Lectures will be minimal, and rote memorization of material will not be emphasized. You must discover that for yourself yoru lab group and instructor can help, but in the end, you will be responsible for your own learning.ĭo not expect your physical science course to be lecture-based.

You cannot achieve that purpose if your instructor simply tells you how things work.

The purpose of this course is to help you to appreciate the power of scientific reasoning to render the world around you knowable. The instructor is present to help you to learn the material that we cover, but he or she will rarely directly tell you the “final answer” to a homework or exam question. On most days, you will use some appropriate laboratory equipment to investigate one or more physical phenomena related to the topics listed above. Our physical science courses consist primarily of in-class activities and experiments.

Finding general and consistent relationships.

Answering questions and testing hypotheses.

Making observations and posing questions.

Scientific method for understanding our world.

Topics for the Physical Science sequence: This involves developing measurement-taking skills, recording and analyzing results, and drawing physical and mathematical conclusions from observations.

In addition to the physical concepts, students learn how to design and carry out experiments. Formal lectures are replaced with group collaboration and inquiry-based learning.

Intended for non-technical majors, the Physical Science sequence is a scientific survey of concepts including measurement, mechanics, energy, electric charge, magnetism, and light.

What is physical science