Advanced Physics

Course Overview

This college-preparatory, calculus-based advanced physics class covers a variety of topics, including kinematics, Newton’s laws, circular motion, work, power, energy, momentum and statics, rotational mechanics, electrostatics, electric potential and energy storage, electric currents, resistance and DC circuits, magnetism, electromagnetic induction, and Faraday’s law. This course utilizes student-centered learning to foster the development of critical thinking skills. Discussion and demonstration activities allow students to construct explanations and engage in arguments from evidence gleaned through investigations. Students enrolled in the Advanced Physics course will be concurrently enrolled in the laboratory elective for this course, which takes place on Fridays.  The laboratory course is one semester, and while the content will be complimentary to the overall course content, it will not necessarily match the weekly content covered in the Advanced Physics year-long course on any given week. Laboratories include both teacher-directed and student-directed investigations to develop the ability to analyze complex information.