Course Syllabus

Syllabus Physics A

Welcome

Welcome to Physics A! We’re so glad you’re here.

Every lesson is designed to help you grow as a thinker, problem solver, and global learner. As a Mizzou Academy global student, you will complete lessons and assignments on your own schedule, interacting with course content, participating in interactives, and completing practice activities, as well as drafting and revising assignments, preparing for quizzes and assessments, and taking exams.

To stay on track, we recommend using a pacing guide. You can find more information about pacing in the Course Resources section, along with helpful tools, technology support, and tips for online learning success.

As you begin, remember that online learning requires both independence and communication. Be curious, stay organized, and don’t hesitate to reach out to your teacher if you need support.

We’re excited to learn with you, and we’re happy you’re part of our Mizzou Academy community! 

Pacing

This course can be completed in as few as six weeks or take up to 6 months (180 calendar days). The six weeks are counted from the date of the first lesson submission and not the date of enrollment.

This course is asynchronous, meaning you can complete lessons and assignments at your own pace.

Most students spend approximately 10 hours per lesson interacting with course content, participating in interactive activities, and completing practice exercises, as well as drafting and revising assignments, preparing for quizzes and assessments, and taking exams. Your time may vary depending on your goals and learning style. 

We encourage you to work at a consistent pace, allowing time to absorb new ideas, build skills, and reflect on what you’ve learned. Use a pacing guide to plan ahead, stay organized, and finish strong. 

Course Overview and Description

Overview

Physics is the foundational study for a deep understanding of any area of science. The study of physics provides us with a basis for describing the universe around us. Physics is the study of matter, space, energy, and time. It describes space-time, the way objects move, the many forms of energy, as well as how energy interacts with matter.

There are many fields of physic such as mechanics, electricity, heat, sound, light, condensed matter, atomic physics, nuclear physics, and elementary particle physics. Physics is the foundation of all the physical sciences, including chemistry, material science, and geology, and it is important for understanding many other fields of human endeavor such as biology, medicine, computing, ice hockey, television…the list goes on and on.

One of the key ideas in physics is that there is an underlying simplicity and unity in nature behind the complexity of the world around us. This is often expressed through all-embracing fundamental concepts such as the principle of conservation of energy. 

Physics is fascinating and can be fun. At its heart, physics is about finding things out—about understanding what lies behind everyday phenomena such as rainbows, red sunsets, and blue skies, as well as the more revolutionary concepts of quantum theory, relativity, and cosmology.

This first half unit of the course takes you through an adventure of understanding how and why things move. It provides you with a basic understanding of the nature of matter and the properties of matter. 

 

Description

In this introductory physics course, students will learn about the physics of motion, heat, and the nature of matter. They will investigate the nature of motion, what makes things move (or change their motion), the interactions of matter and energy, and waves and the properties of sound.  No textbook or additional materials are required.  However, some optional extension activities may use common household items to help illustrate concepts.  

 

Course Essential Questions


Essential Question 1

How does accurate use of equations help me to solve motion, force, and momentum problems for objects experiencing linear motion?

Essential Question 2

How does an accurate use of equations help me to solve energy, gravitation, and periodic motion problems?

Course Overview

Lesson

Objectives

Quiz

Assignment

0: Introduction to Physics
  1. Explain the differences between an observation, model, law, and theory.
  2. Describe and apply the steps of the scientific method.
  3. Graph scatter plots and determine mathematical relationships between variables.
  4. Compare accuracy and precision.
  5. Identify and use common standard unit prefixes and write them in scientific notation.
  6. Use dimensional analysis to perform unit conversions and solve problems.
  7. Correctly use significant digits to show the accuracy in a measurement.
  8. Add, subtract, multiply, and divide and express the answers to the correct number of significant digits.

No Quiz

Assignment: Graphical Analysis of Data

1: Kinematics: One-Dimensional Motion
  • 1.1: Define and distinguish between position, displacement, distance, and distance traveled in a particular frame of reference.
  • 1.2: Define and distinguish between scalar and vector quantities.
  • 1.3: Assign a coordinate system for a scenario involving one-dimensional motion.
  • 1.4: Explain the relationships between instantaneous velocity, average velocity, instantaneous speed, average speed, displacement, and time.
  • 1.5: Define and distinguish between velocity and acceleration.
  • 1.6: Apply problem-solving steps and strategies to solve problems of one-dimensional kinematics.
  • 1.7: Apply strategies to determine whether or not the result of a problem is reasonable, and if not, determine the cause.
  • 1.8: Describe the motion of objects that are in free fall. Apply the concept of acceleration to free fall. 
  • 1.9: Calculate the position and velocity of objects in free fall.
  • 1.10: Describe a straight line graph in terms of its slope and y-intercept. 
  • 1.11: Determine the average velocity or instantaneous velocity from a graph of position vs. time.
  • 1.12: Interpret and derive position vs time, velocity vs. time, and acceleration vs. time graphs.

25 multiple-choice questions 

Assignment: How's it Going? Lab

2: Kinematics: Two-Dimensional Motion
  • 2.1: Observe motion in two dimensions and understand the independence of the horizontal and vertical components of motion.
  • 2.2: Define vectors and understand the rules of vector addition, subtraction, and multiplication.
  • 2.3: Apply graphical and analytical methods of vector addition and subtraction to determine the displacement of moving objects.
  • 2.4: Identify and explain the properties of a projectile, such as acceleration due to gravity, range, maximum height, and trajectory.
  • 2.5: Determine the location and velocity of a projectile at different points in its trajectory.
  • 2.6: Apply the principle of independence of motion to solve projectile motion problems.
  • 2.7: Apply principles of vector addition to determine relative velocity.
  • 2.8: Explain the significance of the observer in the measurement of velocity.

25 multiple-choice questions 

Assignment: Bull's Eye Lab

3: Dynamics: Forces and Newton's Laws of Motion

3.1 Define mass and inertia.
3.2 Define normal and tension forces.
3.3 Explain the concepts described in each of Newton's three laws of motion.
3.4 Define net force, external force, and system.
3.5 Apply Newton’s second law to determine the weight of an object.
3.6 Apply Newton's third law to define systems and identify action/reaction pairs.
3.7 Use trigonometric identities to resolve forces into components.
3.8 Use Newton's laws of motion to solve problems involving a variety of forces.

25 multiple-choice questions 

No Assignment

4: Further Applications of Newton's Laws
  • 4.1: Discuss the general characteristics and causes of friction.
  • 4.2: Discuss the various types of friction.
  • 4.3: Calculate the magnitudes of static and kinetic friction.
  • 4.4: Define drag force and model it mathematically.
  • 4.5: Define terminal velocity.
  • 4.6: Explain work in terms of force and distance.
  • 4.7: Be able to calculate work done.
  • 4.8: Explain how a simple machine transforms the magnitude of a force.
  • 4.9: Determine the mechanical advantage of simple machines.
  • 4.10: Calculate the efficiency of a machine when given information about the input and output forces and distances.

25 multiple-choice questions 

No Assignment 

5: Momentum
  • 5.1  Define momentum in terms of the mass and velocity of an object.
  • 5.2  Explain how impulse relates to changes in momentum.
  • 5.3  Calculate the momentum of a moving object.
  • 5.4  Solve problems related to impulse and momentum.
  • 5.5  State the Law of Conservation of Momentum.
  • 5.6  Apply the Law of Conservation of Momentum to describe interactions.
  • 5.7  Apply the Law of Conservation of Momentum to solve problems involving collisions or explosions in 1 dimension.

25 multiple-choice questions 

Assignment: Conservation of Momentum Lab

Midterm Exam

6: Work, Energy, and Power
  1. Define work in terms of net force and displacement.
  2. Name and describe seven different forms of energy.
  3. Describe how work can be converted into potential energy or kinetic energy.
  4. Calculate the elastic potential energy stored in a spring.
  5. Calculate the amount of gravitational potential energy an object has from information about its location.
  6. Calculate how much kinetic energy an object has from information about its motion.
  7. Apply the Law of Conservation of Energy to analyze interactions.
  8. Explain how efficiency relates to input and output energy.
  9. Explain the relationship between work, power and time.
  10. Calculate the energy consumption of a machine from information about the power and the time of operation.

25 multiple-choice questions 

No Assignment

7: Gravitation and Uniform Circular Motion
  1. Explain the relationship between tangential and angular velocity.
  2. Convert between angular and tangential velocity.
  3. Define centripetal force both conceptually and mathematically.
  4. Apply Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation to analyze the gravitational forces between masses.
  5. Describe the conditions necessary for a satellite to be placed into orbit.
  6. Explain tidal effects.
  7. Explain how a black hole forms from a massive star.
  8. Calculate the escape velocity for a body.

25 multiple-choice questions 

Assignment: Determination of "g" Lab

8: Torque
  • 8.1: Define moment of inertia.
  • 8.2: Explain why moment of inertia in rotational motion is analogous to mass in linear motion.
  • 8.3: Calculate the moment of inertia of objects with basic geometric shapes.
  • 8.4: Define torque.
  • 8.5: Explain why torque in rotational motion is analogous to force in linear motion.
  • 8.6: Describe conditions necessary for stable equilibrium, unstable equilibrium and neutral equilibrium.
  • 8.7: Calculate angular momentum of rotating objects.

25 multiple-choice questions 

Assignment: It's All About Balance

9: Oscillatory Motion and Waves
  • 9.1: Describe Hooke’s law and Simple Harmonic Motion.
  • 9.2: Define periodic motion, oscillations, amplitude, frequency, and period as related to oscillatory and wave motion.
  • 9.3: Solve problems in simple harmonic motion involving springs and pendulums.
  • 9.4: Explain how wave motion and simple harmonic motion are related.
  • 9.5: Apply the Law of Conservation of Energy to oscillating systems to analyze their motion.
  • 9.6: Compare and contrast wave types and wave properties. 
  • 9.7: Relate wave frequency, period, wavelength, and velocity conceptually and mathematically. 
  • 9.8: Explain how waves constructively and destructively interfere and be able to provide examples to illustrate wave interference.
  • 9.9: Define resonance and describe conditions for resonance to occur.
  • 9.10: Describe the characteristics of standing waves.
  • 9.11: Distinguish reflection from refraction of waves.

25 multiple-choice questions 

No Assignment

10: Sound
  • 10.1: Relate the characteristics of waves to properties of sound waves.
  • 10.2: Describe the speed of sound and how it changes in various media.
  • 10.3: Describe how wavelength, frequency, and amplitude are related to sound pitch and volume.
  • 10.4: Solve problems involving the intensity of a sound wave.
  • 10.5: Describe the decibel scale for measuring sound intensity.
  • 10.6: Describe the Doppler effect of sound waves and sonic booms.
  • 10.7: Use the Doppler equation to determine the motion of a sound source or receiver.
  • 10.8: Explain interference, resonance, and beats.
  • 10.9: Define fundamental frequency and harmonic series.

25 multiple-choice questions 

No Assignment

Final Exam

 

Grades

Your final grade will be based on the number of points you earn on submitted work and exams. The available points are distributed as follows:

Source Available Points
Lesson Assignments 181
Lesson Quizzes 250
Midterm Exam 270
Final Exam 270
Total 971

 

Textbook & Technology Requirements

To fully participate, make sure you have:

  • A computer that meets our Mizzou Academy technology requirements
  • A microphone and webcam for recording audio and video assignments
  • Any other required textbooks or materials for the course

Textbook

No textbook is required for this course. 

Materials

You need a scientific calculator (has an EE, EXE or x10 button). There are no additional required materials.  Students are provided with a free version of Vernier Graphical Analysis and Vernier Video Analysis to use to make graphs and analyze video labs. 

Technology

The most up-to-date requirements can be found here: 

Additional requirements for the course are below: 

  • audio and video recording capabilities (e.g., smartphone, camera)

If you ever have trouble accessing course materials or recording tools, reach out to your teacher for support. We are here to help!

Accessibility

If you anticipate barriers related to the format or requirements of this course, please let Mizzou Academy know as soon as possible. If disability-related accommodations are necessary (for example, a scribe, reader, extended time on exams, captioning), please contact Mizzou Academy.

Canvas Technical Support

Canvas will be used as the primary platform for accessing course materials and assignments for this class.