Physics Standards

 

Standard

 

Relationship to Course Textbook

Related Class Activity

Standard 1

The student will understand that Newton’s laws predict the motion of most objects.

 

 

Physics 1.a-m: Newton’s laws predict the motion of most objects.  As a basis for understanding this concept students know:

 

  1. How to solve problems involving constant speed and average speed.

 

B.    When forces are balanced no acceleration occurs, and thus an object continues to move at a constant speed or stays at rest (Newton's First Law).

 

  1. How to apply the law F = ma to solve one-dimensional motion problems involving constant forces (Newton's Second Law).

 

  1. When one object exerts a force on a second object, the second object always exerts a force of equal magnitude and opposite direction. (Newton’s Third Law).

 

  1. The relationship between the universal law of gravitation and the effect of gravity on an object at the surface of the Earth.

 

  1. A force on an object perpendicular to the direction of its motion causes it to change direction but not speed. (for example, the Earth’s gravitational force causes a satellite in a circular orbit to change direction but not speed)

1. The meaning and use of the coefficient of friction between solids.

 

2. The difference between inertial and gravitational mass.
  1. Lecture, text questions & problems,
    E 3: Linear Motion

 

  1. Lecture, text questions & problems, video,
    E 6: Equilibrium

 

  1. Lecture, text questions & problems,
    E 5: Newton’s 2nd Law

 

  1. Lecture, text questions & problems, video

 

  1. & F.

 

Lecture, text questions & problems

Physics 1.a-m (continued):

 

  1. motion in a circle requires force that is always directed toward the center of the circle.

 

  1. Newton's Laws are not exact but they provide very good approximations unless an object is moving close to the speed of light or is small enough that the quantum effects are important.

 

  1. how to solve two-dimensional trajectory problems.

 

  1. how to resolve two-dimensional vectors into their components and calculate the magnitude and direction of a vector from its components.

 

  1. how to solve two-dimensional problems involving balanced forces (statics).

 

  1. How to solve problems in circular motion, using the formula for centripetal acceleration in the following form: a =  v2/r.

 

  1. How to solve problems involving the forces between two electric charges at a distance (Coulomb's Law) or the forces between two masses at a distance (Universal gravitation).

 

 

G & H. Lecture, text questions & problems

 

I. Lecture, text questions & problems,
E 7: Projectile Motion & Torque

 

J & K. Lecture, text questions & problems,
E 6: Equilibrium

 

L & M. Lecture, text questions & problems

Standard 2:

The student will understand that the laws of conservation of energy and momentum provide a way to predict and describe the movement of objects.

 

 

 

Physics 2.a-e: The laws of conservation of energy and momentum provide a way to predict and describe the movement of objects. As a basis for understanding this concept students know:

 

  1. how to calculate kinetic energy using the formula E = (1/2)mv2 and changes in gravitational potential energy near the Earth using the formula (change in potential energy) = mgh (change in the elevation).

 

  1. How to solve problems involving conservation of energy in simple systems such as falling objects.

 

  1. How to calculate momentum as product p = mv and that momentum is a separately conserved quantity, different from energy.

 

  1. An unbalanced force on an object produces a change in its momentum. How to solve problems involving elastic and inelastic collisions in one dimension using the principles of conservation of momentum and energy.

 

·    (see California State Standards: Physics 2.a-e)

 

·    how to calculate both work (work = F//d ) and power (P = work/t) when a constant force is applied.

 

·     how to use the fact that impulse equals the change in momentum (F∆t = ∆mv) to solve problems involving a constant force.

 

·     the meaning of torque and how to use it in problems of rotational equilibrium..

 

·      Hooke’s law and its applications to simple harmonic motion involving a mass on a spring or a simple pendulum.

a & b. Lecture, text questions & problems, video,
E 10: Work & Power
E 11: Conservation of Energy

 

c. Lecture, text questions & problems, video,
E 9: Conservation of Momentum

 

d & e. Lecture, text questions & problems, video

Standard 3: The student understands the principle of conservation of energy.

 

 

Physics 3.a-g: Energy cannot be created or destroyed although in many processes energy is transferred to the environment as heat.  As a basis for understanding this concept students know:

 

a.     Heat flow and work are two forms of energy transfer between systems.

 

b.     The work done by a heat engine that is working in a cycle is the difference between the heat flow into the engine at high temperature and the heat flow out at a lower temperature (First Law of Thermodynamics) and that this is an example of the law of conservation of energy.

 

c.     Thermal energy (commonly called heat) consists of random motion and the vibrations and rotations of atoms and molecules. The higher the temperature, the greater the atomic or molecular motion.

 

d.     Most processes tend to decrease the order of a system over time, and energy levels are eventually distributed uniformly.

 

e.     Entropy is a quantity that measures the order or disorder of a system, and is larger for a more disordered system.

 

f.      The statement "entropy tends to increase" is a law of statistical probability that governs all closed systems (Second Law of Thermodynamics).

 

g.     How to solve problems involving heat flow, work, and efficiency in a heat engine and know that all real engines have some heat flow out.

•   (see California State Standards: Physics 3.a-g)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a - g. Lecture, text questions & problems, video,
E 12: Specific Heat Capacity
E 13: Heat of Vaporization & Heat of Fusion

 

 

 

 

 

Standard 3 (continued): The student understands the principle of conservation of energy.

 

 

Physics 3.a-g: Energy cannot be created or destroyed although in many processes energy is transferred to the environment as heat.  As a basis for understanding this concept students know:

 

a.     Heat flow and work are two forms of energy transfer between systems.

 

b.     The work done by a heat engine that is working in a cycle is the difference between the heat flow into the engine at high temperature and the heat flow out at a lower temperature (First Law of Thermodynamics) and that this is an example of the law of conservation of energy.

 

c.     Thermal energy (commonly called heat) consists of random motion and the vibrations and rotations of atoms and molecules. The higher the temperature, the greater the atomic or molecular motion.

 

d.     Most processes tend to decrease the order of a system over time, and energy levels are eventually distributed uniformly.

 

e.     Entropy is a quantity that measures the order or disorder of a system, and is larger for a more disordered system.

 

f.      The statement "entropy tends to increase" is a law of statistical probability that governs all closed systems (Second Law of Thermodynamics).

 

g.     How to solve problems involving heat flow, work, and efficiency in a heat engine and know that all real engines have some heat flow out.

 

 

a - g. Lecture, text questions & problems, video,
E 12: Specific Heat Capacity
E 13: Heat of Vaporization                  & Heat of Fusion

 

 

Chemistry 4.a-g: The Kinetic Molecular theory describes the motion of atoms and molecules and explains the properties of gases.  As a basis for understanding this concept students know:

 

a.     The random motion of molecules and their collisions with a surface create the observable pressure on that surface.

 

b.     The random motion of molecules explains the diffusion of gases.

 

c.     How to apply the gas laws to relations between the pressure, temperature, and volume of any amount of an ideal gas or any mixture of ideal gases.

 

d.     The values and meanings of standard temperature and pressure (STP).

 

e.     How to convert between Celsius and Kelvin temperature scales and know that there is no temperature lower than 0 Kelvin.

 

f.      The kinetic theory of gases relates the absolute temperature of a gas to the average kinetic energy of its molecules or atoms.

 

g.     (modified)  how to solve problems using the ideal gas law in the following form:  (or PV = nRT).

•   (see California State Standards: Chemistry 4.a-g)

 

 

 

 

 

(These are Chemistry standards not universally taught in Physics)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a, b, e & f. Lecture, text questions & problems, video

 

Chemistry 7.a, c & d: Energy is exchanged or transformed in all chemical reactions and physical changes of matter.  As a basis for understanding this concept students know:

 

a.     How to describe temperature and heat flow in terms of the motion of molecules (or atoms)

 

b.     Energy is released when a material condenses or freezes and absorbed when a material evaporates or melts.

 

c.     How to solve problems involving heat flow and temperature changes, using known values of specific heat, and latent heat of phase change.

 

i

a, c & d: Lecture, text questions & problems, video, E 13: Heat of Vaporization & Heat of Fusion

 

 

Standard 4

The student understands that waves have characteristic properties that do not depend on the type of wave.

 

 

Physics 4.a-f:             Waves have characteristic properties that do not depend on the type of wave.  As a basis for understanding this concept students know:

 

a.     Waves carry energy from one place to another.

 

b.     How to identify transverse and longitudinal waves in mechanical media such as springs, ropes, and the Earth (seismic waves).

 

c.     How to solve problems involving wavelength, frequency, and wave speed.

 

d.     Sound is a longitudinal wave whose speed depends on the properties of the medium in which it propagates.

 

e.     Radio waves, light and X-rays are different wavelength bands in the spectrum of electromagnetic waves whose speed in vacuum is approximately 3x108 m/s (186,000 miles/second).

 

f.      How to identify the phenomena of interference (beats), diffraction, refraction, Doppler effect, and polarization and know that these are characteristic wave properties.

 

 

a, b & c. Lecture, text questions & problems, video, E 14: Waves,

 

d. Lecture, text questions & problems, video,
E 15: Sound

 

e & f. Lecture, text questions & problems, video
E 19: Diffraction of Light

 

Standard 5

 The student understands that electric and magnetic phenomena are related and have many practical applications.

 

 

Physics 5.a-n:            Electric and magnetic phenomena are related and have many practical applications.  As a basis for understanding this concept students know:

 

a.     How to predict the voltage or current in simple direct current electric circuits constructed from batteries, wires, resistors, and capacitors.

 

b.     How to solve problems involving Ohm's law.

 

c.     Any resistive element in a dc circuit dissipates energy which heats the resistor, the rate of energy dissipation in a circuit is called the power. Students can calculate the power dissipated in any resistive circuit element by using the formula that Power = (potential difference IR) times (current I) = I2 R.

 

d.     The properties of transistors and their role in electric circuits.

 

e.     Charged particles are sources of electric fields and experience forces due to the electric fields from other charges.

 

f.      Magnetic materials and electric currents (moving electric charges) are sources of magnetic fields and experience forces due to magnetic fields of other sources.

   

 

•   (see California State Standards: Physics 4.a-n)

 

•   The causes and effects of voltage and internal resistance in d-c sources (batteries).

 

•   How to solve problems using Kirchoff’s laws.

 

•   The basics of effective values of voltage and current in estimating solutions to a-c problems involving resistors, inductors, and capacitors.

 

•   The interactions of permanent magnets.

 

•   Lenz’s law and Faraday’s law as applied to electromagnetic induction (transformers).

 

g. Lecture, text questions & problems, video,
E 25: The Motor Effect

 

h. Lecture, text questions & problems, video

 

i. Lecture & text questions

 

j - n. Lecture, text questions & problems

Standard 5 (continued):

The student understands that electric and magnetic phenomena are related and have many practical applications.

 

 

 

Physics 5.a-n (continued):

 

g.     How to determine the direction of a magnetic field produced by a current flowing in a straight wire or in a coil.

 

h.    Changing magnetic fields produce electric fields, thereby inducing currents in nearby conductors.

 

i.      That plasmas, the fourth state of matter, contain ions and/or free electrons and conduct electricity.

 

j.      Electric and magnetic fields contain energy and act as vector force fields.

 

k.    The force on a charged particle in an electric field is F = qE, where E is the electric field at the position of the particle and q is the charge of the particle.

 

l.      How to calculate the electric field due to a point charge and recognize that static electric fields have as their source some arrangement of electric charges.

 

m.   The force on a moving particle (with charge q) in a magnetic field is qvB sin(a) where a is the angle between v and B (v and B are the magnitudes of vectors v and B, respectively), and students use the right-hand rule to find the direction of this force.

 

n.    How to apply the concepts of electrical and gravitational potential energy in solving problems involving conservation of energy.

 

•   (see California State Standards: Physics 4.a-n)

 

•   The causes and effects of voltage and internal resistance in d-c sources (batteries).

 

•   How to solve problems using Kirchoff’s laws.

 

•   The basics of effective values of voltage and current in estimating solutions to a-c problems involving resistors, inductors, and capacitors.

 

•   The interactions of permanent magnets.

 

•   Lenz’s law and Faraday’s law as applied to electromagnetic induction (transformers).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

g. Lecture, text questions & problems, video,
E 25: The Motor Effect

 

h. Lecture, text questions & problems, video

 

i. Lecture & text questions

 

j - n. Lecture, text questions & problems

Standard 6

 

The student understands that the fact that light exhibits rectilinear propagation (travels in straight lines) can be used to describe (and diagram) the changes light undergoes when interacting with various media.

 

 

 

·      The different ways light reflects from concave, convex, and plane mirrors to form real and virtual images.

 

·      The different ways light refracts through diverging and converging lenses to form real and virtual images.

 

·      The use of Snell’s law  () to describe refraction at the plane boundary between two media, including total internal reflection.

 

·      The inverse square law of light intensity vs. distance from a point source.

Lecture, text questions & problems, video,

E 16: Light

E 17: Reflection & Refraction

E 18: Lenses & Mirrors

 

 

Standard 7

 

The student understands that the quantum theory can be used to explain electron energy levels within atoms, and the energies of light photons emitted or absorbed by atoms.

 

 

Chemistry 1.h-j:


H*. The experimental basis for Thomson's discovery of the electron, Rutherford's nuclear atom, Millikan's oil drop experiment, and Einstein's explanation of the photoelectric effect.

 

         I*. The experimental basis for the development of the quantum theory of atomic structure and the historical importance of the Bohr model of the atom.

 

         J*. spectral lines are a result of transitions of electrons between energy levels. Their frequency is related to the energy spacing between levels using Planck's relationship (E=hn, where n = frequency).

 

 

 

 

·    (See California State Standards: Chemistry 1.h-j)

 

·    That the wave-particle duality of photons and subatomic particles can be used to explain DeBroglie’s particle wavelengths and their relationship to atomic energy levels, Compton’s X-ray scattering, and Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle.

 

h.                  Lecture, text questions & problems, video, E 27: The Photoelectric Effect

 

i.                   Lecture, text questions & problems, video

 

j.                   Lecture, text questions & problems, video, E 28: Emission Spectra

Standard 8

 

The student that nuclear processes are those in which an atomic nucleus changes; they include radioactive decay of naturally occurring and man-made isotopes and nuclear fission.

 

 

Chemistry 11.a-g: Nuclear processes are those in which an atomic nucleus changes; they include radioactive decay of naturally occurring and man-made isotopes and nuclear fission and fusion processes.  As a basis for understanding this concept students know:

 

a.     The protons and neutrons in the nucleus are held together by strong nuclear forces which are stronger than the electromagnetic repulsion between the protons.

 

b.     The energy released per gram of material is much larger in nuclear fusion or fission reactions than in chemical reactions: change in mass (calculated by E = mc2 ) is small but significant in nuclear reactions

 

c.     Many naturally occurring isotopes of elements are radioactive, as are isotopes formed in nuclear reactions.

 

d.     The three most common forms of radioactive decay (alpha, beta, gamma) and how the nucleus changes in each type of decay.

 

e.     Alpha, beta, and gamma radiation produce different amounts and kinds of damage in matter and have different penetrations.

 

f.      How to solve problems involving radioactive half life, to calculate the amount of a radioactive substance remaining after an integral number of half lives have passed.

 

g.     The proton and neutron have substructure; they are made from particles called quarks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

·    (see California State Standards: Chemistry 11.a-g)

 

·      The basic components and processes of a fission reactor.

a - c. Lecture, text questions & problems, video

 

d & e. Lecture, text questions & problems, video,
E 31: a, b & g Radiation

 

f. Lecture, text questions & problems, video
E 30: Half-life

 

g. Lecture & text questions

Standard 9

The student understands that Einstein’s special theory of relativity modifies Newton’s laws of motion for objects moving faster than about  1/10  the speed of light .

 

 

 

·     Einstein’s postulates that all observers will measure the same speed of light, and the laws of Physics will be the same, for all observers at rest or moving at a constant velocity.

 

·     That the speed of light is an upper limit for any object with a rest mass.

 

·     How mass, length measured parallel to velocity, and time change relative to speed.

 

·      That mass and energy are actually different ways of describing the same thing, and are related by the formula 
E = mc2.

     

Lecture, questions & problems, video

Standard 10

 

The student understands that Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations.  As a basis for understanding this concept students should develop their own questions and perform investigations.

 

 

Investigation and experimentation 1.b-g & i-n: Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept, and to address the content the other four strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations.  Students will:

 

  1. Identify and communicate sources of unavoidable experimental error.

 

  1. Identify possible reasons for inconsistent results, such as sources of error or uncontrolled conditions.

 

  1. Formulate explanations using logic and evidence.

 

  1. Solve scientific problems using quadratic equations, and simple trigonometric, exponential and logarithmic functions.

 

  1. Distinguish between a hypothesis and a theory as these terms are used in science.

 

  1. Recognize the use and limitations of models and theories as scientific representations of reality.

     

(see California State Standards: Investigation and experimentation 1.b-g &am