Download Physics - Northern Michigan University

MICHIGAN
TEST OBJECTIVES
FIELD 619: PHYSICS
Basic Concepts and Essential Skills
Mechanics
Waves, Sound, and Light
Heat and Matter
Electricity and Magnetism
Atomic and Nuclear Physics
BASIC CONCEPTS AND ESSENTIAL SKILLS
Recognize the role of physics in daily life.
Includes the application of physics principles and knowledge in daily life; career opportunities and
avocations in physics and technology; and ways in which basic research and the development of
new technology affect society.
Understand scientific processes and principles of experimental research.
Includes principles and techniques of scientific experimentation and investigation; the differences
between variables, constants, and controls; and the selection of appropriate experimental
procedures.
Understand methods and equipment used in measurement and computation.
Includes units, systems, equipment, and methods (including computers) used in measurement and
computation; and problems involving conversion factors within and between systems of
measurement.
Understand methods used in collecting, analyzing, and reporting data.
Includes methods used in collecting and interpreting data; basic statistical concepts; and methods
for reporting data.
Understand safe and proper use of equipment and materials commonly used in physics laboratories.
Includes characteristics of safe and proper use of equipment and materials; and procedures for
preventing and dealing with accidents and injuries in the physics laboratory.
MECHANICS
Understand rectilinear motion with constant acceleration.
Includes units, equipment, and methods used to measure distance, displacement, time, speed,
velocity, and acceleration; and problems and graphs involving distance, displacement, time, speed,
velocity, and acceleration.
Understand vectors.
Includes the differences between vectors and scalars; problems involving vector addition and
subtraction; components of vectors; and physical quantities that are vectors.
Understand trigonometric functions.
Includes sine, cosine, and tangent; and problems involving sine, cosine, and tangent.
Understand force.
Includes the basic forces of nature; units, equipment, and methods used to measure force; and
problems involving forces and translational and/or rotational equilibrium.
Apply gravitational force.
Includes problems involving the law of universal gravitation, free fall, and projectile motion.
Apply Newton’s laws of motion.
Includes characteristics and examples of Newton’s three laws of motion; and problems involving
Newton’s second law of motion.
Understand momentum.
Includes the law of conservation of momentum; and problems involving momentum in one and
two dimensions.
Understand circular motion.
Includes characteristics of uniform circular motion and circular satellite orbits; and problems
involving uniform circular and rotary motion.
Understand simple harmonic motion.
Includes characteristics and examples of simple harmonic motion; and the relationship between
simple harmonic motion and uniform circular motion.
Understand the rotation of rigid bodies with constant angular acceleration.
Includes problems involving rotational kinematics; rotational dynamics; and conservation of
angular momentum, given moments of inertia.
Understand kinetic and potential energy.
Includes examples of kinetic and potential energy; and problems involving conservation of energy,
kinetic energy, and potential energy.
Analyze the principles of work and power.
Includes the definition of work; the relationships between work, power, and energy; and problems
involving work and/or power and/or energy.
Understand simple machines.
Includes problems involving efficiency and mechanical advantage.
WAVES, SOUND, AND LIGHT
Understand types and properties of waves.
Includes terms associated with waves; and types and properties of waves.
Understand wave motion.
Includes factors affecting properties and behavior of waves; and problems involving speed of
propagation, frequency, wavelength, and wave period.
Analyze interactions of waves with objects and other waves.
Includes examples of wave phenomena and problems involving reflection and/or refraction.
Understand characteristics and behavior of sound waves.
Includes characteristics and examples of sound waves; and processes by which sound is produced
and transmitted.
Understand characteristics of light.
Includes comparisons of the properties of light in terms of wave and particle theories; the
relationship between frequency and color; and the rules of color addition and subtraction.
Identify components and characteristics of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Includes components and characteristics of the electromagnetic spectrum and their location within
the spectrum.
Analyze the behavior of light.
Includes diffraction; polarization; the law of reflection of light as it applies to curved and plane
surfaces; and SneIl’s law as it applies to the behavior of light.
Analyze light in relation to optical equipment and the human eye.
Includes problems involving lenses, mirrors, and the use of the ray diagram; the function of lenses
and mirrors in optical equipment; and image formation of the human eye.
HEAT AND MATTER
Understand basic concepts of heat and temperature.
Includes properties of heat and temperature; units, equipment, and methods used in calorimetry;
problems involving calorimetry; and conversion between temperature scales.
Apply the laws of thermodynamics.
Includes the laws of thermodynamics and their application to various situations.
Analyze thermal expansion and heat transfer.
Includes processes, applications, and problems involving thermal expansion, contraction, and heat
transfer.
Understand the kinetic molecular theory.
Includes assumptions of the kinetic molecular theory and the application of its principles to
explain the structure and properties of the states of matter; problems involving gas laws; and the
relationship between phase changes in matter and the kinetic molecular theory.
Identify the properties and behavior of solids, liquids, and gases.
Includes the properties and structure of solids, liquids, and gases.
ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM
Understand the characteristics and behavior of electric charges.
Includes the properties of electric charge and charged objects; methods of charging bodies; and
problems involving Coulomb’s law.
Understand electric fields.
Includes electric field diagrams; electric field calculations due to a point charge distribution
(maximum, two point charges); and other problems involving point charges in electric fields.
Understand electric potential.
Includes electric potential due to a point charge distribution; and work involved in moving a point
charge through a potential difference.
Understand the characteristics and behavior of electric current.
Includes units, equipment, and methods used to measure electric current and voltage; the flow of
electric charge in different media; the differences between alternating and direct current; and
problems involving Ohm’s law and electric power for DC.
Understand electric circuits.
Includes the structure, function, and symbols used to represent components of electric circuits; and
problems involving resistance, current, and voltage in series and parallel DC circuits.
Identify characteristics and applications of magnets and magnetic fields.
Includes characteristics of magnets and magnetic fields, including direction and magnitude; and
units of magnetic fields.
Understand the effect of magnetic fields on electric charges.
Includes the direction and magnitude of the force on a charge moving in a magnetic field; and the
magnitude of the force on a current-carrying conductor in a magnetic field.
Understand characteristics of electromagnets and electromagnetism.
Includes characteristics of electromagnets; the effect of current-carrying wire, straight or coiled,
on the direction of the magnetic field; and the effect of current strength on magnetic field.
Identify principles and applications of electromagnetism.
Includes principles of electromagnetism in meters, motors, generators, and transformers; and
applications of electromagnetism in daily living.
Understand electromagnetic induction.
Includes the way an electromagnetic wave travels through space; and the application of Lenz’s law
to a simple conducting loop and Faraday’s law to predict induced EMF in a loop.
ATOMIC AND NUCLEAR PHYSICS
Understand atomic structure.
Includes models of atomic structure; quantitative interpretations of atomic structure; the existence
of electron energy levels in an atom; and the relationship of electron energy level changes to
atomic spectra.
Understand the characteristics of subatomic particles.
Includes the characteristics and properties of subatomic particles and the atomic nucleus.
Understand the basic principles of radioactivity.
Includes types and characteristics of radiation; problems involving half-life; and equipment used
to measure radiation.
Analyze nuclear reactions.
Includes fission; fusion; energy flow during nuclear reactions; and the use of atomic masses and
charges to balance partial equations for nuclear reactions.
Identify applications of radioactivity in science and technology.
Includes applications of radioactivity in science, medicine, and energy production; risks associated
with applications of radioactivity; and principles of nuclear safety.
Effective until September 1, 1999