PHSC 102 Syllabus Spring, 2008
PHSC 102 Physical Sciences for Elementary Education (4 credits)
Instructor: Dr. Norman Shank, Office: Jordan 358
nshank@messiah.edu, Phone: 2590
Texts: 1. Krauskopf & Beiser, The Physical Universe (Twelfth Edition): McGraw-Hill, 2008.
2. Physical Sciences for Elementary Education, Laboratory Manual, Messiah College, Spring 2008. A calculator will be required in the laboratory.
Course Objectives: The course aims to provide elementary education majors with the foundation and understanding necessary to teach physical science in an elementary school.
Physical Sciences for Elementary Educationmeets the General Education Laboratory Science requirement. The objectives for such a course are:
These objectives are fulfilled by the following specific learning objectives for this course:
1. To understand the methods by which scientific knowledge is acquired.
2. To learn the principles and basic content of each area of physical science, and use the principles to understand and explain specific examples.
3. To focus attention on areas where common sense is not in agreement with the results of careful scientific investigation.
4. To involve students in applying these methods and principles in the laboratory through experiences with the kinds of equipment likely to be available in an elementary school.
Schedule of Topics:
Date, Topic, Text Readings:
Feb. 5, Activities of Science, 2-5
Feb. 7, Measurement, motion, 24-27, 32-45
Feb. 5, 6, Lab 1: Measurement
Feb. 12, Force, 46-52, 54-61
Feb. 14, Energy, 72-83, 97-104
Feb. 12, 13, Lab 2: Force
Feb. 19, Temperature and heat, 112-117
Feb. 21, TEST I
Feb. 19, 20, Lab 3: Temperature and Heat
Feb. 26, Electricity, 158-178
Feb. 28, Electromagnetism, 178-193
Feb. 26, 27, Lab 4: Electrical Circuits
Mar. 4, Waves, 202-208, 219-224, 234-239
Mar. 6, Sound, 208-213
Mar. 4, 5, Lab 5: Periodic Motion
Mar. 11, Light, 216-219, 224-228, 231-234
Mar. 13, TEST II
Mar. 11, 12, Lab 6: Light
Mar. 18, Spring Recess
Mar. 20, Spring Recess
Mar. 25, Nuclear reactions, 248-256, 267-274
Mar. 27, Chemical reactions, 322-324, 332-341, 348-350
Mar. 25, 26, Lab 7: Latitude
Apr. 1, Physical changes, 131-139
Apr. 3, Solar system, 620-629, 653-656
Apr. 1, 2, Lab 8: Changes in Matter
Apr. 8, Stars and galaxies, 668-673, 682-688, 702-705
Apr. 10, TEST III
Apr. 8, 9, Lab 9: Minerals and Rocks
Apr. 15, Wind and precipitation, 476-493
Apr. 17, Service Day
Apr. 15, 16, Lab 10: Topographic Maps
Apr. 22, Weather and climate, 494-503
Apr. 24, Topography of crust; Written Paper due, 542-554
Apr. 22, 23, Lab 11: Cartography
Apr. 29, Activity in the crust, 531-541, 554-560, 568-571
May 1, Continents and plates, 578-586
Apr. 29, 30, Lab Quiz on Rocks
May 6, Earth as a resource, 463-465
May 8, TEST IV
Written Paper:
Choose one of the topics below. Write a one- to two-page explanation of the topic. A diagram may be included if that is helpful. Consult the Messiah College Student Handbook for policy concerning plagiarism. The paper should be typewritten and double spaced. It is due in class on Thursday, April 24, 2008. (One point will be deducted for each day late. No paper will be accepted after the final test on May 8.)
Assume that you are writing your explanation for someone who is not in this course. Begin with facts and ideas that are known and understood by everyone. Then add definitions, generalizations, or models which are important to your topic. Finally give a clear and logical explanation of your topic using those principles. This will usually involve applying the general knowledge to your specific situation in a step-by-step fashion. It is important to specifically address the question given, rather than just write about the general subject. Avoid extraneous material that does not lead to a clear understanding of the main point. In particular, the introduction and conclusion of this paper should be rather short.
1. Consider a pan of boiling water sitting on an electric hot plate. Heat is continuously entering the water from the hot plate. However, the temperature of the water stays constant at 100 degrees Celsius. Explain, in terms of energy, why the water temperature does not rise, even though heat energy is continuously entering the water. What would happen if the hot plate were turned to a higher setting? Explain.
2. If you are standing by a road and a car drives past you with its horn blowing, the pitch of the horn changes just as the car passes you. Explain why this is true, based on the wave nature of sound. Since light also exhibits some wave properties, a similar color change can occur with light. Explain how a color change is used to determine the speed of a moving galaxy.
3. The time from when the sun is directly overhead, until it is directly overhead again, is 24 hours. This is called a solar day. The time from when a star is directly overhead, until it is directly overhead again, is 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds. This is called a sidereal day. Explain why these two are different.
4. When a body of air rises to higher altitude where the atmospheric pressure is lower, it undergoes adiabatic cooling. This in turn causes the relative humidity of the air to increase, and may lead to cloud formation. First explain why cooling occurs. Then explain how this causes an increase in relative humidity, and how this can lead to cloud formation.