Applied Physical Science/Physics
Course Description and Syllabus
Instructor: Mrs. Julia Woitkowiak Voicemail: (724)861-3005 ext. 3221
Email: Room: 221
This price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, determination to succeed, and knowing that you have applied the best of yourself to that task at hand.
Welcome to Physical Science/Applied Physics! You have successfully navigated Chemistry in which you studied some basic concepts like atoms and molecular formulas and then used formulas to balance equations. Applied Physics will now take you through similar relationships to mechanics (forces and motion). We will also investigate and conduct labs involving these forces of motion as well as universal gravitation. The tricky part about physics is that we “can’t see” it in a vacuum but we will do labs and problems that will show the effect of “it”.
There is a lot of math in this class, a lot of equations, and a lot of new concepts. The goal of this class is to give you an introduction to the concepts of forces and motion to prepare you for future science classes.
Overall: This is a thinking and problem-solving class. This means you will have to do the assigned problems and you will have to stay focuses.
Course Description:
This class meets daily with lecture, individual & group activities, and laboratory work will enable the student to acquire an excellent background of biological concepts.This course developments component problem-solving skills, through qualitative and quantitative approaches to studying science. The goal of this course is to learn, retain, and apply physical concepts to everyday activities through lecture, practice and hand-on experiences. I try to vary the activities to keep student level of interest at its peak.
Expectations:
· Be on Time and Prepared
o Upon entering the classroom the student should go to his/her assigned seat and prepare for the day’s lesson. Be seated and ready to work by the late bell. Ready to work will include having a sharpened pencil or pen, Student’s own textbook, notebook and any other relevant materials (this would include having your own pencil on exam days).
o There is a supply area in the front of the class area which is stocked with paper, staplers, tape and a garbage can--use it before the late bell.
· Be polite and respectful to classmates and adults
o Disrespectful behavior is not acceptable; we are all here to learn and grow
o Inappropriate behavior towards staff members of your classmates will results in a detention.
· Be prepared to participate!!!! Listen & learn from each other
o If you are sleeping in class or refuse to do work, you will be asked to go elsewhere and the behavior will result in a detention.
· If a student has been absent, his/her admit slip should be handed to me or placed on my desk. Don’t wait for it, I will return it after I finish taking role.
o Then proceed to the back of the room and obtain the materials from the days that you missed.
§ Do not wait for me to provide you with the materials.
· Agenda
o You may be excused to the restroom if you ask to go upon entering the room and before the ringing of the late.
o No one will be excused after the late bell for any reason without an appropriate pass (in the student’s own agenda book). Please don’t even ask!!!
o You will be dismissed by the teacher at the bell, NOT BY THE BELL.
Materials
· Bring to class daily: an organized binder and pencil or pen.
· Notification will be given when a calculator, phone, iPad, computer or textbook is needed for classwork and will be provided.
o A classroom set of calculators is available for students to use during class time and for use on all labs, quizzes, and exam. Cellphones may not be used as a calculator on assessments.
§ When cell phones are not being used for classroom time will be placed in the front of the room upon entering the classroom.
· Each student will have an assigned number slot to place their phone in and may take it upon leaving the classroom.
Testing and Grading
· Grades will be based upon all points accumulated during the 9 weeks.
Graded assignments for this course can include but are not limited to…
o Binder checks, tests, quizzes, individual or group assignments, problems sets, presentations, warm-ups, and homework assignments.
§ Test will be at the end of most chapters. Test will be Scranton based and/or open-ended assessment. A review will be done before each chapter test.
§ Homework will be check for Correctness and not completion to ensure understanding of concepts and is essential to this course. Homework will not be given often and should be considered a “must do” when the homework assignments are given.
§ Late work is not accepted unless you have an excused absence the day the assignment is due or completed.
§ Failing to turn in an assignment will result in a zero for the assignment.
§ If you know you will be missing school in advance, please make arrangements with me prior to leaving to receive your work.
o The grading scale is per Norwin School District Guidelines.
92-100 A
82-91 B
70-81 C
60-69 D
< 60 F
§ No grading is done on a curve. Do your personal best and don’t worry about how well or poorly your classmates are doing.
o Grades for the nine weeks must be converted to letter grades for the report cards.
§ Each of the four quarter grades and your four quarterly curriculum benchmark assessments will be averaged together to calculate your final grade
(T1% + T2% + T3% + T4% + Avg.QA%) / 5 = Final Grade %
o Students are expected to keep a record of his/her scores and should log in to skyward at home weekly to verify grades as they are entered in the grade book. If there is ever a discrepancy the student will need this information to discuss the grade with me on a timely basis (i.e. not 2 or more weeks later).
Participation
· Physics is not an observational sport. Participation is expected and required. Ask and answer questions. Copy the problems presented in class and the solution, and take active notes. Sometimes, the quizzes are open notes, so the better your notes are, the better it will be for you. We are only together for one period day; we will need your full attention for 42 minutes.
Missed/Make-up work:
o All make-up work must be completed at the end of one week from the excused absence. If work is not complete, each missing assignment will be entered as a zero, until the assignment is turned in from the excused absence.
o There will be no late work excepted after the due date. All missed work must be completed in order to successfully pass the course – course concepts build on each other.
Extra Help:
o Students needing help should make arrangements, in advance, either during homeroom or after school. You cannot be excused from another class for make-up work or extra help.
Course Outline – Applied Physical Science/Physics
Quarter 1 –Introductory Material
o Math, Graphing, Direct/Indirect Relationships, Scientific Notation, and Scientific Method
o Motion – Distance, Position, Speed, Velocity, Time and Displacement
o Vectors - Diagrams / Quarter 3 –
o Circular Motion – Centripetal/Centrifugal Forces
o Universal Gravitation – Law and Weightlessness
o Work and Energy – Calculations, Kinetic/Potential Energy, Conservation, Power, Simple Machines and Alternative Energy
Quarter 2 –
o Dynamics – Forces, Newton’s Laws, Free-Body Diagrams, and Mass/Weight
o Friction / Quarter 4 –
o Momentum – Calculations, Conservation and Collisions
o Introduction to Waves – Characteristics, Motion, Light, Sound, and Doppler Effect
Pennsylvania State Curriculum Framework
Big Ideas
o Objects that move in simple harmonic motion can be describe in terms of position, velocity, and acceleration and can result in the production of waves that travel through space.
o All changes in rotational motion are due to torque
o All motion can be explained using the laws of the conservation of energy, the conservation of momentum, and/or the conservation of angular momentum.
o All simple harmonic motion can be explained using force and/or torque
o All forces arise from interactions between different objects.
o Objects that move in translational motion are described in terms of position, velocity, and acceleration.
o The rotational motion of objects is described in terms of angular position, angular velocity, and angular acceleration.
o All changes in translational motion are due to forces.
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