Lesson Structure:Physics BSC206

There are 10 lessons:

1. Review of Basic Algebra
   • Introduction
   • Equations and formulae
   • Variables
   • Quadratic equations
   • Graphing
   • Geometry
   • Triangles
   • Basaic formulae
   • Quadrilaterals
   • Angles and radians
   • Logarithms and exponentials
   • Trigonometry
2. Introduction: Scope and Nature of Physics
   • Observing, measuring, modeling, predicting
   • Units of measurement
   • Converting between units
   • Precision of measurements and identifying significant digits
3. Forces and Mechanics
   • Physics and motion
   • Displacement
   • Speed and velocity
   • Acceleration
   • Force
   • Force of gravity
   • Work
   • Power
   • Energy 
4. Waves
   • What are waves
   • Properties of waves: longitudinal waves, transverse waves
   • Wave terminology
   • Relationship of frequency or period
   • Wave speed
   • Electromagnetic radiation and waves
   • Sound waves
   • Sound spectrum
   • Measuring sound
   • Speed of sound
   • Doppler effect
   • Standing waves and resonance
5. Electricity and Magnetism
   • Electrostatics
   • Conductors and insulators
   • How to make an electroscope
   • Coulomb’s law
   • The electric field
   • Electricity and electric circuits
   • Current
   • Voltage
   • Resistance
   • Power
   • Ohm’s law
   • Circuits: series, parallel
   • Magnets
   • Magnetic forces
   • Ferromagnetism
   • Creating magnets
   • Earth’s magnetic fiels
   • Geomagnetic reversal
   • Electromagnetism
   • Electromagnetism and solenoids
   • Electric motors
   • Magnetic force
   • Right hand rule
   • Inductors
   • Lenz’s law
6. Energy and Work
   • What is energy
   • Potential energy
   • Kinetic energy
   • Conservation of total energy and mechanical energy
   • Converting kinetic energy into potential energy
   • Work and force
   • Conservative and non conservative forces
   • Conservation of mass energy
7. Fundamentals of Thermodynamics
   • Temperature measurement units
   • Fahrenheit
   • Celsius
   • Kelvin
   • Converting between units
   • What is heat
   • Heat transfers: thermal equilibrium
   • Thermal expansion and thermal contraction
8. Light and Optics
   • What is light
   • Reflection
   • Refraction
   • Demonstration of refraction
   • Index of refraction
   • Difraction
   • The electromagnetic spectrum
   • How a rainbow forms
   • What are mirrors
   • Flat mirrors
   • Convex mirrors
   • Concave mirrors
   • Lenses
   • Converging lenses
   • Diverging lenses
9. Nuclear Physics and Radioactivity
   • Structure of matter
   • The periodic table
   • What is radioactivity
   • Alpha radiation
   • Beta radiation
   • Gamma radiation
   • Radioactivity applications
   • Nuclear medicine -diagnostic and therapy
   • Radioactive tracers in agriculture
   • Food irradiation
   • Archeological and geological dating
   • Radiocarbon dating
   • Half life
   • Power generation
   • Radiation effects and injuries
   • Cancer and burns caused by radiation 
10. Astronomy, Cosmology and Astrophysics
    • What is astronomy
    • The pioneers of astronomy
    • The branches of astronomy
    • Sub fields of astronomy
    • Astronomy in our daily life
    • The most important discoveries in astronomy
    • What is Cosmology
    • How did cosmology evolve
    • Hubbles law
    • Cosmological principle
    • Calculate the age of the universe using the Hubble constant
    • What is astrophysics 

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the academy, marked by the school’s tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Learning Goals: Physics BSC206

• To present a review of the basic mathematical concepts required to understand and perform the calculations required in this course.
• To present an introduction into the fundamentals of physics, and a brief overview of the lessons in this course.
• To explain the following concepts and their applications: displacement, velocity, acceleration, speed, linear motion, momentum, force, work, energy, power, Newton’s law, equilibrium.
• To understand the concept of Electrostatics.
• To study the basic components of an electric circuit and their applications, and be able to measure the current, voltage and resistance in a circuit.
• To Learn about magnetism, induction, magnetic fields and their applications in the real world
• To define the concept of “energy” and explain the difference between Potential Energy and Kinetic Energy, and provide real life examples and applications to help the student understand these concepts.
• To understand temperature and heat, and perform conversions between the three temperature measurement units – Celsius, Fahrenheit and Kelvin.
• To study light and its characteristics, and understand the various types of mirrors and lenses.
• To gain an understanding into the world of nuclear physics and radioactivity and describe uses of radioactivity/radiation and understand the dangers and injuries which may result from radioactivity and radiation.
• To get an introduction into the world of cosmology and astrophysics. The following will be explained: Introduction into early cosmology, Telescopes, The solar system and beyond, Distances, Magnitude.

What sorts of things will you learn in this course?

Maths is the language of physics, that’s why any Physics course will contain maths and why we are reviewing maths in this lesson. The maths found in this Lesson and Lesson X does not exceed anything you would learn in high school. It may seem like heavy going for this lesson, but it is worth persevering with as it will help you really understand what physics is all about. Much of physics is about explaining physical phenomena and being able to create predictive mathematical models or theories to explain why things occur as they do and be able to predict future results in a reliable manner.

Learn to Understand Motion
Examining objects in motion and understanding the concepts of displacement, velocity, speed and acceleration is a great way to understand how physics work. It is the study of motion which began since 400 years that gave birth to the science of physics, and is often known as “kinematics”. There are only a few mathematical equations that you need to know in this section and they are relatively simple and straight forward and easy to remember.

What are Waves?
Simply put waves are a form of energy travelling from one place to another; for example think of the sun, it is very far away yet its light and heat reaches earth, think of hitting a snare drum; the sound travels to your ears. These are only two examples of waves but there are many more. Unfortunately sound waves and radio waves can’t really be seen, this makes them hard to describe, however one can visualize how waves behave when dropping a stone into water.

What are Electrostatics?
Over the past few decades, people’s dependency on electricity has witnessed an exponential growth, compared with the past century where people only used a few electric lights. However, scientists began to study and research electricity long before electric lamps were invented. These studies and observations date back to the days of ancient Greeks when they observed that rubbing amber would allow it to attract smaller objects such as feathers. To better understand electricity, we need to start with understanding electrostatics which is the study of electric charges at rest.

Understanding Energy
The energy of an object can be defined as the potential of that object to do work. This has relevance to kinetic energy, potential energy and lother energy types such as chemical, electrical, nuclear and thermal energy. To further understand the concept of energy, consider a ball rolling on the ground. If you apply a force to the ball and increase its rolling speed, you are actually doing work on the ball which results in an increase in the ball’s energy. So as you can see, work and energy are inter-related and in this lesson you will learn how to calculate the work done on an object as well as the amount of potential and kinetic energy that object possesses at any point in time.

Learn more about things like this by studying this course; starting any time, and working through it at a pace that suits your own abilities.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Here is a list of the most often asked FAQ’s.

General

Q. Why should I enrol with the Academy for Distance Learning?
A. Here at ADL, our students are our priority – we treat everyone as a unique individual.

Q. Do I need to buy text books?
A. No, as each module has been written by highly qualified industry professionals. The content of the material is presented in such a way that text books are not required. However, if you require additional reading your tutor will be able to supply a list.

Q. What happens if I have to stop studying for a while? (eg. become sick, go on holidays, have a baby, move house, etc)
A. It’s OK to take a break and start up your study at a later point in time. Just let us know.

Q. Is there an age limit?
A. There is no maximum age limit. We do however, have a minimum age limit of 18 years. Below that age parental consent would be required.

Q. Are your courses up-to date?
A. Our courses are revised and updated on a rotation system.

Q. Do you have a Cancellation policy?
A. Yes. We have a cancellation policy that is fair and equitable. For further details please click here.

Q. Will I have any opportunity to engage with other students?
A. We have a Student Community group based on facebook! If you don’t have a facebook account already, you could make one just for talking with fellow students on the group.

Enrolment

Q. When can I enrol/start?
A. You may enrol and start at any time of the year – it’s all self- paced.

Q. Can I study from anywhere in the world?
A. Our courses are available to anyone, anywhere in the world from the comfort of your own home. The course content is relevant to any country, culture or economy.

Q. How long do I have to complete the course?
A. You complete the course at any time that is convenient for you.

Q. Completing a 100 hour module – how long will it take?
A. For some students a 100 hour module will take approximately to 3- 6 months to complete. Others take less time and some even longer.

Assessment

Q. Assessment – how does it work?
A. For each 100 hour module you are assessed by assignments (at the end of each lesson) and a final one and a half hour exam (or you may elect to complete a Project, instead of sitting the exam) – the choice is yours – you sit for the exam in your own location.

Q. I don’t cope well with exams – what can I do?
A. You may elect to undertake a Project (set by your tutor) instead of sitting the exam. Projects are completed from your home and can usually take a couple of weeks to complete.

Q. If my assignment is not up to standard is there an opportunity to resubmit my work?
A. Yes –

Q. How many assignments do I need to complete for each module?
A. At the end of each lesson, there is an assignment – so if a course has say, 10 lessons, there would be 10 assignments.

Q. I am having difficulty attending workshops/industry meetings, what can be done?
A. If your course requires attendance at workshops, conferences, or industry meetings; alternative arrangements can be made in your country.

Qualifications

Q. What qualification will I receive?
A. For individual modules, you would be awarded a Certificate endorsed by TQUK (Training Qualifications, UK), providing you complete all assignments and the exam. If you just want to complete only the assignments and not sit for the exam or finish a Project, then a Letter of Achievement would be awarded. For more details on qualifications available please click here.

Q. Can I customize my diploma/higher qualification?
A. Not all educational institution’s certificates /diplomas meet everyone’s needs. The opportunity to Design Your Own Diploma at the Academy (subject to our approval) is an added bonus, not found at other colleges. You choose modules that you think will help you in achieving your goal.

Q. What do I get when I complete the course? Will I receive a transcript?
A. At the completion of all courses and providing all assignments and exam requirements have been met, you will receive your Award and a Transcript.

Tutors

Q. Our tutors – who are they?
A. We appoint Tutors and require that they must be currently active in their industry, with at least 5 years’ experience in their chosen profession.

Q. Can I contact my tutor at any time?
A. Yes – you have unlimited access to your tutor via email through our Online Classroom. You can always leave a message with ADL requesting your tutor to contact you. You decide on how much or how little contact you wish to have.

Q. Practical work – How is this done?
A. To find out more about this part of the course please visit the section on How Our Courses Work here.