Join Rick to explore what physics is all about and how to work scientifically with fun experiments each week. Rick will be helping you delve into some aspects of the topics. There are no prerequisites for mathematical skills, everyone will participate in the experiments and draw conclusions from the results. Those who like the challenge can dive into the mathematical aspects, providing their group with predictions to be tested by further experiments.
This secondary program will be held at the Mid-Mountains Community Centre in Lawson on Tuesdays from 11:40-1:10pm for six weeks in Term 4. For enquiries and bookings, please contact Jane Brennan (jane_brennan@msn.com).
The weekly topics are as follows:
Week 1 (22 October 2019)
Introduction to Physics: We will explore what physics encompasses, what its main ideas are, and how it has evolved. Who were the minds that have shaped physics? What are daily uses and applications of physics? Further, we will look at why we do experiments in physics and what a good experimental set-up is, and how we can document our findings.
Week 2 (29 October 2019)
Motion: This week will give us an introduction to motion as being one of the key topics in physics, and part of mechanics. We will broadly cover the concepts of forces, acceleration, energy, work, and mass. Experiments.
Week 3 (5 November 2019)
Heat and Thermodynamics: This class will provide an introduction to the concepts of heat and thermal energy, heat of atoms, heat movement, and increasing energy and entropy. Experiments.
Week 4 (12 November 2019)
Electricity and Magnetism: This week will provide an introduction to moving electrons and charges, how magnetism and electricity are related, and electricity around us (e.g. concepts of AC/DC). We will then explore electricity in more detail through low-voltage experiments.
Week 5 (19 November 2019)
Light: This class will give an introduction to different types of light (i.e. visible and Electromagnetic [EM] radiation), the relationship between light and energy, and it will touch on the wave versus particle description of light. We will look at the speed of light and how/where it is used. Experiments.
Week 6 (26 November 2019)
Modern Physics: Today, we will talk about where traditional physics stops (and why), and introduce some aspects of modern physics such as Bohr’s atomic model, Einstein’s relations between matter and energy, and Hawking’s black holes and galaxies. This week, we will be building models to visualise some of the concepts covered.
COST: $73 MEMBERS / $79 NON-HEN MEMBERS
About the facilitator:
Rick Swancott is a semi-retired science and computing teacher, author and lecturer, with a BA in Science from Macquarie University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Computing from UWS. Rick has taught computing at the UWS school of continuing education, and science and computing at various high schools in St Marys and Rooty Hill. Rick also runs GeekMakers Teens Holiday Programs on Electronics, Robotics, Rocketry, and Chemistry.