1. Introduction and Mathematical Foundations
o Be able to define a set of coordinate axes and an origin for the purpose of locating objects and events
o Understand the difference between a scalar and a vector
o Know how to calculate the magnitude of a vector
o Recognize unit vectors
2. Forces and Newton’s Laws I
o Know how to add and subtract vectors
o Recognize the relationship between a net force and the sum of vectors
o Apply vectors and their sums to understanding Newton's first law of motion
3. Forces and Newton’s Laws II
o Express vectors algebraically as the sum of two component vectors
o Recognize the importance of carefully using units when solving physics problems
o Use Newton's second and third laws of motion to find the acceleration of an object when various forces are applied to it
4. Uniform Circular Motion
o Derive a formula for centripetal acceleration of objects in uniform circular motion
o Use centripetal acceleration to solve problems involving objects in uniform circular motion
5. Momentum
o Understand the physical definition of momentum
o Derive the law of conservation of linear momentum
o Apply this conservation law to solving problems involving linear motion
6. Work
o Recognize and use the scalar product of two vectors
o Understand the concept of work in the context of physics
o Calculate the work involved in moving objects from one location to another
7. Work and Kinetic Energy
o Derive an expression for kinetic energy from the physics concept of work
o Understand the relationship of work and kinetic energy
o Calculate the kinetic energy of various objects
8. Mechanical Energy and Power
o Understand the concept of potential energy and its relationship with kinetic energy
o Know why mechanical energy is conserved (in a frictionless environment)
o Define the power supplied when doing work on an object
9. Electrostatics
o Recognize and be able to use Coulomb's law to calculate the magnitude and direction of the force of one charged particle on another
o Calculate the magnitude and direction of the net force on a charged particle resulting from multiple additional charged particles
10. Currents and Magnetism
o Define the vector product of two vectors
o Define the concept of a field
o Recognize the magnetic field, force, and their relationship
o Calculate the force on a moving charged particle in a given magnetic field
11. Waves
o Recognize that an arbitrary waveform can be broken into a set of sinusoidal waves
o Learn how to calculate the parameters (such as frequency and amplitude) of sine waves
o Recognize some simple manifestations of frequency spectra, such as in graphic equalizers and prisms
12. Acoustic Waves
o Develop a mathematical expression for traveling waves
o Determine the relationship between wave speed, frequency, and wavelength
o Relate sound waves to pressure variation in a medium
o Be able to calculate wave speed from the bulk modulus and density of a medium (and vice versa)
13. Electromagnetic Waves
o Show conceptually how accelerated charge produces electromagnetic waves
o Determine the speed of light in a vacuum using material parameters
o Describe an electromagnetic wave using a sine function
o Calculate the frequency and wavelength of different electromagnetic waves
14. Rays: Geometrical Optics I
o Describe the relationship between a wave and a ray
o Use the law of reflection to calculate the direction of reflected rays
o Define the index of refraction and its relationship with material parameters
o Use the law of refraction to describe the "bending" of rays as the pass from one material to another
15. Rays: Geometrical Optics II
o Learn how to find the image of an object created by a mirror or lens using geometrical optics
o Explain how light can be "trapped" in the confines of a fiber
