Download AP Physics I Course Syllabus_Student Version

AP PHYSICS I – Syllabus
Introduction:
AP® Physics 1 is an algebra-based course in general physics that meets for 90 minutes each day for the
entire school year. General physics topics presented during the course closely follow those outlined by
the College Board and also mirrors an introductory level university physics course.
AP® Physics 1 is organized around six big ideas that bring together the fundamental science principles and
theories of general physics. These big ideas are intended to encourage students to think about physics
concepts as interconnected pieces of a puzzle. The solution to the puzzle is how the real world around
them actually works. The students will participate in inquiry-based explorations of these topics to gain a
more conceptual understanding of these physics concepts. Students will spend less of their time in
traditional formula-based learning and more of their effort will be directed to developing critical thinking
and reasoning skills.
Resources:
th
Giancoli, Douglas C. Physics: Principles with Applications – 6 ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice
Hall, 2005
Teaching Resources:
Gastineau, John, Kenneth Appel, Clarence Bakken, Richard Sorensen, David Vernier. Physics with Vernierst
1 ed. Beaverton, OR: Vernier Software & Technology, 2007
st
Knight, Randall D., Brian Jones, Stuart Field. College Physics: A Strategic Approach – 1 ed. San Francisco,
CA: Pearson Addison-Wesley, 2007
nd
Walker, James S. Physics – 2 ed. Upper Saddle River, N: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004
Big Ideas:
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.
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.
Science Practices:
SP 1: The student can use representations and models to communicate scientific phenomena and solve
scientific problems.
SP 2: The students can use mathematics appropriately.
SP 3: The student can engage in scientific questioning to extend thinking or to guide investigations within
the context of the AP course.
SP 4: The student can plan and implement data collection strategies in relation to a particular scientific
question.
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SP 5: The student can perform data analysis and evaluation of evidence.
SP 6: The student can work with scientific explanations and theories.
SP 7: The student is able to connect and relate knowledge across various scales, concepts, and
representations in across domains.
Foundational Principles – Course Content
UNIT
Unit 1:
Kinematics
Unit 2:
Dynamics
CHAPTER(S)
Section(s)
Chapt. 01: Introduction, Measurement,
Estimating
1-1 The Nature of Science
1-2 Physics and its Relation to Other
Fields
1-3 Models, Theories, and Laws
1-4 Measurement and Uncertainty;
Significant Figures
1-5 Units, Standards and the SI System
1-6 Converting Units
1-8 Dimensions and Dimensional Analysis
Chapt. 02: Describing Motion – Kinematics in
One Dimension
2-1 Reference Frames and Displacement
2-2 Average Velocity
2-3 Instantaneous Velocity
2-4 Acceleration
2-5 Motion at Constant Acceleration
2-6 Solving Problems
2-7 Falling Objects
Chapt. 03: Kinematics in Two Dimensions,
Vectors
3-1 Vectors and Scalars
3-2 Addition of Vectors – Graphical
Methods
3-3 Subtraction of Vectors, and
Multiplication of a Vector by a Scalar
3-4 Adding Vectors by Components
3-5 Projectile Motion
3-6 Solving Problems Involving Projectile
Motion
Chapt. 04: Dynamics – Newton’s Laws of
Motion
4-1 Force
4-2 Newton’s First Law of Motion
4-3 Mass
4-4 Newton’s Second Law of Motion
4-5 Newton’s Third Law of Motion
BIG
IDEAS
2
3, 4
3, 4
1, 2,
3, 4
1
Unit 3:
Energy
Unit 4:
Momentum
Unit 5:
Circular
Motion and
Gravitation
Unit 6:
Rotational
Motion
4-6 Weight – the Force of Gravity; and the
Normal Force
4-7 Solving Problems with Newton’s
Laws: Free-Body Diagrams
4-8 Problems Involving Friction, Inclines
4-9 Problem Solving – A General
Approach
Chapt. 06: Work and Energy
6-1 Work Done by a Constant Force
6-3 Kinetic Energy and the Work-Energy
Principle
6-4 Potential Energy
6-5 Conservative and Nonconservative
Forces
6-6 Mechanical Energy and Its
Conservation
6-7 Problem Solving Using Conservation
of Mechanical Energy
6-8 Other Forms of Energy; Energy
Transformations and the Law of
Conservation of Energy
6-10 Power
Chapt. 07: Linear Momentum
7-1 Momentum and Its Relation to Force
7-2 Conservation of Momentum
7-3 Collisions and Impulse
7-4 Conservation of Energy and
Momentum in Collisions
7-5 Elastic Collisions in One Dimension
7-6 Inelastic Collisions
7-8 Center of Mass (CM)
Chapt. 05: Circular Motion – Gravitation
5-1 Kinematics of Uniform Circular
Motion
5-2 Dynamics of Uniform Circular Motion
5-3 Highway Curves, Banked and
Unbanked
5-6 Newton’s Law of Universal
Gravitation
Chapt. 08: Rotational Motion
8-1 Angular Quantities
8-2 Constant Angular Acceleration
8-3 Rolling Motion (Without Slipping)
8-4 Torque
8-5 Rotational Dynamics; Torque and
Rotational Inertia
8-6 Solving Problems in Rotational
Dynamics
3, 4, 5
3, 4, 5
1, 2,
3, 4
1, 3,
4, 5
2
Unit 7:
Simple
Harmonic
Motion
Unit 8:
Mechanical
Waves
Unit 9:
Electrostatics
Unit 10: DC
Circuits
8-7 Rotational Kinetic Energy
8-8 Angular Momentum and Its
Conservation
Chapt. 11: Vibrations and Waves
11-1 Simple Harmonic Motion (SpringMass Systems)
11-2 Energy in the Simple Harmonic
Oscillator
11-3 The Period and Sinusoidal Nature of
SHM
11-4 The Simple Pendulum
11-5 Damped Harmonic Motion
11-6 Forced Vibrations; Resonance
Chapt. 11: Vibrations and Waves
11-7 Wave Motion
11-8 Types of Waves: Transverse and
Longitudinal
11-9 Energy Transported by Waves
11-11 Reflection and Transmission of
Waves
11-12 Interference; Principle of
Superposition
11-13 Standing Waves; Resonance
Chapt. 12: Sound
12-1 Characteristics of Sound
12-2 Intensity of Sound: Decibels
12-4 Sources of Sound: Vibrating Strings
and Air Columns
12-6 Interference of Sound Waves; Beats
12-7 Doppler Effect
Chapt. 16: Electric Charge and Electric Field
16-1 Static Electricity: Electric Charge and
Its Conservation
16-2 Electric Charge in the Atom
16-3 Insulators and Conductors
16-4 Induced Charge; the Electroscope
16-5 Coulomb’s Law
16-6 Solving Problems Involving
Coulomb’s Law and Vectors
16-7 The Electric Field
16-8 Field Lines
16-9 Electric Fields and Conductors
Chapt. 18: Electric Currents
18-1 The Electric Battery
18-2 Electric Current
18-3 Ohm’s Law: Resistance and Resistors
18-4 Resistivity
3, 4, 5
6
6
1, 2,
3, 5
1, 5
3
18-5 Electric Power
Chapt. 19: DC Circuits
19-1 EMF and Terminal Voltage
19-2 Resistors in Series and in Parallel
19-3 Kirchoff’s Rules
1, 2, 5
LABORATORY INVESTIGATIONS AND THE SCIENCE PRACTICES
The AP Physics 1 course devotes at least 25% of the time to laboratory investigations. The
laboratory component of the course allows the students to demonstrate the seven science
practices through a variety of investigations in all of the foundational principles. The initial labs
have a mix of Confirmation and Structured Inquiry activities. In these introductory level
activities students investigate a principle for which the results are already known, or investigate
a teacher presented questions with a prescribed procedure. The students will then use guided–
inquiry (GI) or open–inquiry (OI) in the design of their later laboratory investigations. Some labs
focus on investigating a physical phenomenon without having expectations of its outcomes. In
these experiments, the student does not have an expectation of its outcome based on concepts
constructed from prior experiences. In application experiments (Projects), the students use
acquired physics principles to address practical problems. Students also investigate topic-related
questions that are formulated through student designed/selected procedures. All investigations
are reported in a laboratory journal. Students are expected to record their observations, data,
and data analyses. Data analyses include identification of the sources and effects of
experimental uncertainty, calculations, results and conclusions, and suggestions for further
refinement of the experiment as appropriate.
UNIT
LAB INVESTIGATION
UNIT 1. KINEMATICS
1. Graph Matching (Structured Inquiry)
Students will conduct qualitative analysis of graphs produced
using a Motion Detector to aid in their understanding of basic
kinematics concepts.
Science Practices: 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1,
5.2, 5.3, 6.1, 6.2
2. Back and Forth Motion (Guided Inquiry)
Students will analyze position, velocity and acceleration vs.
time graphs and determine the proper placement of a motion
detector in association with several systems that would yield
similar results.
Science Practices: 1.2, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 5.3,
6.1, 6.4, 7.2
3. Cart on a Ramp (Structured Inquiry)
Students will use a Motion Detector to collect and analyze
position, velocity, and acceleration data for a cart rolling up
and down a ramp.
Science Practices: 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 5.3, 6.1,
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6.4, 7.2
UNIT 2.
DYNAMICS
UNIT 3.
ENERGY
4. Picket Fence Free Fall (Confirmation)
Students will measure the acceleration due to gravity using a
wide variety of timing methods.
Science Practices: 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 4.1, 4.3, 5.1, 5.3, 6.1, 6.4,
7.2
5. Force Table Lab (Guided Inquiry)
Students will conduct a comparative analysis of resultants of
multiple vectors determined by using experimental, graphical,
and analytical methods.
Science Practices: 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.3,
6.1, 6.4, 7.2
6. Projectile Motion Lab (Structured Inquiry)
Students will collect and analyze various types of data on
projectile motion under different launch conditions, and
extrapolate the motion of projectiles.
Science Practices: 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1, 4.3, 5.3, 6.1, 6.4, 7.2
7. Newton’s Second Law Lab (Guided Inquiry)
Students will create an experimental setup to determine the
relationship between force, mass and acceleration using
dynamics carts.
Science Practices: 1.1, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2,
4.3, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 6.1, 6.2, 6.4, 7.2
8. Atwood Machine Lab (Structured Inquiry)
Students will qualitatively and quantitatively determine the
relationship between the two factors that influence the
acceleration of a system.
Science Practices: 1.1, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.3,
6.1, 6.4, 7.2
9. Friction Lab (Guided Inquiry)
Students will determine the relationship between several
variables (surface type, surface area, Static vs Kinetic, etc.) and
the force of friction that acts on an object.
Science Practices: 1.1, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.3,
6.1, 6.4, 7.2
10. Newton’s Third Law Lab (Confirmation)
Students will demonstrate that the interaction between two
objects follow Newton’s Third Law by determining the forces
experienced by each object.
Science Practices: 1.2,1.4,2.2,2.3, 3.3,4.3,5.1,6.1,6.2,7.2
11. Work Done on a Spring (Guided Inquiry)
Students will determine the work done on a spring by
interpreting force vs. displacement graphs created from
experimental data.
Science Practices: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2,
4.3, 5.3, 6.1, 6.4, 7.2
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UNIT 4.
MOMENTUM
UNIT 5.
CIRCULAR MOTION
AND GRAVITATION
UNIT 6.
ROTATIONAL
MOTION
12. Air Resistance Lab (Guided Inquiry)
Students will determine the energy dissipated by air resistance
as falling objects convert gravitational energy into kinetic
energy.
Science Practices: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2,
4.3, 5.3, 6.1, 6.4, 6.5, 7.2
13. Conservation of Momentum Lab (Confirmation)
Students will utilize dynamic carts to demonstrate that
momentum is conserved within a system.
Science Practices: 1.4, 2.2, 2.3, 3.3, 4.1, 4.3, 5.1, 5.3, 6.1, 7.2
14. Impulse and Momentum Lab (Structured Inquiry)
To measure the change in momentum of a dynamics cart and
compare it to the impulse received.
Science Practices: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2,
4.3, 5.1, 5.3, 6.1, 6.4, 7.2
15. Inelastic and Elastic Collision Lab (Guided Inquiry)
To investigate conservation of momentum and conservation of
energy using dynamics carts to determine the type of collision.
Science Practices: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3,
5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 6.1, 6.2, 6.4, 7.2
16. Crash Safety Design Project (Open Inquiry)
Students will apply principles of conservation of energy,
conservation of momentum, impulse, inelastic and elastic
collisions to investigate design features of vehicles.
Science Practices: 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.2,
4.4, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 6.1, 6.2, 7.1, 7.2
17. Centripetal Acceleration Lab (Guided Inquiry)
Students will determine the centripetal acceleration of an
object rotating around a fixed point and the centripetal force
required to maintain the objects motion.
Science Practices: 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3,
5.3, 6.1, 6.4, 7.2
18. Torque Lab (Structured Inquiry)
Students will investigate the relationship between force and
the length of a lever arm on torque.
Science Practices: 1.2, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.3, 4.3, 5.1, 5.3, 6.2,
6.5
19. Rotational Inertia Lab (Guided Inquiry)
To determine the rotational inertia of a cylinder from the slope
of a graph of an applied torque versus angular acceleration.
Science Practices: 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3,
5.1, 5.3, 6.1, 6.4, 7.2
20. Conservation of Angular Momentum (Guided Inquiry)
To investigate how the angular momentum of a rotating
system responds to changes in the rotational inertia.
Science Practices: 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1,
5.3, 6.1, 6.4, 7.2
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UNIT 7.
SIMPLE HARMONIC
MOTION
UNIT 8.
MECHANICAL
WAVES
UNIT 9.
ELECTROSTATICS
UNIT 10.
DC CIRCUITS
21. Pendulum Periods Lab (Guided Inquiry)
Students will investigate the period of a simple pendulum as a
function of amplitude, length, and mass.
Science Practices: 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3,
5.1, 5.3, 6.1, 6.4, 7.2
22. Simple Harmonic Motion Lab (Guided Inquiry)
Students will determine the characteristics of a mass and
spring system and construct a mathematical model of simple
harmonic motion.
Science Practices: 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3,
5.1, 5.3, 6.1, 6.4, 7.2
23. Damped Harmonic Motion Lab (Open Inquiry)
Students will investigate real world applications of Harmonic
Motion Damping devices such as shock absorbers in cars or
earthquake resistant buildings.
Science Practices: 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.2,
4.4, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 6.1, 6.2, 7.1, 7.2
24. Sound Waves and Beats Lab (Structured Inquiry)
Students will measure the frequency, period, and amplitude of
sound waves from tuning forks. Beats will be observed
between the sounds of two tuning forks.
Science Practices: 1.4, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 6.1, 6.4, 7.2
25. Speed of Sound (Guided Inquiry)
Students will experimentally determine the speed of sound
and compare this to the accepted value.
Science Practices: 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3,
5.3, 6.1, 6.4, 7.2
26. Static Electricity Lab (Guided Inquiry)
Students use sticky tape and a variety of objects to make
qualitative observations of the interactions when objects are
charged, discharged, and recharged.
Science Practices: 1.2, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 6.2, 7.2
27. Coulomb’s Law Lab (Guided Inquiry)
To estimate the charge on two identical, equally charged
spherical pith balls of known mass.
Science Practices: 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1,
5.3, 6.1, 6.4, 7.2
28. Ohms Law Lab (Guided Inquiry)
Students will determine the relationship between voltage,
current, and resistance in a circuit.
Science Practices: 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1,
5.3, 6.1, 6.4, 7.2
29. Series and Parallel Circuits (Guided Inquiry) Students will
investigate the characteristics of series and parallel circuits.
Data collected will be used to formulate Kirchhoff’s Laws.
Science Practices: .1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3,
5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 6.1, 6.4, 7.2
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INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES
Throughout the course, the students engage in a variety of activities designed to build the
students’ reasoning skills and deepen their conceptual understanding of physics principles.
Students conduct labs and projects that enable them to connect the concepts learned in class to
real world applications. The Projects during which students engage in hands-on activities outside
of the laboratory experience that support the connection to more than one Learning Objective
are described in further detail below.
Project: Crash Safety Design
DESCRIPTION: Working in groups of two or three, students will design a small chassis that will
be collided with a wall. The safety rating of each chassis design will be determined by the
collection and interpretation of data from the crash. Students will present their findings to the
entire class, who will peer review and critique their findings. Each group will defend their data
collection strategies and method of data interpretation. The presentation should include the
experimental setup, multiple representations of the change in momentum and acceleration
experienced by the chassis to provide evidence for their claims. Students will use the
mathematical expression of conservation of energy along with their graphs, and the
corresponding kinetic and potential energy calculations to evaluate whether the chassis design
worked acceptably at this scaled down level and its performance if scaled up. This activity is
designed to allow students to apply the following Learning Objectives:
Learning Objective 1.C.1.1
The student is able to design an experiment for collecting data to determine the relationship
between the net force exerted on an object, its inertial mass, and its acceleration.
Learning Objective 3.A.1.3
The student is able to analyze experimental data describing the motion of an object and is able
to express the results of the analysis using narrative, mathematical, and graphical
representations.
Learning Objective 3.D.2.4
The student is able to design a plan for collecting data to investigate the relationship between
changes in momentum and the average force exerted on an object over time.
Learning Objective 4.B.2.2
The student is able to perform analysis on data presented as a force-time graph and predict the
change in momentum of a system.
Learning Objective 5.B.4.2
The student is able to calculate changes in kinetic energy and potential energy of a system using
information from representations of that system.
Project: Damped Harmonic Motion
DESCRIPTION: This activity provides an opportunity for students to make interdisciplinary
connections to geological and engineering systems by investigating the design and function of
shock absorbers placed in vehicles and also large buildings to mitigate harmonic motion.
Students will design and analyze a shock absorbing system that yields critical damping. They will
analyze if their system causes overdamping or underdamping and what is necessary to correct
that tendency. Students may use the Internet to research the structure of shock absorbers in
vehicles and large buildings built in earthquake prone regions. They may use some material that
are available in class or find materials from home to complete their design. In their lab journal,
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students are required to document the different stages of their design. Required elements
include design sketches, force diagrams, graphical and/or mathematical representations of
damped harmonic systems. Students will present their findings to the entire class, who will peer
review and critique their findings. Each group will defend their data collection strategies and
method of data interpretation. This activity is designed to allow students to apply the following
Learning Objectives:
Learning Objective 3.B.3.1
The students is able to predict which properties determine the motion of a simple harmonic
oscillator and what the dependence of the motion is on those properties.
Learning Objective 3.B.3.2
The student is able to design a plan and collect data in order to ascertain the characteristics of
the motion of a system undergoing oscillatory motion caused by a restoring force.
Learning Objective 3.B.3.3
The student can analyze data to identify qualitative or quantitative relationships between given
values and variables (i.e., force, displacement, acceleration, velocity, period of motion,
frequency, displacement, acceleration, velocity, period of motion, frequency, spring constant,
string length, mass) associated with objects in oscillatory motion to use that data to determine
the value of an unknown.
Learning Objective 5.B.4.2
The student is able to calculate changes in kinetic energy and potential energy of a system using
information from representations of that system.
Learning Objective 5.B.5.1
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.
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