PISCATAWAY TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS
COURSE SYLLABUS
Course Title: Honors Physics
Textbook:
College Physics, Serway, Faughn and Vuille
Teacher:
Mr. Rohan Gokhale
rgokhale@pway.org
http://www.piscatawayschools.org/phs/
Course description:
Full year course: Grades 11 and 12, 6.0 credits
Honors Physics is a lab and lecture course that meets 6 periods per cycle. The Honors
Physics course is intended for science oriented students who plan on taking the maximum
number of science units in high school. This rigorous inquiry-oriented course is quite
demanding, is rapidly paced and stresses problem solving skills. Using an applied
mathematical approach, students will be taught fundamental concepts of motion,
mechanics, sound, light, wave motion, electricity, magnetism, relativity, and quantum
mechanics.
Course Schedule: Scope and sequence
Approximate Time Frame
Topic
First Semester:
Marking Period One
Topics: Measurement, Vectors, Graphic Analysis, OneSeptember through November and Two-Dimension Kinematics, Dynamics.
Specific Content:
Definition of Physics
Units and Dimensions
Data collection, significant figures
Graphic representation and addition of vector quantities
Vector resolution
Using trigonometric functions to resolve and add vectors
How to graph lab data to identify mathematical
relationships
How to identify and express constant velocity and
acceleration
How to express and identify distance - time and velocity
– time relationships graphically
The equations of motion in one and two dimensions
Projectile Motion
Newton’s Laws of Motion
Forces
How to utilize free-body diagrams to analyze motion
Marking Period Two
Topics: Circular Motion and Gravity, Work and Energy,
November through January
Impulse and Momentum.
Specific Content:
Describing motion in a curved path: application of both
kinematics and dynamics
Applications of circular motion to planetary motion and
gravity
Definition of work, Simple machines, The work –
energy theorem
Gravitational potential energy, linear kinetic energy,
rotational kinetic energy, Hooke’s Law, and elastic
potential energy
The Law of Conservation of Mechanical Energy
Non-mechanical forms of energy
The impulse – momentum theorem
Collisions and the law of conservation of momentum
Types of collisions
Second Semester
Marking Period Three
February through April
Topics: Rotary Motion, Wave Motion, Light and Optics,
Electric Forces and Fields, Electrical Energy and
Potential Difference
Specific Content:
Rotary Kinematics, Dynamics and Energy
Simple Harmonic Motion
Wave properties
Wave behaviors: rectilinear propagation, reflection,
refraction, diffraction and interference
Physics of Sound
The electromagnetic spectrum, the wavelength of light
The speed of light
The Law of Reflection
Refraction, Snell’s Law
Diffraction, Young’s Law
Marking Period Four
April through June
Topics: Electric Current and Resistance, Electrical
Circuits, Magnetism, Relativity, Quantum Mechanics
Specific Content:
Coulomb’s Law, Static electricity
Electrical potential due to point charges
The volt, capacitance,
The ampere, Ohm’s Law, Drawing circuit diagrams,
Series and parallel circuits
Magnetic fields, Electromagnetism
Speed of Light
Special Relativity and its Consequences
Equivalence of Mass and Energy
Blackbody Radiation
Wave-Particle Duality
Uncertainty Principle
Atomic Spectra
Materials Needed:
 Acceptable notebook
 A variety of pencils and pens
 Textbook
 Scientific calculator
Classroom Procedures:
Regarding safety in the laboratory:
 When asked, you must wear safety goggles
 Personal apparel should be appropriate for lab work
 Know what you are doing
 Know the proper fire drill procedures and the locations of the fire exits and the
emergency equipment
 Report all accidents to the instructor, no matter how minor
 Do not perform unauthorized experiments or use equipment and apparatus in a
manner not specified by the instructor
 Stay alert in the lab
 Food and beverages are never allowed in the lab
 Use extra caution when working with electrical equipment
 Keep the work area clean and neat
 Soap and water are available
Observation of all Piscataway High School rules and regulations as noted in the official
student handbook.
Grading Distribution
 Tests and Quizzes: Sixty-five of the quarter grade. Quizzes will generally be
unannounced. They will usually consist of 1-2 questions, and either be a problem
from the previous night’s homework assignment, or from the previous day’s
lesson or lab.
 Lab Reports: Twenty-five percent of the grade.
 Homework: Ten percent of the grade.