Bluebonnet Home Scholars Collaborative

Flower Forth

Physics

Level:

Subject(s):

Description:

Not offered in 2025-26

This advanced high school physics course combines up-to-date science with a Christian
worldview and an educational approach that aims for wonder, integration, and mastery. Meeting
Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, this course will include both lab and lecture/discussion
components. This course requires daily dedication. Students should anticipate an hour per day of
study to fully master the material, and regular homework assignments need to be completed
promptly. A permanent weekly Zoom tutor session will be available for students to participate in as needed. Topics covered include: vector methods, uniform motion, forces, fields, Newton’s
Laws of Motion, equilibrium, energy, momentum, rotating systems, pressure, buoyancy, gases,
kinetic theory, heat, thermodynamics, simple harmonic motion, waves, sound, electrostatics,
electric circuits, magnetism, geometric optics, and nuclear physics.

From the textbook publisher’s website:

Physics: Modeling Nature addresses the complaints teachers typically have with many of the
current physics offerings. It is especially suited to STEM programs with a college-preparatory
mission. Students who aspire to a technical career will find this to be the best text available, with
fresh, elucidating illustrations and a narrative that explains concepts with attention to detail.

Physics: Modeling Nature employs vector calculations and assumes students have completed
trigonometry as a prerequisite. Problems in the text are not calculus-based, but since many
students will take calculus concurrently with advanced physics, connections between the two are
frequently highlighted.

Physics: Modeling Nature is written with Novare priorities—supporting a
mastery-learning paradigm, integrating related subjects, and a Kingdom perspective that inspires
wonder in the beauty and complexity of God’s great world.

Prerequisite: Must have completed Algebra II with Trigonometry or higher. Must enroll in Physics Lab as well. Enrollment requires teacher approval or placement exam

Materials:

Families purchase the following required supplies:

*As of May 2025, the SAT Calculator Policy has been revised and graphing calculators (with CAS) are no longer allowed for the PSAT or SAT. While CAS is beneficial in college, for our high school students please see the following options:

  1. Purchase a calculator with CAS (Mrs. Panam prefers TI-89 and up with CAS) that is suitable for use in college STEM programs—even though such calculators cannot be used on standardized tests like the PSAT and SAT. If choosing this option, also select one or both of the next two options if your student plans to take standardized tests like the PSAT/SAT.
  2. Use an online calculator (like DESMOS)—this means the student will need access to a laptop/desktop/tablet with access to internet. It is recommended that students master using this online calculator prior to taking a standardized test to avoid any issues during testing. (Students can also practice using the provided online test calculators via practice online PSAT/SAT tests.)
  3. Purchase an allowed calculator following the College Board’s instructions—here are some examples of allowed TI calculators, the underlined ones are BHSC’s recommendations:
  • TI-83 Plus graphing calculator
  • TI-84 Plus graphing calculator
  • TI-84 Plus CE graphing calculator
  • TI-84 Plus CE Python graphing calculator
  • TI-Nspire™ CX graphing calculator 
  • TI-Nspire™ CX II graphing calculator
BHSC recommends that each student has one of the approved calculators AND masters DESMOS (the online calculator) as both tools have their own strengths and weaknesses and deciding which tool to use is part of SAT math strategy.