Pre-AP Course Syllabus Mabank High School Developed by Adam Jaspers 2017-2018
Course Descriptions for MHS Course Guide Pre-AP Physics 2 Semesters 1 Credit Grade Level: 10, 11, 12 Prerequisite: Successful completion of Geometry or concurrent enrollment in Geometry Enriched, or consent of the instructor. Course Overview: Schedule: MHS operates on an 8 period day school cycle. AP 1 Physics will meet for a 47-minute period every day. The academic calendar is from August through May giving ample time to prepare before the AP exam will be given. Text: Texas Physics, Houghton, Mifflin, and Harcourt Evaluation: Tests/experimental work 70% Quizzes, homework, in-class participation, 30% Percentages based upon district policy for grade weights. Conduct the Courses: The courses consist of 11 units, with a test at the completion of each unit. Additionally, quizzes may be used throughout a unit as a frequent check for understanding. Units generally begin with an essential question and a demonstration or two to allow the students to hypothesize and discover the physical relationships. Follow up demonstrations; group activities, and self-study extend the understandings being developed throughout the unit. Homework is assigned most nights (mostly from the primary textbook) and peer-reviewed regularly. Labs are done at a time to best reinforce the relationships and concepts currently being studied except when a lab is intended to be an inquiry inductive lab to introduce a topic. Students must check daily their school emails, the class website and the Google classroom for any homework, handouts, or other materials. The class website can be found by following this link: https://mrjaspersscience.wordpress.com/ The material is updated as need be, items may be deleted or changed depending on their value to the course. Materials 1. Graph paper composition book 2. Pencil 3. Ruler Experimental Work: Labs are placed throughout the instructional year for each course. An attempt is made to do them when they fit best in the curriculum. Lab formats will vary based on desired outcomes and difficulty of the task. Typically, students are given an objective, e.g. Determine the coefficient of static friction of wood on wood, and standard materials string, ruler, protractor, mass set, light pulley, etc. Students are periodically allowed to create their own experimental design, but ultimately most of the lab designs must lead to the collection of data, which can be analyzed through graphical methods. Students are encouraged to graph using a spreadsheet program such as excel. Students work in pairs, but each student must submit a lab report which is turned in the day after the conclusion of each activity, then graded and returned. The report design 2
and format may vary from student to student, but generally each report should include sections (identified by the teacher) if not all of the following: 1. Cover page 2. Theory and/or objective 3. Hypothesis/question 4. Procedure 5. Data 6. Data analysis 7. Discussion/conclusion Students are required to keep the reports in their notebooks in case the college of their choice requires evidence, artifacts or documentation prior to awarding college credit for physics. ** Please see the list of experimental work at the end of this document Units of Study at a Glance: Pre-Ap Physics Unit 0: Basics of understanding (3 days) Unit 1: Kinematics (19 days) Unit 2: Forces (19 days) Unit 3: Work, energy, and power (15 days) Unit 4 momentum and collisions (9 days) Unit 5: Circular motion and gravitation (5 days) Unit 6: Fluid mechanics (8 days) Unit 7: Heat/thermodynamics (13 days) Unit 8: Vibrations, waves and sound (16 days) Unit 9: Electromagnetics (13 days) Unit 10: Light (10 days) Unit 11: Modern physics (13 days) Dates and length are tentative due to quantum nature of real life 3
Units of Study in Detail: Pre-P Physics Unit 0: Basics of understanding (8 days) Unit 0. Intro & Math Concepts 1. Nature of Physics (Ch. 1.1) 2. Units (Ch. 1.2) 3. Units and Problem solving (Ch. 1.3) 4. Trigonometry (Ch. 1.4) How does one apply the mathematics of right triangles and why is it important? What is an order of magnitude and how does a power of ten or power of ten prefix illustrate differences in orders of magnitude? What are the fundamental and derived units for quantities in the metric system? Why are significant figures (digits) important in scientific measurement? 1. State the fundamental units in the SI system. 2. Distinguish between fundamental and derived units and give examples of derived units. 3. Convert between different units of quantities. 4. State units in the accepted SI format. 5. State values in scientific notation and in multiples of units with appropriate prefixes. 6. Recognize and use expressions in decimal and standard form (scientific) notation. 7. Calculate quantities and results of calculations to the appropriate number of significant figures. 8. Recall the formulae for, and calculate areas of, right-angled and isosceles triangles, circumferences and areas of circles, volumes of rectangular blocks, cylinders and spheres, and surface areas of rectangular blocks, cylinders and spheres. 9. Use Pythagoras theorem, similarity of triangles and recall that the angles of a triangle add up to 180 o (and of a rectangle, 360 o ). 10. Understand the relationship between degrees and radians, and translate from one to the other. 11. Recall the small-angle approximations. 4
Unit 1: Kinematics (19 days) Unit 1. Kinematics 1. One Dimensional Kinematics (Ch. 1) A. Displacement, velocity, & acceleration B. Application of kinematic equations C. Free fall D. Kinematic graphical analysis E. TEKS: 2B, 2C, 3D, 3E, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4F 2. Vectors & Scalars (Ch.3.1, 3.2) A. Vector addition & subtraction B. Components of vectors 3. Two Dimensional Kinematics (Ch. 3.1 3.4) A. Displacement, velocity, and acceleration B. Equations in two dimensions C. Projectile motion D. Relative velocity E. TEKS: 2B, 2C, 2D, 3E, 3F, 4C, 4F How can the motion of an object moving at constant velocity be described and represented? How can the motion of an object that is accelerating be described and represented? How is velocity fundamentally different from speed, and why is this difference important when solving kinematics problems? What are the characteristics of the motion of a projectile? What advantages are gained from the use of vectors, as opposed to scalars? How can accelerated motion in one and two dimensions be described qualitatively, quantitatively, and graphically? Why is free fall considered a special case of accelerated motion? 1. Describe and interpret motion using multiple representations. 2. Describe a frame of reference 3. Compare and contrast Aristotle and Galileo s views of motion 4. Define and apply definitions of displacement, average velocity, instantaneous velocity, and average acceleration 5. Demonstrate proficiency in solving problems using kinematics equations, including problems involving free fall by using the value of the acceleration due to gravity 6. Apply kinematics to objects moving in two dimensions and understand how forces affect a systems' motion in two dimensions. 7. Analyze motion graphs qualitatively and quantitatively, including calculations of the slope of the tangent of an x-versus-t graph, the slope of the v-versus-t graph, the area under the v-versus-t graph and the area under the a-versus-t graph 8. Apply the concepts of vectors to solve problems involving relative velocity. 9. Distinguish between vector and scalar quantities, and give examples of each. 10. Determine the sum or difference of two vectors by a graphical method. 11. Resolve vectors into perpendicular components along chosen axes. 5
Unit 2: Forces (19 days) Unit 2. Dynamics 1. Changes in Motion (Ch. 4.1) a. TEKS: 4E 2. Newton s first law (Ch. 4.2) a. TEKS: 4E, 4E 3. Newton s second and third laws (Ch. 4.3) a. 3F, 4D, 4E 4. Everyday Forces (Ch. 4.4) a. 3F, 4D, 4E How can you utilize Newton s laws of motion to predict the behavior of objects? Do action-reaction force pairs (Newton s third law) have a cause-and-effect relationship? Why or why not? How can the forces acting on an object be represented? How can free-body diagrams be utilized in the analysis of physical interactions between objects? How can a free-body diagram be used to create a mathematical representation of the forces acting on an object? How do Newton s laws apply to interactions between objects at rest and in motion? How do Newton s laws apply to systems of two or more objects? Why can t an object exert a force on itself? 1. Distinguish between contact forces and field forces by identifying the agent that causes the force 2. Distinguish between mass and weight, and calculate weight using the acceleration due to gravity 3. Differentiate between static and kinetic friction 4. State and apply Newton s first law of motion for objects in static equilibrium. That is to say systems in equilibrium experience a zero net force and have constant velocity in an inertial reference frame so that in order to change an object's motion, an unbalanced and external force(s) must be exerted on the object. 5. Demonstrate proficiency in accurately drawing and labeling freebody diagrams 6. State and apply Newton s second law of motion. External, unbalanced forces are required to change a system s motion. 7. State that accelerating systems are directly proportional to the net force exerted on a system and inversely proportional to the mass of the system. 8. Demonstrate proficiency in solving problems that involve objects in motion with constant acceleration by analyzing the resultant force(s) in horizontal surfaces, inclined planes, and pulley systems (Atwood s machines) 9. State and apply Newton s third law of motion. That is to say when an object exerts a force on another object, the second object will exert a force that is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction on the first object. 6
Unit 3: Work, energy, and power (15 days) Unit 4. Work, Energy & Power 1. Work (Ch. 5.1) 2. Energy (Ch. 5.2) a. TEKS: 3F, 6A, 6B 3. Conservation of energy a. TEKS: 6C 4. Power a. TKES: 6C How are the different modes of energy storage transformed within a system and transferred between a system and the environment? How can energy be represented with graphs and equations? What does it mean for energy to be conserved? How are humans dependent upon transformations of energy? If you hold an object while you walk at a constant velocity, are you doing work on the object? Why or why not? 1. Students will understand that energy is conserved within a system. 2. Define and apply the concepts of work done by a constant force, potential energy, kinetic energy, and power 3. Calculate the work from the area under the curve of a force-versusdisplacement graph 4. Distinguish between conservative and non-conservative forces 5. State and apply the principle of conservation of mechanical energy 6. Demonstrate proficiency in solving problems by applying the work energy theorem to situations that involve conservative and non-conservative forces 7. State that energy is a property of many substances and is associated with heat, light, electricity, mechanical motion, sound, nuclei, and the nature of a chemical. Energy is transferred in many ways. 8. State that energy takes many forms; these forms can be grouped into types of energy that are associated with the motion of mass (kinetic energy), and the energy associated with the position of an object in a field (potential energy). Unit 4 momentum and collisions (9 days) Unit 5. Impulse & Linear Momentum 1. Momentum and impulse a. TEKS: 6C 2. Conservation of momentum a. TEKS: 6d 3. Elastic and inelastic collisions In order to for an object to undergo a change in momentum, an unbalanced and external force(s) must be exerted on the object over a period of time. Momentum is conserved in a closed system. 7
a. TEKS: 6D How does a force exerted on an object change the object s momentum? How are Newton s second and third laws related to momentum? What does it mean for momentum to be conserved? How can the outcome of a collision be used to characterize a collision as elastic or inelastic? What factors affect the collision of two objects, and how can you determine whether the collision is elastic or inelastic? How can changes in momentum be utilized to determine the forces applied to an object? 1. Students will understand that momentum is conserved in a closed system. 2. Define and give examples of impulse and momentum 3. Restate Newton s second law of motion in terms of momentum 4. Calculate the change in momentum from the area under the curve of a force versus time graph 5. Derive a statement of the conservation of momentum between two objects by applying Newton s third law 6. Define and recognize examples of elastic and inelastic collisions 7. Explain which conservation laws apply to each type of collisions 8. Demonstrate proficiency in solving problems involving conservation of momentum in collisions in one and two dimensions Unit 5: Circular motion and gravitation (5 days) Unit 5. Circular Motion and Gravitation 1. Circular motion a. TEKS: 4C 2. Newton s law of universal gravitation a. TEKS: 3D, 3F, 5A, 5B 3. Motion in space a. TEKS: 3D 4. Torque and simple machines What does it mean for a force to be fundamental? What force or combination of forces keeps an object in circular motion? How is the motion of the moon around the Earth like the motion of a falling apple? 1. Students will understand that a net external force must be directed toward the center of a circular path to keep an object traveling in circular motion. 2. Students will understand that all objects with mass exert forces on other object with mass and sometimes these forces can cause an object to travel in a circular path. 3. Explain the characteristics of uniform circular motion 4. Derive the equation for centripetal acceleration of an object moving in a circle at constant speed 5. Understand that centripetal force is 8
How does the effect of Earth s gravitational field on an object change as the object s distance from Earth changes? Why do you stay in your seat on a roller coaster when it goes upside down in a vertical loop? How is the motion of a falling apple similar to that of the moon in orbit around the Earth? What conditions are necessary for a planet to obtain a circular orbit around its host star? How can Newton s second law of motion be related to the universal law of gravitation? How can the motion of the center of mass of a system be altered? not a new type of force 6. Understand that centrifugal force does not exist 7. Demonstrate proficiency in solving problems involving banking angles, the conical pendulum and motion in a vertical circle 8. State and apply Newton s law of universal gravitation 9. Describe Cavendish s experiment to determine the value of the universal gravitation constant 10. Derive the acceleration due to gravity at the surface of the earth or other planets 11. Explain and apply the relationship between the speed and the orbital radius of a satellite 12. Demonstrate proficiency in solving problems involving apparent weightlessness in a satellite and in an elevator 13. State Kepler s three laws of planetary motion 14. Derive and apply Kepler s third law of planetary motion Unit 6: Fluid mechanics (8 days) 1. Fluids and Buoyant Force 2. Fluid Pressure 3. Fluids in motion What is the buoyant force? What is pressure? What happens when a fluid is in motion? How do hydraulics function? How do pneumatics function? Is air a gas or a liquid? At the conclusion of this unit the student will; Be able to describe, discuss, and solve for the buoyant force. Be able to describe, discuss, and solve pressure problems using various equations. Be able to describe, discuss, and solve problems for fluids in motion. Be able to describe in detail how a hydraulic system functions. Be able to describe in detail how a pneumatic system functions. 9
Be able to describe the characteristics of a gas and fluid and be able to compare and contrast them. Unit 7: Heat/Thermodynamics (13 days) 1. Temperature and Thermal Equilibrium a. 6E 2. Defining heat a. 6E, 6F 3. Changes in temperature and phase a. 6E 4. Relationships between heat and work a. 6E 5. The first law of thermodynamics a. 6G 6. The second law of thermodynamics a. 6G What is thermodynamics? What impact do the Laws of Thermodynamics have on machines? How is the temperature of a substance related to the thermal energy of its atoms? What is the underlining principle behind the movement of heat by conduction, convection and radiation? Thermodynamics is the study of how matter reacts with changing temperature and how heat energy is controlled and utilized. The first law of thermodynamics is a statement of conservation of energy for a system (such as an engine), relating heat, internal energy, and work. The second law of thermodynamics can be expressed several ways, but describes the limitations (e.g., efficiency) on systems using thermal energy. The macroscopic concepts of temperature and thermal energy have microscopic explanations. A complete description requires understanding phenomena at both levels. Heat is thermal energy in movement Unit 8: Vibrations, waves, and sound (16 days) Unit 8. Vibrations, waves, and sound 1. Simple harmonic motion a. 7A 2. Measuring simple harmonic motion a. 7A 3. Properties of waves a. 7B, 7C 4. Wave interactions a. 7D 5. Sound waves 10 1. Students will understand the characteristics and properties of systems in simple harmonic motion. 2. Define and identify the following terms on a displacement-versus-time graph: equilibrium position, amplitude, period, and frequency 3. Define simple harmonic motion
a. 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D 6. Sound intensity and resonance a. 7B, 7D 7. Harmonics a. 7B, 7D How is simple harmonic motion connected to uniform circular motion? What properties determine the motion of an object in simple harmonic motion? What are the relationships between velocity, wavelength, and frequency of an object in SHM? How can oscillatory motion be represented graphically and mathematically? How is conservation of energy applied in simple harmonic oscillators? What exactly is a wave, and what are the various methods for creating one? How are waves energy transport phenomena? How do the relative velocities of the source of a wave and of the observer affect the frequency of the observed wave? How do waves from more than one source interfere to make waves of smaller or larger amplitude, depending on the location where the waves meet? How can wave boundary behavior be used to derive and apply relationships for calculating the characteristic frequencies for standing waves in strings, open pipes, and closed pipes? What are the relationships between velocity, wavelength, and frequency of a wave? How do the relative motions of source and observer determine our perceptions of waves? What happens when two or more waves meet? 11 4. Use the reference circle to describe the displacement, velocity and acceleration 5. Describe and apply Hooke s law and Newton s second law to determine the acceleration as a function of displacement 6. Apply the principles of conservation of mechanical energy for an object moving with simple harmonic motion. Simple harmonic motion is a transform of energy within a system such as an oscillating spring or pendulum. 7. Derive and apply the equation to obtain the period of a mass spring system 8. Derive and apply the equation to obtain the period of a simple pendulum 9. Demonstrate proficiency in solving problems involving horizontal and vertical mass spring systems 10. Define resonant frequency and give examples of resonance 11. Define and give characteristics and examples of longitudinal, transverse, and surface waves. Waves, including sound and seismic waves, waves on water, and light waves, have energy and can transfer energy when they interact with matter. 12. Mechanical waves require a medium in order to propagate. 13. Apply the equation for wave velocity in terms of its frequency and wavelength 14. Describe the relationship between energy of a wave and its amplitude 15. Describe the behavior of waves at a boundary: fixed-end, free-end, boundary between different media 16. Demonstrate proficiency in solving problems involving transverse waves in a string 17. Distinguish between constructive and destructive interference 18. State and apply the principle of superposition 19. Describe the formation and characteristics of standing waves 20. Describe the characteristics of
sound and distinguish between ultrasonic and infrasonic sound waves 21. Calculate the speed of sound in air as a function of temperature 22. Describe the origin of sound in musical instruments 23. Use boundary behavior characteristics to derive and apply relationships for calculating the characteristic frequencies for an open pipe and for a closed pipe 24. Sound is a transfer of energy through a medium in the form of a compression wave. 25. Explain the interference of sound waves and the formation of beats 26. Apply the Doppler effect to predict the apparent change in sound frequency Unit 9: Electromagnetics (13 days) Unit 9. Electromagnetics 1. Electric charge a. 5E 2. Electric force a. 5A, 5C, 5D 3. The electric field a. 5C, 5E 4. Electric potential a. 6B 5. Capacitance a. 6B 6. Current and resistance a. 5E 7. Electric power a. 6B 8. Schematic diagrams and circuits 9. Resistors in series or parallel a. 5F 10. Complex resistor combinations a. 5F 11. How can the charge model be used to explain electric phenomena? 12 1. Understand that the presence of electric fields affect the space around an object of charge by exerting forces on objects of charge located within the field. 2. Define electrostatics and the nature of an electric charge 3. State the law of electrostatics and the law of conservation of charge 4. State Coulomb s law and its equation to calculate the electrostatic force between two charges 5. Define the permittivity of free space 6. Define the electric field and derive for a single point charge 7. Describe electric field lines as means to depict the electric field 8. Demonstrate proficiency in solving problems involving electric charges by applying appropriate vector addition methods 9. Define and apply the concepts of
How can the forces between two charges be characterized using Newton s third law? How can preexisting knowledge of forces and energy be applied to processes involving electrically charged objects? What is lightning, and why is it so dangerous? What are the fundamental carriers of electrical charge, and how may they be used to charge objects? How is gravitational force similar to electrical force, and in what ways are these forces very different? How do charges move through a conductor? How was the conventional direction of electric current determined? How can phenomena occurring in electric circuits be described by physical quantities such as potential difference (voltage), electric current, electric resistance, and electric power? How do conservation laws apply to electric circuits? How are voltage, current, and resistance related in a series circuit? How are voltage, current, and resistance related in a simple parallel circuit? electric potential energy, electric potential, and electric potential difference 10. Describe and apply the relationship of the potential difference between two points to the uniform electric field existing between the points 11. Apply a relationship between the electric field and the potential difference in a parallel plate configuration 12. Explain the charging of an object by contact and by induction 13. Distinguish between conductors and insulators 14. Understand the distribution of charge in a conductor 15. Define electric current as the rate of flow of charge 16. Understand some reasons for the conventional direction of electric current 17. Explain the term emf (electromotive force) and what is a source of emf 18. Define resistance and the factors affecting the resistance of a conductor 19. State and apply Ohm s law 20. Understand and apply the equation of electric power as the rate of energy transferred in the form of heat 21. Draw schematic diagrams of circuits, including measuring devices such as ammeters and voltmeters 22. Analyze series and parallel circuits and demonstrate proficiency in calculations of equivalent resistance, current, and voltage drop 23. Calculate the terminal voltage, taking into account the internal resistance of a battery 24. State and apply Kirchhoff s laws to solve complex networks. 25. Analyze circuits with resistors and demonstrate proficiency in calculations of equivalent resistance, current, and voltage drop 26. State that electrical circuits provide a mechanism of transferring electrical energy. 13
Unit 10: Light and its properties 1. Characteristics of light a. TEKS: 7D 2. Flat mirrors a. TEKS: 7D, 7E 3. Curved mirrors 4. Color and polarization 5. Refraction a. TEKS: 7D 6. Thin lenses a. TEKS: 7D, 7E, 7F 7. Optical phenomena a. 7D, 7E, 7F 8. Interference a. TEKS: 7D 9. Diffraction a. TEKS: 7D 10. Lasers a. TEKS: 7F What are waves, and what kinds of waves do we come in contact with in our lives? What is light? How do polarized sunglasses work? What is the Doppler effect? How do we know the universe is expanding? How do eyes work? How do glasses and contacts correct vision? Why do diamonds sparkle? How are rainbows created? Waves are disturbances that transport energy. Mechanical waves require a medium, electromagnetic waves do not. Light is a transverse electromagnetic wave. The Doppler effect as it applies to light waves accounts for the observation of the expansion of the universe. Light slows down when it moves through denser materials, and bends when it does so. Refraction allows us to manipulate the bending of light rays to make glasses, contacts, lenses, telescopes, microscopes work. Ray diagrams are used to determine the type of images formed by mirrors and lenses. Total internal reflection accounts for fiber optics. Rayleigh scattering is responsible for blue skies and red sunsets. The particle-wave duality of light, and the experimental findings that underlie this paradox. The connection between light frequency and energy. Light has both energy and momentum like a particle. Why is the sky blue and why are sunsets red? Why do some fun house mirrors make appear larger and others make you appear smaller? 14
How do telescopes & microscopes work? How do fiber optic cables work? Why do side view mirrors on cars say Objects in mirror are closer than they appear? How does light behave like a wave? How does light behave like a particle? How can it be both? Unit 11: Subatomic Physics (13) 1. Quantization of energy a. 8A 2. Models of the atom a. 2C, 3D, 8B 3. Quantum mechanics a. 3D, 8A 4. The nucleus a. 5A, 5H, 8C 5. Nuclear decay a. 8D 6. Nuclear reactions a. 8C, 8D 7. Particle physics a. 5A, 5H Energy is quantized The Bohr model of the atom. Waves and electron orbits and their relation The Uncertainty Principle and its impact Why is energy quantized? What is the Bohr model of the atom and what does it tell us about us? What do waves have to do with the orbits of electrons? What is the uncertainty principle? 15