Physics 20 Course Outline

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Unit 1: Physics of everyday lives

http://physicsisfun.wordpress.com/2008/08/28/physics-does-it-need-an-intro/

Introduction to physics

• Formulate a response to the question: "What is physics?"

• Recognize that new things are always being learned in science

• Demonstrate that observation is an essential part of science

Discovering physics

• Apply important principles in physics to solve typical problems that might occur around the home or elsewhere

• Explore common items that operate on the basis of important principles in physics

• Demonstrate an enjoyment of learning about physics

Measurement and Data Analysis

• Express physical quantities using a value, appropriate SI units, and (if necessary) direction

• Recognize the limited accuracy of measured quantities

• Express numbers in scientific notation

• Graph numeric information

• Interpret information from a graph

Unit 2: Waves and Sound

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2008/04/17/sound-wave-get-your-wash-clean/

Properties of waves

• Solve problems involving period, frequency, and wave motion

• Apply the correct units for period and frequency in problem solving and applications

• Give examples of periodic motion

Wave Phenomena

• Explain that waves travel at a constant speed in a uniform medium

• Explain that the frequency of a wave depends on the source which produced it

• State the laws of reflection• Demonstrate an understanding of wave

transmission, reflection, and refraction by relating these phenomena to practical and common experiences

Applications

• Identify some important physical principles involved in human hearing such as: amplification, levers, accelerometers, resonance, longitudinal waves, and pressure

Transmission of Sound

• Describe some of the ways in which sound illustrates wave behaviour

• Explain that the changes in pressure can create a series of longitudinal sound waves which are transmitted from the source

• Define an echo and reverberation and state similarities and differences between them

• Explain that the speed of sound varies in different types of media

• Solve problems relating to the speed of sound in air, or any other given medium

Characteristics of Sound

• Explain why extremely loud sounds may cause a perforation of the eardrum

• State the approximate range of audible frequencies for humans

• State some important applications for ultrasonic and infrasonic sound

• Transfer an understanding of the Doppler Effect to practical examples and common experiences

• Apply an understanding of beat frequency in problem solving

Unit 3: Light

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Characteristics of light

• Give examples of some common luminous and nonluminous objects

• Identify objects which are transparent, translucent, and opaque

• Apply and understanding of the inverse square law relationship between the intensity of light and the distance from the source

Reflection

• Explain why the laws of reflection still apply for diffuse (irregular) reflection

• Compare the effects produced by direct and indirect lighting

• Apply the laws of reflection in problem solving

Refraction

• Explain why refraction occurs

• Apply Snell's Law to solve problems relating to refraction

• Identify several applications or examples from common experience which illustrate the refraction of light

Unit 4: Heat

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Heat and temperature

• Identify some important postulates of the kinetic molecular theory

• Explain the difference between heat and temperature

• Suggest some applications in which an understanding of thermal expansion would be extremely useful

• Recognize any potentially hazardous situations that could arise from the thermal expansion of materials, especially those involving an increase in pressure from the expansion of gases in closed containers.

Specific heat capacity and latent heat

• Solve problems involving specific heat capacity and specific latent heat

• Identify several unique physical properties of water

• Suggest some environmental implications leading from the physical properties of water

Thermodynamics

• State the Law of Conservation of Energy

• Give a practical example which illustrates the Principle of Heat Exchange

• Give examples to illustrate the Laws of Thermodynamics

Materials• You must bring these to EVERY

class.• Paper, pencil and pen• Lab book• Graph paper• Ruler• Geometry set• A calculator with SIN, COS, TAN

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Evaluation:• Unit Exams – 40%• Homework & Hand-ins - 20%• Labs - 10%• Project - 10%• Final - 20%

Attendance:

• You will be expected to be here on time. After 3 unconfirmed lates your parents will be contacted. After 5 unconfirmed lates you will have to go see the principal. If you reach 10 lates you may be withdrawn from the class.

http://www.jasonlove.com/archive/00152-daily-cartoons-attendance.aspx

Work habits:

• Your assignments are the most important part of the course. Hand in everything and you will do fine.

• If you do not complete your assignments then study hall will be used to make sure all your work is up to date.

• I do encourage you to work together at all times. Teamwork is essential in science and in this class. Getting a classmate to explain something will sometimes help you to understand it. And if they can explain it, it means they understand it as well. Working together and copying is 2 different things. When you work together, you still come up with your own answer.

• I am always available for questions. Feel free to talk to me anytime. I will be happy to help you out.

Introduction to Physics

• Formulate a response to the question: "What is physics?"

Other Sciences:

What is:» Chemistry?» Biology?» Astronomy?» Geology?» Archeology?

The Study of….

What is Physics?

• The study of…

• It is my task to convince you not to turn away from physics because you don't understand it. You see my physics students don't understand it... That is because I don't understand it. Nobody does. Feynman, Richard P.

• I can travel through time and I do ... at the unremarkable rate of one second per second.

• Q.) What's the difference between a mathematician and a physicist? A.) A mathematician thinks that two points are enough to define a strait line while a physicist wants more data!!!

• YOU MIGHT BE A PHYSICS GEEK... • if you have no life - and you can PROVE it mathematically. • if you know vector calculus but you can't remember how to do long division. • if you chuckle whenever anyone says "centrifugal force." • if you've actually used every single function on your graphing calculator. • if it is sunny and 25 degrees outside, and you are working on a computer. • if you always do homework on Friday nights.• if you know how to integrate a chicken and can take the derivative of water. • if you think in "math." • if you hesitate to look at something because you don't want to break down

its wave function. • if you have a pet named after a scientist. • if you laugh at jokes about mathematicians. • If you are completely addicted to caffeine. • if you consider ANY non-science course "easy." • if when your teacher asks you where your homework is, you claim to have

accidentally determined its momentum so precisely, that according to Heisenberg it could be anywhere in the universe.

• if you'll assume that a "horse" is a "sphere" in order to make the math easier.

• if you understood more than five of these indicators.

• Physics is not to be entered into lightly. People often ask me, “Is physics tough?” My answer is, it’s tough for everyone, especially anyone who struggles in Math.

• Physics makes extensive use of equations and graphing in real world situations. Physics also requires quite a bit of theory and logic. This means that we will hopefully engage in may discussions throughout the semester. If there is anything in science you wish to question please bring it up. You may have even been given incorrect information in elementary school. This is sometimes done to make things easier to understand. Hopefully you will have to opportunity in physics to fix this.

So…Question: What Is Physics?

• Answer: Physics is the scientific study of matter and energy and how they interact with each other.

• This energy can take the form of motion, light, electricity, radiation, gravity . . . just about anything, honestly. Physics deals with matter on scales ranging from sub-atomic particles (i.e. the particles that make up the atom and the particles that make up those particles) to stars and even entire galaxies.