This public Google Site contains an archive of the lessons for my grade 11 (SPH3U) and grade 12 (SPH4U) physics courses. These lessons are intended for an inquiry-based collaborative learning classroom, and are based on Physics Education Research (PER) and material created by Chris Meyer, physics teacher-coach for Toronto District School Board. Teachers are welcome to make use of any material on this site, but please do give proper attribution when using it.
The most current versions of the lessons are always posted on Google Classroom for my grade 11 and grade 12 students currently enrolled in my physics classes, and are not publicly accessible.
Senior Sciences - Evaluation Policy - this document contains information about the science department's policy with regards to evaluations, and missed tests and assignments
e-mail: brian.lim AT tdsb.on.ca
For the 2024-25 school year, Dr. Lim will be available for questions and extra help in the physics classroom (Rm. 203) most days during lunchtime and after school. No appointments needed, but please check to see that I will be available. You may also use Rm. 203 as a quiet space to work at lunch or in the morning before class.
I use many elements of storytelling in my science teaching. I presented a seminar entitled "The Story of Physics: Storytelling in High School Physics Teaching" at the 2019 annual conference of the Ontario Association of Physics Teachers (OAPT). Here are links for the powerpoint presentation and the accompanying article.
The Story of Physics in 4 minutes (BBC 2, 4:16)
The following physics websites are particularly useful for quick tutorials or review:
(Gr. 11 and 12) Earl Haig Physics video tutorials (Earl Haig Secondary School, Toronto)
(Gr. 11 and 12) The Physics Classroom(Glenbrook South High School, Glenview, Illinois)
(Gr. 11 and 12) Khan Academy tutorials(Khan Academy - excellent video tutorials)
The following websites go in further depth, particularly for topics in modern physics:
Gr. 12) Double Slit Experiment SImulations (Perimeter Institute)
(Gr. 12) Hyperphysics (Georgia State University, Department of Physics and Astronomy)
(Gr. 11 and 12) PhET (University of Colorado at Boulder,on-line interactive physics simulations)
Video - Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz, and Anne L'Huillier are co-winners of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work in the study of electron dynamics in matter using attosecond pulses of light (CBC News, 3:21)
Video - Alain Aspect, John Clauser and Anton Zeilinger are co-winners of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work on quantum entanglement (World Science Festival, 7:16)
Video - Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann and Giorgio Parisi are co-winners of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work on climate change modeling (Manabe and Hasselmann) and for his work on complex physical systems (Parisi).
Video - Roger Penrose, Reinhard Genzel, Andrea Ghez are co-winners of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work on black holes. Penrose received half of this year’s prize “for the discovery that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity,“ and Genzel and Ghez received the second half of the prize “for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the centre of our galaxy.“ (Reuters, 2:00)
Video - Interview with Andrea Ghez, co-winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics (UCLA, 2:16)
Video - Canadian James Peebles of Princeton University is a co-winner of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to modern cosmology, the study of the origin, structure, evolution and fate of the universe. (CBC, The National, 1:45)
The creation of the algorithm that made the first black hole image possible was led by MIT grad student Katie Bouman (Tech Crunch)
Video - Katie Bouman: How to take a picture of a black hole (TED Talk 12:52)
Canadian Donna Strickland of the University of Waterloo is a co-winner of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics (1st female since 1963 and the 3rd woman ever to win the Physics Nobel, co-winner with Arthur Ashkin and Gerard Morou for innovations in laser physics)
LIGO detector and observation of gravity waves wins the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics
Video - Gravitational Waves Explained 2016 (Piled Higher and Deeper PHDComics, 3:19)
Focused Ultrasound High School Summer Research Program Summer research employment opportunity (July-August - 2 months) - the Focused Ultrasound Group at Sunnybrook Research Institute is looking for students who enjoy sciences and math to experience working in a lab environment to gain enriched, hands-on knowledge in the fields of physics, engineering and biology. Click this link to see what projects you might be working on: Project List Deadline for application: February 14, 2025
Science Unlimited Summer Camp (University of Toronto Physics Department) 1 week August science camp open to students who have finished grade 10 and grade 11 by August 2025, only 50 spots available. E-mail outreach@physics.utoronto.ca to be notified when applications are open.
University of Toronto DEEP Summer Program The DEEP Summer Academy provides gifted high school students from across the world with the opportunity for advanced study in a variety of engineering, technology, business and science disciplines.
York University Spark Lab Summer Program Immerse yourself in a transformative educational experience with our Spark Lab Programs—a series of week-long sessions meticulously crafted for students in grades 9 to 12 seeking dynamic, hands-on exploration of science. Using experiment-based lab work, students explore physics, biology, and chemistry within our undergraduate student spaces. Escape the traditional classroom and join us on a journey of scientific discovery through experimentation.
Jedidah Isler: TED - How I fell in love with quasars, blazars and our incredible universe (4:19)
Dianna Cowern is better known as PhysicsGirl, a communicator of physics on her popular Youtube channel.
LeeAnn Janissen describes how her training as a physicist prepared her for a career in the capital markets.
Ken Iliadis applies his physics education to forensic work in his career as an accident reconstruction expert with MEA Forensic Engineers and Scientists.
Irene and Jeff Vavasour’s physics backgrounds contribute to their rewarding and challenging careers as an MRI Researcher and video game developer.
Laura-Isabelle Dion explains how her degree in physics is put to work as an application scientist and the exciting opportunities for travel and collaboration with her job.
Biomedical engineer: Careers in Science and Engineering (8:41)
Mechanical engineer: Careers in Science and Engineering (7:54)
Girls in STEM: A New Generation of Women in Science (Obama White House)
We Made It! (Ryerson University Engineering) What do engineers do? This site was created by female high school students to encourage other students to imagine what a career in engineering would be like.
Perimeter Institute - one of the world's leading centres for research and educational outreach in theoretical physics, located in Waterloo, Ontario
The Art of Physics - Canadian Association of Physicists annual photographic contest
Particle People - particle physics news and features on people in particle physics