Victor CSD Department of Science Mr. Engels E-mail: engelsr@victorschools.org Website: http://engelsr.victorschools.org/ AP Physics B Syllabus Why take AP Physics? The Advanced Placement (AP) Physics B course, like all AP courses, is designed so that students will be taught course content at a collegiate level. This course in particular is designed to provide a foundation in physics for students interested in continuing their education in science or other fields beyond high school. You will explore and learn select physics content over the course of the school year until early May when you will take the AP exam. You may be granted college credit based largely on your score on the AP exam, the college or university you choose to attend, and the program in which you will enroll. What is the AP Physics B Course? The AP Physics B course covers a broad range of physics topics including Newtonian mechanics, fluid mechanics, thermal physics, electricity, magnetism, waves, optics, atomic physics, and nuclear physics. Students are exposed to the material through direct instruction, demonstration, visual animations, computer simulations, and hands-on laboratory exercises. On average, you will participate in one or two lab activities (approx. 60-90 minutes) per week. Lab work is very important to understanding physics concepts and therefore you will be asked to complete labs in a thorough and timely manner. How will I do well in AP Physics, and how will I be graded? Throughout the school year your learning will be assessed with homework assignments, lab activities, quizzes, and tests. Your grades will ultimately be determined by only five things. 1. Effort AP Physics is not designed to be an easy course. There is a lot of material to be covered and very little time in which to do it. How seriously you take the course and how determined you are to do well will be the ultimate indicator of your success. The effort that you put into the course will affect the four other categories in which you will be graded. Work hard, ask lots of questions, persevere, and you will be rewarded. 2. Homework and In-class Assignments (~40%) Homework is downloaded and submitted online at the Quest website (see Course Materials below). It is crucial for your success in the course and on the AP exam. To do well in AP Physics you must practice applying your knowledge and problem solving skills by completing the homework assignments. The only way to learn physics is to do physics! Completing the assignments allows you to find your strengths and weaknesses as well as allowing me to evaluate the class level of understanding with the content. As practice makes the team better, doing homework makes the class better. 1
3. Quizzes (~30%) Throughout the year at appropriate junctures in the material you will be quizzed on your knowledge. The quizzes will be completed in class, but will not consume a lot of time (on average no more than 40 minutes). The questions will be modeled after AP Physics Exam questions, oftentimes they will be pulled directly from past exams. The questions on the quizzes will be largely multiple choice, but could be free response, or a combination of both. Many times the quizzes will consist of a component requiring you to list material (i.e. equations) that needs to be memorized. The quizzes will be given in an AP testing environment and therefore you will NOT be allowed to use your calculators and/or reference sheets. 4. Labs (~30%) As the physics material is being covered throughout the year there will be times when it is necessary to verify the principles of physics by experimentation. Some labs will be presented to you with an objective and a clear procedure to be followed; however some labs will not be this straightforward. Oftentimes you will be presented with a problem and some equipment and you will be expected to develop your own procedure, methods for collecting data, and analysis of the data to find a logical solution. Labs will help to familiarize you with scientific equipment and they give you opportunities to learn through a hands-on/visual approach. Some Things to Know About the AP Physics Course 1. Late homework is not accepted! 2. If three or more laboratory reports are missing within a five-week period you will fail the five weeks/quarter with a maximum of a 64%. 3. It is your responsibility to make up any missed work while absent! See Mr. Engels to find what work was missed and when it can be made up. Homework, quizzes, and laboratories need to be made up within one week of a student s return. After one week a grade of zero will be entered. 4. Skipping class results in a zero for any work missed including quizzes, homework, or labs. These assignments cannot be made up for credit. 5. Cheating of any kind on any assignment results in a zero grade. 6. Arriving to class late three or more times in a marking period will result in a detention. 7. Mp3 players, ipods, cell phones, etc. are not permitted to be on or out of your bag while in the room. Course Materials Homework Website: Quest Learning & Assessment. https://quest.cns.utexas.edu/ Primary Text: Internet Resource: Serway, Raymond A., Jerry S. Faughn. College Physics. 4 th Ed. Harcourt Brace & Company. Orlando, FL Physics Education Technology. [Online] 18 May 2007. http://phetweb.colorado.edu/web-pages/index.html 2
Course Schedule** Physics Topic Content & Skills Labs, Activities, & Assessments Review Review: Trigonometry, Algebra, Vectors & Scientific Notation Length, Mass, and Time Units, unit conversions, & Dimensional Analysis Quiz: Summer Assignment & Math Review Lab: Measuring Height Indirectly Lab: Circle Graphing Kinematics 1D Motion, displacement, velocity, and acceleration Position, velocity, & acceleration graphs Constant acceleration and corresponding equations Acceleration due to gravity, g 2D Motion, vectors, vector algebra Projectile motion, vertical and horizontal components Lab: Uniform Motion Lab: Using DataStudio Lab: Accelerated Motion Quiz: 1D Kinematics & Motion Graphs Lab: Calculating Hang-Time Lab: Projectile Motion Throw/Kick Lab: Picture Analysis of Projectile Motion Newton s Laws Work, Energy, Power, & Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM) (2 Weeks) Momentum Newton s First Law: static equilibrium F N2L: a = m Free Body Diagrams N3L: Action-Reaction Friction & its coefficients Tension, strings, & pulleys Work Springs & masses Hooke s Law Potential energy, springs & gravity Force vs. Position graphs Work-Energy Theorem Conservation of Energy Power Simple Machines Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM) Amplitude, Frequency, & Period Energy of oscillating systems Springs & Masses Pendulums Momentum & Impulse Force vs. Time graphs Conservation of Momentum Collisions Systems with stored energy & momentum Quiz: 2D Kinematics Lab: Force tables and vector addition Lab: Sticky Sneaker Calculating Coefficient of Friction Lab: Inclined Planes Quiz: Newton s Laws & Forces Lab: Hooke s Law Lab: Calculating Power Output Unit Quiz: Work, Energy, & Power Lab: Pendulums Lab: Flying Silver Ball Quiz: Work, Energy, Power, & SHM Activity: Calculating Gun Speed by shooting bullet into block (video, no real guns) Lab: Conservation of Momentum: Internal Force 3
Circular Motion, Rotation, & Gravity Fluid Mechanics Thermodynamics & Heat Electro-statics & Capacitors Electric Circuits Magnetism & Electromagnetism (2 Weeks) Circular motion, position, angular speed & acceleration Torque Newton s Law of Universal Gravitation Circular Orbits, Kepler s 3 rd Law Pressure and Density Buoyant Forces and Archimedes Principle Fluid flow Bernoulli s Equation Temperature and the Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics Heat Transfer and Thermal Expansion Specific Heat Ideal Gas Law Kinetic Theory of Gases Conduction, Convection, & Radiation First Law of Thermodynamics Second Law of Thermodynamics Heat Engines, Heat Pumps, & Refrigerators Charge and Coulomb s Law Charging (by induction) Electric Fields Electric Potential and Electrical Energy/Work Conductors and electric fields/potentials E. Field and potential graphs Capacitance Current, Electromotive Force, Resistance, Power Ohm s Law DC Circuits (parallel & series) with ammeters, voltmeters, etc. Resistors Parallel Plate Capacitors and Circuits Magnets and Magnetic Fields Forces on moving charges Forces on current-carrying wires Electromagnetic Flux Generators Lab: Centripetal Force Quiz: Momentum, Impulse, Circular Motion, Rotation, & Gravitation Activity: Vacuum Packing Lab: Bernoulli s Equation Quiz: Fluid Mechanics Quiz: Thermodynamics Lab: Investigating Static Electricity Lab: Plotting Equipotential & Electric Field Lines Demo: Van de Graaff Generator Quiz: Electro-statics Lab: Circuits: Ohm s Law Lab: Series Circuits Lab: Parallel Circuits Quiz: Electric Circuits Lab: Electromagnetic Induction Quiz: Magnets, Magnetic Fields & Forces, & Electromagnetic Induction 4
Waves Light & Optics Atomic & Quantum Physics Nuclear Physics (0.5 Weeks) Review Traveling waves Standing Waves Sound Musical Instruments Relationship of speed, frequency, and wavelength Superposition Polarization Sound Doppler Effect Interference & Diffraction Young s Double Slit Interference Dispersion Electromagnetic Spectrum Reflection Refraction & Snell s Law Mirrors, Lenses, & Ray Diagrams Thin Lens Equation Dual Nature of Light Blackbody Radiation & Planck s Hypothesis Photoelectric Effect Compton Scattering Atomic Energy Levels & Creation of Light De Broglie Wavelengths Nuclear Reactions Conservation of mass and charge Mass-Energy Relationship ( 2 E = mc ) Strong & Weak Nuclear Forces Fission & Fusion Anything & Everything Lab: Speed of Sound Activity: Constructive and Destructive Interference of Sound Quiz: Waves & Sound Lab: Ray Diagrams of Curved Mirrors Lab: Lasers & Double Slit Interference Lab: Refraction of Light Lab: Ray Diagrams of Lenses Lab: Concave & Convex Lenses Quiz: Light & Optics Lab: Photoelectric Effect Simulation Lab: Hydrogen Spectrum Activity: Examining Fission vs. Fusion Lab: Finding the Speed of Light with a Microwave Oven **Course schedule and content covered is subject to change without student notification.** 5