Orientation
Purpose: design and communicate a focused investigation or secondary-data study that uses a Module 3 wave, sound, optics, or thermal model.
This asset deliberately stops short of being a lab manual. Detailed lab sheets can be built later. For now, this provides the research and writing structure needed for the 10-week learning sequence.
Approved Study Lanes
| Lane | Possible focus | Core model |
|---|---|---|
| Wave transfer | speed, frequency, wavelength, medium change | $v = f\lambda$ |
| Resonance | strings, pipes, standing waves | natural frequency and harmonics |
| Sound | pitch, loudness, intensity, distance | intensity and decibel scale |
| Ray optics | refraction, image formation, lenses | Snell's law or thin-lens model |
| Thermodynamics | heating, cooling, insulation, phase change | $Q = mc\Delta T$ or $Q = mL$ |
Minimum Student Deliverable
- Research question.
- Physics model and variables.
- Method or data-source description.
- Risk, validity, reliability, and accuracy notes where relevant.
- Data table or evidence summary.
- Graph, calculation, or comparison.
- Conclusion that answers the research question.
- Limitation and improvement.
Research Question Templates
- How does changing the medium affect wave speed or wavelength?
- How does pipe length affect resonant frequency?
- How does distance affect measured sound intensity?
- How well does Snell's law predict refraction through a transparent block?
- How does insulation affect the rate of thermal energy transfer?
Marking-Focused Success Criteria
| Criterion | Evidence expected |
|---|---|
| Question and hypothesis | specific independent/dependent variables and a physical prediction |
| Model selection | relevant equation, assumptions, and scope |
| Data quality | repeated trials or credible secondary data; units and uncertainty |
| Analysis | graph or calculation linked to the model |
| Evaluation | limitation and improvement connected to validity, reliability, or accuracy |
| Communication | concise scientific language, labelled variables, correct units |