Competencies
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Convert a verbal description of a physical
situation involving uniform acceleration in one
dimension into a mathematical description
Recognize whether or not a physical situation
involves constant velocity or constant
acceleration
Interpret displacement and velocity,
respectively, as areas under velocity vs. time
and acceleration vs. time curves
Interpret velocity and acceleration, respectively,
as slopes of position vs. time and velocity vs.
time curves
Construct velocity vs. time and acceleration vs.
time graphs, respectively, corresponding to a
given position vs. time-graph and velocity vs.
time graph and vice versa
Solve for unknown quantities in equations
involving one-dimensional uniformly accelerated
motion
Use the fact that the magnitude of acceleration
due to gravity on the earth’s surface is nearly
constant and approximately 9.8 m/s2
in free-fall
problems
Solve problems involving one-dimensional
motion with constant acceleration in contexts
such as, but not limited to, the “tail-gating
phenomenon”, pursuit, rocket launch, and freefall
problems
Describe motion using the concept of relative
velocities in 1d and 2d
Extend the definition of position, velocity, and
acceleration to 2d and 3d using vector
representation
Deduce the consequences of the independence
of vertical and horizontal components of
projectile motion
Calculate range, time of flight, and maximum
heights of projectiles
Differentiate uniform and non-uniform circular
motion
Infer quantities associated with circular motion
such as tangential velocity, centripetal
acceleration, tangential acceleration, radius of
curvature
Solve problems involving two dimensional
motion in contexts such as, but not limited to
ledge jumping, movie stunts, basketball, safe
locations during firework displays, and ferris
wheels
Plan and execute an experiment involving
projectile motion: identifying error sources,
minimizing their influence, and estimating the
influence of the identified error sources on final
results
Differentiate center of mass and geometric
center
Relate the motion of center of mass of a system
to the momentum and net external force acting
on the system
Relate the momentum, impulse, force, and time
of contact in a system
Explain the necessary conditions for
conservation of linear momentum to be valid.
Compare and contrast elastic and inelastic
collisions
Apply the concept of restitution coefficient in
collisions
Predict motion of constituent particles for
different types of collisions (e.g., elastic,
inelastic)
Solve problems involving center of mass,
impulse, and momentum in contexts such as,
but not limited to, rocket motion, vehicle
collisions, and ping-pong.
Perform an experiment involving energy and
momentum conservation and analyze the data
identifying discrepancies between theoretical
expectations and experimental results when
appropriate
Use newton’s law of gravitation to infer
gravitational force, weight, and acceleration due
to gravity
Determine the net gravitational force on a mass
given a system of point masses
Discuss the physical significance of gravitational
field
Apply the concept of gravitational potential
energy in physics problems
Calculate quantities related to planetary or
satellite motion
Apply kepler’s 3rd law of planetary motion
For circular orbits, relate kepler’s third law of
planetary motion to newton’s law of gravitation
and centripetal acceleration
Solve gravity-related problems in contexts such
as, but not limited to, inferring the mass of the
earth, inferring the mass of jupiter from the
motion of its moons, and calculating escape
speeds from the earth and from the solar system
Relate density, specific gravity, mass, and
volume to each other
Relate pressure to area and force
Relate pressure to fluid density and depth
Apply pascal’s principle in analyzing fluids in
various systems
Apply the concept of buoyancy and archimedes’
principle
Explain the limitations of and the assumptions
underlying bernoulli’s principle and the
continuity equation
Apply bernoulli’s principle and continuity
equation, whenever appropriate, to infer
relations involving pressure, elevation, speed,
and flux
Solve problems involving fluids in contexts such
as, but not limited to, floating and sinking,
swimming, magdeburg hemispheres, boat
design, hydraulic devices, and balloon flight
Perform an experiment involving either
continuity and bernoulli’s equation or buoyancy,
and analyze the data appropriately—identifying
discrepancies between theoretical expectations
and experimental results when appropriate
Enumerate the properties of an ideal gas
Solve problems involving ideal gas equations in
contexts such as, but not limited to, the design
of metal containers for compressed gases
Distinguish among system, wall, and
surroundings
Interpret pv diagrams of a thermodynamic
process
Compute the work done by a gas using dw=pdv
State the relationship between changes internal
energy, work done, and thermal energy supplied
through the first law of thermodynamics
Differentiate the following thermodynamic
processes and show them on a pv diagram:
isochoric, isobaric, isothermal, adiabatic, and
cyclic
Use the first law of thermodynamics in
combination with the known properties of
adiabatic, isothermal, isobaric, and isochoric
processes
Solve problems involving the application of the
first law of thermodynamics in contexts such
as, but not limited to, the boiling of water,
cooling a room with an air conditioner, diesel
engines, and gases in containers with pistons
Calculate the efficiency of a heat engine
Describe reversible and irreversible processes
Explain how entropy is a measure of disorder
State the 2nd law of thermodynamics
Calculate entropy changes for various processes
e.g., isothermal process, free expansion,
constant pressure process, etc
Describe the carnot cycle (enumerate the
processes involved in the cycle and illustrate the
cycle on a pv diagram)
State carnot’s theorem and use it to calculate
the maximum possible efficiency of a heat
engine
Solve problems involving the application of the
second law of thermodynamics in context such
as, but not limited to, heat engines, heat pumps,
internal combustion engines, refrigerators, and
fuel economy
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