interactions of an
object with other objects can be
described by forces.
 Big Idea 4: Interactions between
systems can result in changes in those
systems.
 Big Idea 5: Changes that occur as a
result of interactions are constrained by
conservation laws.
Unit Learning Targets:
Students will ...
 Make claims about natural phenomena based on conservation of electric charge. [LO 1.B.1.1, SP 6.4]
 Make predictions, using the conservation of electric charge, about the sign and relative quantity of net
charge of objects or systems after various charging processes, including conservation of charge in simple
circuits. [LO 1.B.1.2, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]
 Construct an explanation of the two-charge model of electric charge based on evidence produced
through scientific practices. [LO 1.B.2.1, SP 6.2]
 Make a qualitative prediction about the distribution of positive and negative electric charges within
neutral systems as they undergo various processes. [LO 1.B.2.2, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]
 Challenge claims that polarization of electric charge or separation of charge must result in a net charge
on the object. [LO 1.B.2.3, SP 6.1]
 Challenge the claim that an electric charge smaller than the elementary charge has been isolated.
[LO
1.B.3.1, SP 1.5, SP 6.1, SP 7.2]
 Predict electric charges on objects within a system by application of the principle of charge conservation
within a system. [LO 5.C.2.1, SP 6.4]
 Connect the strength of the gravitational force between two objects to the spatial scale of the situation
and the masses of the objects involved and compare that strength to other types of forces.
 [LO 3.G.1.2, SP 7.1]
 Connect the strength of electromagnetic forces with the spatial scale of the situation, the magnitude of
the electric charges, and the motion of the electrically charged objects involved. [LO 3.G.2.1, SP 7.1]
 Plan and/or analyze the results of experiments in which electric charge rearrangement occurs by
electrostatic induction, or refine a scientific question relating to such
an experiment by identifying
anomalies in a data set or procedure. [LO 4.E.3.5, SP 3.2, SP 4.1, SP 4.2, SP 5.1, SP 5.3]
 Justify the selection of data relevant to an investigation of the electrical charging of objects and electric
charge induction on neutral objects.
[LO 5.C.2.3, SP 4.1]
 Predict the direction and the magnitude of the force exerted on an object with an electric charge q placed
in an electric field E using the mathematical model of the relation between an electric force and an
electric field F = qE ; a vector relation. [LO 2.C.1.1, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]
 Calculate any one of the variables — electric force, electric charge, and electric field — at a point given
the values and sign or direction of the other two quantities. [LO 2.C.1.2, SP 2.2]
 Qualitatively and semi-quantitatively apply the vector relationship between the electric field and the net
electric charge creating that field. [LO 2.C.2.1, SP 2.2, SP 6.4]
 Explain the inverse square dependence of the electric field surrounding a spherically symmetric
electrically charged object. [LO 2.C.3.1, SP 6.2]
 Construct explanations of physical situations involving the interaction of bodies using Newton’s third
law and the representation of action–reaction pairs of forces.
[LO 3.A.4.1, SP 1.4, SP 6.2]
 Use Newton’s third law to make claims and predictions about the action–reaction pairs of forces when
two objects interact. [LO 3.A.4.2, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]
 Analyze situations involving interactions among several objects by using free-body diagrams that
include the application of Newton’s third law to identify forces.
[LO 3.A.4.3, SP 1.4]
 Re-express a free-body diagram representation into a mathematical representation and solve the
mathematical representation for the acceleration of the object. [LO 3.B.1.3, SP 1.5, SP 2.2]
 Predict the motion of an object subject to forces exerted by several objects using an application of
Newton’s second law in a variety of physical situations. [LO 3.B.1.4, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]
 Create and use free-body diagrams to analyze physical situations to solve problems with motion
qualitatively and quantitatively. [LO 3.B.2.1, SP 1.1, SP 1.4, SP 2.2]
 Use Coulomb’s law qualitatively and quantitatively to make predictions about the interaction between
two electric point charges. [LO 3.C.2.1, SP 2.2, SP 6.4]
 Connect the concepts of gravitational force and electric force to compare similarities and differences
between the forces. [LO 3.C.2.2, SP 7.2]
 Use mathematics to describe the electric force that results from the interaction of several separated point
charges (generally 2 to 4 point charges, though more are permitted in situations of high symmetry). [LO
3.C.2.3, SP 2.2]
 Connect the strength of electromagnetic forces with the spatial scale of the situation, the magnitude of
the electric charges, and the motion of the electrically charged objects involved. [LO 3.G.2.1, SP 7.1]
 Distinguish the characteristics that differ between monopole fields (gravitational field of spherical mass
and electrical field due to single point charge) and dipole fields (electric dipole field and magnetic field)
and make claims about the spatial behavior of the fields using qualitative or semiquantitative arguments
based on vector addition of fields due to each point source, including identifying the locations and signs
of sources from a vector diagram of the field. [LO 2.C.4.1, SP 2.2, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]
 Apply mathematical routines to determine the magnitude and direction of the electric field at specified
points in the vicinity of a small set (2–4) of point charges, and express the results in terms of magnitude
and direction of the field in a visual representation by drawing field vectors of appropriate length and
direction at the specified points. [LO 2.C.4.2, SP 1.4, SP 2.2]
 Design a plan to collect data on the electrical charging of objects and electric charge induction on neutral
objects and qualitatively analyze that data. [LO 5.C.2.2, SP 4.2, SP 5.1]
 Create representations of the magnitude and direction of the electric field at various distances (small
compared to plate size) from two electrically charged plates of equal magnitude and opposite signs, and
recognize that the assumption of uniform field is not appropriate near edges of plates. [LO 2.C.5.1, SP
1.1, SP 2.2]
 Calculate the magnitude and determine the direction of the electric field between two electrically
charged parallel plates, given the charge of each plate, or the electric potential difference and plate
separation. [LO 2.C.5.2,
SP 2.2]
 Represent the motion of an electrically charged particle in the uniform field between two oppositely
charged plates and express the connection of this motion to projectile motion of an object with mass in
the Earth’s gravitational field. [LO 2.C.5.3, SP 1.1, SP 2.2, SP 7.1]
 Construct or interpret visual representations of the isolines of equal gravitational potential energy per
unit mass and refer to each line as a gravitational equipotential.
[LO 2.E.1.1, SP 1.4, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]
 Determine the structure of isolines of electric potential by constructing them in a given electric field.
[LO 2.E.2.1, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]
 Predict the structure of isolines of electric potential by constructing them in a given electric field and
make connections between these isolines and those found in a gravitational field. [LO 2.E.2.2, SP 6.4,
SP 7.2]
 Qualitatively use the concept of isolines to construct isolines of electric potential in an electric field and
determine the effect of that field on electrically charged objects. [LO 2.E.2.3, SP 1.4]
 Apply mathematical routines to calculate the average value of the magnitude of the electric field in a
region from a description of the electric potential in that region using the displacement along the line on
which the difference in potential is evaluated. [LO 2.E.3.1, SP 2.2]
 Apply the concept of the isoline representation of electric potential for a given electric charge
distribution to predict the average value of the electric field in the region. [LO 2.E.3.2, SP 1.4, SP 6.4]
 Represent forces in diagrams or mathematically using appropriately labeled vectors with magnitude,
direction, and units during the analysis of a situation. [LO 3.A.2.1, SP 1.1]
 Challenge a claim that an object can exert a force on itself. [LO 3.A.3.2, SP 6.1]
 Describe a force as an interaction between two objects and identify both objects for any force. [LO
3.A.3.3, SP 1.4]
 Make claims about the force on an object due to the presence of other objects with the same property:
mass, electric charge. [LO 3.A.3.4, SP 6.1, SP 6.4]
 Use right-hand rules to analyze a situation involving a current-carrying conductor and a moving
electrically charged object to determine the direction of the magnetic force exerted on the charged object
due to the magnetic field created by the current-carrying conductor. [LO 3.C.3.1, SP 1.4]
 Construct a representation of the distribution of fixed and mobile charge in insulators and conductors.
[LO 4.E.3.3, SP 1.1, SP 1.4, SP 6.4]
 Make predictions about the redistribution of charge during charging by friction, conduction, and
induction. [LO 4.E.3.1, SP 6.4]
 Make predictions about the redistribution of charge caused by the electric field due to other systems,
resulting in charged or polarized objects. [LO 4.E.3.2, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]
 Construct a representation of the distribution of fixed and mobile charge in insulators and conductors
that predicts charge distribution in processes involving induction or conduction. [LO 4.E.3.4, SP 1.1, SP
1.4, SP 6.4]
Evidence of Learning
Summative Assessment


Quizzes and tests
Laboratory Experiment Reports
 Projects
Equipment needed: Lab materials and measuring instruments
Teacher Resources: Textbook and section review, study guide materials.
Formative Assessments
 Questions and answers during lectures
 Textbook-based review and reinforcement questions
 Worksheets for in-class and at-home work
Lesson Plans
Lesson
Timeframe
Lesson 1
AP Physics 2 Lab #7: Static Charge on Scotch
Tape, Plastic and Glass Rods
Lesson 2
AP Physics 2 Lab #8: Static Electrical Forces on
a Pith Ball in a Wilmhurst Machine
Lesson 3
AP Physics 2 Lab #9: Mapping Equipotential
Field Lines using a Voltmeter
5-6 lab periods
4-5 lab periods
3-4 lab periods
Teacher Notes:

Instruct on electrical safety and before all labs
 Ensure adequate supply of conductive ink
Curriculum Development Resources:



http://advancesinap.collegeboard.org/math-and-science/physics
http://phet.colorado.edu
http://www.physicsclassroom.com
http://www.prettygoodphysics.com
Unit 4 Overview
Content Area:
Science
Unit Title:
DC Circuits and RC Circuits (Steady State)
Target Course/Grade Level: Advanced Placement Physics 2: Algebra-Based
Unit Summary: Nearly all electrical systems, from city grid power supply lines to handheld computer
systems, employ the circuital flow of electrons to accomplish tasks. The study of DC and RC circuits will
have students explore the interaction of the basic circuit components, including batteries, resistors, light
bulbs, and capacitors. Students will gain a better understanding of the role of each component, especially
as they relate to the energy consumption in the larger circuit. The study of circuits provides students with
a tangible and creative display of their knowledge, and gives students and clear understanding of the safety
measures that must be taken with electrical systems.
Primary interdisciplinary connections:
 Experimental data gathering, analysis and graphing using digital tools and computer software
programs.
 Computer-based lab simulations and modeling of key scientific principles, laws and theories.
 Mathematical formulations and relationships to analyze data and draw conclusions.
21st century themes:
Scientific investigations and technological developments on new materials, devices and processes used in
various areas of society such as, consumer products, health care, communications, agriculture and
industry, transport and entertainment.
Unit Rationale:
Electrical circuits are the primary application of electromagnetism is modern society. The study of DC
and RC allows students a portal to electrical engineering and computer systems, as well as a hand-on and
creative way to explore and control the electromagnetic force.
Learning Targets
Standards
5.1 Science Practices: All students will understand that science is both a body of knowledge and an
evidence-based, model-building enterprise that continually extends, refines, and revises knowledge. The
four Science Practices strands encompass the knowledge and reasoning skills that students must acquire to
be proficient in science.
5.2.D Energy Transfer: The conservation of energy can be demonstrated by keeping track of familiar
forms of energy as they are transferred from one object to another.
Content Statements
 Mathematical, physical, and computational tools are used to search for and explain core scientific
concepts and principles.
 Interpretation and manipulation of evidence-based models are used to build and critique
arguments/explanations.
 Revisions of predictions and explanations are based on systematic observations, accurate
measurements, and structured data/evidence.
 Mathematical tools and technology are used to gather, analyze, and communicate results.
 Empirical evidence is used to construct and defend arguments.
 Scientific reasoning is used to evaluate and interpret data patterns and scientific conclusions.
 Refinement of understandings, explanations, and models occurs as new evidence is incorporated.
 Data and refined models are used to revise predictions and explanations.
 Science is a practice in which an established body of knowledge is continually revised, refined, and
extended as new evidence emerges.
 Science involves practicing productive social interactions with peers, such as partner talk, wholegroup discussions, and small-group work.
 Science involves using language, both oral and written, as a tool for making thinking public.




Some forces act by touching, while other forces can act without touching.
Magnetic, electrical, and gravitational forces can act at a distance.
Batteries supply energy to produce light, sound, or heat.
Electrical circuits require a complete loop through conducting materials in which an electrical current
can pass.
 The flow of current in an electric circuit depends upon the components of the circuit and their
arrangement, such as in series or parallel. Electricity flowing through an electrical circuit produces
magnetic effects in the wires.
 When energy is transferred from one system to another, the quantity of energy before transfer equals
the quantity of energy after transfer. As an object falls, its potential energy decreases as its speed, and
consequently its kinetic energy, increases. While an object is falling, some of the object’s kinetic
energy is transferred to the medium through which it falls, setting the medium into motion and heating
it.
CPI #
Cumulative Progress Indicator (CPI)
5.1.12.A.1
Refine interrelationships among concepts and patterns of evidence found in different
central scientific explanations.
Develop and use mathematical, physical, and computational tools to build evidence-based
models and to pose theories.
Use scientific principles and theories to build and refine standards for data collection, posing
controls, and presenting evidence.
Design investigations, collect evidence, analyze data, and evaluate evidence to determine
measures of central tendencies, causal/correlational relationships, and anomalous data.
Build, refine, and represent evidence-based models using mathematical, physical, and
computational tools.
Revise predictions and explanations using evidence, and connect explanations/arguments to
established scientific knowledge, models, and theories.
Develop quality controls to examine data sets and to examine evidence as a means of
generating and reviewing explanations.
Reflect on and revise understandings as new evidence emerges.
Use data representations and new models to revise predictions and explanations.
Consider alternative theories to interpret and evaluate evidence-based arguments.
Engage in multiple forms of discussion in order to process, make sense of, and learn from
others’ ideas, observations, and experiences.
Represent ideas using literal representations, such as graphs, tables, journals, concept maps,
and diagrams.
5.1.12.A.2
5.1.12.A.3
5.1.12.B.1
5.1.12.B.2
5.1.12.B.3
5.1.12.B.4
5.1.12.C.1
5.1.12.C.2
5.1.12.C.3
5.1.12.D.1
5.1.12.D.2
Unit Essential Questions




How is it possible to create and maintain a
non-zero electric field inside a wire?
How does the current divide between
parallel resistors?
What produces resistance and why are
there resistors and conductors?
What is the role of a capacitor in an
electric circuit?
Unit Enduring Understandings
 Big Idea 1: Objects and systems have properties
such as mass and charge. Systems may have internal
structure.
 Big Idea 2: Fields existing in space can be used to
explain interactions.
 Big Idea 3: The interactions of an object with other
objects can be described by forces.
 Big Idea 4: Interactions between systems can result
in changes in those systems.
 Big Idea 5: Changes that occur as a result of
interactions are constrained by conservation laws.
Unit Learning Targets
Students will ...
 Choose and justify the selection of data needed to determine resistivity for a given material. [LO 1.E.2.1,
SP 4.1]
 Make predictions about the properties of resistors and/or capacitors when placed in a simple circuit,
based on the geometry of the circuit element and supported by scientific theories and mathematical
relationships. [LO 4.E.4.1, SP 2.2, SP 6.4]
 Design a plan for the collection of data to determine the effect of changing the geometry and/or
materials on the resistance or capacitance of a circuit element and relate results to the basic properties of
resistors and capacitors. [LO 4.E.4.2, SP 4.1, SP 4.2]
 Calculate the expected behavior of a system using the object model (i.e., by ignoring changes in internal
structure) to analyze a situation. Then, when the model fails, justify the use of conservation of energy
principles to calculate the change in internal energy due to changes in internal structure because the
object is actually a system. [LO 5.B.2.1, SP 1.4, SP 2.1]
 Make and justify a quantitative prediction of the effect of a change in values or arrangements of one or
two circuit elements on the currents and potential differences in a circuit containing a small number of
sources of emf, resistors, capacitors, and switches in series and/or parallel. [LO 4.E.5.1, SP 2.2, SP 6.4]
 Analyze data to determine the effect of changing
the geometry and/or materials on the resistance or
capacitance of a circuit element and relate results to the basic properties of resistors and capacitors. [LO
4.E.4.3, SP 5.1]
 Plan data collection strategies and perform data analysis to examine the values of currents and potential
differences in an electric circuit that is modified by changing or rearranging circuit elements, including
sources of emf, resistors, and capacitors. [LO 4.E.5.3, SP 2.2, SP 4.2, SP 5.1]
 Analyze experimental data including an analysis of experimental uncertainty that will demonstrate the
validity of Kirchhoff’s loop rule (∑ V = 0 ). [LO 5.B.9.4, SP 5.1]
 Use conservation of energy principles (Kirchhoff’s loop rule) to describe and make predictions
regarding electrical potential difference, charge, and current in steady-state circuits composed of various
combinations of resistors and capacitors. [LO 5.B.9.5, SP 6.4]
 Mathematically express the changes in electric potential energy of a loop in a multi-loop electrical
circuit and justify this expression using the principle of the conservation of energy. [LO 5.B.9.6, SP 2.1,
SP 2.2]
 Refine and analyze a scientific question for an experiment using Kirchhoff’s loop rule for circuits that
includes determination of internal resistance of the battery and analysis of a non-ohmic resistor. [LO
5.B.9.7, SP 4.1, SP 4.2, SP 5.1, SP 5.3]
 Translate between graphical and symbolic representations of experimental data describing relationships
among power, current, and potential difference across a resistor. [LO 5.B.9.8, SP 1.5]
 Predict or explain current values in series and parallel arrangements of resistors and other branching
circuits using Kirchhoff’s junction rule and relate the rule to the law of charge conservation. [LO
5.C.3.4, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]
 Determine missing values and direction of electric current in branches of a circuit with resistors and NO
capacitors from values and directions of current in other branches
of the circuit through appropriate
selection of nodes and application of the junction rule. [LO 5.C.3.5, SP 1.4, SP 2.2]
Evidence of Learning
Summative Assessment


Quizzes and tests
Laboratory Experiment Reports
 Projects
Equipment needed: Lab materials and measuring instruments
Teacher Resources: Textbook and section review, study guide materials.
Formative Assessments
 Questions and answers during lectures
 Textbook-based review and reinforcement questions
 Worksheets for in-class and at-home work
Lesson Plans
Lesson
Timeframe
Lesson 1
AP Physics 2 Lab #10: Switches Lab
Lesson 2
AP Physics 2 Lab #11: Series and Parallel
Circuits Lab
Lesson 3
AP Physics 2 Lab #12: PhET Circuit Simulation
Lab
Teacher Notes:

Test batteries, light bulbs, and multimeters in advance
 Ensure access to laptop carts for PhET lab
Curriculum Development Resources:




http://advancesinap.collegeboard.org/math-and-science/physics
http://phet.colorado.edu
http://www.physicsclassroom.com
http://www.prettygoodphysics.com
1-2 lab periods
1-2 lab periods
2-3 lab periods
Unit 5 Overview
Content Area: Science
Unit Title: Magnetostatics and Electromagnetism
Target Course/Grade Level: Advanced Placement Physics 2: Algebra-Based
Unit Summary: Electricity and magnetism, though seemingly different phenomena, are intimately linked
in the electromagnetic force. Moving electrical charges create magnetic fields, which circulate around all
current-carrying wires. In the reversal of this phenomenon, a moving magnetic field, passing through a
coil of wire, can be used to generate an electric current. Ferromagnetic materials, though seemingly
stationary, are the result of the alignment of field lines caused by individual atoms.
Charged particles moving through a magnetic field experience a velocity-dependent force, which can be
used to steer charged particles in a particular direction or isolate charges with a particular velocity. This
kind of technology is used for a variety of technological applications, including CRT displays and mass
spectroscopy.
Primary interdisciplinary connections:
 Experimental data gathering, analysis and graphing using digital tools and computer software
programs.
 Computer-based lab simulations and modeling of key scientific principles, laws and theories.
 Mathematical formulations and relationships to analyze data and draw conclusions.
21st century themes:
Scientific investigations and technological developments on new materials, devices and processes used in
various areas of society such as, consumer products, health care, communications, agriculture and
industry, transport and entertainment.
Unit Rationale:
The study of magnetism is intimately tied to electricity, as the two are companion manifestations of the
same fundamental force. Magnets are used convert motion into electrical energy and electrical energy into
motion. Faraday’s discovery of this relationship enabled the electrical revolution of the 20th Century.
Learning Targets
Standards
5.1 Science Practices: All students will understand that science is both a body of knowledge and an
evidence-based, model-building enterprise that continually extends, refines, and revises knowledge. The
four Science Practices strands encompass the knowledge and reasoning skills that students must acquire to
be proficient in science.
5.2.D Energy Transfer: The conservation of energy can be demonstrated by keeping track of familiar
forms of energy as they are transferred from one object to another.
Content Statements
 Mathematical, physical, and computational tools are used to search for and explain core scientific
concepts and principles.
 Interpretation and manipulation of evidence-based models are used to build and critique
arguments/explanations.
 Revisions of predictions and explanations are based on systematic observations, accurate
measurements, and structured data/evidence.
 Mathematical tools and technology are used to gather, analyze, and communicate results.
 Empirical evidence is used to construct and defend arguments.
 Scientific reasoning is used to evaluate and interpret data patterns and scientific conclusions.
 Refinement of understandings, explanations, and models occurs as new evidence is incorporated.
 Data and refined models are used to revise predictions and explanations.
 Science is a practice in which an established body of knowledge is continually revised, refined, and
extended as new evidence emerges.
 Science involves practicing productive social interactions with peers, such as partner talk, wholegroup discussions, and small-group work.
 Science involves using language, both oral and written, as a tool for making thinking public.
 Some forces act by touching, while other forces can act without touching.
 Magnetic, electrical, and gravitational forces can act at a distance.
 Batteries supply energy to produce light, sound, or heat.
 Electrical circuits require a complete loop through conducting materials in which an electrical current
can pass.
 The flow of current in an electric circuit depends upon the components of the circuit and their
arrangement, such as in series or parallel. Electricity flowing through an electrical circuit produces
magnetic effects in the wires.
 When energy is transferred from one system to another, the quantity of energy before transfer equals
the quantity of energy after transfer. As an object falls, its potential energy decreases as its speed, and
consequently its kinetic energy, increases. While an object is falling, some of the object’s kinetic
energy is transferred to the medium through which it falls, setting the medium into motion and heating
it.
 The flow of current in an electric circuit depends upon the components of the circuit and their
arrangement, such as in series or parallel. Electricity flowing through an electrical circuit produces
magnetic effects in the wires.
CPI #
Cumulative Progress Indicator (CPI)
5.1.12.A.1
Refine interrelationships among concepts and patterns of evidence found in different
central scientific explanations.
Develop and use mathematical, physical, and computational tools to build evidence-based
models and to pose theories.
Use scientific principles and theories to build and refine standards for data collection,
posing controls, and presenting evidence.
Design investigations, collect evidence, analyze data, and evaluate evidence to determine
measures of central tendencies, causal/correlational relationships, and anomalous data.
Build, refine, and represent evidence-based models using mathematical, physical, and
computational tools.
Revise predictions and explanations using evidence, and connect explanations/arguments to
established scientific knowledge, models, and theories.
Develop quality controls to examine data sets and to examine evidence as a means of
generating and reviewing explanations.
Reflect on and revise understandings as new evidence emerges.
Use data representations and new models to revise predictions and explanations.
Consider alternative theories to interpret and evaluate evidence-based arguments.
Engage in multiple forms of discussion in order to process, make sense of, and learn from
others’ ideas, observations, and experiences.
Represent ideas using literal representations, such as graphs, tables, journals, concept maps,
and diagrams.
Electrons, protons, and neutrons are parts of the atom and have measurable properties,
including mass and, in the case of protons and electrons, charge. The nuclei of atoms are
composed of protons and neutrons. A kind of force that is only evident at nuclear distances
holds the particles of the nucleus together against the electrical repulsion between the
protons.
Differences in the physical properties of solids, liquids, and gases are explained by the
ways in which the atoms, ions, or molecules of the substances are arranged, and by the
5.1.12.A.2
5.1.12.A.3
5.1.12.B.1
5.1.12.B.2
5.1.12.B.3
5.1.12.B.4
5.1.12.C.1
5.1.12.C.2
5.1.12.C.3
5.1.12.D.1
5.1.12.D.2
5.2.12.A.1
5.2.12.A.2
strength of the forces of attraction between the atoms, ions, or molecules.
Unit Essential Questions
 How can we describe a magnetic field?
 How does a motor work?
 How does a magnet influence the movement of charged
particles?
 How does the presence of a magnetic field generate a
current in a conductive material?
 How can a magnet induce current in a wire?
Unit Enduring Understandings
 Big Idea 1: Objects and systems have
properties such as mass and charge.
Systems may have internal structure.
 Big Idea 2: Fields existing in space can be
used to explain interactions.
 Big Idea 3: The interactions of an object
with other objects can be described by
forces.
 Big Idea 4: Interactions between systems
can result in changes in those systems.
 Big Idea 5: Changes that occur as a result
of interactions are constrained by
conservation laws.
Unit Learning Targets
Students will ...
 Distinguish the characteristics that differ between monopole fields (gravitational field of spherical mass
and electrical field due to single point charge) and dipole fields (electric dipole field and magnetic field)
and make claims about the spatial behavior of the fields using qualitative or semiquantitative arguments
based on vector addition of fields due to each point source, including identifying the locations and signs
of sources from a vector diagram of the field. [LO 2.C.4.1, SP 2.2, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]
 Apply mathematical routines to express the force exerted on a moving charged object by a magnetic
field. [LO 2.D.1.1, SP 2.2]
 Create a verbal or visual representation of a magnetic field around a long straight wire or a pair of
parallel wires. [LO 2.D.2.1, SP 1.1]
 Plan a data collection strategy appropriate to an investigation of the direction of the force on a moving
electrically charged object caused by a current in a wire in the context of a specific set of equipment and
instruments and analyze the resulting data to arrive at a conclusion. [LO 3.C.3.2, SP 4.2, SP 5.1]
 Describe the orientation of a magnetic dipole placed in
a magnetic field in general and the particular
cases of a compass in the magnetic field of the Earth and iron filings surrounding a bar magnet. [LO
2.D.3.1, SP 1.2]
 Use the representation of magnetic domains to qualitatively analyze the magnetic behavior of a bar
magnet composed of ferromagnetic material. [LO 2.D.4.1, SP 1.4]
 Represent forces in diagrams or mathematically using appropriately labeled vectors with magnitude,
direction, and units during the analysis of a situation. [LO 3.A.2.1, SP 1.1]
 Challenge a claim that an object can exert a force on itself. [LO 3.A.3.2, SP 6.1]
 Describe a force as an interaction between two objects and identify both objects for any force. [LO
3.A.3.3, SP 1.4]
 Construct explanations of physical situations involving the interaction of bodies using Newton’s third
law and the representation of action–reaction pairs of forces. [LO 3.A.4.1, SP 1.4, SP 6.2]
 Use Newton’s third law to make claims and predictions about the action–reaction pairs of forces when
two objects interact. [LO 3.A.4.2, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]
 Use representations and models to qualitatively describe the magnetic properties of some materials that
can be affected by magnetic properties of other objects in the system. [LO 4.E.1.1, SP 1.1, SP 1.4, SP
2.2]
 Construct an explanation of the function of a simple electromagnetic device in which an induced emf is
produced by a changing magnetic flux through an area defined by a current loop (i.e., a simple
microphone or generator) or of the effect on behavior of a device in which an induced emf is produced
by a constant magnetic field through a changing area. [LO 4.E.2.1, SP 6.4]
Evidence of Learning
Summative Assessment
 Quizzes and tests
 Laboratory Experiment Reports
 Projects
Equipment needed: Lab materials (bar magnets, iron filings, inductance coils, voltmeter, lightbulbs)
Teacher Resources: Textbook and section review, study guide materials.
Formative Assessments
 Questions and answers during lectures
 Textbook-based review and reinforcement questions
 Worksheets for in-class and at-home work
Lesson Plans
Lesson
Timeframe
Lesson 1
AP Physics 2 Lab #13: Magnetic Field Lines
Lesson 2
AP Physics 2 Lab #14: Generating Electric
Current
1 week
2 lab periods
Teacher Notes:

Ensure that wires are wrapped safely and are compatible with power supply
Curriculum Development Resources:




http://advancesinap.collegeboard.org/math-and-science/physics
http://phet.colorado.edu
http://www.physicsclassroom.com
http://www.prettygoodphysics.com
Unit 6 Overview
Content Area:
Science
Unit Title:
Geometric Optics and Physical Optics
Target Course/Grade Level: Advanced Placement Physics 2: Algebra-Based
Unit Summary: The study of electromagnetic radiation has opened our understanding into the quantum
world, in which radiation exhibits properties of both particles and waves. The study of EM radiation thus
highlights the dual nature of the quantum world, first with discussions of the wave nature of light:
interference patterns in both single and double slit experiments, the diffraction and refraction of light
waves, and the associated energy of these waves. Treating light as particles, we will explore optical
systems in convex and concave lenses and mirrors, and students will gain a deeper understanding into how
images are magnified in telescopes and microscopes, and how the laws of optics permit such strange
occurrences as holograms.
Primary interdisciplinary connections:
 Experimental data gathering, analysis and graphing using digital tools and computer software
programs.
 Computer-based lab simulations and modeling of key scientific principles, laws and theories.
 Mathematical formulations and relationships to analyze data and draw conclusions.
21st century themes:
Scientific investigations and technological developments on new materials, devices and processes used in
various areas of society such as, consumer products, health care, communications, agriculture and
industry, transport and entertainment.
Unit Rationale:
The study of light is one of the oldest scientific studies, and yet continues to be at the forefront of human
exploration. While lenses and mirrors have allowed humans to see better and farther than ever imagined,
the study of electromagnetic waves has also allowed a deeper understanding of the fundamental nature of
our universe. EM radiation has found its way into every facet of technology, including digital displays, xrays, cell phones, and GPS.
Learning Targets
Standards
5.1 Science Practices: All students will understand that science is both a body of knowledge and an
evidence-based, model-building enterprise that continually extends, refines, and revises knowledge. The
four Science Practices strands encompass the knowledge and reasoning skills that students must acquire to
be proficient in science.
5.2.D Energy Transfer: The conservation of energy can be demonstrated by keeping track of familiar
forms of energy as they are transferred from one object to another.
Content Statements
 Mathematical, physical, and computational tools are used to search for and explain core scientific
concepts and principles.
 Interpretation and manipulation of evidence-based models are used to build and critique
arguments/explanations.
 Revisions of predictions and explanations are based on systematic observations, accurate
measurements, and structured data/evidence.
 Mathematical tools and technology are used to gather, analyze, and communicate results.
 Empirical evidence is used to construct and defend arguments.
 Scientific reasoning is used to evaluate and interpret data patterns and scientific conclusions.
 Refinement of understandings, explanations, and models occurs as new evidence is incorporated.
 Data and refined models are used to revise predictions and explanations.
 Science is a practice in which an established body of knowledge is continually revised, refined, and
extended as new evidence emerges.
 Science involves practicing productive social interactions with peers, such as partner talk, wholegroup discussions, and small-group work.
 Science involves using language, both oral and written, as a tool for making thinking public.
 Some forces act by touching, while other forces can act without touching.
 Magnetic, electrical, and gravitational forces can act at a distance.
 Light travels in a straight line until it interacts with an object or material. Light can be absorbed,
redirected, bounced back, or allowed to pass through. The path of reflected or refracted light can be
predicted.
 Energy is transferred from place to place. Light energy can be thought of as traveling in rays.
Thermal energy travels via conduction and convection.
CPI #
Cumulative Progress Indicator (CPI)
5.1.12.A.1
Refine interrelationships among concepts and patterns of evidence found in different
central scientific explanations.
Develop and use mathematical, physical, and computational tools to build evidence-based
models and to pose theories.
Use scientific principles and theories to build and refine standards for data collection,
posing controls, and presenting evidence.
Design investigations, collect evidence, analyze data, and evaluate evidence to determine
measures of central tendencies, causal/correlational relationships, and anomalous data.
Build, refine, and represent evidence-based models using mathematical, physical, and
computational tools.
Revise predictions and explanations using evidence, and connect explanations/arguments to
established scientific knowledge, models, and theories.
Develop quality controls to examine data sets and to examine evidence as a means of
generating and reviewing explanations.
Reflect on and revise understandings as new evidence emerges.
Use data representations and new models to revise predictions and explanations.
Consider alternative theories to interpret and evaluate evidence-based arguments.
Engage in multiple forms of discussion in order to process, make sense of, and learn from
others’ ideas, observations, and experiences.
Represent ideas using literal representations, such as graphs, tables, journals, concept maps,
and diagrams.
Electrons, protons, and neutrons are parts of the atom and have measurable properties,
including mass and, in the case of protons and electrons, charge. The nuclei of atoms are
composed of protons and neutrons. A kind of force that is only evident at nuclear distances
holds the particles of the nucleus together against the electrical repulsion between the
protons.
5.1.12.A.2
5.1.12.A.3
5.1.12.B.1
5.1.12.B.2
5.1.12.B.3
5.1.12.B.4
5.1.12.C.1
5.1.12.C.2
5.1.12.C.3
5.1.12.D.1
5.1.12.D.2
5.2.12.A.1
Unit Essential Questions
Unit Enduring Understandings
 How can transverse and longitudinal waves manifest?
 How are standing waves produced?
 How can the separation between items such as CD tracks or
the thickness of a piece of hair be measured?
 How can the index of refraction be measured, and what is
its importance in determining the purity of liquid
substances?
 Big Idea 1: Objects and systems have
properties such as mass and charge.
Systems may have internal structure.
 Big Idea 2: Fields existing in space can
be used to explain interactions.
 Big Idea 5: Changes that occur as a
result of interactions are constrained by
conservation laws.
 Big Idea 6: Waves can transfer energy
and momentum from one location to
another without the permanent transfer
of mass and serve as a mathematical
model for the description of other
phenomena.
Unit Learning Targets
Students will ...
 Construct an equation relating the wavelength and amplitude of a wave from a graphical representation
of the electric or magnetic field value as a function of position
at a given time instant and vice versa, or
construct an equation relating the frequency or period and amplitude
of a wave from a graphical
representation of the electric or magnetic field value at a given position as a function of time and vice
versa. [LO 6.B.3.1, SP 1.5]
 Qualitatively apply the wave model to quantities that describe the generation of interference patterns to
make predictions about interference patterns that form when waves pass through a set of openings whose
spacing and widths are small, but larger than the wavelength. [LO 6.C.3.1, SP 1.4, SP 6.4]
 Make claims about the diffraction pattern produced when a wave passes through a small opening, and
qualitatively apply the wave model to quantities that describe the generation of a diffraction pattern
when a wave passes through an opening whose dimensions are comparable to the wavelength of the
wave. [LO 6.C.2.1, SP 1.4, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]
 Make claims using connections across concepts about the behavior of light as the wave travels from one
medium into another, as some is transmitted, some is reflected, and some is absorbed. [LO 6.E.1.1, SP
6.4, SP 7.2]
 Make claims about the diffraction pattern produced when a wave passes through a small opening, and
qualitatively apply the wave model to quantities that describe the generation of a diffraction pattern
when a wave passes through an opening whose dimensions are comparable to the wavelength of the
wave. [LO 6.C.2.1, SP 1.4, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]
 Predict and explain, using representations and models, the ability or inability of waves to transfer energy
around corners and behind obstacles in terms of the diffraction property of waves in situations involving
various kinds of wave phenomena, including sound and light. [LO 6.C.4.1, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]
 Make claims using connections across concepts about the behavior of light as the wave travels from one
medium into another, as some is transmitted, some is reflected, and some is absorbed. [LO 6.E.1.1, SP
6.4, SP 7.2]
 Make predictions about the locations of object and image relative to the location of a reflecting
surface.
The prediction should be based on the model of specular reflection with all angles measured
relative to the normal to the surface. [LO 6.E.2.1, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]
 Describe models of light traveling across a boundary from one transparent material to another when the
speed of propagation changes, causing a change in the path of the light ray at the boundary of the two
media. [LO 6.E.3.1, SP 1.1, SP 1.4]
 Plan data collection strategies as well as perform data analysis and evaluation of the evidence for finding
the relationship between the angle of incidence and the angle of refraction for light crossing boundaries
from one transparent material to another (Snell’s law). [LO 6.E.3.2, SP 4.1, SP 5.1, SP 5.2, SP 5.3]
 Make claims and predictions about path changes for light traveling across a boundary from one
transparent material to another at non-normal angles resulting from changes in the speed of propagation.
[LO 6.E.3.3, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]
 Plan data collection strategies, and perform data analysis and evaluation of evidence about the formation
of images due to reflection of light from curved spherical mirrors. [LO 6.E.4.1, SP 3.2, SP 4.1, SP 5.1,
SP 5.2, SP 5.3]
 Use quantitative and qualitative representations and models to analyze situations and solve problems
about image formation occurring due to the reflection of light from surfaces. [LO 6.E.4.2, SP 1.4, SP
2.2]
 Use quantitative and qualitative representations and models to analyze situations and solve problems
about image formation occurring due to the refraction of light through thin lenses. [LO 6.E.5.1, SP 1.4,
SP 2.2]
 Plan data collection strategies, perform data analysis and evaluation of evidence, and refine scientific
questions about the formation of images due to refraction for thin lenses. [LO 6.E.5.2, SP 3.2, SP 4.1, SP
5.1, SP 5.2, SP 5.3]
 Make qualitative comparisons of the wavelengths of types of electromagnetic radiation. [LO 6.F.1.1, SP
6.4, SP 7.2]
 Describe representations and models of electromagnetic waves that explain the transmission of energy
when no medium is present. [LO 6.F.2.1, SP 1.1]
Evidence of Learning
Summative Assessment
 Quizzes and tests
 Laboratory Experiment Reports
 Projects
Equipment needed: Lab materials (ripple tank, optical bench, polarizing filters)
Teacher Resources: Textbook and section review, study guide materials.
Formative Assessments
 Questions and answers during lectures
 Textbook-based review and reinforcement questions
 Worksheets for in-class and at-home work
Lesson Plans
Lesson
Timeframe
Lesson 1:
The Nature of Waves
AP Physics 2 Lab #15: PhET Wave Simulation
Lesson 2:
The Wave Nature of Light
AP Physics 2 Lab # 16: Refraction and
Diffraction Grating
Lesson 3:
Ray Optics
AP Physics 2 Lab #17: Imaging with Mirrors
AP Physics 2 Lab #18: Imaging with Lenses
Teacher Notes:

Ensure that laptops are reserved for PhET lab
Curriculum Development Resources:




http://advancesinap.collegeboard.org/math-and-science/physics
http://phet.colorado.edu
http://www.physicsclassroom.com
http://www.prettygoodphysics.com
2 weeks
2 weeks
2 lab periods
2 lab periods
Unit 7 Overview
Content Area:
Science
Unit Title:
Quantum, Atomic, and Nuclear Physics
Target Course/Grade Level: Advanced Placement Physics 2: Algebra-Based
Unit Summary: Since the turn of the 20th Century, physics has turned a lot of its attention to the
structures smaller than atoms. The laws governing this world were entirely unlike anything previously
studied. The quantization of energy levels, observed in the photoelectric effect, revealed truths about the
structure of atoms. Probabilistic models of particle motion and momentum, revealed by further research
into quantum mechanics show how individual particles behave as mathematical functions. Einstein’s
Theories of General Relativity and Special Relativity revealed even more about the interconnected nature
of space, gravity, matter, and energy. The effects of these studies are far reaching, and have applications
in astronomy, GPS systems, and nuclear power. The implications of modern physics provoke many of our
deepest sci-fi fantasies, such as teleportation, black holes, warp-speed, and alternate universes.
Primary interdisciplinary connections:
 Experimental data gathering, analysis and graphing using digital tools and computer software
programs.
 Computer-based lab simulations and modeling of key scientific principles, laws and theories.
 Mathematical formulations and relationships to analyze data and draw conclusions.
21st century themes:
Scientific investigations and technological developments on new materials, devices and processes used in
various areas of society such as, consumer products, health care, communications, agriculture and
industry, transport and entertainment.
Unit Rationale:
Quantum, atomic, and nuclear physics reveal a deeper insight into the structure of our universe. Though
many would consider these studies abstruse, these fields reveal a greater simplicity in the universe, in the
context of unification, than Newtonian mechanics can provide. Students should be exposed to these
studies, as they serve as a starting point for probing the nature of matter and energy, both in our own sun
and in radioactive/nuclear technologies used around the globe.
Learning Targets
Standards
5.1 Science Practices: All students will understand that science is both a body of knowledge and an
evidence-based, model-building enterprise that continually extends, refines, and revises knowledge. The
four Science Practices strands encompass the knowledge and reasoning skills that students must acquire to
be proficient in science.
5.2.D Energy Transfer: The conservation of energy can be demonstrated by keeping track of familiar
forms of energy as they are transferred from one object to another.
Content Statements
 Mathematical, physical, and computational tools are used to search for and explain core scientific
concepts and principles.
 Interpretation and manipulation of evidence-based models are used to build and critique
arguments/explanations.
 Revisions of predictions and explanations are based on systematic observations, accurate
measurements, and structured data/evidence.
 Mathematical tools and technology are used to gather, analyze, and communicate results.
 Empirical evidence is used to construct and defend arguments.
 Scientific reasoning is used to evaluate and interpret data patterns and scientific conclusions.
 Refinement of understandings, explanations, and models occurs as new evidence is incorporated.
 Data and refined models are used to revise predictions and explanations.
 Science is a practice in which an established body of knowledge is continually revised, refined, and
extended as new evidence emerges.
 Science involves practicing productive social interactions with peers, such as partner talk, wholegroup discussions, and small-group work.
 Science involves using language, both oral and written, as a tool for making thinking public.
 Some forces act by touching, while other forces can act without touching.
 Magnetic, electrical, and gravitational forces can act at a distance.
 Light travels in a straight line until it interacts with an object or material. Light can be absorbed,
redirected, bounced back, or allowed to pass through. The path of reflected or refracted light can be
predicted.
 Energy is transferred from place to place. Light energy can be thought of as traveling in rays. Thermal
energy travels via conduction and convection.
CPI #
Cumulative Progress Indicator (CPI)
5.1.12.A.1
Refine interrelationships among concepts and patterns of evidence found in different
central scientific explanations.
Develop and use mathematical, physical, and computational tools to build evidence-based
models and to pose theories.
Use scientific principles and theories to build and refine standards for data collection,
posing controls, and presenting evidence.
Design investigations, collect evidence, analyze data, and evaluate evidence to determine
measures of central tendencies, causal/correlational relationships, and anomalous data.
Build, refine, and represent evidence-based models using mathematical, physical, and
computational tools.
Revise predictions and explanations using evidence, and connect explanations/arguments to
established scientific knowledge, models, and theories.
Develop quality controls to examine data sets and to examine evidence as a means of
generating and reviewing explanations.
Reflect on and revise understandings as new evidence emerges.
Use data representations and new models to revise predictions and explanations.
Consider alternative theories to interpret and evaluate evidence-based arguments.
Engage in multiple forms of discussion in order to process, make sense of, and learn from
others’ ideas, observations, and experiences.
Represent ideas using literal representations, such as graphs, tables, journals, concept maps,
and diagrams.
Electrons, protons, and neutrons are parts of the atom and have measurable properties,
including mass and, in the case of protons and electrons, charge. The nuclei of atoms are
composed of protons and neutrons. A kind of force that is only evident at nuclear distances
holds the particles of the nucleus together against the electrical repulsion between the
protons.
5.1.12.A.2
5.1.12.A.3
5.1.12.B.1
5.1.12.B.2
5.1.12.B.3
5.1.12.B.4
5.1.12.C.1
5.1.12.C.2
5.1.12.C.3
5.1.12.D.1
5.1.12.D.2
5.2.12.A.1
Unit Essential Questions
 What unsolved problems in classical physics led to the
development of quantum mechanics?
 What behavior is exhibited by particles on the atomic scale?
 How do LEDs work?
 Why are only certain transitions between energy states of
the atom allowed?
Unit Enduring Understandings
 Big Idea 1: Objects and systems have
properties such as mass and charge.
Systems may have internal structure.
 Big Idea 2: Fields existing in space can
be used to explain interactions.
 Big Idea 5: Changes that occur as a
result of interactions are constrained by
conservation laws.
 Big Idea 6: Waves can transfer energy
and momentum from one location to
another without the permanent transfer
of mass and serve as a mathematical
model for the description of other
phenomena.
 Big Idea 7: The mathematics of
probability can be used to describe the
behavior of complex systems and to
interpret the behavior of quantum
mechanical systems.
Unit Learning Targets
Students will ...
 Construct representations of the energy level structure of an electron in an atom and relate this to the
properties and scales of the systems being investigated. [LO 1.A.4.1, SP 1.1, SP 7.1]
 Identify the strong force as the force that is responsible for holding the nucleus together. [LO 3.G.3.1, SP
7.2]
 Describe emission or absorption spectra associated with electronic or nuclear transitions as transitions
between allowed energy states of the atom in terms of the principle of energy conservation, including
characterization of the frequency of radiation emitted or absorbed. [LO 5.B.8.1, SP 1.2, SP 7.2]
 Construct representations of the differences between
a fundamental particle and a system composed of
fundamental particles and relate this to the properties and scales of the systems being investigated. [LO
1.A.2.1, SP 1.1, SP 7.1]
 Construct representations of the energy level structure of an electron in an atom and relate this to the
properties and scales of the systems being investigated. [LO 1.A.4.1, SP 1.1, SP 7.1]
 Articulate the reasons that the theory of conservation of mass was replaced by the theory of conservation
of mass– energy. [LO 1.C.4.1, SP 6.3]
 Explain why classical mechanics cannot describe all properties of objects by articulating the reasons that
classical mechanics must be refined and an alternative explanation developed when classical particles
display wave properties. [LO 1.D.1.1, SP 6.3]
 Articulate the reasons that classical mechanics must be replaced by special relativity to describe the
experimental results and theoretical predictions that show that the properties of space and time are not
absolute. [LO 1.D.3.1, SP 6.3, SP 7.1]
 Describe emission or absorption spectra associated with electronic or nuclear transitions as transitions
between allowed energy states of the atom in terms of the principle of energy conservation, including
characterization of the frequency of radiation emitted or absorbed. [LO 5.B.8.1, SP 1.2, SP 7.2]
 Use a standing wave model in which an electron orbit circumference is an integer multiple of the de
Broglie wavelength to give a qualitative explanation that accounts for the existence of specific allowed
energy states of an electron in an atom. [LO 7.C.2.1, SP 1.4]
 Apply mathematical routines to describe the relationship between mass and energy and apply this
concept across domains of scale. [LO 4.C.4.1, SP 2.2, SP 2.3, SP 7.2]
 Analyze electric charge conservation for nuclear and elementary particle reactions and make predictions
related to such reactions based upon conservation of charge. [LO 5.C.1.1, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]
 Apply conservation of nucleon number and conservation of electric charge to make predictions about
nuclear reactions and decays such as fission, fusion, alpha decay, beta decay, or gamma decay. [LO
5.G.1.1, SP 6.4]
 Apply conservation of mass and conservation of energy concepts to a natural phenomenon and use the
equation
E = mc2 to make a related calculation. [LO 5.B.11.1, SP 2.2, SP 7.2]
 Make predictions of the dynamical properties of a system undergoing a collision by application of the
principle of linear momentum conservation and the principle of the conservation of energy in situations
in which an elastic collision may also be assumed. [LO 5.D.1.6, SP 6.4]
 Classify a given collision situation as elastic or inelastic, justify the selection of conservation of linear
momentum and restoration of kinetic energy as the appropriate principles for analyzing an elastic
collision, solve for missing variables, and calculate their values. [LO 5.D.1.7, SP 2.1, SP 2.2]
 Support the photon model of radiant energy with evidence provided by the photoelectric effect. [LO
6.F.3.1, SP 6.4]
 Select a model of radiant energy that is appropriate to the spatial or temporal scale of an interaction with
matter. [LO 6.F.4.1, SP 6.4, SP 7.1]
Evidence of Learning
Summative Assessment


Quizzes and tests
Laboratory Experiment Reports
 Projects
Equipment needed: Lab materials, PhET simulations
Teacher Resources: Textbook and section review, study guide materials.
Formative Assessments
 Questions and answers during lectures
 Textbook-based review and reinforcement questions
 Worksheets for in-class and at-home work
Lesson Plans
Lesson
Timeframe
Lesson 1:
The Photoelectric Effect
AP Physics 2 Lab#19: PhET Sim: Finding
Planck’s Constant Using LED’s
Lesson 2:
The Uncertainty Principle
Lesson 3:
Nuclear Forces and Atomic Structure
-Alpha and Beta Decay, Nuclear Fission
Teacher Notes:
Ensure that laptops are available for PhET lab
Curriculum Development Resources:




http://advancesinap.collegeboard.org/math-and-science/physics
http://phet.colorado.edu
http://www.physicsclassroom.com
http://www.prettygoodphysics.com
1 week
2 lab periods
2 weeks
VI. Benchmarks
1. By the end of semester 1:

The student is able to construct representations of the differences between a fundamental particle
and a system composed of fundamental particles and to relate this to the properties and scales of
the systems being investigated.

The student is able to construct representations of how the properties of a system are determined
by the interactions of its constituent substructures.

The student is able to design an experiment and analyze data from it to examine thermal
conductivity.

The student is able to make predictions about the direction of energy transfer due to temperature
differences based on interactions at the microscopic level.

The student is able to calculate the expected behavior of a system using the object model (i.e., by
ignoring changes in internal structure) to analyze a situation. Then, when the model fails, the
student can justify the use of conservation of energy principles to calculate the change in internal
energy due to changes in internal structure because the object is actually a system.

The student is able to describe and make predictions about the internal energy of systems.

The student is able to make claims about how the pressure of an ideal gas is connected to the
force exerted by molecules on the walls of the container, and how changes in pressure affect the
thermal equilibrium of the system.

Treating a gas molecule as an object (i.e., ignoring its internal structure), the student is able to
analyze qualitatively the collisions with a container wall and determine the cause of pressure and
at thermal equilibrium to quantitatively calculate the pressure, force, or area for a thermodynamic
problem given two of the variables.

The student is able to qualitatively connect the average of all kinetic energies of molecules in a
system to the temperature of the system.

The student is able to connect the statistical distribution of microscopic kinetic energies of
molecules to the macroscopic temperature of the system and to relate this to thermodynamic
processes.

The student is able to extrapolate from pressure and temperature or volume and temperature data
to make the prediction that there is a temperature at which the pressure or volume extrapolates to
zero.

The student is able to design a plan for collecting data to determine the relationships between
pressure, volume, and temperature, and amount of an ideal gas, and to refine a scientific question
concerning a proposed incorrect relationship between the variables.

The student is able to analyze graphical representations
of macroscopic variables for an ideal
gas to determine the relationships between these variables and to ultimately determine the ideal
gas law PV = nRT.

The student is able to construct an explanation, based on atomic-scale interactions and
probability, of how a system approaches thermal equilibrium when energy is transferred to it or
from it in a thermal process.

The student is able to connect qualitatively the second law of thermodynamics in terms of the
state function called entropy and how it (entropy) behaves in reversible and irreversible
processes.

The student is able to design an experiment and analyze data to examine how a force exerted on
an object or system does work on the object or system as it moves through a distance.

The student is able to make claims about the interaction between a system and its environment in
which the environment exerts a force on the system, thus doing work on the system and changing
the energy of the system (kinetic energy plus potential energy).

The student is able to make claims about the interaction between a system and its environment in
which the environment exerts a force on the system, thus doing work on the system and changing
the energy of the system (kinetic energy plus potential energy).

The student is able to design an experiment and analyze graphical data in which interpretations of
the area under a pressure-volume curve are needed to determine the work done on or by the
object or system.

The student is able to describe the models that represent processes by which energy can be
transferred between a system and its environment because of differences in temperature:
conduction, convection, and radiation.

The student is able to predict qualitative changes in the internal energy of a thermodynamic
system involving transfer of energy due to heat
or work done and justify those predictions in
terms of conservation of energy principles.

The student is able to create a plot of pressure versus volume for a thermodynamic process from
given data.

The student is able to use a plot of pressure versus volume for a thermodynamic process to make
calculations of internal energy changes, heat, or work, based upon conservation of energy
principles (i.e., the first law of thermodynamics).

The student is able to predict the densities, differences in densities, or changes in densities under
different conditions for natural phenomena and design an investigation to verify the prediction.

The student is able to select from experimental data the information necessary to determine the
density of an object and/or compare densities of several objects.

The student is able to use Bernoulli’s equation to make calculations related to a moving fluid.

The student is able to use Bernoulli’s equation and/or the relationship between force and pressure
to make calculations related to a moving fluid.

The student is able to make calculations of quantities related to flow of a fluid, using mass
conservation principles (the continuity equation).

The student is able to use Bernoulli’s equation and the continuity equation to make calculations
related to a moving fluid.

The student is able to construct an explanation of Bernoulli’s equation in terms of the
conservation of energy.

The student is able to make claims about natural phenomena based on conservation of electric
charge.

The student is able to make predictions, using the conservation of electric charge, about the sign
and relative quantity of net charge of objects or systems after various charging processes,
including conservation of charge in simple circuits.

The student is able to construct an explanation of the
two-charge model of electric charge based
on evidence produced through scientific practices.

The student is able to make a qualitative prediction about the distribution of positive and negative
electric charges within neutral systems as they undergo various processes.

The student is able to challenge claims that polarization of electric charge or separation of charge
must result in a net charge on the object.

The student is able to challenge the claim that an electric charge smaller than the elementary
charge has been isolated.

The student is able to represent forces in diagrams or mathematically using appropriately labeled
vectors with magnitude, direction, and units during the analysis of a situation.

The student is able to predict the direction and the magnitude of the force exerted on an object
with an electric charge q placed in an electric field E using the mathematical model of the relation
between an electric force and an electric field: F = qE; a vector relation.

The student is able to calculate any one of the variables — electric force, electric charge, and
electric field — at a point given the values and sign or direction of the other two quantities.

The student is able to challenge a claim that an object can exert a force on itself.

The student is able to describe a force as an interaction between two objects and identify both
objects for any force.

The student is able to make claims about the force on an object due to the presence of other
objects with the same property: mass, electric charge.

The student is able to re-express a free-body diagram representation into a mathematical
representation and solve the mathematical representation for the acceleration of the object.

The student is able to create and use free-body diagrams to analyze physical situations to solve
problems with motion qualitatively and quantitatively.

The student is able to predict the motion of an object subject to forces exerted by several objects
using an application of Newton’s second law in a variety of physical situations.

The student is able to construct explanations of physical situations involving the interaction of
bodies using Newton’s third law and the representation of action-reaction pairs of forces.

The student is able to use Newton’s third law to make claims and predictions about the actionreaction pairs of forces when two objects interact.

The student is able to analyze situations involving interactions among several objects by using
free-body diagrams that include the application of Newton’s third law to identify forces.

The student is able to make predictions about the redistribution of charge during charging by
friction, conduction, and induction.

The student is able to make predictions about the redistribution of charge caused by the electric
field due to other systems, resulting in charged or polarized objects.

The student is able to construct a representation of the distribution of fixed and mobile charge in
insulators and conductors.

The student is able to construct a representation of the distribution of fixed and mobile charge in
insulators and conductors that predicts charge distribution in processes involving induction or
conduction.

The student is able to explain and/or analyze the results of experiments in which electric charge
rearrangement occurs by electrostatic induction, or is able to refine a scientific question relating
to such an experiment by identifying anomalies in a data set or procedure.

The student is able to design a plan to collect data on the electrical charging of objects and
electric charge induction on neutral objects and qualitatively analyze that data.

The student is able to justify the selection of data relevant to an investigation of the electrical
charging of objects and electric charge induction on neutral objects.

The student is able to use Coulomb’s law qualitatively and quantitatively to make predictions
about the interaction between two electric point charges (interactions between collections of
electric point charges are not covered in Physics 1 and instead are restricted to Physics 2).

The student is able to connect the concepts of gravitational force and electric force to compare
similarities and differences between the forces.

The student is able to use mathematics to describe the electric force that results from the
interaction of several separated point charges (generally 2 to 4 point charges, though more are
permitted in situations of high symmetry).

The student is able to qualitatively and semi-quantitatively apply the vector relationship between
the electric field and the net electric charge creating that field.

The student is able to explain the inverse square dependence of the electric field surrounding a
spherically symmetric electrically charged object.

The student is able to construct or interpret visual representations of the isolines of equal
gravitational potential energy per unit mass and refer to each line as a gravitational equipotential.

The student is able to determine the structure of isolines of electric potential by constructing them
in a given electric field.

The student is able to predict the structure of isolines of electric potential by constructing them in
a given electric field and make connections between these isolines and those found in a
gravitational field.

The student is able to qualitatively use the concept of isolines to construct isolines of electric
potential in an electric field and determine the effect of that field on electrically charged objects.

The student is able to apply mathematical routines to calculate the average value of the magnitude
of the electric field in a region from a description of the electric potential in that region using the
displacement along the line on which the difference in potential is evaluated.

The student is able to apply the concept of the isoline representation of electric potential for a
given electric charge distribution to predict the average value of the electric field in the region.

The student is able to apply mathematical routines to determine the magnitude and direction of
the electric field at specified points in the vicinity of a small set (2–4) of point charges, and
express the results in terms of magnitude and direction of the field in a visual representation by
drawing field vectors of appropriate length and direction at the specified points.

The student is able to create representations of the magnitude and direction of the electric field at
various distances (small compared to plate size) from two electrically charged plates of equal
magnitude and opposite signs and is able to recognize that the assumption of uniform field is not
appropriate near edges of plates.

The student is able to calculate the magnitude and determine the direction of the electric field
between two electrically charged parallel plates, given the charge of each plate, or the electric
potential difference and plate separation.

The student is able to represent the motion of an electrically charged particle in the uniform field
between two oppositely charged plates and express the connection of this motion to projectile
motion of an object with mass in the Earth’s gravitational field.

The student is able to connect the strength of the gravitational force between two objects to the
spatial scale of the situation and the masses of the objects involved and compare that strength to
other types of forces.

The student is able to connect the strength of electromagnetic forces with the spatial scale of the
situation, the magnitude of the electric charges, and the motion of the electrically charged objects
involved.

The student is able to make claims about various contact forces between objects based on the
microscopic cause of those forces.

The student is able to explain contact forces (tension, friction, normal, buoyant, and spring) as
arising from interatomic electric forces and that they therefore have certain directions.

The student is able to make predictions about the properties of resistors and/or capacitors when
placed in a simple circuit based on the geometry of the circuit element and supported by scientific
theories and mathematical relationships.

The student is able to design a plan for the collection of data to determine the effect of changing
the geometry and/or materials on the resistance or capacitance of a circuit element and relate
results to the basic properties of resistors and capacitors.

The student is able to analyze data to determine the effect of changing the geometry and/or
materials on the resistance or capacitance of a circuit element and relate results to the basic
properties of resistors and capacitors.

The student is able to analyze experimental data including an analysis of experimental uncertainty
that will demonstrate the validity of Kirchhoff’s loop rule (∑ ∆V 0).

The student is able to use conservation of energy principles (Kirchhoff’s loop rule) to describe
and make predictions regarding electrical potential difference, charge, and current in steady-state
circuits composed of various combinations of resistors and capacitors.

The student is able to predict or explain current values in series and parallel arrangements of
resistors and other branching circuits using Kirchhoff ’s junction rule and relate the rule to the
law of charge conservation.

The student is able to determine missing values and direction of electric current in branches of a
circuit with resistors and NO capacitors from values and directions of current in other branches of
the circuit through appropriate selection of nodes and application of the junction rule.

The student is able to determine missing values and direction of electric current in branches of a
circuit with both resistors and capacitors from values and directions of current in other branches
of the circuit through appropriate selection of nodes and application of the junction rule.

The student is able to determine missing values, direction of electric current, charge of capacitors
at steady state, and potential differences within a circuit with resistors and capacitors from values
and directions of current in other branches of the circuit.

The student is able to mathematically express the changes in electric potential energy of a loop in
a multi-loop electrical circuit and justify this expression using the principle of the conservation of
energy.

The student is able to refine and analyze a scientific question for an experiment using Kirchhoff’s
loop rule for circuits that includes determination of internal resistance of the battery and analysis
of a nonohmic resistor.

The student is able to translate between graphical and symbolic representations of experimental
data describing relationships among power, current, and potential difference across a resistor.

The student is able to make and justify a quantitative prediction of the effect of a change in
values or arrangements of one or two circuit elements on the currents and potential differences in
a circuit containing a small number of sources of emf, resistors, capacitors, and switches in series
and/or parallel.

The student is able to make and justify a qualitative prediction of
the effect of a change in values
or arrangements of one or two circuit elements on currents and potential differences in a circuit
containing a small number of sources of emf, resistors, capacitors, and switches in series and/or
parallel.

The student is able to plan data collection strategies and perform data analysis to examine the
values of currents and potential differences in an electric circuit that is modified by changing or
rearranging circuit elements, including sources of emf, resistors, and capacitors.

The student is able to choose and justify the selection of data needed to determine resistivity for a
given material.
2. By the end of semester 2, the student will be able to:
 The student is able to distinguish the characteristics that differ between monopole fields
(gravitational field of spherical mass and electrical field due to single point charge) and dipole
fields (electric dipole field and magnetic field) and make claims about the spatial behavior of the
fields using qualitative or semiquantitative arguments based on vector addition of fields due to
each point source, including identifying the locations and signs of sources from a vector diagram
of the field.

The student is able to create a verbal or visual representation of a magnetic field around a long
straight wire or a pair of parallel wires.

The student is able to describe the orientation of a magnetic dipole placed in a magnetic field in
general and the particular cases of a compass in the magnetic field of the Earth and iron filings
surrounding a bar magnet.

The student is able to apply mathematical routines to express the force exerted on a moving
charged object by a magnetic field.

The student is able to use right-hand rules to analyze a situation involving a current-carrying
conductor and a moving electrically charged object to determine the direction of the magnetic
force exerted on the charged object due to the magnetic field created by the current- carrying
conductor.

The student is able to use representations and models to qualitatively describe the magnetic
properties of some materials that can be affected by magnetic properties of other objects in the
system

The student is able to construct an explanation of the function of a simple electromagnetic device
in which an induced emf is produced by a changing magnetic flux through an area defined by a
current loop (i.e., a simple microphone or generator) or of the effect on behavior of a device in
which an induced emf is produced by a constant magnetic field through a changing area.

The student is able to plan a data collection strategy appropriate to
an investigation of the
direction of the force on a moving electrically charged object caused by a current in a wire in the
context of a specific set of equipment and instruments and analyze the resulting data to arrive at a
conclusion.


The student is able to use the representation of magnetic domains to qualitatively analyze the
magnetic behavior of a bar magnet composed of ferromagnetic material.

The student is able to describe representations of transverse and longitudinal waves.

The student is able to make qualitative comparisons of the wavelengths of types of
electromagnetic radiation.

The student is able to contrast mechanical and electromagnetic waves in terms of the need for a
medium in wave propagation.

The student is able to describe representations and models of electromagnetic waves that explain
the transmission of energy when no medium is present.

The student is able to construct an equation relating the wavelength and amplitude of a wave from
a graphical representation of the electric or magnetic field value as a function of position at a
given time instant and vice versa, or construct an equation relating the frequency or period and
amplitude of a wave from a graphical representation of the electric or magnetic field value at a
given position as a function of time and vice versa.

The student is able to make claims and predictions about the net disturbance that occurs when two
waves overlap. Examples should include standing waves.

The student is able to construct representations to graphically analyze situations in which two
waves overlap over time using the principle of superposition.

The student is able to make claims about the diffraction pattern produced when a wave passes
through a small opening and to qualitatively apply the wave model to quantities that describe the
generation of a diffraction pattern when a wave passes through an opening whose dimensions are
comparable to the wavelength of the wave.

The student is able to qualitatively apply the wave model to quantities that describe the
generation of interference patterns to make predictions about interference patterns that form when
waves pass through a set of openings whose spacing and widths are small, but larger than the
wavelength.

The student is able to predict and explain, using representations and models, the ability or
inability of waves to transfer energy around corners and behind obstacles in terms of the
diffraction property
of waves in situations involving various kinds of wave phenomena,
including sound and light.

The student is able to make claims using connections across concepts about the behavior of light
as the wave travels from one medium into another, as some is transmitted, some is reflected, and
some is absorbed.

The student is able to make predictions about the locations of object and image relative to the
location of a reflecting surface. The prediction should be based on the model of specular
reflection with all angles measured relative to the normal to the surface.

The student is able to describe models of light traveling across
a boundary from one transparent
material to another when the speed of propagation changes, causing a change in the path of the
light ray at the boundary of the two media.

The student is able to plan data collection strategies as well as perform data analysis and
evaluation of the evidence for finding the relationship between the angle of incidence and the
angle of refraction for light crossing boundaries from one transparent material to another (Snell’s
law).

The student is able to make claims and predictions about path changes for light traveling across a
boundary from one transparent material to another at non-normal angles resulting from changes
in the speed of propagation.

The student is able to plan data collection strategies and perform data analysis and evaluation of
evidence about the formation of images due to reflection of light from curved spherical mirrors.

The student is able to use quantitative and qualitative representations and models to analyze
situations and solve problems about image formation occurring due to the reflection of light from
surfaces.

The student is able to use quantitative and qualitative representations and models to analyze
situations and solve problems about image formation occurring due to the refraction of light
through thin lenses.

The student is able to plan data collection strategies, perform data analysis and evaluation of
evidence, and refine scientific questions about the formation of images due to refraction for thin
lenses.

The student is able to analyze data (or a visual representation) to identify patterns that indicate
that a particular mechanical wave is polarized and construct an explanation of the fact that the
wave must have a vibration perpendicular to the direction of energy propagation.

The student is able to identify the strong force as the force that is responsible for holding the
nucleus together.

The student is able to analyze electric charge conservation for nuclear and elementary particle
reactions and make predictions related to such reactions based upon conservation of charge.

The student is able to predict electric charges on objects within a system by application of the
principle of charge conservation within a system.

The student is able to apply conservation of nucleon number and conservation of electric charge
to make predictions about nuclear reactions and decays such as fission, fusion, alpha decay, beta
decay, or gamma decay.

The student is able to predict the number of radioactive nuclei remaining in a sample after a
certain period of time, and also predict the missing species (alpha, beta, and gamma) in a
radioactive decay.

Construct representations of the energy-level structure of an electron in an atom and to relate this
to the properties and scales of the systems being investigated.

The student is able to make predictions about using the scale of the problem to determine at what
regimes a particle or wave model is more appropriate.

The student is able to support the photon model of radiant energy with evidence provided by the
photoelectric effect.

The student is able to select a model of radiant energy that is appropriate to the spatial or
temporal scale of an interaction with matter.

The student is able to construct or interpret representations of transitions between atomic energy
states involving the emission and absorption of photons. [For questions addressing stimulated
emission, students will not be expected to recall the details of
the process, such as the fact that
the emitted photons have the same frequency and phase as the incident photon; but given a
representation of the process, students are expected to make inferences such as figuring out from
energy conservation that since the atom loses energy in the process, the emitted photons taken
together must carry more energy than the incident photon.]

The student is able to articulate the reasons that the theory of conservation of mass was replaced
by the theory of conservation of mass–energy.

The student is able to apply mathematical routines to describe the relationship between mass and
energy and apply this concept across domains of scale.

The student is able to apply conservation of mass and conservation of energy concepts to a
natural phenomenon and use the equation E = mc2 to make a related calculation.

The student is able to explain why classical mechanics cannot describe all properties of objects by
articulating the reasons that classical mechanics must be refined and an alternative explanation
developed when classical particles display wave properties.

The student is able to articulate the reasons that classical mechanics must be replaced by special
relativity to describe the experimental results and theoretical predictions that show that the
properties of space and time are not absolute. [Students will be expected to recognize situations in
which nonrelativistic classical physics breaks down and to explain how relativity addresses that
breakdown, but students will not be expected to know in which of two reference frames a given
series of events corresponds to a greater or lesser time interval, or a greater or lesser spatial
distance; they will just need to know that observers in the two reference frames can “disagree”
about some time and distance intervals.]

The student is able to describe emission or absorption spectra associated with electronic or
nuclear transitions as transitions between allowed energy states of the atom in terms of the
principle of energy conservation, including characterization of the frequency of radiation emitted
or absorbed.

The student is able to articulate the evidence supporting the claim that a wave model of matter is
appropriate to explain the diffraction of matter interacting with a crystal, given conditions where
a particle of matter has momentum corresponding to a de Broglie wavelength smaller than the
separation between adjacent atoms in the crystal.

The student is able to predict the dependence of major features of
a diffraction pattern (e.g.,
spacing between interference maxima) based upon the particle speed and de Broglie wavelength
of electrons in an electron beam interacting with a crystal. (de Broglie wavelength need not be
given, so students may need to obtain it.)

The student is able to use a graphical wave function representation of a particle to predict
qualitatively the probability of finding a particle in a specific spatial region.

The student is able to use a standing wave model in which an electron orbit circumference is an
integer multiple of the de Broglie wavelength to give a qualitative explanation that accounts for
the existence of specific allowed energy states of an electron in an atom.
VII. Evaluations
Tests
Quizzes
Term Exams
Projects
Laboratory Experiments
Class Participation
Homework
VIII.
Affirmative Action – evidence of
A-1 Minorities and females incorporated in plans.
A-2 Human relations concepts are being taught.
A-3 Teaching plans to change ethnic and racial stereotypes.
IX.
Bibliography, Materials and Resources
Teacher prepared materials
Software materials
Probeware: (Dell Computer, Spark Tablets, Laptops with Pasco Probeware)
Textbook:
College Physics
Second Edition
Giambattista, Richardson and Richardson
McGraw Hill Higher Education, 2007