Concepts in Physics - High School Physics Part 2 With Weekly Labs/Projects

Save $23 when you use code DANLEYSAVE23 when registering by May 15, 2025. 

A grade for the class is available if requested.  Requirements for a grade are to complete all three tests and 6 of the Labs/Projects of the learner’s choosing. 

REFUND POLICY: Full refund until 12 hours after the first class meeting (6 hours in the summer).  

This is a 16 week full-semester class that covers concepts in High School Physics. Although technically Part 1 and Part 2 can be taken in any order, I will be integrating previous concepts into later classes so that learners are able to see how concepts relate to each other and learn to solve problems by synthesizing together information from different concepts.  To succeed in the course, learners should have solid Algebra 1 skills.

Images, activities, and short experiments will help solidify the concepts in class.  During class I will teach by the Socratic method as much as possible while going over concepts and solving problems.  Toward the end of each class we will do a worksheet with problems and short answer questions together to help students master the topics for that class.  Also provided are optional homework problems with answers, reading assignments, and project-based assignments that learners can do at home as well as three optional tests with answers so learners can check their understanding. 

Week 1 - Light
The Speed of Light, Electromagnetic Waves, Transparent and Opaque Materials, Polarization, The Color Spectrum

Lab/Project: ROTATING LIGHT WITH SUGAR WATER


Week 2 - Color
Color by Reflection and Transmission, Colors of Light, Colors of Pigments, Spectroscopy

Lab/Project: MAKING COLORS BY MIXING LIGHT


Week 3 - Reflection and Refraction
Reflection of Light and Mirrors, Diffuse Reflection, Refraction of Light, Reflection and Refraction of Sounds

Lab/Project: STUDYING REFLECTION WITH A KALEIDOSCOPE 


Week 4 - Lenses
Converging Versus Diverging Lenses, Image Formation with a Lens, Ray Diagrams, The Human Eye

Lab/Project: BUILD A PINHOLE CAMERA


Week 5 - Diffraction and Interference
Huygen's Principle, Diffraction, Young's Interference Experiment, Iridescence, Lasers, Holograms

Lab/Project: EXPLORE DIFFRACTION 


Week 6 - Electrostatics
Electrical Forces and Charges, Coulomb's Law, Conductors and Insulators, Polarization, Charging Through Friction or Induction

Lab/Project: TESTING THE ABILITY OF DIFFERENT MATERIALS TO PRODUCE STATIC ELECTRICITY


Week 7 - Electric Fields and Electrical Potential
Electric Fields, Shielding, Electric Potential, The Van de Graaff Generator

Lab/Project: BUILD AND TEST YOUR OWN CAPACITOR


Week 8 - Electric Current
Flow of Charge, Current and Voltage, Resistance and Ohm's Law, Alternating and Direct Current, Electric Power

Lab/Project: CREATE AN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT WITH ELECTRIC PAINT 


Week 9 - Electric Circuits
Series Circuits, Parallel Circuits, Resistors, Capacitors

Lab/Project: CREATE A CIRCUIT WITH A BATTERY MADE OF COINS


Week 10 - Magnetism
Magnetic Poles, Magnetic Fields, Magnetic Domains, Electric Currents and Magnetic Fields, Motors

Lab/Project: BUILD A LEVITATING TRAIN


Week 11 - Electromagnetic Induction
Faraday's Law, Generators, Transformers, Power Transmission, Induction of Electric and Magnetic Fields

Lab/Project: BUILD A SIMPLE GENERATOR


Week 12 - Molecules and Solids
Bonding, Potential Energy Diagrams for Molecules, Van der Waals Bonds, Band Theory of Solids, Semiconductors and Doping

Lab/Project: BUILD A MODEL OF A P-TYPE SEMICONDUCTOR 


Week 13 - Nuclear Physics and Radioactivity
Binding Energy, Radioactivity, Alpha Decay, Beta Decay, Gamma Decay, Half-life, Radiocarbon Dating

Lab/Project: MODEL RADIOACTIVE DECAY


Week 14 - Effects and Uses of Radiation
Transmutation of Elements, Nuclear Reactions, Radiation Therapy, Uses of Radiation in Medicine

Lab/Project: HOW DO YOU DISPOSE OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE?


Week 15 - Elementary Particles
Particle Accelerators, Elementary Particle Physics, Antiparticles, Classification of Particles, Quarks, The Standard Model, Grand Unified Theories

Lab/Project: ALL ABOUT PARTICLE ACCELERATORS- A RESEARCH PROJECT


Week 16 - Astrophysics and Cosmology
Stars and Galaxies, The Birth and Death of Stars, Gravity and the Curvature of Space, The Expanding Universe, The Big Bang

Lab/Project: SEE BACKGROUND RADIATION IN A CLOUD CHAMBER