Physics Honors Syllabus 2009-10

Instructors

Adrian O'Keefe - http://www.siprep.org/faculty/aokeefe
Byron Philhour - http://www.siprep.org/faculty/bphilhour

Contact

Please use the Physics Honors Public Folder from within Microsoft Outlook Web Access for physics, math, and general science questions.

For administrative or personal questions, please e-mail your instructor from your SI e-mail account.

Your instructors are available to meet by appointment or on a drop-in basis before or after school; during lunch-time, we'd ask that you meet with our student TAs

Synopsis

Physics is the scientific study of the most fundamental laws of nature. This course aims to further develop students’ appreciation for and competence in the scientific method. This course also aims to develop students’ conceptual and quantitative understanding of physical principles. Students perform experiments to develop proficiency in laboratory technique in applying physical principles to the analysis of experimental data. Units of study in this course include motion, Newton’s Laws, collisions, energy, thermodynamics, waves, sound, light, fundamental particles of nature, radioactivity, quantum mechanics, and electricity and magnetism. The honors course differs from the non-honors course in that each topic is covered in more detail, at a faster pace, and with greater mathematical rigor.

Preparation for Standardized Testing

This course prepares students to take the optional AP Physics B exam in May. Students who wish to take the SAT II Subject Test in Physics are strongly encouraged to sign up to take the exam in June rather than May in order to benefit from the last month of instructional topics.

Online Resources

• Physics Honors Curriculum
• Course Weblog
• Laboratories
• Grading
  
• Public Folder through Microsoft Outlook Web Access

Required

• The People's Physics Book, 2009 edition, by Dann, Dann & Philhour (sold in a 3-ring binder)
• MasteringPhysics Stand-alone Student Access Kit by Pearson Education
• The course ID is SIPHYSICSHONORS; please use your SI Student ID# as your ID# and use your full name when registering
  
• Miniature Guide to Scientific Thinking by CriticalThinking.org -- you might already have this since it is often required by Biology teachers
  
• Scientific calculator (TI Graphing Calculator recommended)
• Straight edge and small protractor (keep in your binder for use in class & on tests)

Strongly Recommended

• Regular access to a computer (Mac or PC) with internet access at home
• Conceptual Physics 9th Edition by Paul Hewitt / or 8th or 7th edition / also, copies are available for loan at the Academic Support Center
• Time at lunch or after school to attend physics "homework parties" in Room 313 at least once per week; during lunch, your instructors are not available to meet -- please rely on the student TAs at this time; your instructors are available to meet before and after school by appointment or by drop-in (time permitting)
  
• White board markers for class
  

Outline of Course

1st quarter: introduction, standard model, radioactivity & nuclear physics, energy & work, kinematics, projectile motion, Newton's Laws of motion (math fundamentals such as units & vectors throughout)

2nd quarter: Newton's Laws continued, fluids, Universal Law of Gravity, centripetal motion, simple harmonic motion, resonance (math fundamentals throughout)

3rd quarter: electricity, circuits, magnetism, electromagnetic induction (review and use of 1st semester topics throughout)

4th quarter: waves & sound, light & optics, conservation laws, collisions & momentum conservation, particle physics, atomic physics & quantum mechanics (review and use of 1st semester topics throughout)

Expectations

As a student, you are expected to ...

• Check the course weblog and online forum routinely for announcements, to read the schedule of the day's activities in advance, and to find your homework assignment on your own.
• Check the whiteboard upon entering class for the agenda for the day; immediately begin working on any posted warmup problems.
  
• Attend the physics homework parties in Room 313 at lunch and after school on a regular basis to get help with difficult concepts.
• Use care and common sense in the laboratory and follow all stated safety guidelines.
  
• Write up "test corrections" for all missed problems on quizzes and exams. By the end of the course, you are expected to have worked every assigned problem correctly.
  
• Go easy on yourself and others: be kind, patient, and helpful.
• Be respectful, careful, and considerate of our classroom and laboratory resources, particularly the computers and software, other technical equipment, books, and desks. Do not leave messes in the laboratory or in the classroom.
  
• Preserve the integrity of the grading system - put forth your best effort and don't represent the work of others as your own. Be sure you understand what behavior constitutes plagiarism.
  
• Be honest with the material, yourself, and your instructor. Don't take shortcuts to avoid understanding and don't fake understanding. Don't be embarrassed to admit you don't know or to admit that you're stuck, no matter how stuck you are.
• Be creative, take risks, and ask questions. Physics is tough. It requires you to think creatively and to challenge yourself intellectually. 
• Adhere to all other norms of behavior outlined in the parent/student handbook.
  

Learning Differences

For students with learning differences, we will work with your counselor to ensure that you have access to all approved accommodations. Do not hesitate to remind your teacher about these.

Science Department Mission

Our mission is to teach students the scientific method so they can understand modern scientific descriptions of the universe and come to objective conclusions about the natural world. Like all members of the SI community we aim to educate the whole person, emphasizing the academic, extracurricular, and spiritual development of our students.

We would like to see graduates of SI ...

• knowledgeable about a broad range of scientific topics
• confident and proficient in the use of the scientific method
• able to use core science knowledge to assimilate new ideas and discoveries
• aware and appreciative of the universe and its inhabitants
• effectively able to communicate scientific principles, theories, and historical discoveries
• comfortable with laboratory techniques and experimental apparatus
• conscious of the environmental and ethical consequences of scientific progress
• dedicated to acting as a "person for others" in accordance with Catholic faith, Jesuit tradition and our school's mission
• well prepared for future study in any academic discipline
• ... and eager to continue to enjoy, learn about, and practice science throughout their life.

To this end, we strongly advise students to take all three of our core classes (Biology, Chemistry, and Physics) as well as a 4th year elective course.

Fundamental Ideas

• Physics is the study of the most fundamental laws of nature. Physicists are concerned with the behavior of the universe and its constituents ranging from the smallest subatomic particles up to enormous galaxy clusters.
• Physics is an experimental science, meaning that all theories -- no matter how elegant -- can be rejected if in conflict with the results of a single experiment. To quote Karl Popper: "Science may be described as the art of systematic over-simplification...In so far as a scientific statement speaks about reality, it must be falsifiable; and in so far as it is not falsifiable, it does not speak about reality."
• Physicists should "get their hands dirty." Laboratory work allows us to interact with the world in a simplified, controlled way. There is a place for calculations and abstract mathematical manipulation, but this kind of effort should lead to a deeper understanding of the real world.
• As important as the content of physics is the method: students with a physics education are expected to repeatedly ask and answer the fundamental question 'How do we know?'. Physics is not a dogmatic discipline: everything is up for grabs.
• Physics is more than just the memorization of content: it is a framework for understanding the world as it is. To quote Nobel prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman: "You can know the name of a bird in all the languages of the world, but when you're finished, you'll know absolutely nothing whatever about the bird... So let's look at the bird and see what it's doing — that's what counts. I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something." 
• The rational world-view taught in a physics class will be more important to our students in their future lives than any specific course content.

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