The Project Physics II: The Atom, The Nucleus; Light/Electromagnetism

Course Description

Prerequisites: The student has successfully completed The Project Physics w/ Astronomy or comparable high school Physics I course as well as Algebra I & II and Geometry.

The Project Physics I & II is an integrated course in physics, astronomy, chemistry (atom, nucleus, and Periodic Table), and applied mathematics (science processing skills) with six units spanning two years in high school for two semesters college physics equivalency. The Project Physics I includes astronomy as its middle unit between kinematics and mechanics/thermodynamics. The Project Physics II includes units on the atom and the nucleus, recognizing the latter as particles moving within the former, both finding order in the Periodic Table and involving radiation and thus building on light as the first unit.

As dual enrollment courses with Colorado Christian University, The Project Physics I corresponds with PHY 210/211/212 – General Physics I – Basic principles of physics; classical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics, and other selected topics, while The Project Physics II corresponds with PHY 310/311/312 – General Physics II – Basic modern physics concepts for those who have completed PHY 210/211/212, as its continuation. Moreover, these two courses are preparatory for the AP Physics 1 and AP Physics 2 exams, respectively.

The Project Physics Course text is superior to anything else I have encountered, rightly framing physics as man's humble exploration of the physical world rather than as a source of absolute truth. Designed for the college freshman pursuing a liberal arts degree, the text is beautifully written and a pleasure to read with its implicitly empirical approach, historical context, and academic rigor and is supplemented by selections from each unit’s reader (a collection of related articles and essays by well-known physicists). – Dr. Helmkamp

“A humanistically oriented physics course … useful and interesting to students with widely differing skills, backgrounds and career plans … designed to help students increase their knowledge of the physical world by concentrating on ideas that characterize physics as a science at its best rather than concentrating on isolated bits of information … [thus also] presenting the subject in historical and cultural perspective” (from Preface to The Project Physics Course Text 1970).

All course content is normed to the Holy Scriptures by a teacher who acknowledges the historicity of the Genesis account as does the Lord Himself (Mark 10:6; Luke 3:38, 11:50-1, 17:26-7) and his apostles (Acts 17:24-7; Rom. 1:18-20; 5:12, 8:19-20; I Cor. 15: 21-2; 2 Pet. 3:5-6), albeit implicitly. That is, Genesis chapter one is God’s own account (penned by Moses) of His Creation Ex Nihilo in six natural days some 6000 years ago (Gen. 5, 11; Luke 3).

Course Topics for The Project Physics II

1. Light/Electromagnetism in Quarters 1-2: Light, Electric, and Magnetic Fields; Faraday and the Electric Age; Electromagnetic Radiation; Cathode Rays and the Discovery of the Electron (Unit B); Light and General Relativity*
2. Models of the Atom and The Periodic Table in Quarters 2-3: The Chemical Basis of the Atomic Theory; Electrons and Quanta; The Rutherford-Bohr Model of the Atom; Some Ideas from Modern Physical Theory; Bonding between Atoms and Molecules
3. The Nucleus in Quarters 3-4: Radioactivity; Isotopes; Probing the Nucleus; Nuclear Energy and Forces; Nuclear Fission (Unit B); The World of Particles (Unit A); The Neutrino* (Unit B)

NOTE: Significant scientific advances since 1970 will be noted in context.

Texts

The Project Physics Course (Holt, Rinehart, and Winston: 1970). That is, the Text and Handbook for Units 4-6 from The Project Physics Collection at www.archive.org.

Links

• The Project Physics Course materials (Holt, Rinehart and Winston: 1970). Project Physics Collection