Physical Science Unit Outline
Welcome to High School Science
What is Science
1. Compare the fields of chemistry and physics.
2. What are the three main ingredients of science?
3. Give five specific examples of doing science and explain why it is science.
4. Give five specific examples of things that are not science and explain why they are not science.
Unifying Themes of Science
5. Compare direct and indirect observations and give an example of each.
6. Describe the correct way to classify objects in science.
7. Explain why we use models in science.
8. What is the benefit of patterns in science?
Math and Science
9. Compare accuracy and precision.
10. D=
11. The actual density of a rock is 1.53 g/ml. You measured and calculated the density as 1.62 g/ml.
How accurate was your answer?
12. What kind of graph should you use to compare the test grades of every student in the class?
13. What are five things to make sure you include on your graph?
14. Convert the following to scientific notation:
a. 602,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
b. 0.000000123
Literacy and Science
15. Why are reading and writing important skills for scientists?
16. Give three tips for writing a good paper.
Doing Science
17. How are theories, laws, and hypotheses related?
18. A theory ______________ be proven.
19. ______________ describe. ____________________ explain.
20. Compare the scientific method with science skills
21. Use the 4-Question strategy to design an experiment about raindrops.
STEM
22. What does the acronym STEM stand for?
23. Summarize CTE’s role in a STEM-based economy.
24. Why is the study of STEM fields important?
Properties of Matter
Properties of Measurement
1. Compare mass and volume.
2. Explain why selling cereal by mass instead of volume is more fair to consumers.
3. Compare mass and weight.
4. Explain the concept of density and how it is calculated.
5. A person who sinks in a lake will float in the Great Salt Lake. What does that tell you about the
density of the water in the Great Salt Lake?
Physical and Chemical Properties
6. Explain the difference between physical properties and chemical properties.
7. List and describe some of the physical and chemical properties used to identify materials and objects.
8. List the unique properties of water that support life on Earth and give examples of why they are
important.
9. The mineral iron pyrite is often mistaken for gold and as a result is called fool’s gold. List at least
three properties that would be good for telling the two minerals apart and three properties that would
not be good for telling them apart.
States of Matter
10. Compare the three states of matter based on their properties
11. Explain how changes of state occur
Elements Compounds and Mixtures
12. Compare elements, compounds, and mixtures.
13. Is a solution a compound or a mixture? Explain.
14. List at least three examples of elements, three examples of compounds, and three examples of
mixtures.
15. Identify groups of elements that have similar properties.
16. Compare pure substances with mixtures
17. Compare heterogeneous and homogeneous mixtures.
Structure of Matter
Matter
1. All objects and materials in the world are made up of ___________________
The Atom
2. The basic building block of all matter is the _________________
3. Explain why we use models to discuss atomic theory
4. Atoms are made up of subatomic particles called:
5. Compare the charges, masses, and location of these subatomic particles
6. Which two subatomic particles generally are the same in quantity?
7. Relate subatomic particles to the Atomic Number of an atom.
8. Relate subatomic particles to the Atomic Mass of an atom.
9. Why must scientists use probability to describe the structure of the atom
10. Come atoms, ions, and isotopes.
11. Explain why a sodium ion is smaller than a sodium atom
12. What do the isotopes of a given element have in common?
13. All of the atoms of a given element are the ____________________
14. Describe the historical development of models of the atom and how they contributed to modern
atomic theory.
Periodic Law
15. The periodic law states that the properties of elements are periodic functions of their _____________
16. What makes the noble gases unique among the elements
17. Explain the term valence electron
18. Compare metals, nonmetals, and metalloids. Give an example of each
19. What happens to the size of the atom as you move from left to right across a period or from the top
down in a family?
20. Why are the elements in Family 1 and Family 17 so reactive?
Chemical Bonds
21. Explain what happens when two elements bond together
22. Compare and contrast ionic, covalent, and metallic bonds.
23. Explain the difference between polar and nonpolar covalent bonds
24. Explain why although there are 109 elements, there are hundreds of thousands of different substances
and materials.
Matter and Energy/ Energy Storage and Transformation
Work and Power
1. The ability to do work is called ______________
2. Describe the workenergy theorem
3. Compare work and power
4. The mythical Titan Atlas is known for holding the stationary Earth on his shoulders. Was Atlas
performing work? Explain your answer
Types of Energy
5. Compare kinetic and potential energy
6. List and describe the major forms of energy
7. Give at least ten examples of how energy changes from one form to another
8. Give examples of how energy transfer can affect the chemical and physical properties of matter
9. Describe the kinetic molecular theory and explain how it applies to phases of matter
10. Describe the three normal states of matter in terms of energy, particle motion, and phase transitions
Energy Resources
11. The source of practically all the energy on Earth is ________________
12. Compare renewable and nonrenewable sources of energy
13. List at least five renewable energy resources and five nonrenewable energy resources
14. Identify the three main types of radioactive decay and compare their properties
15. Describe the four types of nuclear reaction
16. Compare and contrast nuclear fission and nuclear fusion
17. Explain why the amount of helium in the Sun continues to increase
18. The physical property used to separate petroleum into its parts is ________________
19. How did petroleum most likely form?
20. Why is petroleum an important source of fuel
Energy Conservation Laws
21. Give at least three examples of how mass is conserved in a closed system
22. Define entropy
23. Explain how energy flowing through an open system can be lost but the overall energy flowing
through a system remains constant
Chemical Reactions
Change
1. Compare physical changes and chemical changes
Chemical Equations
2. In a balanced chemical reaction, what is/are conserved
3. When looking at a chemical equation, how do you tell the reactants from the products
4. Why are integers used for coefficients in chemical equations?
Reactions
5. The energy required for reactants to form products is called _________________________
6. Compare synthesis (combination), decomposition, single displacement (replacement), double
displacement, and combustion reactions
7. Explain the difference between endothermic and exothermic reactions
8. Explain Collision Theory
9. Identify the factors that affect the rates of reactions
10. Compare the formation of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids
Acids and Bases
11. Compare acids and bases
12. What are some properties that all acids share
13. Give an example of a basic pH, a neutral pH, and an acidic pH
14. How much more acidic is a lemon (pH 2.5) than a banana (pH 5.5)
15. Why is water both a base and an acid
Force and Motion of Particles and Rigid Bodies
Describing Force and Motion
1. Explain how movement can be described in many ways
2. Explain how an object’s change in motion can be observed and measured
3. All movement must be compared with a _______________________________
4. Any change in position relative to the frame of reference is called _____________________
Gravity and Inertia
5. Explain how inertia is a measure of an object’s mass
6. Explain how mass of an object resists change to motion
7. Apply Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation to the forces between two objects
8. Explain how changes in motion require a force
Velocity, Acceleration, and Momentum
9. The rate at which an object changes its position is called ____________________
10. What are the two parts of velocity
11. Describe how unbalanced forces acting on an object change its velocity
12. Analyze how observations of displacement, velocity, and acceleration provide necessary and
sufficient evidence for the existence of forces
13. Analyze the relationships among the net forces acting on a body, the mass of the body, and the
resulting acceleration using Newton’s Second Law of Motion
14. Explain how momentum is related to the forces acting on an object
15. Use Newton’s Third Law to explain forces as interactions between bodies
16. Compare and contrast motions of objects using forces and conservation laws
17. Explain why you are being accelerated on a Ferris wheel even though your speed is not changing
18. Forces that are opposite and equal are _____________ forces
Heat & Heat Transfer
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
A byproduct of light is often _____________________
A byproduct of heat is often _____________________
Compare temperature and heat
Heat moves from an area of ________________ temperatures to an area of ______________
temperatures
Give three examples of how heat is produced as energy is transformed through a system
Explain the effects of heat on the random movement of particles
Explain the effect of heat on particle motion by describing what happens to particles during a phase
change of water
An increase in temperature results in a _______________________ in kinetic energy
Describe the law of conservation of energy
Explain the difference between an endothermic process and an exothermic process
Compare the average kinetic molecular energy, temperature, and phase changes
During melting and freezing, mass is ____________________
Compare convection, conduction, and radiation
Electrical and Magnetic Energy
Electricity
1. Electrical current is a result of the flow of ________________
2. List at least five electrical conductors and five electrical insulators
3. Compare the atomic properties of conductors and insulators
4. Compare series and parallel circuits
5. Use Ohm’s Law to solve the following problem
6. As voltage increases and resistance is constant, what happens to the current
7. As resistance increase and voltage remains constant, what happens to the current
8. Compare circuits and short circuits
9. Use the concept of resistance to explain why birds are able to perch on wires
Magnetism
10. List at least five magnetic objects and five nonmagnetic objects
11. Explain why the poles of magnets attract and repel each other
12. Explain the factors that affect the strength of a magnet
13. What happens when a magnet is cut in half? Why?
14. Compare temporary and permanent magnets
Electromagnetism
15. Explain how an electric field can be produced from wire and a magnet
16. Explain how a magnetic field can be produced from an electrical current
17. List at least three examples of how electrical induction is applied in technology
Nature of Waves
Light
1. Explain what causes light to change direction
2. Compare the reflection, refraction, and absorption of light
3. Describe the electromagnetic spectrum in terms of wavelength, energy, and type
4. Provide at least two technological uses for each type of light in the electromagnetic spectrum
5. Describe the spectrum of light in terms of color and wavelength
6. Compare light product in incandescent, fluorescent, neon, high intensity discharge (HID), and light
emitting diodes (LED)
Sound
7. Explain why vibrating objects produce sound
8. Explain how sound can make objects vibrate
9. Compare the characteristics of sound through a solid, liquid, and gas
10. Relate the rate of vibration to the pitch of the sound
Nature of Waves
11.
12.
13.
14.
Compare the wave nature of light and sound
Explain how waves transfer energy without transferring matter
Describe the Doppler Effect
Give at least five examples of how waves carry information from remote sources that can be detected
and interpreted
15. Describe the causes of wave frequency, speed, and wave length
16. Give at least five examples of how wave transmissions are used in a wide range of technologies