Course Curriculum Overview
Physics 11 Curriculum Overview

(Introduction)

It is expected that students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the role of physics in society and will be encouraged to develop the skills and methods employed by physicists.

It is expected that students will:

describe the major branches of physics that comprise the discipline
compare and contrast physics with other disciplines
identify the unique characteristics of physics
give examples of the continuing development and refining of physics concepts
demonstrate knowledge of physics-related careers in local, regional, and global workplaces
describe some of the tools and activities of physicists, in particular a reliance on mathematics and experimental design
gather and organize data, produce and interpret graphs, and determine relationships between variables
Wave Motion and Geometrical Optics (Wave Properties of Light)
It is expected that students will demonstrate an ability to describe and apply the characteristics and properties of waves to light and other everyday phenomena.

It is expected that students will:

describe the properties associated with waves:
     amplitude
     frequency
     period
     wavelength
     phase
     speed
     types of waves

use the universal wave equation to solve problems involving:
     speed
     frequency
     wavelength

describe and give examples of the following wave phenomena and the conditions that produce them:
     reflection
     refraction
     diffraction
     interference (superposition principle)
     Doppler shift
     polarization
     scattering
identify from an appropriate diagram the visible light portion of the electromagnetic spectrum

give examples of common applications involving:
     Doppler shift
     polarization
     diffraction
     describe the image formed by a pinhole camera
draw and analyse a ray diagram for a pinhole camera to determine magnification ratios
Wave Motion and Geometrical Optics (Reflection of Light)

It is expected that students will analyse situations in which light reflects from plane and curved mirrors.

It is expected that students will:

identify any of the following on an appropriate diagram:
     incident ray
     reflected ray
     angle of incidence
     angle of reflection
     normal
     state the law of reflection
     draw ray diagrams showing how an image is produced by a plane mirror
     describe the characteristics of an image produced by a plane mirror

identify any of the following on appropriate diagrams:
     principal axis
     vertex
     centre of curvature
     principal focus
     radius of curvature
     focal length
     focal plane
identify a curved mirror as converging (concave) or diverging (convex)
conduct an experiment to determine the focal length of a concave mirror
draw accurate scale diagrams for both concave and convex mirrors to show how an image is produced
describe the characteristics of images produced by converging and diverging mirrors
describe some of the uses of plane and curved mirrors
Wave Motion and Geometrical Optics (Refraction of Light)
It is expected that students will analyse situations in which light is refracted.

It is expected that students will:

define index of refraction

identify any of the following from an appropriate diagram:
     incident ray
     normal
     refracted ray
     angle of incidence
     angle of reflection

     solve problems using Snell's law, involving:
     index of refraction
     angle of incidence
     angle of reflection
     define critical angle and total internal reflection
     solve problems involving total internal reflection

     identify any of the following from an appropriate diagram:
     principal axis
     principal focus
     focal length
     focal plane
     identify a lens as converging (convex) or diverging (concave)
     conduct an experiment to determine the focal length of a convex lens
     draw accurate scale diagrams for both convex and concave lenses to show how an      image is produced
     describe the characteristics of images produced by converging and diverging lenses
     give examples of common devices that refract light
Kinematics (Displacement and Velocity in One Dimension)
It is expected that students will demonstrate an understanding of the relationships between time, displacement, and velocity, and apply these relationships to problems in everyday one-dimensional situations.

It is expected that students will:

define period and frequency
differentiate between scalar and vector quantities
define distance, displacement, speed, and velocity
construct displacement (and distance)-versus-time graphs
construct velocity (and speed)-versus-time graphs
use displacement-versus-time graphs to determine the displacement, average velocity, or instantaneous velocity of objects
use velocity-versus-time graphs to determine the displacement or velocity of objects

solve problems involving:
     displacement
     time
     average velocity
Kinematics (Acceleration in One Dimension)
It is expected that students will demonstrate an understanding of the relationships between time, velocity, displacement, and acceleration and apply these relationships to calculations in common situations.

It is expected that students will:

define acceleration
use velocity-versus-time graphs to determine the instantaneous or average acceleration of objects

solve problems for objects with constant acceleration, involving:
     displacement
     initial velocity
     final velocity
     acceleration
     time
Kinematics (Projectile Motion)
It is expected that students will apply the principles learned in kinematics to situations involving simple projectile motion.

It is expected that students will:

solve real-life or word problems including those involving non-zero initial velocities, falling objects, and projectiles with initial vertical or horizontal velocities
Dynamics in One Dimension
(Force of Gravity)
It is expected that students will demonstrate an ability to apply in a variety of situations concepts related to the force of gravity.

It is expected that students will:

define gravitational field strength
use the gravitational field strength to relate the mass of objects to the force of gravity (weight) acting on them
demonstrate that the force of gravity between two objects is an inverse square law with respect to distance

solve problems involving Newton's law of universal gravitation for:
     force
     mass
     distance of separation
     universal gravitational constant

Dynamics in One Dimension
(Force of Friction)

It is expected that students will demonstrate an ability to describe and apply the concept of friction to everyday situations and determine the factors that affect it.

It is expected that students will:

distinguish between static and kinetic friction
compare the effects of the normal force, materials involved, surface area, and speed on the force of friction
define coefficient of friction

solve problems involving objects sliding on horizontal surfaces for:
     force of friction
     coefficient of friction
     normal force

     Dynamics in One Dimension
(Elastic Forces)

It is expected that students will demonstrate an ability to describe and apply Hooke's law to everyday situations.

It is expected that students will:

use appropriate materials to verify Hooke's law

solve problems using Hooke's law that involve:
     force
     spring constant
     distortion
relate Hooke's law to situations in their homes and community

Dynamics in One Dimension
(Newton's Laws)

It is expected that students will demonstrate knowledge of Newton's laws and apply them to common situations.

It is expected that students will:

state Newton's laws of motion and illustrate each with practical examples

solve problems using Newton's second law that involve:
     net force
     mass
     acceleration
apply Newton's laws and the concepts of kinematics to solve problems

Dynamics in One Dimension
(Momentum in One Dimension)

It is expected that students will demonstrate an ability to describe and apply the concept of momentum to everyday situations.

It is expected that students will:

use the definition of momentum to calculate the unknown variable, given any two of the following:
     momentum
     mass
     velocity
     state the law of conservation of momentum for isolated, one-dimensional systems

use the law of conservation of momentum to calculate any of the following from appropriate data:
     momentum
     mass
     velocity
     identify workplace applications where momentum is measured or controlled

Energy
(Work and Energy)

It is expected that students will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between work and the different forms of energy.

It is expected that students will:

     define work in terms of force and displacement
     solve problems involving:
     work
     force
     displacement
     define energy
     define gravitational potential energy
     solve problems involving:
     gravitational potential energy
     mass
     acceleration due to gravity
     height above a reference point
     define kinetic energy
     solve problems involving:
     kinetic energy
     mass
     velocity
     define temperature, thermal energy, and specific heat capacity
     solve problems involving:
     thermal energy
     mass
     specific heat capacity
     change in temperature

     Energy
     (Law of Conservation of Energy)

It is expected that students will demonstrate an understanding of the law of conservation of energy and the relationships among work, kinetic energy, potential energy, and thermal energy.

It is expected that students will:

     relate energy transformations to work done
     state the law of conservation of energy
     solve problems using the law of conservation of energy including changes in      gravitational potential energy, kinetic energy, and thermal energy

     Energy
     (Power and Efficiency)

It is expected that students will demonstrate an ability to describe and apply the concepts of power and efficiency to everyday situations.

It is expected that students will:

     define power
     solve problems involving:
     power
     work
     time
     define efficiency
     calculate and compare the efficiencies of common devices
     Special Relativity
It is expected that students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the fundamental principles of special relativity.

It is expected that students will:

     define inertial reference frame
     explain why simultaneous events for one observer may not be simultaneous for another observer
     describe the Michelson-Morley experiment and explain the significance of the "null result"
     state the two postulates of the special theory of relativity:
     the relativity principle
     the constancy of the speed of light
     describe the relativistic effects of time dilation, length contraction, and mass increase and describe examples of experimental evidence that demonstrate these effects
     calculate relativistic time dilation, length contraction, and mass increase
     prove by using relativistic mass increase or relativistic addition of velocities that objects cannot exceed the speed of light in a vacuum
     describe the equivalence of energy and mass, and solve problems involving:
     energy
     mass
     speed of light
     Nuclear Fission and Fusion
It is expected that students will demonstrate an understanding of the implications of using nuclear processes.

It is expected that students will:

     compare and contrast fusion and fission reactions and supply examples
     define chain reaction, critical mass, and moderator
     discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using nuclear energy
     compare and contrast different types of nuclear reactors