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Preparing for AP-Level Learning in Physics: Learning Objectives, Labs, and Activities
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by Dolores Gende
Parish Episcopal School
Dallas, Texas
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| | Before AP Physics
The following planning guide is for first-year physics courses prior to an AP Physics curriculum. It has been structured over the same content areas as the AP Physics B curriculum; however, some topics can be left out of a first-year course and covered in detail in AP Physics B. Topics that are not essential for a first-year course are marked with an asterisk (*). The guide is planned over 36 weeks or 180 days of class time.
Physics Skills: 1 week
Learning Objectives - Complete a math review: algebra, equations, exponents, trigonometric functions *, right triangles *, scientific notation, and significant figures
- Introduce the SI units of measurement
- Use common metric prefixes
- Practice unit conversions
- Recognize linear and direct relationships and interpret the slope of a curve
- Recognize quadratic and inverse relationships
- Define physics and explain its role and scope
Activity Newtonian Mechanics: 11 weeks
Kinematics in One and Two Dimensions: 4 weeks
Learning Objectives - Understand the difference between distance and displacement and between speed and velocity
- Distinguish between average speed and average velocity
- Define acceleration
- Interpret graphs of position versus time to determine the velocity of an object
- Calculate the displacement of an object from the area under a velocity-versus-time curve
- Determine the acceleration from the curves on a velocity-time graph
- Use the kinematics equations to solve problems for objects moving at a constant acceleration in a straight line
- Recognize the meaning of the acceleration due to gravity
- Use the kinematic equations to solve problems involving objects in free fall
- Differentiate between scalar and vector quantities
- Determine the components of a given method *
- Determine the resultant of two or more vectors using the component method of vector addition *
- Recognize that the vertical and horizontal motions of a projectile are independent of one another *
- Solve problems involving projectile motion for projectiles fired horizontally and projectiles fired at an angle *
Labs - Creating motion graphs
- Constant velocity video analysis
- Uniformly accelerated motion
- Vector addition of forces *
- Projectile motion: determining range of a projectile *
Activities - Build and test a mousetrap car
- Build and test a catapult *
Forces: 2.5 weeks
Learning Objectives - Define mass and inertia and explain the meaning of Newton's first law
- Define a force and distinguish between contact forces and forces at a distance
- Understand the significance of Newton's second law of motion and use it to solve problems
- Describe how the weight and the mass of an object are related
- Calculate apparent weight and explain weightlessness for objects in free fall
- Understand the meaning of Newton's third law of motion
- Define friction and distinguish between static and kinetic friction
Labs - Newton's second law
- Atwood's machine *
- Determination of the coefficient of static friction and kinetic friction *
Activity - Research paper on Isaac Newton's life and accomplishments
Work, Energy, and Power: 1.5 weeks
Learning Objectives - Define work and calculate the work done by a force
- Distinguish between conservative and nonconservative forces *
- Calculate the kinetic energy of a moving object
- Calculate the gravitational potential energy of a system
- Calculate the power of a system
- Solve problems using the law of conservation of energy
Labs - Conservation of energy on an inclined plane
- Conservation of energy on the air table
Activities - Find the energy transformations in a roller coaster
- Field trip to a local amusement park
- Build and test a roller coaster *
Momentum: 1 week
Learning Objectives - Define the momentum of an object
- Determine the impulse given to an object
- Apply conservation of momentum to a variety of problems
- Distinguish between elastic and inelastic collisions
- Solve conservation of momentum problems for both types of collisions
Labs - Conservation of momentum on the air track
- Conservation of momentum on the air table
Activity - Research the relationship between impulse and momentum, as well as the importance of using seat belts
Circular Motion and Gravitation: 1.5 weeks
Learning Objectives - Explain the acceleration of an object moving in a circle at constant speed
- Derive the expression for centripetal acceleration *
- Define centripetal force and recognize that it is not a special kind of force but that it is provided by forces such as tension, gravitational force, and friction
- Solve problems involving calculations of centripetal force
- Analyze and solve problems involving objects moving in vertical circles *
- Find critical speed for objects traveling in vertical loops *
- State and apply Newton's law of universal gravitation
- Calculate the periods and speeds of orbiting objects
Lab - Centripetal acceleration and centripetal force of an object in circular motion
Activity - Research paper on Kepler's laws
Translational and Rotational Equilibrium: 0.5 week
Learning Objectives - Describe an object in equilibrium
- State the conditions for translational equilibrium
- Calculate the various forces acting on objects in translational equilibrium
- Define torque
- State the conditions for rotational equilibrium
- Calculate the various forces acting on objects in rotational equilibrium
- Define and determine the center of gravity of various objects
Lab - Torque and rotational equilibrium
Activity - Build an art mobile and perform calculations to check for translational and rotational equilibrium
Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Physics: 4 weeks
Fluids: 2 weeks
Learning Objectives - Define density and specific gravity * and solve related problems
- Define specific gravity and solve related problems *
- Define absolute pressure, gauge pressure, and atmospheric pressure
- Learn about three types of pressure gauge: aneroid, manometer, and Bourdon tube *
- Describe the pressure in a fluid
- State Pascal's principle and its applications, such as the hydraulic press
- State and apply Archimedes' principle
- Define the rate of flow of a fluid *
- Understand Bernoulli's equation and how it is related to the conservation of energy in liquid flow *
- Apply Bernoulli's equation to a variety of problems *
Labs - Density determination
- Archimedes' principle
Activity - Build paper airplanes to check the relevance of Bernoulli's principle
Thermal Physics: 2 weeks
Learning Objectives - Differentiate between internal energy and heat
- State the zeroth law of thermodynamics and deduce the concept of temperature
- Calculate the linear expansion of heated objects
- Understand the three mechanisms of heat transfer: conduction, convection, and radiation
- State the postulates of the kinetic theory of gases *
- Write and apply the relationship between pressure, volume, and temperature of an ideal gas
- Understand and apply the first and second laws of thermodynamics
- Define and give illustrated examples of adiabatic, isovolumetric, and isothermal processes *
- Apply a relationship to determine the ideal efficiency of a heat engine *
Lab - Linear expansion coefficient
Activity - Research on how a combustion engine works *
Electricity and Magnetism: 10 weeks
Electric Force, Electric Field, and Electric Potential: 3 weeks
Learning Objectives - Recognize that objects that are charged exert forces, both attractive and repulsive
- Use Coulomb's law to solve problems related to electrical force
- Compare and contrast Newton's law of universal gravitation with Coulomb's law
- Describe the differences between conductors and insulators *
- Define and measure an electric field
- Solve problems related to charge, electric field, and forces *
- Define electric potential energy
- Calculate the potential energy of a system of two charges *
- Define potential difference
- Find the work done to move a charge between two points *
- Define capacitance and solve parallel-plate capacitor problems *
Labs - Investigation on static electricity
- Coulomb's law
- Electric field mapping *
- Equipotential and electric field *
Activity - Research on applications of static electricity
Electric Current and DC Circuits: 3 weeks
Learning Objectives - Define an electric current and describe conditions that create current in an electric circuit
- Define resistance and state Ohm's law
- Explain the factors affecting the resistance of a conductor *
- Define power in electric circuits
- Explain how electric energy is converted into thermal energy
- Define kilowatt-hour
- Describe series and parallel circuits and state the important characteristics of each
- Calculate current, voltage, and equivalent resistance for devices connected in series and in parallel
Labs - Voltage, current, and resistance measurements in DC circuits
- Ohm's law and linear resistors
- Circuit analysis
- Parallel-plate capacitors *
Activity - Measure energy consumption at home
Magnetism: 2 weeks
Learning Objectives - Learn the origin of magnetism in materials
- Describe the magnetic poles and the interactions between magnets
- Calculate the magnetic field of a long current-carrying wire
- Calculate the magnetic force on a moving charge
- Learn the right-hand rules to determine the direction of the magnetic field *
Lab Activity - Research the Earth's magnetic field: its importance and the formation of auroras
Electromagnetic Induction: 2 weeks
Learning Objectives - Describe how an emf is produced when there is relative motion between a conductor and a magnetic field
- Describe Faraday's experiments and his law of electromagnetic induction *
- Explain and apply Lenz's law *
- Describe a transformer and solve problems involving voltage, current, and turn ratios
Labs - Electromagnetic induction *
- Magnetic induction of a current-carrying long straight wire *
Activity - Build a motor and explain how an electric generator works and how it differs from a motor
Waves and Optics: 7 weeks
Vibrations and Waves: 2 weeks
Learning Objectives - Understand the concept of restoring force
- Define elastic potential energy *
- Describe systems undergoing simple harmonic motion
- Calculate the period and frequency of a mass-spring system
- Calculate the frequency and the period of a simple pendulum
- Define a pulse
- Describe the behavior of a pulse at a boundary
- Understand how the principle of superposition is applied when two pulses meet
- Define three terms to describe periodic waves: speed, wavelength, and frequency
- Explain the characteristics of transverse and longitudinal waves
- Describe the formation of standing waves *
- Apply the principle of superposition to the phenomenon of interference *
- Understand how resonance occurs
Labs - Wave motion: Vibrating strings or Slinky®
- Standing waves on a string
Activities - Investigate the Tacoma Narrows Bridge disaster
- Research on earthquakes and tsunamis
Sound: 1 week
Learning Objectives - Understand the nature of sound waves
- Find the speed of sound at different temperatures *
- Describe interference in sound waves *
- Explain the formation of standing waves for open and closed pipes
- Determine why beats occur *
- Apply the Doppler effect to problems involving moving sources or moving observers
Lab - Speed of sound in air and resonance tube *
Activity - Build and test a musical instrument
Reflection, Refraction, Diffraction and Interference: 4 weeks
Learning Objectives - Explain the law of reflection
- Understand and apply Snell's law
- Calculate the index of refraction in a medium
- Explain total internal reflection
- Define the critical angle *
- Explain how concave and convex mirrors form real and virtual images
- Distinguish between converging and diverging lenses
- Describe how real and virtual images are formed by lenses
- Locate images using ray diagrams and calculate image location and size using equations
- Calculate image height using the magnification equation
- Relate the diffraction of light to its wave characteristics *
- Describe Young's double-slit experiment *
- Apply geometrical models to explain single- and double-slit patterns *
- Understand the formation of interference patterns using diffraction gratings *
- Explain the cause of, and give examples of, interference in thin films *
Labs - Reflection and refraction
- Concave and convex mirrors' image formation
- Concave and convex lenses' image formation
- Index of refraction determination
- Critical angle determination *
- Single slit, double slit, and diffraction grating: determination of the wavelength of a laser light *
Activities - Research on how the eye works and vision defects and their correction
- Research on fiber optics *
Atomic and Nuclear Physics: 3 weeks
Learning Objectives - Explain the photoelectric effect and recognize that a particle theory of light can explain it, whereas a wave theory cannot
- Calculate the work function and kinetic energy maximum of the ejected photoelectrons *
- Describe the wave nature of light and solve problems related to the de Broglie wavelength
- Explain the Compton effect and describe it in terms of the momentum and energy of the photon *
- Review how to determine the number of neutrons and protons in nuclides
- Define and calculate the mass defect and the binding energy of the nucleus
- Describe the three forms of radioactive decay, alpha, beta, and gamma, and solve nuclear equations
- Define nuclear fission and chain reaction
- Describe the fusion process
Lab Activities - Research on fusion and fission
- Research on medical applications of radioactivity
Dolores Gende is a teacher at the Parish Episcopal School in Dallas, Texas. Although her degree is in chemical engineering, she has taught physics for 22 years. She is a Table Leader for the AP Physics Exam, an AP workshop consultant, and a Web designer. She has been AP Central's content adviser for physics since 2004.
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