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Physics
2008-2009
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Currently enrolled students login here
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Start of Class Info for 2008-2009
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Description
This course is a high school physics course with lab exercises. It will cover the topics normally covered in a high school physics. This course is one of the three core high school science classes: Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. Students should have completed a course in Algebra 1 before enrolling in Physics. A detailed syllabus is shown below.
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Fees
The cost of the course is $78 per month for nine months for students attending the class, $58 per month for distance learners. Registration fees for homeschool classes at various locations (LAC, SNA, Dunwoody, etc.) will also apply. Students will need to purchase a copy of the “Student Notes and Workbook”, which should be less than $20. Students may borrow a copy of the textbook from the teacher at no charge, and videos of the class lectures will be provided on computer disc or via the internet at no additional cost.
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Lecture Notes and Class Time
Class time will primarily be spent on instruction. The lecture notes are a key part of the class. These notes are prepared in advance and given to the students, but with much of the material deleted and replaced by blank space on the page. During the lecture, the students fill in the blank areas, solve the example problems, and add any notes they need to. By the end of the year, the students will have what amounts to their own complete text made from the lectures delivered and the problems worked in class. A sample of these lecture notes is available on the website.
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Textbook
Physics by Douglas Giancoli, 5th edition, published by Prentice Hall. This is a text used by many high schools and some colleges. The content of the course mainly comes from the lectures and the lecture notes. The textbook serves mainly as an additional reference.
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Homework, Tests and Grades
Students will be given specific assignments to do on their own each week. Assignments will consist of additional lectures delivered on the computer, problems to practice, and homework assignments that will be collected and graded. To allow for the maximum amount of instructional time in class, tests will be given at home. One final exam for each semester will be taken in class at the end of the semester. Students will receive a numerical grade for each semester and for the year. The grade is calculated based on tests, graded homework and the final exams.
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Difficulty Level
Not all students require the same pace and difficulty level. Some may need or prefer a class that is more challenging and at a faster pace, while some may desire a class that is not accelerated. This class is offered simultaneously on two difficulty levels, standard and honors. The lectures are the same for both. The honors students will have additional homework that is more difficult, and will have more challenging tests. Note that the honors class is not an AP class. It is simply a more challenging version of the same course. The goal is for the classes to closely correspond to “Standard Physics" and “Honors Physics" classes at a good private school. Students will decide whether they would prefer the standard or honors version of the course about a month into the course, after having had a chance to look at some tests and assignments.
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Computer Access
Access to a computer (Windows, Mac, or Linux) with either a CD drive or a high speed internet connection is strongly recommended for this course. Videos of the lectures will be available to the students over the web or on CD. These lectures contain both audio and video and cover the same material covered in class. The videos allow students to review the material, to hear the explanations again if needed, and to see example problems being worked out with detailed explanations. They also insure that the students receive all of the instruction, even if they miss a class or if all of the material is not covered given the limited class time.
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The Instructor
Derek Owens taught physics, honors physics, AP Physics, and AP computer science at The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, GA from 1988-2000. He currently teaches Physics in the summer school program at Westminster as well as AP Calculus as Providence Christian Academy. He graduated from Duke University in 1988 with a degree in mechanical engineering and physics, and worked at the TIP program at Duke for two years, teaching physics and heading the Satellite Science Program. He received a National Science Foundation scholarship and studied history and philosophy of science at L’Abri Fellowship in England. He worked as a software developer for five years before returning to teaching. This will be his sixth school year teaching homeschoolers in the Atlanta area. He and his wife Amor and their two children Claire and David attend Grace Fellowship Church, a non-denominational church near their home in Lawrenceville.
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Course Syllabus
These topics comprise the material normally taught in a high school Physics course.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
What is Physics?
What is a scientific theory?
Units of measurement;
Scientific Notation;
Converting Units;
Measurement;
Significant Figures
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Chapter 2: Motion in One Dimension
Position and Displacement;
Speed and Velocity;
Vectors and Scalars;
Reference Frames;
Graphing Position versus Time;
Instantaneous Velocity;
Acceleration;
Equations for Accelerated Motion;
Velocity versus Time Graphs;
Acceleration versus Time Graphs;
Falling Bodies, Galileo;
Terminal Velocity
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Chapter 3: Motion in Two Dimensions
Vectors and Vector Math;
Relative Velocity;
Basic Trigonometry;
Resolving a Vector into Components;
Projectile Motion
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Chapter 4: Newton's Laws
Force;
The Law of Inertia;
Mass;
Newton's Second Law;
The Law of Action and Reaction;
Weight;
Friction;
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Chapter 5: Work and Energy
Work Kinetic Energy;
Potential Energy;
The Law of Conservation of Energy;
Power
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Chapter 6: Momentum
Linear Momentum;
The Law of Conservation of Momentum;
Angular Momentum
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Chapter 7: Circular Motion
Uniform Circular Motion;
Centripetal Acceleration and Centripetal Force;
Applications of Circular Motion
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Chapter 8: Gravity
Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation;
Gravity Near the Earth's Surface;
Satellites and Weightlessness, Circular Orbits;
Geosynchronous Orbits;
Theories of Planetary Orbits
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Chapter 9: Temperature and Heat
Atoms;
Temperature;
Pressure;
Thermal Expansion;
The Gas Laws;
Absolute Zero;
The Mechanical Equivalent of Heat;
Specific Heat;
Entropy
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Chapter 10: Waves and Wave Motion
Oscillations;
Resonance;
Interference, Standing Waves;
The Equation for Wave Motion;
Sound Waves;
The Doppler Effect;
Shock Waves and the Sonic Boom;
The Doppler Effect with Light Waves;
Reflection;
Refraction, Snell's Law;
Lenses
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Chapter 11: Optics
Reflection;
Refraction, Snell's Law;
Lenses
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Chapter 12: Electricity
Static Electricity;
Conductors and Insulators;
Lightning;
Coulomb's Law;
The Electric Field, Michael Faraday;
Electric Field Lines;
Electric Potential and Potential Difference;
Simple Circuits;
Capacitors
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Chapter 13: Electric Circuits
The Electric Battery;
Electric Current;
Ohm's Law;
Electrical Resistance;
Electric Power;
Alternating Current;
Series and Parallel Circuits;
Magnetism;
Electric Motors;
Power Generation
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