Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Upon completion of the course students will be able to:

• Apply knowledge of sound waves, electricity and magnetism, and light to explain natural physical processes and related technological advances.
• Use an understanding of elementary mathematics along with physical principles to effectively solve problems encountered in everyday life, further study in science, and in the professional world.
• Design experiments and acquire data in order to explore physical principles, effectively communicate results, and critically evaluate related scientific studies.
• Assess the contributions of physics to our evolving understanding of global change and sustainability while placing the development of physics in its historical and cultural context.

At the beginning of the course, the instructor will detail the methods used to evaluate student progress and the criteria for assigning a course grade. The methods may include one or more of the following tools: examinations, quizzes, homework assignments, laboratory reports, research papers, small group problem solving of questions arising from application of course concepts and concerns to actual experience, oral presentations, or maintenance of a personal lab manual.
The student will be evaluated on written tests covering both lecture and lab experiences, required lab reports, and on turned-in homework questions (verbal skills and reasoning in written format) and problems (quantitative in a few cases).
 

The instructor will be required to cover the goals and objectives listed in this Course Content Guide. The Course Content Guides are developed by college-wide subject area faculty and approved by management.
COURSE CONTENT:
EACH WEEK, LABS WILL BE PRESENTED THAT CORRESPOND TO THE MATERIAL COVERED IN THE LECTURE SESSIONS.
1.0 WAVES AND SOUND
The goal is to gain an awareness of how the principles of physics apply to waves and sound.
Objectives:
1.1 Define: wavelength, frequency, wave speed, and energy in a wave.
1.2 State units of the above quantities in both the metric and English systems.
1.3 Describe and differentiate between: transverse and longitudinal waves.
1.4 Give practical examples of waves (interference, the Doppler effect, bow waves and
shock waves).
1.5 Define: sound, resonance, pitch.
1.6 Describe and differentiate between: sound intensity and loudness.
1.7 Give examples and compare: reflection and refraction of sound.
2.0 ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM
The goal is to develop an understanding of the basic concepts of electricity
and magnetism.
Objectives:
2.1 Define: electrical force, charge, electric field, and electric potential.
2.2 State units of the above quantities in both the metric and English systems.
2.3 Describe and differentiate between: semiconductors and superconductors.
2.4 Define: electric current, electric resistance, electric power.
2.5 State units of the above quantities in the metric systems.
2.6 To experimentally investigate Ohm’s Law in electrical circuits.
2.7 Describe and differentiate between: parallel and series electrical circuits.
2.8 Describe and differentiate between: DC and AC current.
2.9 Define: magnetic force
2.10 Explain the effects of magnetic fields on moving charge
2.11 Describe how electric motors work and the role of magnetism in their function.
3.0 LIGHT AND OPTICS
The goal is to develop an understanding of the basic concepts of light and optics.
Objectives:
3.1 Describe the properties of electromagnetic waves.
3.2 Describe and differentiate between: transparent and opaque materials.
3.3 Describe selective reflection and transmission.
3.4 Experimentally explore image formation using mirrors and lenses
3.5 Define: sound, resonance, pitch.
3.6 Describe and differentiate between: sound intensity and loudness.
3.7 Give examples and compare: reflection and refraction of sound.
3.8 Describe interference and diffraction of light waves.
3.9 Describe and differentiate between: incandescence, fluorescence and phosphorescence.
3.10 Describe the operation of lasers.
3.11 Define the photon.
3.12 Discuss the concept of the “quantum” and the quantization of light.
3.13 Describe the photoelectric electric.
3.14 Describe the consequences of wave-particle duality for light.
EACH WEEK, LABS WILL BE PERFORMED THAT CORRESPOND TO THE MATERIAL COVERED IN THE LECTURE SESSION.