United States · Common Core State Standards
9th Grade Physics
This course investigates the fundamental principles governing the physical world through hands-on inquiry and mathematical modeling. Students explore the interactions of matter and energy to solve complex engineering problems and explain natural phenomena.
Forces and Motion
Students analyze the mathematical relationships between position, velocity, and acceleration while investigating how forces change the motion of objects.
Exploration of constant velocity and uniform acceleration through graphical analysis and motion sensors.
Investigating the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration in balanced and unbalanced systems.
Examining Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation and its role in planetary motion and satellite orbits.
Energy and Momentum
An investigation into the conservation laws that govern collisions, explosions, and energy transformations within closed systems.
Studying how forces applied over time change an object's momentum during collisions.
Analyzing the transfer of energy through work and the conversion between kinetic and potential energy.
Applying the law of conservation of energy to predict the behavior of complex mechanical systems.
Electromagnetism
Students explore the properties of electric charges, the behavior of circuits, and the relationship between electricity and magnetism.
Understanding the forces between stationary charges and the concept of electric fields.
Building and analyzing series and parallel circuits using Ohm's Law and Kirchhoff's Rules.
Investigating how moving magnets create electricity and how current creates magnetic fields.
Waves and Optics
A study of mechanical and electromagnetic waves, focusing on sound, light, and their applications in modern technology.
Exploring the fundamental characteristics of waves including frequency, wavelength, and amplitude.
Analyzing the reflection and refraction of light through mirrors and lenses.
Investigating the dual nature of light and the various regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Thermodynamics
Students examine the laws governing heat transfer, thermal energy, and the microscopic behavior of gases.
Studying conduction, convection, and radiation as mechanisms for energy movement.
Investigating the conservation of energy in thermal systems and the concept of entropy.
Connecting the macroscopic properties of gases to the microscopic motion of molecules.
Modern Physics and Nuclear Processes
An introduction to subatomic physics, radioactivity, and the energy released during nuclear reactions.
Exploring the evolution of atomic models and the basics of quantum energy levels.
Analyzing the processes of fission, fusion, and radioactive decay.
Investigating Einstein's famous equation and its implications for energy production.