SPH3U: Physics - Grade 11

Credit Value:

1.0

Course Description:

This course develops students' understanding of the basic concepts of physics. Students will explore these concepts with respect to motion, forces, energy; waves and sound, and electromagnetism. They will develop their scientific investigation skills as they test laws of physics and solve both assigned problems and those emerging from their investigations. Students will also consider the impact of technological applications of physics on society and the environment.

Prerequisite:

Science, Grade 10, Academic.

Ministry Policy Documents:

The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: Science, 2008 (revised)

Text Resources:

There is no required text for this course. However, it is important to attempt and complete as many problems as time allows in order to consolidate your understanding and skill. Therefore, you may wish to consider borrowing a high school physics text as a resource for the semester. Textbooks have worked through examples and questions with answers for plentiful practice. These types of examples and questions with answers are also available online at various sites. Other Resources: There will be suggested websites to visit throughout the course. Here are some useful ones that cover much of the course content, offering explanations, simulations, and additional questions:

Required Software/Equipment:

At a minimum, students should have access to:

  • Computer with an internet connection (high speed is preferable since some demonstrations and activities may take a long time to download on a dial-up connection)
  • media player (to view streaming video) generally a free download, if not already included with Internet Explorer
  • word processing software
  • graphics software, where the product can be saved in a standard format like .jpg or .gif
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader
  • Edison Software (Photorealistic Multimedia Lab for Exploring Electricity) which should be available within your school

other media hardware like a scanner, camera / digital camera, microphone, video / digital video camera (not absolutely necessary but useful for online courses)