Fairview High School
Inventing Quality Work For Students

Physics
Essential Outcomes
Fairview High School

Physics A

Mechanics

• Distinguish between mass and weight using base units in the standard international system.

• Relate time in the SI system to the independent experimental variable in most situations.

• Relate inertia, force or action-reaction forces to Newton's three laws of motion and distinguish between the three laws in various scenarios.

• Compare and contrast characteristic properties of scalar and vector quantities.

• Investigate the definitions of force, work, power, kinetic energy, and potential energy.

• Explore velocity and acceleration.

• Analyze vector diagrams and solve compositions and resolution problems for force and momentum.

• Explore characteristics of rectilinear motion and analyze distance time graphs and velocity time graphs.

• Investigate the characteristics of centripetal motion and centripetal acceleration.

• Evaluate the dynamics of systems in motion including friction, gravity, impulse, and momentum, change in momentum, and conservation of momentum.

• Analyze the characteristics of energy and conservation of energy including friction and gravitational potential energy.

• Relate work and power to various simple machines, mechanical advantage of different machines, and recognize simple machines utilized in compound machines.

• Describe rotational equilibrium and relate torque.

• Investigate projectile motion.

• Utilize trigonometry and vector analysis to solve force and momentum problems.

• Apply elementary calculus to solve motion problems.

• Experiment with elastic and inelastic collisions.

Thermodynamics

• Investigate temperature in relationship to kinetic energy.

• Recognize that absolute zero is the absence of molecular kinetic energy.

• Identify the characteristics of internal energy and temperature/heat.

• Relate the First Law of Thermodynamics as an application of the Law of Conservation of Energy and heat transfer through conduction, convection, and radiation.

• Relate change in heat content to kinetic energy and specific heat (Q=mcΔT).

• Investigate potential energy changes of heat of fusion, heat of vaporization, and heat of sublimation.

• Explore thermal expansion and contraction.

• Apply the second law of thermodynamics to the Carnot engine.

Waves and Sounds

• Describe and investigate simple harmonic motion.

• Investigate and analyze wavelength, frequency, and amplitude of lognitudinal and transverse waves.

• Demonstrate and explain the Doppler Effect.

• Experiment with reflection, refraction, diffraction, and interference of waves and sound.

• Compare wave characteristics to natural auditory phenomena.

• Determine the speed of sound experimentally using various materials and temperatures.

• Measure spring constants.

Light and Optics

• Explore properties of electromagnetic radiation.

• Examine properties of light waves.

• Differentiate among transmission, reflection, refraction, diffraction, and interference of light waves.

• Investigate the optical properties of plane and curved mirrors.

• Solve problems related to Snell's Law.

• Explore the formation of color.

• Draw, explain, and solve problems for the optics of mirrors and lenses.

• Investigate optical phenomena.

Electricity and Magnetism

• Analyze a given group of charges for repulsion and attraction.

• Distinguish between charged particles related to repulsion and attraction.

• Create simple electromagnetic.

• Describe the electric field that fills the space around a charged particles or group of charges.

• Draw electric field given a scenarios of charged particles.

• Solve problems of resistance using Ohm's Law.

• Draw and explain series and parallel circuits.

• Identify components of series and parallel circuits and solve problems related to voltage, amperage, and resistance.

• Build series and parallel circuits and demonstrate how they function.

• Demonstrate a generated current by electromagnetic induction.

• Describe how current is generated by electromagnetic induction.

Atomic and Nuclear Physics

• Distinguish between the Bohr model and the quantum model of an atom.

• Explain the changes in atomic number or mass number for each form of radioactivity.

• Write and balance equations for the three forms of radioactive decay.

• Solve half-life problems.

• Explain dating methods using carbon-14 or uranium.

• Explain how particles behave like waves.

• Distinguish between coherent and incoherent light.

• Describe how a laser is produced.

• Recognize how the quantum theory explains photoelectric effect.

• Solve problems related to the photoelectric effect.

2595 Fairview Blvd.
Fairview, TN 37062
Phone: 615-472-4400   Fax: 615-472-4421

For your convenience, E-mail the webmaster with questions or comments about this website.

Williamson County Schools do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, handicap, or age.

Williamson County Schools Mission:  "The mission of Williamson County Schools is to  cultivate the ability, intellect, and character of each student."

Williamson County Schools Vision: The Williamson County schools provide an engaging and academically enriching environment designed to support the collaborative educational efforts of teachers, students, staff, and community.