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Home , Mechanics

AP C – Mechanics Syllabus

Text Book Physics for & with (4th edition) by Giancoli ISBN-10: 0131495089 ISBN-13: 978-0131495081

Other Resources  The Course YouTube Channel (www.youtube.com/user/scheithauerphysics) o Instructional videos created by me using various hardware/software  Other Internet Resources (www.khanacademy.org, www.learnapphysics.com, resources gathered on the course Google Drive)  AP Exam Review Book (I have not selected a specific book at the of writing this syllabus)  Microsoft Office (specifically Excel)  Vernier Logger Pro (under our site license, students may be provided with copies to install on their home computers)  CPS Spark remote control voting  Study Island website

Overview This is a based course designed to mirror an introductory mechanics course at the collegiate level. The course is one semester (18 weeks) in length. While I acknowledge this course is not designed for first year physics students, the majority of students are as such. Given our school does not offer a pre-AP physics course, a rigorous pace will be maintained to make up for this deficiency. Students will develop a strong conceptual and analytical understanding of Newtonian Mechanics and apply a wide variety of problem solving strategies and lab-based skills to reinforce this understanding. Lecture, discussion, guided-inquiry, and open-inquiry will be used both in the classroom and in the lab. Emphasis will also be placed on communicating an understanding of physics orally and in writing both to the instructor and peers. Various supplementary resources including instructional videos that I will create will be made available online and via a thumb drive (if needed).

In the classroom, students will have an opportunity to on open-ended problems individually and then will work in pairs or small groups to discuss various possible solutions – physical interpretation, reasonableness of the answer, the validity of different approaches, etc. Whiteboarding will also be used where students work in pairs on whiteboards but only one marker is given, making clear verbal communication necessary. Students will also work together to find and present solutions to complex and open ended problems to their peers – emphasis will be placed on communicating in a clear, concise, and organized fashion in writing and orally. “Demonstration quizzes” will be frequently utilized. I will demonstrate either a new or previously studied concept and students must work together to explain the physics behind the phenomenon just observed. Traditional lecture and note taking will be utilized, but it will be kept to a minimum. Most detailed examples will be available via the course’s YouTube channel (should a student lack Internet access, I can provide them via a flash drive as well). When introducing new concepts, I will often pause and ask a conceptual question to gauge the class’s understanding. Students will answer using the CPS Spark system, allowing me to instantly gather data that will help guide my instruction.

The laboratory exercises will not be “cookbook” style where students just follow a series of provided steps until the lab is complete. Often a problem will be presented and students must work in small groups to solve it. Emphasis will be placed on forming and testing hypotheses with valid scientific methods. Procedures will typically not be provided or they will be a broad outline at best. Students will be responsible for choosing the correct equipment, devising their own set ups, and ensuring the data collection process is done accurately. Each lab will require a write-up which will entail the following:  Statement of the purpose/objective of the lab  Statement of hypothesis formed and methods/procedures used to test the hypothesis and collect data  Data analysis (with graphical analysis being heavily utilized)  Error analysis (a mixture of qualitative and quantitative)  Conclusion/Summary Lab write-ups will also be graded for clarity of verbal communication.

Each unit will include an “Essential Ideas and Questions” page. Students will be responsible for researching the answers to these questions and creating their own notes. The completion of these pages will your exam score. Students may utilize the course’s YouTube channel, any other Internet resources, their textbook, and each other to complete these pages. In essence, students will be doing the majority of their note taking on their own to free up class time to focus on class discussions (versus traditional lecture), small work, and problem-solving practice & strategies.

On a typical week, we will meet 70 minutes per day for 5 days each week. We will spend one day per week in the lab working on various experiments and exercises.

Course Evaluation Your grade will be determined in the following manner:  Exams……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………40%  Homework…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….15%  Quizzes………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….20%  Laboratory…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….25%

Homework Homework will be assigned from the University of Texas’ online Quest system. The problems will be collegiate level problems designed to prepare students for the AP Exam in May. Most problems will be open ended with a numerical answer, but multiple choice and conceptual problems will be included. Additional problems from the text book will be assigned for recommended practice but they will not be for a grade.

Exams and Quizzes Exams will be given once per unit and quizzes two or three per unit. They will incorporate questions that will integrate multiple concepts such as on the AP Exam. Multiple choice and Free Response questions will be utilized. Some questions will be written by me and others will be released questions from past AP Exams from College Board. Take home quizzes will be employed frequently. Students will have an opportunity to work on a possible solution and we will discuss the various possible solutions either as a whole or in small groups.

Laboratory As mentioned, students will work in small groups once per week on hands-on experiments and investigations. Most labs will primarily be hands-on and inquiry-based. A few may utilize simulations or offer detailed guidance in the inquiry process. Each lab will require a detailed lab report, which after being graded, students must keep in a portfolio. The write-ups will emphasize communicating procedures used to test hypotheses, concise data reporting, graphical analysis, error propagation, error analysis, drawing data-driven conclusions. Microsoft Excel, Vernier Logger Pro, Digital cameras, various probeware, and basic lab equipment will be utilized to either collect or analyze data.

Unit & Topical Outline Unit 1: Math and Analytical Skills [1 week]  with Vectors o Arithmetic operations, dot products, cross products, notation  Derivatives & Integrals o Definition, graphical interpretation, computations  Parametric Equations  Units, Measurements, Powers of 10 & Estimation Unit 2: in 1D and 2D & Rotational Kinematics [3 weeks]  in 1-D o Constant & Free-fall motion o Acceleration varying with time  Motion in 2-D o General motion in 2D o motion  Relative Motion  Rotational Kinematics o Relationship between linear and angular quantities o Angular , , and acceleration o Constant and varying problems

Unit 3: Newton’s Laws [3 weeks]  Static Equilibrium  Dynamics of single and multiparticle &  Constant and Varying Forces

Unit 4: Rotational Dynamics [2 Weeks]  Uniform  Angular o Applications of conservation of  Rotational  Moments of

Unit 5: Work, , [2 weeks]  Work and the Work-Energy Theorem  Kinetic and  Relating Potential Energy and functions  Conservation of Energy  Power  Relating Work, Power, and Energy to Forces and Kinematics  Rotational Energy

Unit 6: Systems of Particles and Linear Momentum [2 weeks]  Center of  Relating , momentum, and forces  Conservation of linear momentum  1-D and 2-D Collisions

Unit 7: Oscillations and Gravitation [2 weeks]  o Dynamics and Energy of SHM o Mass on a spring . Horizontal/Vertical  Pendulums and Other Oscillators  Newton’s Law of of Planets and Satellites o Kepler’s Laws . Relate to Newton’s Laws o Circular Orbits o General Orbits

Comprehensive Semester Review [1 Week]

Labs  Rebounding Ball, Barbie Bungee, and Linear Regression  Determining the Thickness of Aluminum Foil & Uncertainty In The Lab  Kinematics Video Project with Logger Pro  Carts & Ramps: Graphical Analysis of Accelerated Motion  Determining The Value of g Using an Inclined Plane  Determining The Coefficients of Static & Kinetic Friction of Various Systems  Investigating Models of Air Resistance  Conservation of Linear Momentum And The Effects of Friction  Hooke’s Law, Oscillators On a Spring, and Hysteresis  Using Fourier Analysis to Investigate Systems of Multiple Oscillators  Determining The Value of g Using A Simple & Pendulum Lab Challenge  Investigating the Motion, Forces, and Energy of a Simple Pendulum Using Vernier Instruments and Logger Pro  Where Will It Land Lab Challenge – An Investigation of the Conservation of Energy and Work Done By Friction  “Sizzle And Slice” Lab from LTF  Determining An Unknown Mass Using Three Independent Methods  Determining the Muzzle Velocity of a Nerf Gun Using Two Independent Methods  Uniform Circular Motion, Investigating Moments of Inertia, and Circular Kinematics Video Project