TAMALPAIS UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT
Larkspur, California

COURSE OF STUDY

ADVANCED PLACEMENT PHYSICS (Mechanics C)

I. INTRODUCTION

Advanced Placement Physics (Mechanics C) is a year long course intended for those students (primarily eleventh and twelfth graders) who want a challenging, in-depth, college level survey physics course while still in high school.  AP Physics is a nationally developed, standardized curriculum rather than a district-developed course of study.  This course prepares students to take the AP Physics Mechanics C exam and receive one semester of college credit while still in high school (subject to individual universities restrictions and requirements).  This may allow students to accelerate their studies in the physical sciences (again, depending upon which college the student will attend).

This course expands the range of upper division science courses available to the district's students.  It explores some of the topics covered in the district's core Integrated Science 1-4 sequence and Chemistry 1-2 at a deeper level and enriches the backgrounds of students interested in career fields in the physical sciences or engineering.  The College Board recommends that students concurrently enroll in AP Calculus, but it is not a requirement.

A. Tam 2000 Goals

1. Student Success
The AP Physics curriculum helps students achieve world-class academic standards by allowing for broader and more challenging course offerings, and giving them the opportunity to gain college credit while still in high school.

The AP Physics curriculum helps students acquire technological skills for further personal, educational, and employment success through state-of-the-art lab experiments, word processing and spreadsheet-based lab reports, and modern classroom activities and demonstrations.

2. Instruction
The AP Physics curriculum provides a system of assessment that strengthens students, classes, programs, and schools by adhering to a national standard developed by the College Board. This allows students, teachers, and parents to measure success relative to others across the country.

The AP Physics curriculum allows for more student and parental choice of instructional programs, by ensuring that each school site offers an AP course in each department. The AP Physics course is desirable in that it is a first-year course that can replace Honors Physics without impacting other course offerings in the Science Department.

B. Student Learning Outcomes

The Advanced Placement Physics curriculum is a vehicle for fulfilling the TUHSD graduation outcomes in scientific literacy (#6).  Additionally, the instructional strategies and activities in this course will provide experience and practice related to the following graduation outcomes: effective communication (#1); reading analysis (#2); technology (#3); mathematical analysis (#5) and contemporary issue analysis (#10).

II. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon completion of this course, students will: 

1. Take the Advanced Placement Physics C examination.  The specific topics, concepts, and themes to be covered by this exam are defined in the College Board's AP Physics C syllabus, which provides a detailed outline of the topics and percentage of time devoted to each (Appendix A).  This exam has both multiple choice and free response formats, with some of the questions loosely based upon laboratory work.

2. Conduct introductory college level laboratory activities including, but not limited to those recommended by the national AP Physics C Mechanics curriculum: measurement and error analysis, kinematics and accelerated motion, freefall motion, projectile motion, Newton's Second Law, static equilibrium, centripetal force, conservation of energy, conservation of momentum, one and two dimensional collisions, gravitation, and rotational motion, oscillations.

3. Apply mathematical calculations to data analysis in laboratory activities.  Most AP Physics labs require a high degree of mathematical data analysis as would be found in an introductory college level physics class. If possible, computers with interfaces and sensing devices will be used to perform some laboratory experiments.

AP Physics (Mechanics C) is not a survey course of basic Physics.  As such, the course content addresses only some of the State Content Standards in Physics, specifically: All standards under Motion and Forces and Conservation of Energy and Momentum are included in the content. There is no treatment of standards under Heat and Thermodynamics, Waves, Electric and Magnetic Phenomena.  (See State Content Standards for Physics).  

III. STUDENT ASSESSMENT

A. Student Assessment

1. Students will complete at least one lab report scored using the district's lab report performance rubric.
2. Each teacher will develop his/her own assessments including, but not limited to, semester final exams, weekly quizzes, homework and laboratory assignments.  

Students will be informed of the course requirements and grading criteria, preferably in writing, at the beginning of each semester.

B. Course Assessment

Annual summary reports will be prepared to summarize the results of student performance on 1) the district's lab performance task and 2) student participation rates and scores on the AP Physics C exam.

IV. METHODS/MATERIALS

A. Methods

Students= learning activities will include, but not be limited to, labs, reports, presentations, practice AP exams, homework and lectures.  Since this is an introductory college-level course, students will be expected to read scientific textbooks and reference materials at a pace and reading level expected of college freshman.

In addition, students may be required to do independent preparatory work during the summer prior to enrollment in this course.

Teachers will annually review the College Board's AP Physics syllabus to ensure that content, activities, and materials are consistent with those expectations.

B. Materials

The Board approved textbook for this course,  Physics for Scientists and Engineers, by R. Serway, published by Brooks/Cole will be used. 

Standard lab equipment, library resources, college-level physics textbooks, and computers with appropriate software and lab interfaces will be used.  Supplemental audiovisual materials include: videocassettes; laser discs; CD-ROMS; computer programs and Internet resources.

It is recommended that students purchase an AP Physics practice exam booklet, but this is not a requirement. The teacher will provide copies of all required instructional materials. 

C. Technology

Although development of technology skills is a secondary outcome of this course, students will be expected to use technology skills as learning tools.  Computers, interfaces, and sensing devices may be used to gather and analyze data in lab experiments.  Extensive use of graphing calculators is expected.  Word-processing and spreadsheet programs will be used to prepare papers and lab reports.  Internet access will be recommended to supplement the curriculum with online lecture notes, web-based tutorials, and interactive programs.  Teachers may elect to use current technology in conducting classroom lectures and/or demonstrations.

IV. GENERAL INFORMATION

This is a year-long, 10 credit course. As an Advanced Placement course, it carries a weighted grade point.

A. Prerequisites

Students must satisfy four of the five following categories, and also be concurrently enrolled in Calculus.

1. A grade of B+ or better in Chemistry or Honors Chemistry.

2. A grade of B+ or better in the previous year's math class. 

3. A recommendation from the previous year=s science teacher.

4. A recommendation from the previous year=s math teacher.

5. A passing grade on a Calculus Readiness test.

B. Requirements Met

This course may be used in partial fulfillment of the 220-credit graduation requirement.

This course is accepted towards the AD@  and AG@ requirements for UC admission. It is also accepted for the CSU  lab science requirement.

Approved: 5/28/96
Revised: 7/30/02