Learning Physics According to the Classical Method
By Jeff Zweerink, PhD
In recent years, the classical method of education has been making a rise among homeschoolers
and Christian schools. Briefly summarized, this method depends on a three-step process of
training the mind called the Trivium. The early years of school are spent in absorbing facts,
which lay the foundation for later stages. In the middle grades, students learn to think through
arguments. In the high school years, they learn to express themselves. Dr. Zweerink has
compiled this helpful list of what he thinks are the key pieces of data and questions that students
need to know in order to be conversant about physics.
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Grammar Stage (grades 1–4/5)
50 Physics Facts Every Student Should Know
General Concepts
 What is a scaler? (ex. - mass)
 What is a vector? (ex. - distance)
 What is a unit?
 What is the SI unit of length? Time?
Mass?
 What is a power of 10? (Eames’ Film)
10 to the third = 1000, 10 to the
15th = 1,000,000,000,000,000
 Prefix for thousand, million, billion.
 Prefix for thousandth, millionth,
billionth.
States of Matter
 What are the properties of a gas?
 What are the properties of a liquid?
 What are the properties of a solid?
 What is absolute zero?
Light
 What is the speed of light?
 What is the speed of sound?
 What are the three primary colors of
light? (red, green, blue)
 What are the different kinds of light
(electromagnetic radiation)?
radio, microwave, infrared,
visible, ultraviolet, x-ray,
gamma-ray
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What is wavelength?
What is frequency?
What is period?
Rank different kinds of light by
increasing wavelength.
Rank by increasing frequency.
Rank by increasing energy.
Energy
 What is energy?
 What is kinetic energy?
 What is potential energy?
 Name other kinds of energy.
gravitational, mechanical,
thermal, elastic, sound, light,
intrinsic, nuclear, chemical, etc.
 Be able to identify the types of
energy associated with a situation
(ball rolling down hill, spring hitting
ground, planet orbiting a star, atom
splitting apart, etc.)
 What is the first law of
thermodynamics?
 What is the second law of
thermodynamics?
 How do we generate usable energy?
fossil fuels, hydroelectric, solar,
nuclear, biofuels?
Matter and Forces
 What is a proton? A neutron? An
electron?
 What is the structure of an atom?
 What are the four fundamental
forces?
gravity, electromagnetism, strong
nuclear, weak nuclear
 On what does gravity operate? (mass)
 On what does electromagnetism
operate? (charge)
 What is current?
 What is resistance?
 What causes the planets to orbit the
Sun?
 What causes the Moon to orbit the
Earth?
 What holds the protons and neutrons
together in the nucleus of an atom?
 How large is an atom? A nucleus?
 How large is a person? A planet?
 How large is a star? A galaxy?
Motion
 What is velocity?
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What is acceleration?
What is force?
What are Newton’s laws of motion?
How are mass and weight related?
What is friction?
What are the six simple machines?
What is escape speed?
Key Physicists in History (and what they
discovered)
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Isaac Newton – Quantified laws of
motion and gravity, discovered
calculus
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Sadi Carnot – founded science of
thermodynamics
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James Clerk Maxwell – developed
theory of electromagnetism and
kinetic theory of gases
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Albert Einstein – developed theories
of general and special relativity
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Max Planck – formulated the
quantum theory
Logic Stage (grades 5–8)
Five Physics Skills Every Student Should Know
1. Calculate basic quantities (given the proper equations). (This will require some
basic knowledge of algebra.)
 Types of energy: Ex. kinetic = ½ mv2; Gravitational potential = mgh (on Earth)
 The speed of a wave given the frequency and wavelength
 Average velocity, average acceleration, change in position with constant velocity
 Use Newton’s second law, F=ma
 Begin to use scientific notation: Gravitational constant is 6.674×10−11 N m2 kg−2
2. Understand proportional relationships.
 Directly proportional: Ex. twice the force gives twice the acceleration
 Inversely proportional: Ex. half the wavelength means twice the energy
 Inverse square laws: Ex. double the distance means one-fourth the gravitational
force
3. Understand how the universe develops after the big bang.
 Universe created in a hot, dense state (T>>1031K); four forces unified (t<<10-42s),
as universe expands, it cools and goes through a number of transitions
 Universe cools below 1031K, gravity distinct from other forces (t~10-42s)
 Universe cools below 1027K, strong nuclear distinct from other forces (t~10-35s),
end of inflation
 Universe cools below 1015K, all four forces distinct (t~10-11s)
 Universe cools below 1012K, quarks form protons, neutrons and mesons (t~10-6s)
 Universe cools from 1012-109K, protons/neutrons fuse to form helium, deuterium
(and some lithium) (t~1-200s)
 Universe cools below 3000K, protons/electrons combine to form atoms, cosmic
background radiation results (t~380,000 yrs)
 Universe continues to expand and cool; stars and galaxies form, T=2.725K,
t=13.8 billion years.
 Universe continues to expand until no heat left to perform work (heat death),
T~0K, t~1 trillion years
4. Apply Newton’s second law and Conservation of Energy to a situation.
 Identify the forces acting in each direction on a body
 Identify the initial position(s) and velocity(s) of the body(s) in question
 Identify the forms of kinetic and potential energy in the initial and final positions
5. Draw appropriate conclusions from experiments
 Identify the correct physical principles involved in the experiment (ex,
conservation of energy, motion under constant acceleration, conservation of
momentum in a collision)
 Identify sources of measurement error
 Identify sources of systematic error
 Understand the proper use of “significant figures”
Rhetoric Stage (grades 9–12)
Seven Physics Questions Every Student
Should Know How to Reason Through
1. Why do physicists think the four “fundamental” forces actually unify into one at high
enough energies?
2. What are the main differences between quantum theories and classical theories?
3. How does our understanding of the earliest moments of the universe lend insight into the
nature of dark matter? Of dark energy?
4. What prompted Einstein to develop his theories of special and general relativity?
5. Why do physicists think our universe might be part of a much larger “multiverse?
6. How does the biblical description of the universe comport with the idea of the big bang?
With the idea of a multiverse?
7. Do physicists think the universe appears designed for life? Why or why not?