High School Physics: Mechanics Course

Lesson 1 • Position, Distance, and Displacement

Distinguishes position from displacement and distance from path length. Anchors the conceptual difference between scalar and vector descriptions of location.

Lesson 2 • Physical Quantities and SI Units

Introduces scalar and vector quantities, SI base units, and unit conversion. Provides the measurement language used throughout the entire course.

Lesson 3 • Vectors and Vector Operations

Covers graphical and component methods for adding and resolving vectors. Builds the mathematical foundation required for force and motion analysis.

Lesson 1 • Problem-Solving Strategy for Kinematics

Introduces a structured five-step method for solving kinematics problems. Reduces errors by emphasising diagram drawing, variable listing, and unit checking.

Lesson 2 • Motion Graphs and Their Interpretation

Analyses position-time, velocity-time, and acceleration-time graphs. Reinforces the calculus-like relationships between these quantities without formal calculus.

Lesson 3 • Free Fall and Gravitational Acceleration

Applies kinematic equations to objects in free fall using gravitational acceleration. Addresses common sign-convention errors in upward and downward motion.

Lesson 1 • Relative Motion and Reference Frames

Applies vector addition to find velocities observed from different reference frames. Solves classic river-crossing and airplane-wind problems.

Lesson 2 • Two-Dimensional Motion Framework

Decomposes two-dimensional motion into independent x and y components. Establishes the superposition principle that underlies all planar kinematics.

Lesson 3 • Projectile Motion Analysis

Analyses the parabolic trajectory of objects launched at an angle under gravity. Derives range, maximum height, and time-of-flight formulas.

Lesson 1 • Newton's Third Law and Force Pairs

Identifies action-reaction pairs and explains why they do not cancel. Resolves common misconceptions about equal and opposite forces.

Lesson 2 • Free-Body Diagrams

Teaches systematic construction of free-body diagrams for single objects. Accurate diagrams are the prerequisite for all force-equation setups in subsequent chapters.

Lesson 3 • Newton's Second Law Applications

Applies F = ma to calculate acceleration from net force and mass. Emphasises vector nature of the equation and its component form.

Lesson 1 • Multi-Body Connected Systems

Applies Newton's Second Law simultaneously to two or more connected objects. Introduces the constraint that connected objects share the same acceleration magnitude.

Lesson 2 • Inclined Plane Problems

Resolves forces along and perpendicular to inclined surfaces using tilted coordinate systems. Combines friction and normal force analysis on slopes.

Lesson 3 • Normal Force and Weight

Distinguishes weight as gravitational force from normal force as a surface reaction. Calculates normal force on horizontal, vertical, and inclined surfaces.

Lesson 4 • Friction Forces

Introduces static and kinetic friction coefficients and their governing equations. Applies friction to sliding, pushing, and pulling scenarios.

Lesson 1 • Gravitational Potential Energy

Defines gravitational potential energy relative to a chosen reference level. Introduces the concept of conservative forces and path independence.

Lesson 2 • Conservation of Mechanical Energy

States and applies the conservation of mechanical energy for systems without friction. Solves roller-coaster, pendulum, and projectile problems using energy conservation.

Lesson 3 • Power and Energy Transfer Rate

Defines power as the rate of work done and relates it to force and velocity. Solves problems involving engines, motors, and human exertion.

Lesson 4 • Work Done by a Force

Defines work as the dot product of force and displacement. Calculates work done by constant and variable forces, including cases where force and displacement are not parallel.

Lesson 1 • Elastic Collisions

Applies both momentum and kinetic energy conservation to elastic collisions. Derives velocity equations for equal and unequal mass cases.

Lesson 2 • Perfectly Inelastic Collisions

Analyzes collisions where objects stick together and kinetic energy is not conserved. Calculates post-collision velocity and energy lost in one-dimensional cases.

Lesson 3 • Linear Momentum and Impulse

Defines momentum as mass times velocity and impulse as force times time interval. Derives the impulse-momentum theorem and applies it to collision and impact scenarios.

Lesson 4 • Two-Dimensional Collision Analysis

Extends momentum conservation to collisions in a plane using x and y components. Solves glancing collision problems with vector momentum diagrams.

Lesson 1 • Moment of Inertia

Defines moment of inertia as rotational inertia and provides formulas for common shapes. Explains how mass distribution affects resistance to angular acceleration.

Lesson 2 • Rotational Kinematics

Introduces angular displacement, velocity, and acceleration as rotational analogs of linear quantities. Applies constant angular acceleration equations to spinning objects.

Lesson 3 • Newton's Second Law for Rotation

Applies the rotational form of Newton's Second Law (τ = Iα) to spinning objects. Solves problems involving applied torques and resulting angular accelerations.

Lesson 4 • Rotational Kinetic Energy and Angular Momentum

Extends energy and momentum concepts to rotating systems. Applies conservation of angular momentum to spinning skaters and collapsing stars.