High School 9-12

ESSENTIAL STANDARDS

Structure and Function

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

• Construct a model of how the structure of DNA determines the structure of proteins that carry out the essential functions of life through systems of specialized cells. 
• Develop and use a model to illustrate the hierarchical organization of interacting systems that provide specific functions within multicellular organisms.
• Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that feedback mechanisms maintain Homeostasis.

Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

• Use a model to demonstrate how photosynthesis transforms light energy into stored chemical energy. 
• Use a model to demonstrate that cellular respiration is a chemical process whereby the bonds of molecules are broken, and the bonds in new compounds are formed, resulting in a net transfer of energy. 
• Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence that organic macromolecules are primarily composed of six elements, where carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms may combine with nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus to form large carbon-based molecules. 
• Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence that the processes of photosynthesis, chemosynthesis, and aerobic and anaerobic respiration are responsible for the cycling of matter and flow of energy through ecosystems and that environmental conditions restrict which reactions can occur.
• Communicate the pattern of the cycling of matter and the flow of energy among trophic levels in an ecosystem. 
• Use a model that illustrates the roles of photosynthesis, cellular respiration, decomposition, and combustion to explain the cycling of carbon in its various forms among the biosphere, atmosphere, and geosphere.

Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

• Explain how various biotic and abiotic factors affect the carrying capacity and biodiversity of an ecosystem using mathematical and/or computational representations. 
• Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning that the interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent populations of species while conditions remain stable, but changing conditions may result in new ecosystem dynamics. 
• Design, evaluate, and/or refine solutions that positively impact the environment and biodiversity.
• Create or revise a model to test a solution to mitigate the adverse impacts of human activity on biodiversity.

Inheritance and Variation of Traits

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

• Develop and use models to communicate the role of mitosis, cellular division, and differentiation in producing and maintaining complex organisms. 
• Develop and use models to clarify relationships about how DNA in the form of chromosomes is passed from parents to offspring through the processes of meiosis and fertilization in sexual reproduction.
• Compare and contrast asexual and sexual reproduction with regard to genetic information and variation in offspring.
• Develop and use a model to describe why structural changes to genes (mutations) located on chromosomes may affect proteins and may result in harmful, beneficial, or neutral effects to the structure and function of the organism.
• Make and defend a claim that inheritable genetic variations may result from: (1) new genetic combinations through meiosis, (2) mutations occurring during replication, and/or (3) mutations caused by environmental factors. 
• Apply concepts of statistics and probability to explain the variation and distribution of expressed traits in a population. 

Natural Selection and Evolution

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

• Communicate scientific information that common ancestry and biological evolution are supported by multiple lines of empirical evidence. 
• Analyze displays of pictorial data to compare patterns of similarities in the embryological development across multiple species to identify relationships not evident in the fully formed anatomy.
• Construct an explanation based on evidence that the process of evolution primarily results from four factors: (1) the potential for a species to increase in number, (2) the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, (3) competition for limited resources, and (4) the proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in the environment. 
• Apply concepts of statistics and probability to support explanations that organisms with an advantageous heritable trait tend to increase in proportion to organisms lacking this trait.
• Construct an explanation based on evidence for how natural selection leads to adaptation of populations. 
• Evaluate the evidence supporting claims that changes in environmental conditions may result in: (1) increases in the number of individuals of some species, (2) the emergence of new species over time, and (3) the extinction of other species. 
• Create or revise a model to test a solution to mitigate the adverse impacts of human activity on biodiversity.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

Semester 1 Final Exam

Unit	Title	Essential Questions
1	What is Science?	What are the goals of science? What are the characteristics of a good scientist? What procedures are at the core of scientific methodology?
2	Chemistry of Life	What characteristics do all living things share? How does the structure of water lead to properties essential for life functions? What are the functions of each of the four groups of macromolecules? What role do enzymes play in living things, and what affects their function?
3A	Cell Biology: Structure & Function	How does a cell’s structure lead to its function? What organelles help make and transport proteins and other macromolecules? What is the function of the cell membrane? How do the cells of a multicellular organism work together to maintain homeostasis?
3B	Cell Biology: Cell Energy	Why is ATP useful to cells? Where do organisms get energy? What is the relationship between photosynthesis and cellular respiration?
3C	Cell Biology: Cell Growth & Division	How does a cell regulate growth and division? How do cancer cells differ from other cells? How do cells become specialized for different functions?

 

Semester 2 Final Exam

Unit	Title	Essential Questions
4	Molecular Genetics	How does the structure of DNA lead to its function in living things? How does the genetic code work? How do mutations affect genes?
5	Genes & Heredity	How are traits expressed in living things? What patterns of inheritance do human traits follow? How can we study and treat genetic diseases?
6	Ecology	How does energy flow through ecosystems? How does matter cycle between trophic levels and among ecosystems? How do species interactions shape ecosystems? How do humans impact ecosystems?
7	Evolution	How is evolution defined in genetic terms? What are the sources of genetic variation? How do new species form?

ESSENTIAL STANDARDS

Structure and Properties of Matter

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

• Use the organization of the periodic table to predict the relative properties of elements based on the patterns of electrons in the outermost energy level of atoms. 
• Plan and conduct an investigation to gather evidence to compare the physical and chemical properties of substances such as melting point, boiling point, vapor pressure, surface tension, and chemical reactivity to infer the relative strength of attractive forces between particles. 
• Apply the concepts of bonding and crystalline/molecular structure to explain the macroscopic properties of various categories of structural materials (i.e., metals, ionic (ceramics), and polymers).
• Use symbolic representations to illustrate the changes in the composition of the nucleus of the atom and the energy released during the processes of fission, fusion, and radioactive decay.

Chemical Reactions

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

• Construct and revise an explanation for the outcome of a simple chemical reaction based on the outermost electron states of atoms, trends in the periodic table, and knowledge of the patterns of chemical properties. 
• Develop a model to illustrate that the release or absorption of energy from a chemical reaction system depends upon the changes in total bond energy.
• Apply scientific principles and evidence to provide an explanation about the effects of changing the temperature or concentration of the reacting particles on the rate at which a reaction occurs.
• Refine the design of a chemical system by specifying a change in conditions that would alter the amount of products at equilibrium.
• Use symbolic representations and mathematical calculations to support the claim that atoms, and therefore mass, are conserved during a chemical reaction. 

ESSENTIAL STANDARDS

Earth’s Place in the Universe

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

• Develop a model based on evidence to illustrate the life span of the Sun and the role of nuclear fusion in the Sun’s core to release energy in the form of radiation.
• Construct an explanation of the Big Bang theory based on astronomical evidence of light spectra, motion of distant galaxies, and composition of matter in the universe. 
• Communicate scientific ideas about the way stars, over their life cycle, produce elements.
• Use Kepler’s Law to predict the motion of orbiting objects in the solar system.
• Evaluate evidence of the past and current movements of continental and oceanic crust, the theory of plate tectonics, and relative densities of oceanic and continental rocks to explain why continental rocks are generally much older than rocks on the ocean floor. 
• Apply scientific reasoning and evidence from ancient Earth materials, meteorites, and other planetary surfaces to construct an account of Earth’s formation and early history.

Earth’s Systems

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

• Develop a model to illustrate how Earth’s interior and surface processes (constructive and destructive) operate at different spatial and temporal scales to form continental and ocean-floor features. 
• Analyze geoscientific data to make the claim that one change to Earth's surface can create changes to another.

Earth Systems

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

• Develop a model based on evidence of Earth’s interior to describe the cycling of matter by thermal convection.
• Use a model to describe how variations in the flow of energy into and out of Earth’s systems result in changes in climate.
• Plan and conduct an investigation of the properties of water and its effects on Earth materials and surface processes.
• Develop a quantitative model to describe the cycling of carbon among the hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere, and biosphere.
• Construct an argument based on evidence about the simultaneous coevolution of Earth’s systems and life on Earth.

Earth and Human Activity

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

• Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate have influenced human activity. 
• Evaluate competing design solutions for developing, managing, and utilizing energy and mineral resources based on economic, social, and environmental cost-benefit ratios.
• Create a computational simulation to illustrate the relationships among management of natural resources, the sustainability of human populations, and biodiversity. 
• Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces the impacts of human activities on natural systems in order to restore stability and or biodiversity of the ecosystem as well as prevent their reoccurrences.
• Analyze geoscientific data and the results from global climate models to make an evidence-based forecast of the current rate of global or regional climate change and associated future impacts to Earth systems.
• Predict how human activity affects the relationships between Earth systems in both positive and negative ways. 
   

ESSENTIAL STANDARDS

Forces and Interactions

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

• Analyze data to support and verify the concepts expressed by Newton's 2nd law of motion, as it describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration.
• Use mathematical representations to support and verify the concept that the total momentum of a system of objects is conserved when there is no net force on the system. 
• Apply scientific principles of motion and momentum to design, evaluate, and refine a device that minimizes the force on a macroscopic object during a collision. 
• Use mathematical representations of Newton’s Law of Gravitation to describe and predict the gravitational forces between objects. 
• Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that an electric current can produce a magnetic field and that a changing magnetic field can produce an electric current.

Energy

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

• Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the changes in energy are known. 
• Develop and use models to illustrate that energy at the macroscopic scale can be accounted for as a combination of energy associated with the motions of particles (objects) and energy associated with the relative position of particles (objects). 
• Design, build, and refine a device that works within given constraints to convert one form of energy into another form of energy.
• Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that the transfer of thermal energy when two components of different temperatures are combined within a closed system results in a more uniform energy distribution among the components in the system (second law of thermodynamics).
• Develop and use a model of two objects interacting through electric or magnetic fields to illustrate the forces between objects and the changes in energy of the objects due to the interaction.

Waves and Electromagnetic Radiation

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

• Use mathematical representations to support a claim regarding relationships among the frequency, wavelength, and speed of waves traveling in various media.
• Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning behind the idea that electromagnetic radiation can be described either by a wave model or a particle model and that, for some situations, one model is more useful than the other.
• Communicate technical information about how electromagnetic radiation interacts with matter. 
• Evaluate the validity and reliability of claims in published materials of the effects that different frequencies of electromagnetic radiation have when absorbed by matter. 

Course Description

AP Physics C: Mechanics is designed to be the equivalent of a first-semester introductory college course in calculus-based physics. This course is structured around the six big ideas articulated in the AP Physics C: Mechanics curriculum framework provided by the College Board and will broken down into seven units: Kinematics; Newton’s Laws of Motion; Work, Energy, & Power; Systems of Particles & Linear Momentum; Rotation; Oscillations; and Gravitation.  

AP Physics C: Mechanics is open to all students, having completed pre- / co-requisite work in Calculus, who wish to take part in a rigorous and academically challenging course.

Course Overview

1. Kinematics

Students will not only learn how to define each kinematic quantity (position, velocity, acceleration, and time), but also how to distinguish between them, and how to graphically and mathematically represent the relationships among them. 

1.1. Introduction (Ch. 1)
1.2. Kinematics in One Dimension (Ch. 2)
1.3. Vectors and Coordinate Systems (Ch. 3)
1.4. Kinematics in Two Dimensions(Ch. 4)

2. Newton’s Laws of Motion

Students will learn how forces can change the motion of an object (first law); about the relationship between force, mass, and motion (second law); and why balanced forces become unbalanced (third law).

2.1. Force and Motion (Ch. 5)
2.2. Dynamics I: Motion Along a Line (Ch. 6)
2.3. Newton’s Third Law (Ch. 7)
2.4. Dynamics II: Motion in a Plane (Ch. 8)

3. Work, Energy, and Power

Students will explore the relationship between work, energy, and power and will be introduced to the principle of conservation as a foundational model of physics, as well as the concept of work as an agent of change for energy.

3.1. Work and Kinetic Energy (Ch. 9)
3.2. Interactions and Potential Energy (Ch. 10)

4. Systems of Particles and Linear Momentum

Students will learn the relationship between impulse and momentum via application or calculations. The conservation of linear momentum and how it’s applied to collisions is also addressed.

4.1. Linear Momentum and Collisions (Ch. 11)

5. Rotation

Students will investigate torque and rotational statics, kinematics, and dynamics, in addition to angular momentum and its conservation, to gain an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of rotation. Students are provided with opportunities to make connections between the content and models explored in the first four units, as well as with opportunities to demonstrate the analogy between translational and rotational kinematics.

5.1. Rotation of a Rigid Body (Ch. 12)

6. Oscillations

Students are introduced to the model of simple harmonic motion (SHM), springs, and pendulums. Students will discover why some objects repeat their motions with a regular pattern. They will also apply the model of SHM, define the three kinematic characteristics (displacement, velocity, and acceleration), and practice representing them graphically and mathematically.

6.1. Oscillations (Ch. 15)

7. Gravitation

Students will become familiar with the law of universal gravitation and how it can be applied to any pair of masses and will consider the motion of an object in orbit under the influence of gravitational forces. Additionally, students will be given opportunities to relate connected knowledge across units by applying and deriving Kepler’s laws of planetary motion to circular or general orbits.

7.1. Newton’s Theory of Gravity (Ch. 16)

AP Exam Review

 

Aligned to Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 5th Edition for AP & AP Physics C: Mechanics, College Board

Successful completion of Physics or AP Physics Mechanics along with a Calculus course are prerequisite. In AP Physics, Calculus is used to solve some of the problems.

Unit One - Electrostatics

1.1: Charge and Coulomb’s Law
1.2 Electric Field and Electric Potential
1.3 Electric Potential Due to Point Charges and Uniform Fields
1.4 Gauss’s Law
1.5 Fields and Potentials of other charge distributions

Unit Two - Conductors, Capacitors, Dielectrics

2.1 Electrostatics with Conductors
2.2: Capacitors
2.3: Dielectrics
Lab activities include building and using capacitors.

Unit Three - Electric Circuits

3.1. Electric Circuits: Current and Resistance
3.2. Electric Circuits: Current, Resistance, and Power
3.3. Electric Circuits: Steady-State Direct-Current Circuits with Batteries and Resistors Only
3.4 Capacitors in Circuits
Lab activities building many circuits in an effort to study Ohm's Law, equivalent resistances, Kirchhoff's Rules, and the time constant for an RC circuit charging and discharging.

Unit Four - Magnetic Fields

4.1. Magnetic Fields: Forces on Moving Charges in Magnetic Fields
4.2. Magnetic Fields: Forces on Current Carrying Wires in Magnetic Fields
4.3. Magnetic Fields: Fields of Long Current-Carrying Wires
4.4 Magnetic Fields: Biot-Savart Law and Ampere’s Law
Lab activities include mapping magnetic fields, building simple motors and building circuits.

Unit Five - Electromagnetism

5.1 Electromagnetic Induction (Including Faraday’s Law and Lenz’s Law)
5.2 Electromagnetism: Inductance (Including LR Circuits)
5.3 Electromagnetism: Maxwell’s Equations Lab activities include building an electromagnet, building simple motors, generating current with electromagnetic induction, and experimenting with LR and LC circuits.

Unit Six - Exam Review and Modern Physics

Topics for Modern Physics include a history of technological developments and energy usage, an intro to astrophysics, an intro to Einstein's theory of relativity, and an intro to quantum physics. Lab activities include using telescopes, virtual activities, and simulations of Einstein's thought experiments.