Grade 12
Physics
Scope
How can we understand the rules that govern the motion and interactions of objects in our Universe?
Units
Unit — 1 Dimensional Kinematics
Essential Questions
How do we create and use models to predict the motion of objects in 1 dimension?
Guiding Questions
What is the difference between a scalar and vector quantity?
How can we use distance, displacement, speed, velocity and acceleration to model the motion of an object moving in one dimension?
How can we explain the motion of an object in free fall on Earth and other planets/moons in our solar system?
How do we represent one dimensional motion using displacement vs time, velocity vs time, and acceleration vs time graphs?
Resources
Physics: Principles and Problems by Zitzewitz, Neff & Davids
Webassign Online access as supplied by Cengage Learning. Webassign is a source of practice questions.
Skills Taught
Dimensional Analysis.
Identify scalar and vector quantities.
Vector addition, resultants, and components.
Solve problems involving distance, displacement, speed, velocity, acceleration and time.
Create and/or identify displacement, velocity, and acceleration motion graphs.
Solve problems involving free. fall
Honors:
Fermi estimation problems.
Graphing with Microsoft Excel.
Linearizing graphs.
Kinematics chase problems.
HS-PS2-1
RST.11-12.7
MP.2
MP.4
HSN-Q.A.1
HSN-Q.A.2
HSN-Q.A.3
HSA-SSE.A.1
HSA-SSE.B.3
HSA-CED.A.1
HSA-CED.A.2
HSA-CED.A.4
HSF-IF.C.7
Unit — 2 Dimensional Kinematics
Essential Questions
How do we create and use models to predict the motion of objects moving simultaneously through 2 dimensions?
Guiding Questions
How do we use kinematics to predict the behavior of an object moving simultaneously through 2 dimensions at once?
What is a projectile and how can we determine its motion through space?
Resources
Physics: Principles and Problems by Zitzewitz, Neff & Davids
Webassign Online access as supplied by Cengage Learning. Webassign is a source of practice questions.
Skills Taught
Conceptually separate motion into 2 dimensions and understand that each dimension will act independently
Solve problems involving 2 dimensions of simultaneous motion, including projectile motion
Be able to trace the trajectory of a projectile
Honors:
2-Dimensional chase problems
HS-PS2-1
RST.11-12.7
MP.2
MP.4
HSN-Q.A.1
HSN-Q.A.2
HSN-Q.A.3
HSA-SSE.A.1
HSA-SSE.B.3
HSA-CED.A.1
HSA-CED.A.2
HSA-CED.A.4
HSF-IF.C.7
Unit — Newton's 3 Laws
Essential Questions
What do Newton’s 3 Laws of motion teach us about the natural behavior of objects and how do we use them to model the behavior of these objects when under the influence of various forces?
Guiding Questions
What is inertia?
How can we use Newton’s 3 laws to predict the changes in the motion of an object?
Why does our weight change as we go from place to place and what is the difference between mass and weight
What are the nature of Normal and Frictional forces?
Resources
Physics: Principles and Problems by Zitzewitz, Neff & Davids
Webassign Online access as supplied by Cengage Learning. Webassign is a source of practice questions.
Skills Taught
Identify and label all forces acting on an object.
Determine the weight of an object on Earth and understand the difference between mass and weight.
Determine Net Force on an object using both Newton’s 2nd Law and by summing forces from a Free-Body Diagram
Solve Force problems involving objects in Equilibrium and objects accelerating.
Identify the friction force and solve problems involving it.
Identify action-reaction force pairs.
Honors:
Understanding forces on ramps
Analyzing the acceleration of systems with multiple objects
HS-PS2-1
RST.11-12.7
MP.2
MP.4
HSN-Q.A.1
HSN-Q.A.2
HSN-Q.A.3
HSA-SSE.A.1
HSA-SSE.B.3
HSA-CED.A.1
HSA-CED.A.2
HSA-CED.A.4
HSF-IF.C.7
Unit — Circular Motion and Universal Gravitation
Essential Questions
How can we make a model to understand and predict the motion of an object moving at constant speed in uniform circles?
How do objects with mass interact with each other by Universal Gravitation?
Guiding Questions
How do objects with mass interact with each other by Universal Gravitation?
How does centripetal force defer from the centrifugal force-affect and how does it influence the motion of an object?
What is the relationship between tangential velocity and centripetal acceleration?
Resources
Physics: Principles and Problems by Zitzewitz, Neff & Davids
Webassign Online access as supplied by Cengage Learning. Webassign is a source of practice questions.
Skills Taught
Be able to identify the direction of the centripetal force, centripetal acceleration and tangential velocity for an object in uniform circular motion.
Solve problems involving uniform circular motion.
Determine the effect of altering the radius, tangential velocity, and mass on circular motion.
Understand how all mass will have an attractive force to all other mass.
Calculate the Gravitational force between 2 masses.
Determine the effect of altering the mass of each object and their distances apart on the gravitational force of attraction
Honors:
Understanding Non-uniform Circular Motion
HS-PS2-1
HS-PS2-4.
RST.11-12.7
MP.2
MP.4
HSN-Q.A.1
HSN-Q.A.2
HSN-Q.A.3
HSA-SSE.A.1
HSA-SSE.B.3
HSA-CED.A.1
HSA-CED.A.2
HSA-CED.A.4
HSF-IF.C.7
Unit — Impulse & the Law of the Conservation of Momentum
Essential Questions
How do we predict the change in momentum an object undergoes when subjected to an Impulse?
How do we create and use a model to predict the way 2 or more objects interact with each other when involved in a collision or explosion?
Guiding Questions
Why is momentum conserved within an isolated system and how does that impact the individual parts of the system?
What are the key differences between elastic collisions, inelastic collisions, and explosions?
How does the Impulse-Momentum Theorem impact the motion of objects?
Why does the force on an object in a collision vary inversely with time and how does this relate to impulse?
Resources
Physics: Principles and Problems by Zitzewitz, Neff & Davids
Webassign Online access as supplied by Cengage Learning. Webassign is a source of practice questions.
Skills Taught
Identify what factors influence the momentum of an object.
Solve problems involving objects experiencing an Impulse.
Understand that for isolated systems total momentum will never change.
Solve problems involving elastic collisions, inelastic collisions, and explosions using the conservation of momentum.
Honors:
Analyzing collisions in 2-Dimensions
HS-PS2-2
HS-PS2-3
RST.11-12.7
MP.2
MP.4
HSN-Q.A.1
HSN-Q.A.2
HSN-Q.A.3
HSA-SSE.A.1
HSA-SSE.B.3
HSA-CED.A.1
HSA-CED.A.2
HSA-CED.A.4
HSF-IF.C.7
Unit — Conservation of Energy, Work, and Power
Essential Questions
How does energy transfer from one form to another (ie. kinetic to potential) and how can it be extracted as useful work?
Guiding Questions
Why is energy conserved within an isolated system and how does that impact the individual parts of the system?
How can Work be done to transfer energy?
How does the rate of energy transfer (Power) impact our day to day lives?
What is the nature of the elasticity of materials and how does Hooke’s Law play its part?
How does an object gain/lose potential and kinetic energy?
Resources
Physics: Principles and Problems by Zitzewitz, Neff & Davids
Webassign Online access as supplied by Cengage Learning. Webassign is a source of practice questions.
Skills Taught
Identify energy transformations for an object in transition.
Solve problems involving Kinetic Energy, Gravitational Potential Energy, Elastic Potential Energy, Work and Power.
Honors:
Calculate the work done by friction.
HS-PS3-1.
HS-PS3-2.
HS-PS3-3.
RST.11-12.7
MP.2
MP.4
HSN-Q.A.1
HSN-Q.A.2
HSN-Q.A.3
Unit — Electrostatics
Essential Questions
How do objects interact with each other by the Electrostatic Force?
Guiding Questions
What is the elementary charge?
How do objects with charge interact with each other by the Electrostatic Force?
Why do objects gain/lose electric potential energy and how does this fit within our previous understanding of the conservation of energy?
Resources
Physics: Principles and Problems by Zitzewitz, Neff & Davids
Webassign Online access as supplied by Cengage Learning. Webassign is a source of practice questions.
Skills Taught
Understand the source of all electrostatic forces.
Identify how an object acquires a charge and determine the magnitude of the charge.
Calculate the Electrostatic force between 2 charged particles.
Determine the effect of altering the charge of each object and their distances apart on the Electrostatic force of attraction/repulsion.
Identify and draw electric field lines for a charged particle.
Determine the kinetic energy acquired by a charged particle moving through a change in Electric Potential.
Honors:
2-Dimensional Electrostatics problems
HS-PS2-4.
HS-PS3-2.
HS-PS3-5.
RST.11-12.7
MP.2
MP.4
HSA-SSE.A.1
HSA-SSE.B.3
HSA .CED.A.4
Unit — Circuits and Magnetism
Essential Questions
How is energy transferred from mechanical to electrical?
How are the Laws of Electrostatics applied to be beneficial to society by use of electrical circuits?
Guiding Questions
What is the nature of Ohm’s Law and how do current, resistance and electric potential influence a circuit?
How can elements be added to a circuit and what impact will they have in various arrangements?
What is the difference between a series and parallel circuit?
How do we build and analyze real life electric circuits?
Resources
Physics: Principles and Problems by Zitzewitz, Neff & Davids
Webassign Online access as supplied by Cengage Learning. Webassign is a source of practice questions.
Skills Taught
Understand the relationship between Current, Electric Potential, and Electrical Resistance
Solve problems involving Current, Potential, Resistance, Work, and Power.
Create and identify both series and parallel circuits.
Identify and solve problems involving series and parallel circuits.
Identify and draw magnetic field lines.
Understand Electromagnetic Induction and its impact on society.
Honors:
Loop Rule and Junction Rule
HS-PS3-6.
HS-PS2-5.
HS-PS3-5.
RST.11-12.7
MP.2
MP.4
HSA-SSE.A.1
HSA-SSE.B.3
HSA .CED.A.4
Unit — Waves
Essential Questions
How do we create and use models to predict the movement of energy in the form of waves?
Guiding Questions
How does energy propagate through different media as waves and what physical quantities can we measure to model them?
How are longitudinal and transverse waves different/similar?
What is the nature of light and sound and how do they behave in different media?
How do waves interfere with each other?
Why do standing waves form and what are their nodes and anti-nodes?
Resources
Physics: Principles and Problems by Zitzewitz, Neff & Davids
Webassign Online access as supplied by Cengage Learning. Webassign is a source of practice questions.
Skills Taught
Understand the relationship between amplitude, frequency, wavelength, speed, period, and phase for a transverse wave
Identify nodes and antinodes in standing waves
Identify transverse and longitudinal waves
Understand Constructive and Destructive Interference
Understand and identify wave reflection, refraction, and diffraction.
Honors:
Concave and convex lenses
Focal point
HS-PS4-1.
HS-PS4-3.
HS-PS4-5.
RST.11-12.7
MP.2
MP.4
HSA-SSE.A.1
HSA-SSE.B.3
HSA .CED.A.4
Unit — Modern Physics
Essential Questions
What changes and new discoveries have been made to the field of physics in the past 100 years?
Guiding Questions
How did Einstein’s photoelectric effect experiment change the field of physics?
What is wave-particle duality?
How have the 4 fundamental interactions shaped our universe and how has our understanding of them developed in the last century?
How do we use the standard model to classify particles?
Resources
Physics: Principles and Problems by Zitzewitz, Neff & Davids
Webassign Online access as supplied by Cengage Learning. Webassign is a source of practice questions.
Skills Taught
Discuss the idea of wave particle duality.
Determine the energy of a photon.
Understand spectral lines and interpret energy-level diagrams
Understand the chronological development of the theory of an atom.
Compare magnitudes of the 4 Fundamental Interactions
Determine the energy of a mass when converted into energy.
Identify particles in the Standard Model.
Honors:
Discuss the quantum nature of the universe.
HS-PS4-4.
HS-PS1-8.
RST.11-12.7
MP.2
MP.4