dvhs ap physics i mr. curtis

DVHS AP Physics I Mr. Curtis

Dear Students, Parents, and Guardians,

Welcome, students, to AP Physics I! Physics is about how the universe around us works. It is

the most basic science and forms the basis for all other sciences. Physics is something in

which everyone should have a good basic understanding in order to make sense of the world

around us.

About the Advanced Placement Program® (AP®)

The Advanced Placement Program® enables willing and academically prepared students to

pursue college-level studies — with the opportunity to earn college credit, advanced placement,

or both — while still in high school. AP Exams are given each year in May. Students who earn a

qualifying score on an AP Exam are typically eligible to receive college credit and/or placement

into advanced courses in college. Every aspect of AP course and exam development is the

result of collaboration between AP teachers and college faculty. They work together to develop

AP courses and exams, set scoring standards, and score the exams. College faculty review

every AP teacher’s course syllabus.

AP Physics I: Algebra-Based Course Overview

AP Physics 1 is an algebra-based, introductory college-level physics course that explores topics

such as Newtonian mechanics (including rotational motion); work, energy, and power;

mechanical waves and sound; and simple electrical circuits. Through inquiry-based learning,

students will develop scientific critical thinking and reasoning skills. This course requires that

25% of instructional time be spent on hands-on laboratory work, with an emphasis on inquiry-

based investigations that provide students with opportunities to apply science practices. No

prior course work in physics is necessary. Students should have completed geometry and be

concurrently taking Algebra II and Trigonometry, at a minimum.

This packet contains the course syllabus, grading policies, classroom guidelines, and lab safety

procedures which you and your parents/guardians are to read and sign. Tear off and return the

signed slip by the end of this week. This will count as a grade.

Each student will need a pen or pencil, a 3 ring binder for warm-ups and handouts, and a

calculator that does trigonometry at a minimum. (Cell phone calculators cannot be used on

tests.)

Parents/guardians, should you need to reach me, feel free to leave a message on my voice mail

at extension 7109 or you can email me at [email protected]. I am happy to provide extra help

after school – just coordinate with me ahead of time. Please also check my website (under the

“Teachers” link on the DVHS website) for class information and Powerschool for your student’s

grades on a regular basis. I post homework assignments on my voice mail and my website. I

update these with the latest information frequently.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curtis

mailto:[email protected]


AP Physics 1 Course Syllabus

Course Description: AP Physics 1 is an algebra-based, introductory college-level physics course that meets each day for the entire school year. General physics topics presented during the course closely follow those outlined by the College Board and also mirrors an introductory level university physics course. The course explores topics such as Newtonian mechanics (including rotational motion); work, energy, and power; mechanical waves and sound; and introductory, simple circuits. Through inquiry based learning, students will develop scientific critical thinking and reasoning skills. Students should have completed geometry and be concurrently taking Algebra II or an equivalent course. Although the Physics 1 course includes basic use of trigonometric functions, this understanding can be gained either in the concurrent math course or in the AP Physics 1 course itself. No prior course work in physics is necessary. AP Physics 1 is organized around six big ideas that bring together the fundamental science principles and theories of general physics. These big ideas are intended to encourage students to think about physics concepts as interconnected pieces of a puzzle. The solution to the puzzle is how the world works around them. The students will participate in inquiry based explorations of these topics to gain a more conceptual understanding of these physics concepts. Students will spend less of their time in traditional formula-based learning and more time devoted to developing critical thinking and reasoning skills. Textbook: Serway, Vuille, and Faughn. College Physics. 8th Edition (AP Edition). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning, 2010. [CR1] Teaching Resources: Hewitt. Conceptual Physics. Boston, MA: Pearson, 2009. Urone and Hinrichs. College Physics. Houston, TX: OpenStax College, Rice University. Big Ideas for AP Physics 1:

1. Objects and systems have properties such as mass and charge. Systems may have internal structure.

2. Fields existing in space can be used to explain interactions. 3. The interactions of an object with other objects can be described by forces. 4. Interactions between systems can result in changes in those systems.


5. Changes that occur as a result of interactions are constrained by conservation laws. 6. Waves can transfer energy and momentum from one location to another without the

permanent transfer of mass and serve as a mathematical model for the description of other phenomena.

The big ideas for AP Physics 1 are correlated to the content of the course and to the lab and inquiry-based investigations done throughout the school year, as described below. Outline of AP Physics 1 Topics and Correlation to Big Ideas Kinematics (Big Idea 3) [CR2a] Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Motion in One Dimension Chapter 3: Vectors and Two-Dimensional Motion Dynamics (Big Ideas 1, 2, 3, and 4) [CR2b] Chapter 4: The Laws of Motion (includes Newton’s Laws) Universal Gravitation (Big Ideas 1, 2, 3, and 4) [CR2c] Chapter 7: Rotational Motion and the Law of Gravity (includes Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation and uniform circular motion) Simple Harmonic Motion (Big Ideas 3 and 5) [CR2d] Chapter 13: Vibrations and Waves (includes simple pendulums and spring-mass systems) Linear Momentum (Big Ideas 3, 4, and 5) [CR2e] Chapter 6: Momentum and Collisions (includes impulse and conservation of linear momentum) Energy (Big Ideas 3, 4, and 5) [CR2f] Chapter 5: Energy (includes work, power, and conservation of energy) Rotational Motion (Big Ideas 3, 4, and 5) [CR2g] Chapter 8: Rotational Equilibrium and Rotational Dynamics (includes torque, rotational kinematics and energy, and conservation of angular momentum) Electrostatics (Big Ideas 1, 3, and 5) [CR2h] Chapter 15: Electric Forces and Electric Fields (includes electric charge and conservation of charge) Chapter 16: Electrical Energy and Capacitance Simple DC Circuits (Big Ideas 1 and 5) [CR2i]

Chapter 17: Current and Resistance (includes electric potential difference)

Chapter 18: Direct-current Circuits (includes analyzing simple series and parallel circuits using

Ohm’s Law and Kirchoff’s Laws)


Mechanical Waves (Big Idea 6) [CR2j]

Chapter 13: Vibrations and Waves (includes mechanical waves)

Chapter 14: Sound

AP Test Review for time remaining until AP Test.

Time after AP Test will be spent on Magnetism and other topics.

Outline of AP Physics 1 Labs and Investigations and Correlation to Big Ideas [CR6a, CR6b] Kinematics (Big Idea 3)

1. Car Velocity Lab: students will determine the velocity of a toy car. This is a structured inquiry lab to demonstrate lab format and expectations. Record and graph displacement vs. time data. Generate velocity and acceleration graphs. (EU 3.A, 4.A) (SP 1.4, 2.2, 3.3, 4.3, 5.1, 5.3, 6.2)

2. Cart Acceleration Lab: students will determine the acceleration of a cart. This is a guided inquiry lab. Students are given a track, books to raise one end of the track, low friction cart, meter stick, protractor, and a timing device. Students will design a lab to determine the acceleration of the cart. Students will describe the observed motion qualitatively, organize the data into a meaningful table, and construct a graph that can be used to determine the acceleration of the object. (EU 3.A, 4.A) (SP 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 5.3)

3. Projectile Motion Lab: students will fire a projectile horizontally and use the results to mathematically calculate the launch velocity. This is a structured inquiry lab. Subsequently students will fire the projectile at several launch angles while experimentally determining the maximum projectile height and range. Results will be compared to calculated values. Students will also construct a variety of graphs involving displacement, velocity, and acceleration. (EU 3.A, 4.A) (SP 2.2, 3.3, 4.3, 5.1, 5.3)

Dynamics (Big Ideas 1, 2, 3, and 4) 1. Statics Lab: students will determine the tension in strings in various configurations. This

is a structured inquiry lab. Using masses, strings, and spring scales, students will suspend the masses in various configurations while recording the tension in each string. The results will also be compared to free-body diagrams of each suspended mass. (EU 3.A, 3.B) (SP 2.2, 3.3, 4.3, 5.1, 5.3, 6.1, 7.1)

2. Atwood’s Machine Lab: students will determine the acceleration due to gravity using two masses, a string, a pulley, a meter stick, and a timer. This is a guided inquiry lab. (EU 1.A, 1.C, 3.A, 3.B) (SP 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 5.3, 6.1, 6.2)

Universal Gravitation (Big Ideas 1, 2, 3, and 4) 1. Free-fall Lab: students will determine the local acceleration due to gravity for an object

that has minimal air drag. This is a guided inquiry lab. Students will be provided with a picket fence, photogate, and Logger Pro software. Students will make a graph of velocity vs. time for the picket fence and use this to determine the local acceleration due to gravity. (EU 2.A, 2.B, 3.B, 3.C, 3.G, 4.A) (SP 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 2.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 5.3, 7.1)


2. Flying Toy Lab: students will determine the tension in the string and the centripetal acceleration of a flying toy. This is a structured inquiry lab. Students will be provided with a battery operated flying toy that is attached by string to a fixed surface, a meter stick, and timer. Students will make appropriate calculations to determine the tension in the string from the observed data. (EU 1.A, 3.A, 3.B) (SP 1.4, 2.3, 4.3, 7.2)

Simple Harmonic Motion (Big Ideas 3 and 5) 1. Pendulum Lab: students will determine the variables that affect the period of a

pendulum. This is a guided inquiry lab. Students will be provided with a stand, string, protractor, and a bob. Students will analyze the data to produce graphs of period vs. the various variables (length, mass, angle). (EU 3.B, 5.A, 5.B) (SP 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 5.3, 6.1, 7.1)

2. Hooke’s Law and Oscillations Lab: students will design a two-part lab. This is a guided inquiry lab. In the first part, they will determine the relationship between a spring’s restoring force, spring constant, and displacement. In the second part, they will examine the oscillation of the spring determining the period of oscillation, the energy of the system, and the force acting on the mass at various locations during the oscillation. (EU 3.B, 5.A, 5.B) (SP 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 2.2, 3.1, 3.3, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 5.3, 6.2, 6.4, 7.1)

Linear Momentum (Big Ideas 3, 4, and 5) 1. Bumper Design Lab: students will design a paper bumper to soften the impact between

a cart and a fixed block of wood. This is a guided inquiry lab. Students are provided with an accelerometer and Logger Pro software. The designs are evaluated by the shape of an acceleration vs. time graph of the collision, which is produced by the Logger Pro software. (EU 3.D, 4.B, 5.D) (SP 1.4, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1, 6.1, 6.2)

2. Egg Drop Lab: students will design a protective package to safeguard a raw egg dropped from the football stadium bleachers. This is a guided inquiry lab. Students will be provided with some materials (such as cardboard, newspaper, etc.), but may use others, as long as there are no devices to increase air drag on the package. (EU 3.D, 4.B, 5.D) (SP 1.4, 2.2, 3.1, 3.3, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1, 6.1, 6.2)

Energy (Big Ideas 3, 4, and 5) 1. Energy and Non-conservative Forces Lab: students will determine the energy dissipated

by the friction of a system consisting of a modified Atwood’s machine. This is a structured inquiry lab. Students will be provided with two masses, a string, a pulley, a meter stick, and a timer. The pulley will be adjusted to provide a measureable amount of friction to the system. Students will produce mathematical calculations to determine the energy dissipated by friction using the collected data. (EU 3.E, 4.C, 5.B) (SP 1.4, 2.2, 3.3, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 7.1, 7.2)

2. Conservation of Energy Lab: students will verify conservation of energy for a system. This is a structured inquiry lab. Students will be provided a low friction cart, set of masses, low friction pulley, string, mass hanger, meter stick, and timer. Students will verify conservation of mechanical energy for the system as masses are moved between the mass hanger and the cart. (EU 3.E, 4.C, 5.B) (SP 1.4, 2.2, 3.3, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1)

Rotational Motion (Big Ideas 3, 4, and 5) 1. Rolling Cylinders Lab: students determine how the type of cylinder affects the time of

the roll. This is a guided inquiry lab. Students will be provided with various sizes and


types of cylinders, along with a timer and a sloped surface to roll the cylinders down. Students will design the experimental procedure. Students will take measurements to determine the effect of the mass, shape, and distribution of mass in the cylinder on the rolling time. (EU 3.F, 4.D, 5.A) (SP 1.1, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 5.3, 6.1, 6.2)

2. Conservation of Angular Momentum Lab: students will verify conservation of angular momentum for a system. This is a structured inquiry lab. Students will be provided with an angular motion apparatus, photogate, Logger Pro software, spoked pulley, and various disks and plates that are placed on top of the spinning angular motion apparatus. Students will take measurements and verify the principle of conservation of angular momentum. (EU 3.D, 4.D, 5.E) (SP 1.4, 2.2, 3.3, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1, 5.3, 6.1)

Electrostatics (Big Ideas 1, 3, and 5) 1. Static Electricity Interactions Lab: students will make qualitative observations of the

interactions when objects are charges. This is a guided inquiry lab. Students will be provided with sticky tape, balloons, fur, silk, glass rods, rubber rods, Styrofoam packing peanuts, aluminum pie tins, Styrofoam cups, and electroscopes. Students will use these materials to discover relationships between these materials and the static electric charges that are present, and can be transferred, between the materials. (EU 1.B, 3.C, 5.C) (SP 1.1, 1.2, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1, 5.3, 6.1, 6.2)

Simple DC Circuits (Big Ideas 1 and 5) 1. Ohm’s Law Lab: students will verify Ohm’s Law. This is a structured inquiry lab.

Students will be given the circuit experiment boards, batteries, interconnecting wires, various resistors, and multimeters. The students will perform measurements to determine voltage drop, current, and resistance using various resistors and perform calculations to verify Ohm’s Law. (EU 1.B, 5.C) (SP 1.4, 2.2, 3.3, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1, 5.3, 6.1, 6.4)

2. Brightness Investigation Lab: students will make predictions about the brightness of light bulbs in a variety of series and parallel circuits when some of the light bulbs are removed. This is a guided inquiry lab. Students will be given the circuit experiment boards, batteries, interconnecting wires, various resistors, and multimeters in order to design and conduct their experiments to verify or contradict their predictions. (EU 1.B, 5.C) (SP 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 5.3, 6.1, 6.4)

Mechanical Waves (Big Idea 6) 1. Wave Investigation Lab: students will investigate the properties of transverse and

longitudinal waves. This is a structured inquiry lab. Students will be given slinky-type springs and perform experiments to observe wave behavior, interference, and reflection at boundaries. (EU 6.A, 6.B, 6.D) (SP 1.4, 4.3, 5.1, 5.3, 6.2)

2. Speed of Sound Lab: students will discover the speed of sound. This is a structured inquiry lab. Students will be given a tube submerged in water, a set of tuning forks, and a meter stick and will design an experiment to determine the speed of sound in air. (EU 6.A, 6.B, 6.D) (SP 1.4, 2.2, 3.3, 4.3, 5.1, 7.1)


Additional Course Information Labs and Classwork [CR5, CR7, CR8] Labs are “hands-on” and placed throughout the school year. Students will spend at least 25% of class time in laboratory investigations. Labs will be either teacher-directed or student-directed/open-ended. During a teacher-directed lab, the students are given instruction on the operation of lab equipment and guidance in the process of the experiment. During a student-directed lab, the students are given an objective (ex. “determine the acceleration due to gravity on Earth”) and standard materials needed to conduct a lab. Students then create their own experimental design and collect data, which are analyzed through graphical and basic statistical methods. Some student-directed labs will involve the group presenting their experiment and defending their results. They will also evaluate one other group’s approach to the problem and offer a critique of their procedures and results. Students work in lab groups, but each student must prepare a lab report in their provided lab notebook which is turned in the day after the conclusion of each activity, then graded and returned. The report must include the following components:

Statement of the problem

Hypothesis (specific and testable)

Discussion or outline of how the procedure will be carried out

Data collected from the experiment

Data analysis

Conclusion including error analysis

Peer review (if included for this specific lab) Students are required to keep the graded lab reports in an organized lab notebook. This lab notebook will be kept by the students for the entire school year and must include the completed lab reports as well as the raw data tables and any notes made during conducting the labs in the course. Real World Activities [CR3, CR4] In addition to the labs, each student is required to do one of the following projects that are completed primarily outside the classroom. Other student designed projects may be substituted with prior approval from the teacher, but the projects must be comparable in physics principles involved and difficulty level.

1. Torque and the Human Arm: this activity provides an opportunity for students to make an interdisciplinary connection to biological systems by investigating the structure and function of a major muscle (biceps) in the human body. Students will design and build an apparatus that replicates the forearm and biceps muscle system. The objective is to determine the biceps tension when holding an object in a lifted position. Required elements to be provided include design sketches, force diagrams, mathematical representations of translational and rotational equilibrium, and numerical calculations. (LO 3.F.1.1, 3.F.1.2, 3.F.1.3, 3.F.1.4, 3.F.1.5)


2. Kepler Telescope Exoplanet Discovery: the Kepler telescope has been discovering evidence about newly-discovered planets orbiting around other stars for the last few years. Much of this data is posted on the Internet and can be found through Google searches. Students will use this data to determine properties of these planets. Students will choose a planet to investigate and determine as many physical properties as possible from the data set. (LO 2.B.2.1, 3.A.4.2, 3.B.2.1, 3.C.1.2, 4.A.1.1)

3. Toy Motion Analysis: students will use a video analysis program to analyze the motion of a toy as it moves. Students will provide the toy and do their own video. The motion must be analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively, including graphs. (LO 3.A.1.1, 3.A.1.3, 1.C.1.1)

4. Everyday Accelerations: using an accelerometer app for a smartphone, students will analyze accelerations they experience every day. Data can be taken while moving down the hall between classes, while on a school bus, on an amusement park ride, etc (but remember to always be safe!). Students will present a description of the motion they experienced, including acceleration, velocity, and displacement, both quantitatively ad qualitatively, including graphs. (LO 3.A.1.1, 3.A.1.3, 1.C.1.1)

5. Equilibrium Analysis: students will take two pictures – one of an object in translational equilibrium and one in rotational equilibrium. The objects also must have more than three forces acting on them. They will then construct free-body diagrams for each object, and determine the magnitude of each force acting on each object. For the object in rotational equilibrium, the student will also find the magnitude of each torque acting on the object. (LO 3.B.1.3, 3.B.2.1, 3.F.1.1, 3.F.1.2, 3.F.1.5)

6. Science Olympiad Events: once the final event listing for this school year is released, an applicable physics or engineering competitive event that involves physics principles is a project option. Anticipated events include design and construction of rubber band airplanes, timekeeping device, balsa wood bridges, and compound machines. (LO 1.C.1.1, 3.A.3.3, 3.B.1.2)

7. Technology Student Association Events: once the final event listing for this school year is released, an applicable physics or engineering competitive event that involves physics principles is a project option. Anticipated events include animatronics, engineering design, flight endurance, and structural engineering. (LO 1.C.1.1, 3.A.3.3, 3.B.1.2)

8. Musical Instruments: students create wind and/or string instruments from recycles materials. Instruments must play a 5-note scale. Students must compare and constrast the physics involved in the sound waves produced by their instruments. (LO 6.A.1.1, 6.P.1.1, 6.P.3.2)

9. Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science: an independent research project for the PJAS competition can fulfill this requirement. This includes, but is not limited to projects involving the traditional subsets of physics (i.e. statics, dynamics, optics, acoustics, heat and electricity) and applied physics (i.e. mechanical , electrical, and civil engineering. (LO 1.C.1.1, 3.A.3.3, 3.B.1.2)


Grading

A lot is expected of you in this class. You need to take responsibility for your own

learning – nothing will be handed to you! It is your responsibility to make sure that all

your work is turned into the instructor when it is due! You will lose points for late work

(10% per day – no late work accepted after end of marking period).

Tests – 35%

Each chapter will have a test.

Formula sheets will be provided.

Each exam is graded out of 100 points plus any extra credit questions.

Quizzes – 20%

Quizzes will be given on reading assignments (outlines prepared by you can be

used as reference during reading quizzes) and material covered in class.

Formulas will be provided.

Each quiz is graded out of 5 or 10 points.

Labs/Activities – 20%

Labs and activities are done to give you hands-on experience with the principles

of physics and to see how well you can apply what you have learned. Most of the

time you will be working in groups for labs.

Labs and activities will be recorded in your lab notebook. (see syllabus).

Each student must perform every laboratory exercises and do his/her own lab

write-up in his/her notebook.

Point values for each lab/activity vary depending on the amount of work required.

Homework – 15%

Homework is assigned to help you think independently about the course material

and practice your skills. Anything assigned is relevant and is not busy work.

Some homework will be graded on effort and some will be graded on

correctness. This will be announced when the homework is assigned.

There will be questions and problems assigned from the book, along with

supplemental worksheets from time to time that will count as homework. We will

go over all homework in class to make sure you have the correct answers and

understand the material.

Point values for each homework assignment vary depending on the amount of

work required.


Warm-ups are also counted as part of the homework grade. Your warm-up

grade consists of effort and completion of daily warm-ups. The warm-up will be

on the Smart-board at the beginning of class. You will be responsible for copying

the daily warm-up into your notebook and writing out your best try at an answer.

We will then go over the warm-up together and you should then make any

corrections/clarifications needed to your answer. Make sure each entry is dated.

For full credit, write out the question and the answer. You can earn up to 20

points for each warm-up check.

Participation – 10%

You need to participate in this class to learn the material.

Your participation grade is a maximum of 50 points per marking period. You

earn points each day by participating in class discussions and labs/activities and

following the classroom guidelines and classroom procedures. You will not be

penalized for excused absences.

Easy ways to lose participation points (plus possible referrals) are as follows:

o “Horseplay” in the classroom. There is a lot of expensive equipment in the

classroom and it must be taken care of so everyone can have the benefit

of using it.

o Using the computer or surfing the Internet, unless given permission by me.

o Talking instead of doing daily warm-ups.

o Using cell phone/Ipod, etc. during class (device will also be confiscated

and referral written).

o Talking while I am talking.

o Throwing anything.

o Being late to class.

o Doing work for other classes during our class time.

o Not following DV Five and/or Student Handbook rules.

o Writing on desks and/or damaging classroom equipment. If something is

damaged when you go to use it, you need to tell me so you do not get

blamed for it!


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We have reviewed this packet, understand its contents, and realize the importance of

responsible student behavior at all times in the Physics classroom.

_________________________ ___________________________ _____________

Student Parent/Guardian Date

dvhs ap physics i mr. curtis

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