Physics Is Fun!

In this ongoing Physics introductory course, I will help students understand and engage in basic High School Physics concepts.  This will happen through demonstrations, video clip examples, analysis from experimental data, group discussions, and practice problems.  I will screen-share a Google Document that contains all of the notes, and add our brainstorming ideas directly to it as we work through the topic together.  After class, I'll post the Google Doc link on our Outschool classroom page so students can review it at any time. 

Physics is the study of how the world works.  Each week will be dedicated to one topic for discussion.  I will start class with a real-world example to encourage students to make observations and start forming ideas about how it works.  Then I will ask students to share what they think, and then we will all work together to figure it out while I explain the concepts.  I will pause throughout the lesson for students to ask questions, and share their thoughts or experiences.  While Physics is a math-based science, our focus in this class will be on learning the major concepts.  I will introduce the math equations so students can relate the variables to what we've learned, and even work through an example of how to use it if time permits.  I will provide optional practice problems for students to try at home if they are interested in mastering the math.  

Learners are welcome to send me a message with their answers to the extra practice problems, or write on the classroom page, and I will provide direct feedback.  I will also ask students to post any questions they have on our Outschool classroom, and encourage them to try answering some "reflection questions".  These will help them make conclusions about what they've learned each week, and even connect it to their other interests.  This will help me determine different areas to focus on, and have materials prepared and ready to work through together in our live Zoom sessions. 

Here are the topics we will cover each week: 
Learning Cycle:  [2022-2023]
- 1: (Week of 10/10)  1-Dimensional Motion 
- 2: (Week of 10/17)  Free-Fall
- 3: (Week of 10/24)  Kinematic Graphs
- 4: (Week of 10/31)  Experimental Design & Scientific Method

- 5: (Week of 11/7)  2-Dimensional Motion
- 6: (Week of 11/14)  Vector Components
- 7: (Week of 11/21)  Projectiles 
- 8: (Week of 11/28)  2-D motion challenge game

- 9: (Week of 12/5)  Newton's Laws of Motion
- 10: (Week of 12/12)  Forces 
- 11: (Week of 12/19)  Free Body Diagrams

[**No Class - Winter Holiday Break**]

2023
- 12: (Week of 1/9)  Work & Power 
- 13: (Week of 1/16)  Circular Motion / Universal Law of Gravitation / Coulomb's Law
- 14: (Week of 1/23)  Electrostatics (charge transfer)
- 15: (Week of 1/30)  Current Electricity / Ohm's Law / Circuits (Parallel vs Series) 
 
- 16: (Week of 2/6)  Magnetism / Electromagnets     
- 17: (Week of 2/13)  Mechanical Waves & Sound 
- 18: (Week of 2/20)  Doppler Effect
- 19: (Week of 2/27)  Electromagnetic Waves, Light, & colors 

- 20: (Week of 3/6)  Snell’s Law / Ray Diagrams
- 21: (Week of 3/13)  Optics (mirrors & lenses) & Real-World Applications. 

**Topics will start over after this.**

Students can already have a basic understanding of Physics from previous science classes, but all are welcome to join and learn without prior knowledge.  

**ALSO - If your learner is interested in the next level of this Physics class, please check out my course, "Physics is Fun and Applicable! (Advanced)"  In this class, we will APPLY our Physics knowledge and go more in-depth about the math aspect of Physics.  We will make predictions, perform simple "at-home" experiments, collect data, and solve problems using the mathematical equations.