Learn about the world around you with the physics of our everyday lives -- including motion, gravity, temperature, heat, vibrations, sound, light, electric currents, and more -- to develop your critical thinking and problem-solving skills in this engaging and dynamic Physics course.

Course Description:

This 14-week course is the second course in a two-part series in introductory Physics concepts. The class does not rely too heavily on advanced mathematical calculations but algebraic understanding is required. Instead, we will stick to principles, overarching concepts, and major theories and how they apply to our everyday lives. Students will have live instruction once a week, as well as frequent online interactives and simulations that will assist them in understanding and applying knowledge. The course is a survey of topics in physics with the goal of leading toward further study (Advanced Placement or College Prep Physics). Students will build on their natural intuition—and break some commonly held misconceptions. Students will learn how the cosmos that God created works and apply the laws of physics to everyday examples in their lives. Students will learn that physics is phun!

Special notes: This is Part Two of a 2-part course. Students are welcome to join midyear if there is room and they meet all of the prerequisites.

Total classes: 14

Class dates: Thursdays, January 9 to April 24, 2025. (No class Mar. 6 & April 17)

Starting Time: 4:00 PM Eastern (3:00 Central; 2:00 Mountain; 1:00 Pacific)
Duration: 75 minutes

Duration per class: 75 minutes

Prerequisite: Physics, Part One

Suggested grade level: 9^th to 12^th grade

Instructor: Thomas Frederick, MS

Course Description: This 14-week course is the second part in a two-part series in introductory Physics concepts. The course does not rely too heavily on advanced mathematical calculations but algebraic understanding is required. Instead, we will stick to principles, overarching concepts, and major theories and how they apply to our everyday lives. Students will have live instruction once a week, as well as frequent online interactives and simulations that will assist them in understanding and applying knowledge. The course is a survey of topics in physics with the goal of leading toward further study (Advanced Placement or College Prep Physics). Students will build on their natural intuition—and break some commonly held misconceptions. Students will learn how the cosmos that God created works and apply the laws of physics to everyday examples in their lives. Students will learn that physics is phun!

The course includes virtual labs and activities that can count for a lab component on a high school transcript.

Course outline:

Week 1. Circular Motion, Ch 9

Week 2. Center of Gravity, Ch 10

Week 3. Rotational Mechanics, Ch 11

Week 4. Special Relativity, Time and Space, Ch 15

Week 5. Special Relativity, Length, Energy, & Momentum, Ch 16

Week 6. Temperature, Heat, & Expansion, Ch 21

Week 7. Heat Transfer, Ch 22

Week 8. Vibrations & Waves, Ch 25

Week 9. Sound, Ch 26

Week 10. Light, Ch 27

Week 11. Electrostatics, Ch 32

Week 12. Electric Fields & Potential, Ch 33

Week 13. Electric Current, Ch 34

Week 14. Electric Circuits, Ch 35

Course materials:

Conceptual Physics, Paul Hewitt (2002) ISBN: 0130542547 (https://amzn.to/3sSsD3S)

OR

Conceptual Physics, Paul Hewitt (2004) ISBN: 0131663011 (https://amzn.to/3brimGi)

PLUS

We will also use the online curriculum from ThePhysicsClassroom.com

Computer with a video camera and microphone (this class is interactive)

Scientific or Graphing Calculator

PDF Scanner or smartphone with Adobe Scan (or equivalent)

Homework: Students should expect three to four hours of homework per week, including reading, online discussion forums, online interactive activities, and assessments.

Weekly reading from the textbook as well as online resources will be assigned. Homework questions will be assigned from the textbook along with solutions for students to self-check progress. Students will also be assigned interactive online activities that will help them to better understand and apply concepts learned in class. Each unit will have a quiz or test at the end, which will be graded by the instructor in the Moodle interface.

Class Participation:

This grade is based on class attendance and participation. Each week, students earn points for being in class and for participating in class (in the chat or orally). Students also earn points for posting in the discussion forums each week and for responding to a post of another student. Three or four forums will be randomly graded over the course of the semester. I allow for one "act of God" that you could not control (eg. a dentist appt. a play practice, etc...and made the total possible 25). So students can miss one live class and one week's discussion forum with no penalty.

Grades are calculated according to the following weights: 

Homework ‐ 25%
Quizzes ‐ 30%
Tests ‐ 35%
Participation ‐ 10%

Fee: For all 14 classes: $247 if you register on or before November 15, $267 if you register after Nov. 15 (Registration closes one week before the first day of class. After that date, registrations are not guaranteed. There is a $20 surcharge for late enrollments after the course is closed.)