High School Physics Part 2 with Weekly Labs and Projects

Course Summary

This course is a 16 week semester course for High School Physics and when taken with Part 1 constitutes a full year of High School Physics.

Course Description

A grade for the class is available if requested. Requirements for a grade are to complete all three tests and 6 of the Labs/Projects of the learner’s choosing. This is a 16 week full-semester class that covers concepts in High School Physics. Although technically Part 1 and Part 2 can be taken in any order, I will be integrating previous concepts into later classes so that learners are able to see how concepts relate to each other and learn to solve problems by synthesizing together information from different concepts. To succeed in the course, learners should have solid Algebra 1 skills. Images, activities, and short experiments will help solidify the concepts in class. During class I will teach by the Socratic method as much as possible while going over concepts and solving problems. Toward the end of each class we will do a worksheet with problems and short answer questions together to help students master the topics for that class. Also provided are optional homework problems with answers, reading assignments, and project-based assignments that learners can do at home as well as three optional tests with answers so learners can check their understanding. Parent Reviews: Lora Danley is a great teacher. She is patient and understanding, actively encourages participation in class while respecting each learner's comfort level, and is very responsive to messages and flexible with assignments. She consistently provides feedback, both positive and constructive.   Absolutely fantastic educator! Highly recommend for any student. The class kept my kids engaged and actively learning throughout the week with class readings, homework, labs and exams. The course work is appropriate for students reading for high school physics.

Content Considerations

We will be talking about radiocarbon dating, the use of radiation in medicine, particle physics and the grand unified theory, the birth and death of stars, the expanding universe, and the Big Bang theory.

Syllabus

Week 1 - Light The Speed of Light, Electromagnetic Waves, Transparent and Opaque Materials, Polarization, The Color Spectrum Lab/Project: ROTATING LIGHT WITH SUGAR WATER Week 2 - Color Color by Reflection and Transmission, Colors of Light, Colors of Pigments, Spectroscopy Lab/Project: MAKING COLORS BY MIXING LIGHT Week 3 - Reflection and Refraction Reflection of Light and Mirrors, Diffuse Reflection, Refraction of Light, Reflection and Refraction of Sounds Lab/Project: STUDYING REFLECTION WITH A KALEIDOSCOPE Week 4 - Lenses Converging Versus Diverging Lenses, Image Formation with a Lens, Ray Diagrams, The Human Eye Lab/Project: BUILD A PINHOLE CAMERA Week 5 - Diffraction and Interference Huygen's Principle, Diffraction, Young's Interference Experiment, Iridescence, Lasers, Holograms Lab/Project: EXPLORE DIFFRACTION Week 6 - Electrostatics Electrical Forces and Charges, Coulomb's Law, Conductors and Insulators, Polarization, Charging Through Friction or Induction Lab/Project: TESTING THE ABILITY OF DIFFERENT MATERIALS TO PRODUCE STATIC ELECTRICITY Week 7 - Electric Fields and Electrical Potential Electric Fields, Shielding, Electric Potential, The Van de Graaff Generator Lab/Project: BUILD AND TEST YOUR OWN CAPACITOR Week 8 - Electric Current Flow of Charge, Current and Voltage, Resistance and Ohm's Law, Alternating and Direct Current, Electric Power Lab/Project: CREATE AN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT WITH ELECTRIC PAINT Week 9 - Electric Circuits Series Circuits, Parallel Circuits, Resistors, Capacitors Lab/Project: CREATE A CIRCUIT WITH A BATTERY MADE OF COINS Week 10 - Magnetism Magnetic Poles, Magnetic Fields, Magnetic Domains, Electric Currents and Magnetic Fields, Motors Lab/Project: BUILD A LEVITATING TRAIN Week 11 - Electromagnetic Induction Faraday's Law, Generators, Transformers, Power Transmission, Induction of Electric and Magnetic Fields Lab/Project: BUILD A SIMPLE GENERATOR Week 12 - Molecules and Solids Bonding, Potential Energy Diagrams for Molecules, Van der Waals Bonds, Band Theory of Solids, Semiconductors and Doping Lab/Project: BUILD A MODEL OF A P-TYPE SEMICONDUCTOR Week 13 - Nuclear Physics and Radioactivity Binding Energy, Radioactivity, Alpha Decay, Beta Decay, Gamma Decay, Half-life, Radiocarbon Dating Lab/Project: MODEL RADIOACTIVE DECAY Week 14 - Effects and Uses of Radiation Transmutation of Elements, Nuclear Reactions, Radiation Therapy, Uses of Radiation in Medicine Lab/Project: HOW DO YOU DISPOSE OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE? Week 15 - Elementary Particles Particle Accelerators, Elementary Particle Physics, Antiparticles, Classification of Particles, Quarks, The Standard Model, Grand Unified Theories Lab/Project: ALL ABOUT PARTICLE ACCELERATORS- A RESEARCH PROJECT Week 16 - Astrophysics and Cosmology Stars and Galaxies, The Birth and Death of Stars, Gravity and the Curvature of Space, The Expanding Universe, The Big Bang Lab/Project: SEE BACKGROUND RADIATION IN A CLOUD CHAMBER

Supplies

Learners will need a calculator for working through certain problems in class. A cell phone calculator should suffice and learners should be able to find an appropriate free online calculator as well. Learners will be provided with an e-book as well as optional homework problems with answers after the first class. Three times throughout the term learners will be provided with optional tests with answers to check their understanding of the topics. Learners will be provided with a packet with worksheets and at-home projects which lists the supplies needed for each project.