United States · Common Core State Standards
12th Grade Physics
A comprehensive exploration of the fundamental laws governing the universe from subatomic scales to galactic structures. Students utilize mathematical modeling and empirical evidence to analyze complex physical systems and engineering challenges.

01Mechanics and Universal Gravitation
An investigation into the motion of objects and the forces that govern them across terrestrial and celestial scales.
Students will differentiate between vector and scalar quantities and practice vector addition and subtraction graphically and analytically.
Students will derive and apply kinematic equations to solve problems involving constant acceleration in one dimension.
Analyzing projectile motion and constant acceleration using vector decomposition and mathematical models.
Students will investigate Newton's First and Second Laws, applying them to analyze forces and predict motion.
Students will identify action-reaction pairs and apply Newton's Third Law to understand interactions between objects.
Examining the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration in complex multi body systems, including friction and inclined planes.
Students will apply Newton's Laws to solve problems involving systems of connected objects, including pulleys.
Students will define and calculate centripetal acceleration and force, applying them to objects moving in a circle.
Students will explore Kepler's Laws of planetary motion and their connection to Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation.
Exploring centripetal acceleration and the universal law of gravitation in planetary orbits.
Students will calculate gravitational potential energy and understand the concept of escape velocity.
Students will introduce rotational kinematics, torque, and angular acceleration.
Students will explore the concept of moment of inertia and its role in rotational dynamics.

02Energy and Momentum Systems
Focusing on the conservation laws that dictate the outcomes of interactions and collisions within closed systems.
Students will define work and power, calculating them in various physical scenarios.
Students will define and calculate kinetic energy and different forms of potential energy (gravitational, elastic).
Analyzing the transformation of energy between kinetic, potential, and thermal states.
Students will analyze situations where non-conservative forces (like friction) are present and how they affect energy conservation.
Students will define momentum and impulse, and understand their relationship.
Studying the relationship between force, time, and the change in momentum during collisions.
Students will apply the principle of conservation of momentum to solve problems involving one-dimensional collisions.
Students will extend the principle of conservation of momentum to analyze two-dimensional collisions.
Students will define rotational kinetic energy and calculate the work done by torque.
Students will apply the principle of conservation of angular momentum to various systems.
Students will analyze simple harmonic motion (SHM) in spring-mass systems and pendulums.
Students will explore energy transformations within systems undergoing simple harmonic motion.
Students will investigate damped and driven oscillations, including the phenomenon of resonance.

03Electricity and Circuitry
An exploration of electrostatic forces, electric fields, and the behavior of current in DC circuits.
Students will define electric charge, identify methods of charging, and apply Coulomb's Law to calculate electrostatic forces.
Investigating the forces between stationary charges and the nature of electric fields.
Students will define electric potential and potential energy, and relate them to electric fields.
Students will explore capacitance, capacitors, and the role of dielectric materials.
Students will define electric current, resistance, and resistivity, and understand their relationship.
Students will apply Ohm's Law to analyze simple DC circuits with resistors.
Analyzing the flow of charge through series and parallel configurations using Ohm's Law and Kirchhoff's Rules.
Students will apply Kirchhoff's Junction and Loop Rules to analyze more complex DC circuits.
Students will calculate electrical power and energy dissipated or consumed in DC circuits.
Students will analyze the transient behavior of RC circuits during charging and discharging.
Students will investigate how electric currents produce magnetic fields.
Studying how magnetic fields are generated and their effects on moving charges and currents.
Students will explore the applications of magnetic forces in devices like electric motors and galvanometers.

04Magnetism and Electromagnetism
Examining the relationship between moving charges and magnetic fields, including induction and motors.
Students will define magnetic flux and apply Faraday's Law of Induction to calculate induced EMF.
Analyzing how changing magnetic flux induces electromotive force and current.
Students will explore the principles behind electric generators and transformers.
Students will be introduced to Maxwell's equations and the nature of electromagnetic waves.
Students will explore the different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum and their applications.
Exploring the physics of oscillations, resonance, and the mathematical description of waves.
Students will investigate the properties of sound waves, including intensity, pitch, and the Doppler effect.
Students will apply the laws of reflection to analyze image formation by plane and spherical mirrors.
Students will apply Snell's Law to analyze image formation by lenses and phenomena like total internal reflection.
Analyzing the behavior of light through reflection, refraction, diffraction, and interference.
Students will investigate the phenomenon of light polarization and its applications.

05Waves and Optics
Investigating the properties of mechanical and electromagnetic waves, including light behavior and imaging.
Students will define temperature, heat, and internal energy, and explore methods of heat transfer.
Students will apply the First Law of Thermodynamics to analyze energy changes in thermodynamic systems.
Studying internal energy, heat, work, and the inevitable increase of entropy in systems.
Students will explore the Second Law of Thermodynamics and the concept of entropy.
Students will be introduced to the origins of quantum theory through blackbody radiation.
Students will analyze the photoelectric effect and its implications for the particle nature of light.
Students will explore the concept of wave-particle duality for both light and matter.
Students will review atomic models, focusing on the Bohr model and quantized energy levels.
Exploring the dual nature of light and matter, radioactive decay, and mass energy equivalence.
Students will investigate nuclear fission and fusion, including their energy release and applications.
Students will be introduced to Einstein's postulates of special relativity.