Introduction to Pure Physics

Required Texts• Physics Matters (4th Edition), Marshall

Cavendish – No need to bring to school– For pre-lesson reading and enrichment

• Conceptual Learning Physics (3rd Edition), GLM– Bring to every Physics Lesson

• 2014 Topical TYS, SAP– Assignments

• We will order the texts for you in bulk from school bookshop

Other Materials

• Two Physics files– [colour] file for Practicals– [colour] file for Assignments & Quizzes

• For Lab Sessions, bring your own:– 30 cm long ruler– Calculator– Graph Paper– Foolscap Paper

What you will be studying in Physics

• Your Physics syllabus number is 5059• Your first piece of HW is to download and print

out your physics syllabus from seab.gov.sg and put it in your file (print double sided, two pages per sheet)

• You are only the second batch to take this Physics syllabus. Some textbooks & assignments may not be up-to-date with the syllabus changes.

What you will be studying in Physics

• Physics consists of 4 broad themes:– Mechanics– Thermal Physics– Waves– Electricity & Magnetism

• You will study the first 3 in Sec 3, and the last one in Sec 4.

• Your practical sessions will also be based on these 4 themes.

Physics Lessons

• Your Physics lessons will be taught mainly using powerpoint slides.

• These slides will not be printed out for you, but they will be uploaded.

• After we’ve covered a major topic, we will have a short quiz on the topic just covered. Each quiz will be taken into account for CA.

Assignments

• Most of the time, assignments will be given to you as questions from your TYS.

• You are to do the assignments and submit on foolscap paper.

• Assignments will NOT be taken into account for CA (implication: please do NOT copy assignments)

Physics Blog

• Take down this blog url:• PPPHS2014.wordpress.com• At this blog, we will post Physics related

announcements (including assignment questions), upload lesson slides as well as solutions to assignments & quizzes.

SPA

• 20% of your Physics O level grade will be taken from your School-based Practical Assessment, or SPA.

• SPA is an exam which be conducted 3 times in Sec 4, twice in the lab and once in the classroom.

• We will start training you for SPA in Sec 3.• You will learn more about SPA in your first

Physics practical class.

How to do well in Physics• MOST IMPORTANT: pay attention in class– every lesson you do not pay attention in, you will need 3

times the amount of time to learn on your own• Seek help ASAP when you don’t understand– Iack of understanding will snowball until you find it too

difficult to want to catch up• Learn to make your own notes– it is not the reading of notes which is the best form of

studying, but the making of your own notes• Revise constantly so that you do not forget what

you’ve learned– studies show optimal revision time is 7 days and 3 weeks

later