Physical Science:
Freshmen Physical Science is a core class focusing on the topics of scientific inquiry, chemistry, physics, and space science. Students are graded based on their understanding of the Big Ideas and Standards.
Big Idea 1: Matter is classified by its properties.
- 1.1 Matter can change state as it gains or loses energy.
- 1.2 The motion of gas particles produces pressure in all directions.
Big Idea 2: Matter is classified by its composition.
- 2.1 Atoms have measurable properties, composition, and forces.
- 2.2 Unstable atoms can undergo radioactive decay.
Big Idea 3: The Periodic Table organizes the elements.
- 3.1 The Periodic Table organizes elements by their properties.
Big Idea 4: Matter undergoes predictable chemical reactions.
- 4.1 Atoms have chemical properties that determine reactivity and bonding.
- 4.2 In chemical reactions, reactants are converted to products with new properties.
- 4.3 Chemical equations can be classified into different types.
- 4.4 Chemical reactions conserve mass but happen at different rates.
Big Idea 5: Energy can be harnessed and transferred from many sources.
- 5.1 Energy can take many forms.
- 5.2 Thermal energy is transferred in predictable ways.
- 5.3 Energy can travel as waves.
Big Idea 6: Waves can carry both energy and information through space.
- 6.1 Information can be transmitted using digital technology and waves.
- 6.2 Electromagnetic energy can be absorbed and emitted by atoms and molecules.
- 6.3 Waves have predictable frequencies and wavelengths that can be calculated.
Big Idea 7: Earth is a small planet in a vast Universe.
- 7.1 Light spectra is used to gather more information about our Universe.
- 7.2 The motion of objects can change the observed frequency of waves.
- 7.3 Background radiation comes from every direction in the Universe.
Big Idea 8: Forces influence motion and matter in the Universe.
- 8.1 Forces cause acceleration.
- 8.2 Newton's Laws indicate how forces affect motion.
- 8.3 The Fundamental Forces influence all matter in the Universe.
"Every atom in your body came from a star that exploded. And, the atoms in your left hand probably came from a different star than your right hand. It really is the most poetic thing I know about physics: You are all stardust. You couldn’t be here if stars hadn’t exploded, because the elements - the carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, iron, all the things that matter for evolution and for life - weren’t created at the beginning of time. They were created in the nuclear furnaces of stars, and the only way for them to get into your body is if those stars were kind enough to explode.”
― Lawrence M. Krauss