High School Physics Made Simple – Mechanics; Part 2

This session will take eight (8) classes to complete. It will deal with the following:-
1.	Class 1 & 2 – Moments & Levers
2.	Class 3 & 4 – Motion in a Straight Line
3.	Class 5 & 6 – Energy, Work & Power
4.	Class 7 & 8 – Pressure & Archimedes Principle

1.	Moments & Levers
a.	state the meaning of the moment of a force about a point and defi ne it
b.	use the concept of moments to solve problems
c.	use the concept of moments to explain the action of common tools and devices
d.	use the principle of moments to determine the position of the centre of gravity (or the centre of mass) of a body in the shape of a lamina
e.	use the concept of centre of gravity or centre of mass of a body to examine whether or not that body will be stable
f.	understand and explain why certain conditions affect the stability of a body in equilibrium

2.	Motion in a Straight Line
a.	define the terms distance, displacement, speed, velocity and acceleration
b.	state Aristotle’s argument in support of his hypothesis that the speed of an object varies directly as the force acting on the object
c.	state Newton’s three laws of motion
d.	use Newton’s laws of motion to solve problems on motion in a straight line
e.	understand the difference between distance–time and displacement–time graphs
f.	understand the difference between speed–time and velocity–time graphs
g.	use displacement–time and velocity–time graphs to solve problems
h.	define linear momentum as the product of mass and linear velocity
i.	describe situations which demonstrate the laws of motion
j.	apply the laws of motion to solve problems
k.	use Newton’s laws of motion to explain the working of common dynamical systems

3.	Energy, Work & Power
a.	understand why energy is defined as the ‘ability to do work’ or the ‘capacity for doing work’
b.	define work done by and work done against a force
c.	distinguish between potential energy and kinetic energy
d.	use the formula for the change of potential energy of an object to solve problems
e.	use the formula for the kinetic energy of an object to solve problems
f.	use the principle (or law) of conservation of energy to solve problems
g.	define power and use the definition to solve problems
h.	understand the meaning and the significance of the term ‘efficiency’
i.	calculate efficiency in a given situation
j.	name some alternative sources of energy in the Caribbean and discuss the feasibility and importance of each of these sources as an alternative to conventional ones

4.	Pressure & Archimedes Principle

a.	define the pressure exerted by a solid, or a liquid on a surface
b.	apply this definition to calculate the pressure on a surface
c.	define the S.I. unit of pressure, the pascal, and convert a pressure expressed in pascals into another unit
d.	explain how pressure is produced by solids and liquids
e.	relate the pressure at a point in a fluid to its depth and the density
f.	apply your understanding of the concept of ‘pressure’ to explain some common situations in everyday life
g.	understand and apply Pascal’s principle to explain the behaviour of common hydraulic systems
h.	use the ‘law’ that pressures are the same at a given horizontal level in a liquid that is stationary and continuous
i.	use the principles of fluid pressure to deduce Archimedes’ principle
j.	use Archimedes’ principle to obtain the ‘principle of flotation’ and then predict
k.	whether a body would float or sink when placed in a given fluid perform calculations using Archimedes’ principle and the principle of flotation