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Mrs. Elizabeth Schuck
(301) 475-2814 x 404
lschuck@smrhs.org
August 25, 2008
Dear Parents, Guardians and Students,
AP Physics is a course designed to be the equivalent of a first year college general physics course. It is intended to be a very fast moving course that will prepare the student for the AP Exam. The topics covered in this course range include mechanics, electricity and magnetism, sound, light, fluid dynamics, and an introduction to nuclear chemistry.
It is essential that the student attend class regularly if success is desired. Lectures, discussions, and laboratory are all part of the course and are sometimes impossible to replace if missed. For unexcused absences, students will not be permitted to make up missed work and will receive a grade of zero on that work. For excused absences, it is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements for obtaining missed work. The student has one week to make up missed laboratory experiments and assignments.
Since this is an AP course, the student is expected to be self-motivated and capable of reading the textbook and gleaning information about physics from the text. It is the student’s responsibility to read the text faithfully. The student should read through the example exercises and look at all diagrams and tables. The student is also expected to complete all assigned questions and exercises. Success in this course is dependent upon the student’s investment of time and effort!
Please review this packet of material. This packet should contain a course description with objectives, a rubric for homework, an outline for laboratory reports, Physical issues in the news, study skills requirements, “How to Succeed in AP Science”, and information on laboratory notebooks. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me. After you have reviewed this packet, a parent or guardian and the student need to sign the next page as well as the safety contract.
Welcome and good luck!
Regards,
Mrs. Schuck
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COURSE : AP Physics
INSTRUCTOR: Mrs. Schuck
Text: Physics, by Giancoli
PHILOSOPHY: This course in physics is designed to parallel a first year, college-level, algebra-based Physics course.
EXPECTATIONS: The student is expected to come to class prepared to learn and actively participate in class. The student is also expected to devote time at home to reading and study in addition to time spent problem solving. The student will participate in numerous laboratory experiences. Formal lab reports are required for each lab that is performed, unless the instructor states otherwise. All students will take the AP Physics exam administered on May 12, 2008.
Tentative Course Outline
Begin End Topic Text Chapters
8/26 8/26 Measurement, Error, Significant Figures 1
8/27 8/29 Kinematics in One Dimension 2
9/2 9/9 Kinematics in Two Dimensions 3
9/10 9/18 Dynamics 4
9/19 9/26 Circular Motion 5
9/29 10/2 Gravity 5
10/3 10/10 Work & Energy 6
10/14 10/23 Linear Motion 7
10/24 10/31 Rotation (Torque) 8
11/3 11/10 Statics, Fluids 9,10
11/10 11/20 Vibrations and Waves 11
11/21 12/5 Sound 12
12/8 12/15 Nuclear Physics 30,31
1/5 1/16 Kinetic theory, Heat 13, 14
1/20 1/30 Thermodynamics 15
2/2 2/9 Electric Charge and Fields 16
2/10 2/20 Electric Potential 17
2/23 3/3 Electric Currents, DC Circuits 18, 19
3/4 3/10 Magnetism 20
3/11 3/19 Magnetic Induction 21
3/20 3/31 Light, Geometric Optics 23
4/1 4/8 Mirrors and Lenses 23
4/20 4/24 Wave Nature of Light, Quantum and Atomic Physics 24, 27, 28
4/27 5/8 Review for AP exam
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AP Physics 2008-2009 Mrs. Elizabeth Schuck
(301) 475-2814 x404
e-mail: lschuck@smrhs.org
Course Description:
This course gives the student a strong conceptual, experimental, and mathematical background in classical physics. The major topics to be included are statics (objects at rest), dynamics (objects in motion and forces acting on objects), wave mechanics, optics, electricity, and magnetism. In addition, this course will cover such supplementary topics as the theory of relativity, modern particle physics, quantum physics, laser theory, and astrophysics. The course emphasizes problem solving, hands-on learning, and critical thinking.
Course Text:
Physics by Giancoli, 5th edition.
Content Standards;
The following St. Mary’s Ryken Science Standards will be addressed in the AP Physics course:
1. The student will demonstrate an ability to think and act in a scientific manner which will permit a successful transition into higher education.
2. The student must be able to use both the language and the tools of science in order to be able to function effectively in the future.
3. The student will develop a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of the physical world.
4. The student will become a better steward of the environment by understanding the role of physics in everyday life.
5. The student will become a confident learner through guided experimentation.
Expectations of the student:
To come to class prepared to learn.
To actively participate in classroom discussions, problem solving groups, and laboratory experiments.
To complete homework and reading assignments.
To keep laboratory notebooks, homework notebooks, and class notebooks as outlined in the student requirements.
To complete laboratory reports on assigned labs.
To uphold criteria established in the student-parent handbook on attendance and cheating/plagiarism.
To complete writing assignments designated for the student writing portfolio.
To sit for the AP Physics exam on May 11, 2009.
Strategies:
Students will engage in lectures, laboratories, class discussions, problem-solving groups, written assignments, and presentations.
Assignments:
Students will be assigned problems and questions from the textbook or handouts. All homework will be given a due date. Students will also be assigned reading from the textbook. This reading is required for adequate preparation for the lectures or experiments. Formal laboratory reports will be due after each laboratory performed, unless otherwise noted. The students will maintain notebooks for homework, laboratory, and class. The students are required to read and critique at least one article per semester. NO LATE HOMEWORK WILL BE ACCEPTED.
Evaluation/Grading Process
Tests and quizzes will be graded using a hundred-point scale. Homework, notebooks, and participation will be graded using four-point rubrics. The student will receive a rubric for each type of assignment. The weighting for the course components is:
q Tests: 50%
q Laboratory reports: 30%
q Homework/participation/quizzes: 10%
q Reports/notebooks: 10%
NOTE: Work will be accepted via email. In order to receive full credit for work, the email must be received by 12:00 on the date due and a hardcopy must be submitted to Mrs. Schuck the next school day. Work that does not conform to these requirements will receive a “late” grade.