LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Unit 1 – Kinematics











At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
Describe a frame of reference
Compare and contrast Aristotle’s and Galileo’s views of motion
Define and apply definitions of distance, displacement, average & instantaneous velocity and average
acceleration
Demonstrate proficiency in solving problems using kinematics equations, including problems involving
free-fall.
Analyze motion graphs qualitatively and quantitatively, including calculations of slope of a tangent of an x
vs. t graph, the slope of a v vs. t graph and the areas under a v vs. t graph and an a vs. t graph.
Distinguish between scalars and vectors
Add and subtract vectors using graphical methods and the component method
Utilize basic trigonometric functions and identities when resolving vectors
Mathematically and graphically describe the motion of a projectile fired at an angle
Solve problems involving the motion of a projectile fired at an angle
Apply the concepts of vectors to solve problems involving relative velocity.
Unit 2 – Newton’s Laws of Motion








Distinguish between contact forces and field forces by identifying the agent of force
Distinguish between mass and weight & calculate weight as a function of gravity
Differentiate between static and kinetic friction
State and apply Newton’s 1st Law for objects in static equilibrium
Demonstrate proficiency in drawing and labeling free-body diagrams
State and apply Newton’s 2nd Law: F=MA
Demonstrate proficiency in solving problems involving objects in motion with constant acceleration by
analyzing the resultant force on horizontal surfaces, inclined planes, and pulley systems.
State and apply Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion
Unit 3 – Work, Energy & Power





At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
Define and apply the concepts of work done by a constant force, potential energy, kinetic energy and
power
Calculate the work done from the area under a force vs. displacement graph
Distinguish between conservative and non-conservative forces
State and apply the principle of conservation of mechanical energy.
Demonstrate proficiency in solving problems by applying the work-energy theorem to situations that
involve conservative and non-conservative forces.
Unit 4 – Systems of Particles-Linear Momentum








Define and give examples of impulse and momentum
Restate Newton’s 2nd Law in terms of Momentum
Calculate the change in momentum from the area under an F vs. t graph
By using Newton’s 3rd Law, derive a mathematical statement of conservation of momentum
Define and recognize examples of elastic and inelastic collisions
Explain which conservation laws apply to each type of collision
Demonstrate proficiency in solving problems involving conservation of momentum in one and two
dimensions
Demonstrate proficiency in solving problems involving both conservation of momentum and conservation
of energy laws.
Unit 5 – Circular Motion & Rotation







At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
Define SHM and use the unit circle to describe displacement, velocity and acceleration
Use Hooke’s Law and Newton’s 2nd Law to determine acceleration as a function of displacement
Apply the principles of conservation of mechanical energy for an object moving in SHM
Derive and apply the equations to obtain the periods of a mass-spring system & a pendulum
Demonstrate proficiency in solving problems involving horizontal & vertical mass-springs
Define resonant frequency and give examples of resonance
State and apply Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation
Describe how the Cavendish experiment helped determine the universal gravitation constant
Derive the acceleration due to gravity on the surface of several planets
Distinguish between actual weight and apparent weight on a spinning Earth
Explain and apply the relationship between the speed and orbital radius of a satellite
State Kepler’s three laws of planetary motion
Derive (using Newton’s Laws) and apply Kepler’s 3rd Law of planetary motion
Unit 7 – Fluid Mechanics








At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
Explain the characteristics of uniform circular motion
Derive the equation for centripetal acceleration of an object moving in a circle at constant speed
Understand that centripetal force is not a “new” type of force
Understand that centrifugal force does not exist, but is a result of inertia
Demonstrate proficiency in solving problems involving banking angles, the conical pendulum, and motion
in a vertical circle
Define and calculate the torque of a given force about an axis of rotation
State the 2 conditions of equilibrium (translational and rotational) and apply them to solve for unknown
forces and/or distances in a variety of situations
Unit 6 – Oscillations and Gravitation:













At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
Define atmospheric pressure, gauge pressure, absolute pressure & relationship between them
Define and apply the concept of fluid pressure
State and apply Pascal’s Principle in today’s world
State, derive, and apply Archimedes’ Principle to calculate a buoyant force
State the characteristics of an ideal fluid
Apply the equation of continuity in solving problems
Understand Bernoulli’s equation and that it is a statement of energy conservation
Demonstrate proficiency in solving problems involving changes in depth, pressure and velocity
Unit 8 – Temperature & Heat
At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
 Understand and apply the mechanical equivalent of heat
 Define temperature and describe the condition for thermal equilibrium (dynamic)
 Explain the mechanisms of heat transfer, conduction, convection and radiation
 Demonstrate proficiency in solving problems involving thermal conductivity

Unit 9 – Kinetic Theory & Thermodynamics
At the end of this unit, students should be able to:












State and apply the gas laws of Boyle, Charles, and Gay-Lussac
Apply the Ideal Gas Law to solve problems involving pressure, volume and temperature
Understand the Kinetic Theory and state its postulates
Understand the average translational energy of gas molecules is proportional to temperature
State and apply the 1st Law of Thermodynamics
Define the 4 thermodynamic processes: isothermal, adiabatic, isovolumetric & isobaric
Calculate work by graphical methods
State & understand the implications of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics
State & understand the zeroeth Law of Thermodynamics
Describe a typical heat engine and define efficiency in terms of absolute temperature
Understand a Carnot engine and why it is impossible to attain practically
Demonstrate proficiency in solving problems related to thermodynamics
Unit 10 – Electrostatics













At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
Define electrostatics and the nature of electric charge
State the laws of electrostatics and conservation of charge
State and use Coulomb’s Law to calculate electrostatic forces on charges
Define permittivity of free space
Define an electric field and derive for a single point charge
Define and diagram electric field lines as a depiction of the field
Demonstrate proficiency in solving problems involving electric charges by using vectors
Define and apply the concepts of electric potential energy, electric potential, and electric potential
difference
Describe and apply the relationship of the potential difference between 2points to the uniform electric
field existing between the points.
Understand that equipotential lines are perpendicular to electric field lines
Demonstrate proficiency in solving problems involving the calculation of the total potential at any point in
the vicinity of a number of known charges
Demonstrate proficiency in solving problems involving the calculation of work required to move a known
charge from one point to another.
Apply a relationship between the electric field and the potential difference in a parallel plate
configuration.
Unit 11 – Conductors and Capacitors
At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
 Explain the charging of an object by contact and by induction
 Distinguish between conductors and insulators
 Understand the distribution of charge in a conductor
 Define capacitance and apply the equation to calculate total charge
 Understand and apply the fact that capacitance depends on the geometry of the capacitor and area and
separation between the plates
 Calculate the equivalent capacitance of capacitors connected in series and parallel
 Determine the energy stored in a parallel plate capacitor
Unit 12 – Electric Circuits










Define current as the rate of flow of charge
Explain emf and name a source of it
Define resistance and factors affecting resistance of conductors
State Ohm’s Law and use the equation to solve problems involving it
Understand that power is the rate of energy transfer in the form of heat, and solve all appropriate
problems involving these variables
Draw schematic diagrams of circuits including ammeters and voltmeters
Analyze series and parallel circuits and demonstrate proficiency in calculations of equivalent resistance,
current and voltage drop.
Calculate terminal voltage
State and apply Kirchoff’s Laws to solve network problems
Analyze steady state circuits and demonstrate proficiency in calculations of equivalent resistance, current
and voltage drop.
Unit 13 – Magnetic Fields





At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
Describe magnetism and the magnetic fields created by magnets
Calculate the magnetic force on a moving charge and determine the direction of the magnetic field, the
velocity of the charge, and the magnetic force using the fight-hand-rule.
Calculate the magnetic force on loop wire or current carrying wire and determine the direction of the
magnetic field, the current, and the magnetic force as stated above
Calculate the magnetic force on a long, straight wire and determine the direction of the magnetic field,
the current and magnetic force as stated above
Determine the magnitude and direction of the magnetic force between two parallel wires.
Unit 14 – Electromagnetism




At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
Describe Faraday’s experiments that show that a changing magnetic field induces an emf
State and describe Faraday’s Law and Lenz’s Law
Demonstrate proficiency in solving problems involving an induced emf in cases where the magnetic flux
density changes and in cases where the area of a loop of wire changes
Apply Lenz’s Law to determine the direction of the induced current in cases of motional emf
Unit 15 – Wave Motion and Sound At the end of this unit, students should be able to:













Define, describe, and give examples of transverse, longitudinal and surface waves
State and use the equation for mechanical wave velocity in terms of frequency and wavelength
Describe the relationship between wave energy and amplitude
Describe wave behavior under different boundary conditions
Demonstrate proficiency in solving problems involving transverse waves on a string
Describe and distinguish between constructive and destructive interference
State and apply the principle of superposition
Describe and analyze standing waves and their properties
Describe sound in audible and non-audible frequency ranges
Calculate the speed of sound in air at different temperatures
Use boundary behavior characteristics to derive and apply relationships for calculating characteristic
frequencies for open and closed pipes.
Describe and calculate interference phenomena (beats)
Apply the Doppler Effect to predict changes in sound frequency for moving objects.
Unit 16 – Physical Optics










Explain how electromagnetic waves are produced
Describe the electromagnetic spectrum and relationship between wavelength, frequency and speed of
the electromagnetic waves
Describe Roemer and Michaelson’s experiment to determine the speed of light “c”.
Discuss visible light segment of the spectrum and light dispersion
State conditions for constructive and destructive interference
Describe Young’s double-slit experiment and apply results to bright & dark fringe locations
Describe the pattern observed by the use of diffraction grating
Demonstrate proficiency in solving problems involving the use of a single-slit, double-slit and a diffraction
grating
Explain and apply the characteristics of thin-film interference using boundary behavior concepts
Calculate the thickness of a film
Unit 17 – Geometric Optics










At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
Discuss evidence supporting the ray model of light
State, apply and solve problems involving the law of reflection
Define principal axis, focal point and focal length in terms of spherical mirrors
Demonstrate proficiency in using ray diagrams to find the image using con- and divergent mirror
Define real and virtual images and how mirrors and lenses form them
Use the mirror equation and use to find focal length, image distance & height and magnification
Define spherical aberration
Define index of refraction and use Snell’s Law to find all variables
Explain and calculate critical angle, total internal reflection & how these apply to fiber optics
Use the lens equation to find focal length, image distance, image height and magnification.
Unit 18 – Atomic Physics and Quantum Effects At the end of this unit, students should be able to:














Describe Thomson’s & Millikan’s experiments related to the electron
Discuss the basics of Planck’s hypothesis
Define photon and relate its energy to its frequency and/or wavelength
Convert joules to electron-volts and vice-versa
Demonstrate proficiency in solving problems involving photon energy and Conservation of momentum in
photon interactions
Explain the photoelectric effect and define in terms of work function and threshold frequency
Given a graph of energy vs. frequency, describe x- & y-intercepts and the meaning of slope
Proficiently calculate the maximum kinetic energy of photoelectrons
Understand the nature and production of X-rays
Describe the Compton Effect and Davisson-Germer experiment and the results of both
Understand wave-particle duality & apply deBroglie’s equation to calculate the wavelength of a particle.
How atomic spectra are produced
Demonstrate proficiency in drawing and interpreting energy-level diagrams
Calculate the energy absorbed or emitted by an atom when it changes energy levels
Unit 19 – Nuclear Physics










At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
Describe the structure and properties of the atomic nucleus
Apply Einstein’s equation of mass-energy equivalence
Calculate the mass defect and the total binding energy of the nucleus
Understand the origins of the strong & weak nuclear forces
Describe radioactivity and the types of radiation emitted alpha-decay, beta & gamma radiation
Understand how nuclear reactions are produced.
Define: threshold energy, chain reactions, and critical mass
Explain the differences between fission and fusion
Explain the basic process of a nuclear reactor
Discuss the pluses and minuses of using nuclear energy in our society