Course Overview:
This course is designed to give students a thorough understanding of the basic concepts of physics in all its aspects, from mechanics to modern physics. Problem solving techniques and approaches are emphasized to give students a deeper understanding of the physics. Applications to everyday life will be applied throughout the course. Students must be strong in the area of algebra and trigonometry.
Course Description:
- Restate and summarize the basic concepts, laws, and models of physics.
- Examine and appreciate the historical perspectives in the study of physics, realizing that most current laws and models were developed from discoveries in the past.
- Apply physics concepts to other fields of science, as well as to “real-life everyday” situations.
- Use sound scientific problem-solving techniques and apply physics concepts in problem-solving situations, understanding that mathematics is only a tool in this process.
- Develop and utilize the fundamental and derived units of measurement to describe and compare the relationships among the quantities of physics.
- Given specific “problem” in physics, design a scientific experiment with the appropriate controls and scientific method to “solve” the problem.
- Given data from an experiment in physics, use deductive and inductive reasoning to pose questions and generate solutions and conclusions.
- Given data from experiment in physics, express the data graphically, using the graphical information to analyze the relationships among the variables.
Syllabus: (download)