Wtitten Standards?
Bamboo writing tablets, Han Period..IRC, 2005, unitedstreaming
1 April 2006,
Below are VA SOL for Physics. PH1-PH4 address general concepts of science
exploration and application. PH5 contains direct application to Newton's
Laws and all of PH5-PH8 are based on these laws. As mentioned to the students
in the webquest, Newton's Laws are the basis for all Mechanics and Kinematics.
If you are an engineer or scientist or science teacher,you will understand
the material and that this quest is apropos for a physics class. The purpose
of this webquest is, therefore, to go beyond lecture and problem solving and
give students an opportunity to find a way to analyze the laws and synthesize
them into a product we did not "can" for them. There is not much out there
on the web to help us climb out of Bloom's basement. ALL the Newtonian web
sites and quests I examined were comprehension based and did little to foment
Analysis, let alone Synthesis. This is my humble attempt to make something
available that gets to Bloom's attic.
Students will require background in Bloom's Taxonomy and Rubrics. I weave
both these into my lessons because I think it helps students understand the
bigger picture of why we are teaching this way.
I would appreciate your comments and suggestions.
Thanks.
Physics
The Physics standards emphasize a more complex understanding of
experimentation, the analysis of data, and the use of reasoning and logic to
evaluate evidence. The use of mathematics, including algebra and
trigonometry, is important, but conceptual understanding of physical systems
remains a primary concern. Students build on basic physical science
principles by exploring in depth the nature and characteristics of energy and
its dynamic interaction with matter. Key areas covered by the standards
include force and motion, energy transformations, wave phenomena and the
electromagnetic spectrum, light, electricity, fields, and non-Newtonian
physics. The standards stress the practical application of physics in other
areas of science and technology and how physics affects our world.
The Physics standards continue to focus on student growth in understanding
the nature of science. This scientific view defines the idea that
explanations of nature are developed and tested using observation,
experimentation, models, evidence, and systematic processes. The nature of
science includes the concepts that scientific explanations are based on
logical thinking; are subject to rules of evidence; are consistent with
observational, inferential, and experimental evidence; are open to rational
critique; and are subject to refinement and change with the addition of new
scientific evidence. The nature of science includes the concept that science
can provide explanations about nature, can predict potential consequences of
actions, but cannot be used to answer all questions.
PH.1 The student will plan and conduct investigations in which
a) the components of a system are defined;
b) instruments are selected and used to extend observations and
measurements of mass, volume, temperature, heat exchange, energy
transformations, motion, fields, and electric charge;
c) information is recorded and presented in an organized format;
d) metric units are used in all measurements and calculations;
e) the limitations of the experimental apparatus and design are
recognized;
f) the limitations of measured quantities are recognized through the
appropriate use of significant figures or error ranges;
g) data gathered from non-SI instruments are incorporated through
appropriate conversions; and
h) appropriate technology including computers, graphing calculators, and
probeware, is used for gathering and analyzing data and communicating results.
PH.2 The student will investigate and understand how to analyze and
interpret data. Key concepts include
a) a description of a physical problem is translated into a mathematical
statement in order to find a solution;
b) relationships between physical quantities are determined using the
shape of a curve passing through experimentally obtained data;
c) the slope of a linear relationship is calculated and includes
appropriate units;
d) interpolated, extrapolated, and analyzed trends are used to make
predictions; and
e) analysis of systems employs vector quantities utilizing trigonometric
and graphical methods.
PH.3 The student will investigate and understand how to demonstrate
scientific reasoning and logic. Key concepts include
a) analysis of scientific sources to develop and refine research
hypotheses;
b) analysis of how science explains and predicts relationships;
c) evaluation of evidence for scientific theories;
d) examination of how new discoveries result in modification of existing
theories or establishment of new paradigms; and
e) construction and defense of a scientific viewpoint (the nature of
science).
PH.4 The student will investigate and understand how applications of
physics affect the world. Key concepts include
a) examples from the real world; and
b) exploration of the roles and contributions of science and technology.
PH.5 The student will investigate and understand the interrelationships
among mass, distance, force, and time through mathematical and experimental
processes. Key concepts include
a) linear motion;
b) uniform circular motion;
c) projectile motion;
d) Newton�s laws of motion;
e) gravitation;
f) planetary motion; and
g) work, power, and energy.
PH.6 The student will investigate and understand that quantities including
mass, energy, momentum, and charge are conserved. Key concepts include
a) kinetic and potential energy;
b) elastic and inelastic collisions; and
c) electric power.
PH.7 The student will investigate and understand properties of fluids. Key
concepts include
a) density and pressure;
b) variation of pressure with depth;
c) Archimedes� principle of buoyancy;
d) Pascal�s principle;
e) fluids in motion; and
f) Bernoulli�s principle.
PH.8 The student will investigate and understand that energy can be
transferred and transformed to provide usable work. Key concepts include
a) transformation of energy among forms including mechanical, thermal,
electrical, gravitational, chemical, and nuclear; and
b) efficiency of systems.
PH.9 The student will investigate and understand how to use models of
transverse and longitudinal waves to interpret wave phenomena. Key concepts
include
a) wave characteristics (period, wavelength, frequency, amplitude, and
phase);
b) fundamental wave processes (reflection, refraction, diffraction,
interference, polarization, Doppler effect); and
c) light and sound in terms of wave models.
PH.10 The student will investigate and understand that different
frequencies and wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum are phenomena
ranging from radio waves through visible light to gamma radiation. Key
concepts include
a) the properties and behaviors of radio waves, microwaves, infrared,
visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays; and
b) current applications based on the wave properties of each band.
PH.11 The student will investigate and understand, in describing optical
systems, how light behaves in the fundamental processes of reflection,
refraction, and image formation. Key concepts include
a) application of the laws of reflection and refraction;
b) construction and interpretation of ray diagrams;
c) development and use of mirror and lens equations; and
d) predictions of type, size, and position of real and virtual images.
PH.12 The student will investigate and understand how to use the field
concept to describe the effects of gravitational, electric, and magnetic
forces. Key concepts include
a) inverse square laws (Newton�s law of universal gravitation and
Coulomb�s law); and
b) operating principles of motors, generators, transformers, and cathode
ray tubes.
PH.13 The student will investigate and understand how to diagram and
construct basic electrical circuits and explain the function of various
circuit components. Key concepts include
a) Ohm�s law;
b) series, parallel, and combined circuits; and
c) circuit components including resistors, batteries, generators, fuses,
switches, and capacitors.
PH.14 The student will investigate and understand that extremely large and
extremely small quantities are not necessarily described by the same laws as
those studied in Newtonian physics. Key concepts include
a) wave/particle duality;
b) wave properties of matter;
c) matter/energy equivalence;
d) quantum mechanics and uncertainty;
e) relativity;
f) nuclear physics;
g) solid state physics;
h) superconductivity; and
i) radioactivity.
