PHYSICS - OUTLINES AND SKILLS

PHYSICS - OUTLINES AND SKILLS

At the end of the high school course, the student will have learned the fundamental concepts of physics, acquiring awareness of the cultural value of the discipline and its historical and epistemological evolution.
In particular, the student will have acquired the following skills: observing and identifying phenomena; facing and solving simple physics problems using the mathematical tools appropriate to his or her educational background; being aware of the various aspects of the experimental method, where the experiment is understood as reasoned questioning of natural phenomena, critical analysis of data and of the reliability of a measurement process, construction and/or validation of models; understanding and evaluating the scientific and technological choices that affect the society in which he or she lives.
The freedom, competence and sensitivity of the teacher-who will evaluate from time to time the most appropriate teaching path for the individual class and the type of high school within which he or she operates-will play a fundamental role in finding a connection with other teachings (especially those of mathematics, natural sciences, history and philosophy) and in promoting collaborations between his or her educational institution and universities, research institutions, science museums and the world of work, especially for the benefit of students in the last two years.

SPECIFIC LEARNING OBJECTIVES

SECOND TWO-YEAR PERIOD
It will begin to build up the language of classical physics (scalar and vector physical quantities and units of measurement), accustoming the student to simplifying and modeling real situations, solving problems and having critical awareness of their actions. At the same time, including an experimental approach, the student will have a clear understanding of the discipline's field of inquiry and learn to explore phenomena and describe them in appropriate language.
The study of mechanics will cover problems related to the equilibrium of bodies and fluids and to motion, which will be approached from both kinematic and dynamic perspectives, introducing Newton's laws with a discussion of inertial and noninertial reference systems and Galilei's principle of relativity. From the analysis of mechanical phenomena, the student will begin to become familiar with the concepts of work, energy and momentum, leading to a discussion of the first examples of conservation of physical quantities. The study of gravitation, from Kepler's laws to the Newtonian synthesis, will enable the student, also in connection with history and philosophy, to delve into the 16th- and 17th-century debate on cosmological systems.

In the study of thermal phenomena, the student will address basic concepts such as temperature, amount of heat exchanged and thermal equilibrium. The perfect gas model will enable him to understand the laws of gases and their transformations. The study of the principles of thermodynamics will lead him to generalize the law of conservation of energy and to understand the inherent limits to transformations between forms of energy.
Geometric optics will enable him to interpret the phenomena of reflection and refraction of light and to analyze the properties of lenses and mirrors.
The study of waves will cover mechanical waves, their parameters, characteristic phenomena and will conclude with essential elements of physical optics.
The topics indicated should be developed by the teacher in a manner and order consistent with the conceptual tools and mathematical knowledge possessed by the students, even in a recursive manner, in order to make the student familiar with the specific method of investigation in physics.

FIFTH YEAR.

The study of electric and magnetic phenomena will enable the student to examine critically the concept of interaction at a distance, already encountered with the law of universal gravitation, the need for its overcoming and the introduction of interactions mediated by the electric field, of which a description in terms of energy and potential will also be given, and the magnetic field.
The student will complete the study of electromagnetism with electromagnetic induction; an intuitive analysis of the relationships between varying electric and magnetic fields will lead him to an understanding of the nature of electromagnetic waves, their effects and their applications in the various frequency bands.
The experimental dimension can be further deepened with activities to be carried out not only in the school's teaching laboratory, but also at laboratories of universities and research institutions, adhering to orientation projects.
It is desirable for the student to be able to deal with 20th-century physics pathways related to the microcosm and/or macrocosm, approaching the issues that historically led to the new concepts of space and time, mass and energy.
The professionalism of the teacher should be understood to be entrusted with the responsibility of declining in a manner consistent with the type of high school in which he or she works, the paths whose essential conceptual stages have been indicated.