Victor CSD Department of Science Mr. Engels E-mail: engelsr@victorschools.org Website: http://engelsr.victorschools.org/ AP Physics 1 Syllabus Why take AP Physics? The Advanced Placement (AP) Physics 1 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 1 Course? The AP Physics 1 course covers a broad range of physics topics including kinematics, dynamics, energy, momentum, rotational dynamics, electricity, and waves. The course is based on six Big Ideas. 1. Objects and systems have properties such as mass and charge. Systems may have internal structure. 2. Fields existing in space can be used to explain interactions. 3. The interactions of an object with other objects can be described by forces. 4. Interactions between systems can result in changes in those systems. 5. Changes that occur as a result of interactions are constrained by conservation laws. 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. 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. Prerequisites: Chemistry, Algebra II Trig (could be taken concurrently), No prior physics is necessary. How will I do well in AP Physics, and how will I be graded? Your final grade for the course will be calculated based on your quarterly grades (each 17%), the midterm (12%), and the final (20%). The final for this course is the NYS Physics Regents Exam in June. Throughout the school year your learning will be assessed with homework assignments, lab activities, and quizzes. Your quarterly grades will ultimately be determined by only four 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 three other categories in which you will be graded. Work hard, ask lots of questions, persevere, and you will be rewarded. 1
2. Homework and In-class Assignments (~40%) Most of the 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. 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 (AP Physics B and AP Physics 1). The questions on the quizzes will be largely multiple choice, but could be free response, or a combination of both and may also require you to list information that needs to be memorized. 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 handson/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. Cell phones, ipods, etc. are not permitted to be on or out of your bag while in the room. 2
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 Course Schedule* Physics Topic Content & Skills Labs, Activities, & Assessments Intro Unit Kinematics (Big Idea 3) (4 Weeks) Review: Trigonometry, Algebra, Vectors & Scientific Notation Length, Mass, and Time Units, unit conversions, & Dimensional Analysis 1D Motion, displacement, velocity, and acceleration Position, velocity, & acceleration graphs Constant acceleration and corresponding equations Acceleration due to gravity, g Vectors 2D Motion, vectors, vector algebra Projectile motion, vertical and horizontal components Quiz: Math Review Lab: Measuring Height Indirectly Lab: Circle Graphing 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 & Dynamics (Big Ideas 1-4) (3 Weeks) Work, Energy, & Power 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 Quiz: 2D Kinematics & Vectors 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 Quiz: Work & Energy 3
Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM) (Big Ideas 3 & 5) Momentum Circular Motion & Universal Gravity (Big Ideas 1-4) Torque & Rotational Dynamics 2.5 Weeks) Electrostatics (Big Ideas 1,3, & 5) 1.5 Weeks) Electric Circuits (Big Ideas 1 & 5) Waves & Sound (Big Idea 6) Light & Optics (Big Idea N/A) AP Physics 1 Review 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 Circular motion, position, speed & acceleration Newton s Law of Universal Gravitation Circular Orbits, Kepler s 3 rd Law Angular velocity & angular acceleration Newton s Second Law for Rotation Angular momentum Rotational kinetic energy Charge and Coulomb s Law Charging (by induction) Electric Fields Electric Potential and Electrical Energy/Work Current, Voltage, Resistance, Power Ohm s Law DC Circuits (parallel & series) with ammeters, voltmeters, etc. Resistors Relationship of speed, frequency, and wavelength Reflection & Diffraction Interference & Superposition Sound Doppler Effect Musical Instruments Interference & Diffraction Young s Double Slit Experiment Dispersion Electromagnetic Spectrum Reflection Refraction & Snell s Law Review of everything except for Light & Optics 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 Lab: Centripetal Force Quiz: Momentum, Impulse, Circular Motion, & Gravitation Activity: Conservation of Angular Momentum Lab: Torque on a Meter Stick Quiz: Rotational Dynamics Lab: Investigating Static Electricity Lab: Plotting Equipotential & Electric Field Lines Demo: Van de Graaff Generator Quiz: Electrostatics Lab: Ohm s Law Lab: Series Circuits Lab: Parallel Circuits Quiz: Electric Circuits Lab: Wave Characteristics Lab: Speed of Sound Activity: Constructive and Destructive Interference of Sound Quiz: Waves & Sound Lab: Lasers & Double Slit Interference Lab: Refraction of Light Quiz: Light & Optics 4
Modern Physics (Big Idea N/A) NYS Regents Review (1 week) Dual Nature of Light Planck s Hypothesis Photoelectric Effect Atomic Energy Levels & Creation of Light Nuclear Reactions Mass-Energy Relationship Fission & Fusion Standard Model Reviewing Everything except for Rotational Dynamics 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