This unit is about 15% of the Physics 20 course. This is equivalent to approximately 12 80-minute classes. You may have to do additional “homework” hours to complete this unit.
Physics has been studied for millennia. The word itself comes from a Greek phrase that can be translated in many ways, but roughly means the science of nature. In Unit A you will be beginning your study of physics by looking at moving objects. You will be looking at ideas and methods that were developed over thousands of years. You will begin to see how mathematics and physics have common roots and developments in one lead to advancements in the other.
If you think of a typical day in a typical student’s life, there is lots of motion. Some of the motion is small and perhaps not even noticed (like the speaker in the clock radio moving back and forth to make the sounds that wake you up.) Other motion is larger (like you standing up and going to the kitchen to make breakfasts.) Some students have to ride on a school bus for an hour or more to get to their classes. There are stops and starts, speeding up and slowing down, turns and waits. How can all of this be communicated to someone else efficiently? This first unit of Physics 20 will show you one way.
This unit builds on
Grade 7 Science, Unit D: Structures and Forces
Grade 8 Science, Unit D: Mechanical Systems
Science 10, Unit B: Energy Flow in Technological Systems
This unit prepares you for further study, in subsequent units and physics courses, of dynamics, Newton’s laws, and particles in gravitational, electric, and magnetic fields.
There are two modules in this unit. Module 1 develops the mathematical tools needed to work with and describe moving objects. For the most part this will be motion in a straight line. Module 2 continues this development but in the context of two-dimensional motion.
Together, these modules will explain how motion can be describe in terms of displacement, time, velocity, and acceleration.
Specifically, you will learn to
explain how changes in position, velocity, and acceleration allow you to predict the paths of moving objects and systems
explain how the principles of kinematics have influenced the development of new mechanical technologies
As you work through this unit, you will find Self-Check and Try This assessments, labs, discussions, and more. At the beginning of each lesson the lesson assignment is clearly described. A link to a Word document that you should download and save is given. Throughout the lesson the questions from the assignment are clearly marked. When you encounter an assignment question, go to your saved copy of the assignment and answer it there. There are also module assignments and a unit assignment. All of the course work that you complete, whether it is to be submitted to your teacher or not, should be saved in your Physics course folder. Think of the course folder as your binder for storing the work you do in Physics 20.
The Unit A Assessment gives you an opportunity to practise responding to diploma-exam style questions. Even if you don’t choose to take Physics 30, learning how to answer diploma-exam style questions is a practical skill that you can use in other science diploma courses.
When you are ready to begin the Unit A Assessment, go to the Unit Assessment section of the course for instructions.