Physics core curriculum- State of Ohio Dept of Education
Course Description
Physics is a high school level course, which satisfies the Ohio Core science graduation requirements of Ohio Revised Code Section 3313.603. This section of Ohio law requires a three-unit course with inquiry-based laboratory experience that engages students in asking valid scientific questions and gathering and analyzing information.
Physics elaborates on the study of the key concepts of motion, forces and energy as they relate to increasingly complex systems and applications that will provide a foundation for further study in science and scientific literacy.
Students engage in investigations to understand and explain motion, forces and energy in a variety of inquiry and design scenarios that incorporate scientific reasoning, analysis, communication skills and real-world applications.
Science Inquiry and Application
During the years of grades 9 through 12, all students must use the following scientific processes with appropriate laboratory safety techniques to construct their knowledge and understanding in all science content areas:
• Identify questions and concepts that guide scientific investigations;
• Design and conduct scientific investigations;
• Use technology and mathematics to improve investigations and communications;
• Formulate and revise explanations and models using logic and evidence (critical thinking);
• Recognize and analyze explanations and models; and
• Communicate and support a scientific argument.
Course Content
The following information may be taught in any order; there is no ODE-recommended sequence.
Motion (Unit1)
Graph interpretations
Problem solving
•Projectiles (Unit 1)
Forces, momentum and motion
• Newton’s laws applied to complex problems (Unit 2)
• Gravitational force and fields (Unit 2 & Unit 5)
• Elastic forces (Unit 2)
• Friction force (static and kinetic) (Unit 2)
• Air resistance and drag (Unit 2 & Unit 6)
• Forces in two dimensions (Unit 2)
• Momentum, impulse and conservation of momentum (Unit 3)
Energy
• Gravitational potential energy (Unit 4)
• Energy in springs (Unit 4)
• Nuclear energy (Unit 11)
• Work and power (Unit 4)
• Conservation of energy (Unit 4)
Waves
• Wave properties (Unit 8)
• Light phenomena (Unit 8)
• Charging objects (friction, contact and induction)
• Coulomb’s law
• Electric fields and electric potential energy
• DC circuits
• Magnetic fields and energy (Unit 10)
• Electromagnetic interactions (Unit 10)
Physics is a high school level course, which satisfies the Ohio Core science graduation requirements of Ohio Revised Code Section 3313.603. This section of Ohio law requires a three-unit course with inquiry-based laboratory experience that engages students in asking valid scientific questions and gathering and analyzing information.
Physics elaborates on the study of the key concepts of motion, forces and energy as they relate to increasingly complex systems and applications that will provide a foundation for further study in science and scientific literacy.
Students engage in investigations to understand and explain motion, forces and energy in a variety of inquiry and design scenarios that incorporate scientific reasoning, analysis, communication skills and real-world applications.
Science Inquiry and Application
During the years of grades 9 through 12, all students must use the following scientific processes with appropriate laboratory safety techniques to construct their knowledge and understanding in all science content areas:
• Identify questions and concepts that guide scientific investigations;
• Design and conduct scientific investigations;
• Use technology and mathematics to improve investigations and communications;
• Formulate and revise explanations and models using logic and evidence (critical thinking);
• Recognize and analyze explanations and models; and
• Communicate and support a scientific argument.
Course Content
The following information may be taught in any order; there is no ODE-recommended sequence.
Motion (Unit1)
Graph interpretations
- o Position vs. time
- o Velocity vs. time
- o Acceleration vs. time
Problem solving
- o Using graphs (average velocity, instantaneous velocity, acceleration, displacement, change in velocity)
- o Uniform acceleration including free fall (initial velocity, final velocity, time, displacement, acceleration, average velocity)
•Projectiles (Unit 1)
- o Independence of horizontal and vertical motion
- o Problem-solving involving horizontally launched projectile
Forces, momentum and motion
• Newton’s laws applied to complex problems (Unit 2)
• Gravitational force and fields (Unit 2 & Unit 5)
• Elastic forces (Unit 2)
• Friction force (static and kinetic) (Unit 2)
• Air resistance and drag (Unit 2 & Unit 6)
• Forces in two dimensions (Unit 2)
- o Adding vector forces
- o Motion down inclines
- o Centripetal forces and circular motion
• Momentum, impulse and conservation of momentum (Unit 3)
Energy
• Gravitational potential energy (Unit 4)
• Energy in springs (Unit 4)
• Nuclear energy (Unit 11)
• Work and power (Unit 4)
• Conservation of energy (Unit 4)
Waves
• Wave properties (Unit 8)
- o Conservation of energy
- o Reflection
- o Refraction
- o Interference
- o Diffraction
• Light phenomena (Unit 8)
- o Ray diagrams (propagation of light)
- o Law of reflection (equal angles)
- o Snell’s law
- o Diffraction patterns
- o Wave – particle duality of light
- o Visible spectrum and color
• Charging objects (friction, contact and induction)
• Coulomb’s law
• Electric fields and electric potential energy
• DC circuits
- o Ohm’s law
- o Series circuits
- o Parallel circuits
- o Mixed circuits
- o Applying conservation of charge and energy (junction and loop rules)
• Magnetic fields and energy (Unit 10)
• Electromagnetic interactions (Unit 10)