B: Physical Science

B.1: All matter is made up of atoms. Its structure is made up of repeating patterns and has characteristic properties. The student will engage in investigations that integrate the process standards and lead to the discovery of the following objectives:

B.1.2: An element is composed of a single type of atoms. When elements are listed in order according to the number of protons (called the atomic number), repeating patterns of physical and chemical properties identify families of elements with similar properties.

Element Builder

B.2: The motion of an object can be described by its position, direction of motion, and speed. A change in motion occurs when a net force is applied. The student will engage in investigations that integrate the process standards and lead to the discovery of the following objectives:

B.2.1: Objects change their motion only when a net force is applied. Laws of motion are used to determine the effects of forces on the motion of objects.

Atwood Machine
Fan Cart Physics

B.2.2: Gravitation is a universal force that each mass exerts on any other mass.

Gravitational Force
Pith Ball Lab

B.3: Energy, such as potential, kinetic, and field, interacts with matter and is transferred during these interactions. The student will engage in investigations that integrate the process standards and lead to the discovery of the following objectives:

B.3.1: All energy can be considered to be either kinetic energy, which is the energy of motion; potential energy, which depends on relative position; or energy contained by a field, such as electromagnetic waves.

Air Track
Energy of a Pendulum
Inclined Plane - Sliding Objects
Potential Energy on Shelves
Roller Coaster Physics

B.3.2: Waves, including sounds and seismic waves, waves on water, and light waves, have energy and can transfer energy when they interact with matter (such as used in telescopes, solar power, and telecommunication technology).

Ripple Tank

B.4: A system that has changed over time, which includes dynamic changes in the earth's crust, is the Earth system. The student will engage in investigations that integrate the process standards and lead to the discovery of the following objectives:

B.4.2: The solid crust of the earth consists of separate plates that move very slowly pressing against one another in some places and pulling apart in other places (i.e., volcanoes, earthquakes and mountain building).

Plate Tectonics

B.5: The universe is an ever-changing system of matter and energy that exists now, in the past, and in the future. The student will engage in investigations that integrate the process standards and lead to the discovery of the following objectives:

B.5.2: All stars have a life cycle including birth, development, and death. Fusion reactions in stars release great amounts of energy and matter over millions of years.

H-R Diagram