Teacher - Mr. Brian Leslie

PHYSICS 2007-08

Teacher - Mr. Brian Leslie

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Content: A great majority of this class will be focused on Mechanics. For this class, mechanics will consist of: motion in one and two dimensions, forces in one and two dimensions, rotational motion, momentum and its conservation, energy and its conservation, work and simple machines, and finally, some gravitation. Following our study of mechanics will be a unit on waves and light consisting of: vibrations and waves, sound, fundamentals of light, reflection and refraction, and finally, interference and diffraction. Our final unit, which will explore electricity and magnetism will consist of: static electricity, electric fields, current electricity, series and parallel circuits, magnetic fields, electromagnetic induction, and finally, electromagnetism.

Student Responsibilities: This class, more than any other class the student has taken to this point, requires the student to actively spend a great deal of personal time studying the material. Possibly for the first time in the student’s education, he/she will be asked to apply the knowledge he/she has gained in the past to far more advanced problems. Therefore, the student should make every effort to not miss class, complete all assignments on time, and personally seek the instructor’s help immediately if he/she begins to struggle with the material.

I take pride in my willingness to help students however they need. You can stop in my room before school, after school, or schedule a meeting time that works for both of us. This could take place at school, a library, or even Dunkin Donuts (my favorite). Also, I recently purchased an iPhone understanding that it will give me email access 24-7. So if you need to email me with a question while you are working on your homework, there’s a good chance I will receive it and respond quicker than before.

Grading: It is very difficult to earn a 100% in this class because the material is inherently difficult. Therefore, I do not expect many (if any) students to score perfectly on every assessment. Although we will not cover as much material as a first year college physics course, I will conduct this class similar to a college course. This class is graded on a point scale, which will include homework, quizzes, labs, and chapter tests. To sway the student from missing class on the day of a test, I will be altering all make-up tests.

Text: The textbook we will be using for this class includes many supplemental materials to aid in the comprehension of all topics. The objectives and vocabulary are stated at the beginning of each section. There are many examples and explanations throughout the text. Each section has a list of practice problems, and following each chapter, there are numerous mixed practice problems. You will receive a chapter review and supplemental problems handout for every chapter. I highly recommend you also utilize the text’s online resources at This includes: self-check quizzes, chapter tests, internet labs, standardized test practice, and chapter activities. I will also be placing helpful video clips along with other resources on my website for you to access. Mr. McFee has enthusiastically offered to record key concepts as they are being taught (or re-taught). Therefore, if the student would like to have short clips of a specific topic placed on my website for future access please advice me and I will work with Mr. McFee to have that completed ASAP.

Extra Credit: Because of the infinite number of resources available to us, and so little time to compile all of them, I am giving students the opportunity to demonstrate a current topic to the rest of the class. This may include (but certainly not limited to) reading supplemental information to the class, performing simple demonstrations, or even constructing objects to utilize in the demonstration of a topic. This year the school is offering a lower-level physics course entitled “Concepts of Physics”. I would be more than willing to offer extra credit to a student(s) presenting material to that class that supplements their learning. It could include PowerPoint presentations, demonstrations, experiments, etc. The student(s) must discuss any possible extra credit with myself prior to beginning. I hold the right to decline extra credit on the basis of time constraints, purpose, and usefulness. I will not assign any specific number of points for the extra credit, but I will take all extra credit into account at the end of each marking period based on the quality of the extra credit and also the individual student’s needs.

Keys to being successful:

1)Communicate with me and ask questions as they come up. Don’t wait!

2)Carefully read each section/chapter at least three times before taking a test.

3)Memorize all vocabulary and newly introduced formulas.

4)Complete all assignments on time and with diligent meticulousness.

5)Always draw a picture, if possible, and accurately label.

6)Copy all notes/problems into notebooks even if you have them correct already.

7)Complete those same assignments a second time without any aid.

8)Study and work with fellow classmates.

9)Always keep a positive attitude. Negativity breeds inevitable failure.

Revised 8/24/07