Grade 8 Physics

Grade 8 Combined Science starts the year in Chemistry and then rotates to Biology and then Physics, with specialist teachers in specialist labs. Semester 1 Physics classes place a heavy emphasis on Core Scientific lab skills and General Studentship. These skills are developed during the study of electrical circuits and the physical quantities that are used to describe such circuits. Students will use a variety of measurement devices, organize collected data into professional scientific data tables, plot data on a scientific graph, and use their graphs to answer research questions.

In Semester 2, the rotation is repeated in the same order but with a short period of consolidation and review of the year’s material just prior to the summer examination. The Physics studied in Semester 2 is centered around Mechanics. Students will learn how to describe an object’s movement by its speed, velocity, and acceleration. They will learn how forces affect motion, including those forces associated with free fall and air resistance. Students will also investigate the turning effect of forces and apply the Principle of Moments to solve problems and describe everyday phenomena.