La Habra High School
Science Department

Science Standards - Physics

The student will:

solve problems involving constant speed, constant acceleration, making and analyzing position vs. time and velocity vs. time graphs.
observe and interpret situations involving static and dynamic equilibrium.
solve one-dimensional problems involving force, mass, and acceleration.
identify the action and reaction forces between interacting objects.
distinguish between mass and weight.
state the Law of Universal Gravitation.
solve problems using the Law of Universal Gravitation.
define centripetal force and acceleration.
identify centrifugal force as a fictitious force.
understand the limitations of Newton's Laws.
calculate the parameters for projectiles launched horizontally and at angles.
calculate the parameters for problems involving simple pendulums and mass/spring systems.
solve vector problems graphically and analytically.
draw free-body diagrams for static equilibrium situations.
determine the equilibrant vector for ALL acting vectors.

The student will:

explain the formation of images by flat and curved mirrors.
apply Snell's Law in order to predict the change in speed and direction of a light ray passing from one medium to another.

The student will:

The student will:

solve problems using mass, gravita-tional acceleration, and change in height of an object.
solve problems using the Law of Conservation of Energy.
recognize that energy can be transformed between different types of potential energy and kinetic energy.
solve momentum problems in one- and two-dimensions.
calculate the change in momentum for the acting force and its duration.
determine how to use elastic and inelastic collision equations for energy and momentum.

The student will:

compute the energy transfer between two objects at different temperatures.
solve problems using transformation of mechanical energy into heat.
calculate the efficiency of any heat engine and the Carnot (ideal) efficiency.
recognize that the entropy of a closed system increases with temperature.
describe the concept of entropy as a measure of the disorder of a system.
state the Second Law of Thermodynamics qualitatively in terms of entropy changes.
describe and explain conduction, convection, and radiation.
state the simple gas laws (Boyle's, Charles', and Gay-Lussac's).
explain the relationships between pressure, volume, temperature and amount of gas using the kinetic theory.

The student will:

distinguish between a transverse and a longitudinal wave.
use the wave equation to determine wavelength, frequency, and speed.
describe the change in speed and direction of a wave when it travels from one medium to another.
describe how a wave bounces off of an interface between two media.
explain the Doppler effect qualitatively.

The student will:

explain the interaction between like and unlike charges when juxtaposed to each other.
apply Ohm's Law to a simple electric circuit.
use Kirchoff's Laws to find current voltage and resistance of components.
explain the difference between p-type and n-type semiconductor material.
explain the function of a transistor and its components.
apply the Right Hand Rule to determine the current/field direction in a wire.
explain the concept of electromagnetic induction.
determine the magnitude and direction of the force acting on a charge moving through a magnetic field.
use the Thompson Experiment to determine the charge to mass ratio of an electron.

The student will:

interpret the results of Thomson's experiment.
interpret the implications that the atom has negative charged electrons orbiting around a small massive positive nucleus.
demonstrate an understanding of radioactive decay.
identify the products of alpha and beta decay in one step transformations.
identify the proton atomic number and nucleon mass number for nuclear isotopes.
understand the concept of artificial transmutation.