Unit 2 Description
In this unit, you will investigate the concepts of energy and momentum and their crucial roles in understanding physical systems. You will explore the work-energy theorem, conservation of energy, and different forms of mechanical energy including kinetic, potential, and thermal energy. You will analyze how energy is transfered, transformed, and conserved in isolated and non-isolated systems.
Momentum and impulse will be studied to understand collisions and interactions between objects. You will differentiate between elastic and inelastic collisions and apply the principle of conservation of momentum in one- and two-dimensional scenarios.
Real-world applictions such as vehicle collisions, sports, and renewable energy technologies will provide meaningful contexts for these concepts.
Big Ideas:
- Energy can be transformed but is conserved in isolated systems.
- Momentum is conserved in collisions and interactions.
- Understanding energy and momentum enables prediction of outcomes in physical systems.
Key Topics:
- Work and power
- Mechanical energy: kinetic and potential
- Conservation of mechanical energy
- Impulse and momentum
- Conservation of momentum in collisions
- Elastic and inelastic collisions
Skilled Developed:
- Solving quantitative problems using energy and momentum principles
- Analyzing collisions and energy transformations
- Applying conservation laws to complex systems
- Using scientific reasoning to explain physical phenomena
Overall Expectations (Ontario Curriculum SPH4U):
A1. Analyse mechanical systems by applying the laws of motion, the work energy theorem, and the law of conservation of energy.
A2. Investigate and analyse phenomena involving collisions and the conservation of momentum in one and two dimentions.
A3. Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between force, work, and energy, and their applications in physical systems.
A4. Investigate and analyse the conservation of momentum and energy in different types of collisions and interactions.