Additional Course

Physics

A self-study enrichment course for the curious. Watch a ball arc through the air, feel a force become an acceleration, trace energy as it changes form, ride a wave, and close a circuit — the universe written as \(\vec{F}=m\vec{a}\), \(E=\tfrac12 mv^2\), and \(V=IR\).

How this course works This is a self-study enrichment course, not a graded class. There is no syllabus and no pacing guide — nothing here is collected, scored, or reported. Open whichever module sparks your curiosity, play with its Visual Lab, work the examples, and dip into Foundations whenever the math feels shaky. Explore in any order, at your own pace, for the pure pleasure of understanding how the world moves.

Physics is the habit of explaining the everyday with a handful of ideas. We start with motion — describing where things are and how fast they change — then ask why they move and meet forces and Newton's laws. From there we follow energy and momentum as they're traded and conserved, watch waves carry sound and light, and finally push charge through a circuit. Every idea is met the way a physicist meets it: pictured with a diagram, written symbolically, measured numerically, and reasoned about in plain words — from \(v = v_0 + at\) to \(P = IV\). It's enrichment, so there's no test waiting at the end; the reward is seeing the pattern.

5 Modules
Self-Paced Explore Any Order
No Grades Enrichment Only
Curiosity The Only Prerequisite
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Concepts in Action

Physics is the science of things that move, push, flow, and oscillate — a projectile arcing, a block sliding down a ramp, a wave rippling, charge racing around a loop. Each module opens with an interactive Visual Lab built to make the motion visible.

Visual Labs — one per module

Every module page hosts a hands-on explorer. In Module 1 you launch a projectile and watch its horizontal and vertical motion play out side by side, reading position, velocity, and acceleration as it flies. Later modules let you stack forces on a free-body diagram, trade kinetic for potential energy on a track, sweep a wave's frequency and amplitude, and wire components into a live circuit. Start with the lab that matches what you're exploring — or just play.

M1 · Projectile & Motion Explorer M2 · Free-Body & Force Builder M3 · Energy & Momentum Track M4 · Wave & Optics Tracer M5 · Circuit Playground
Why it matters. Physics rewards seeing before solving. A projectile makes sense once you watch its two motions run independently; a force does once you draw it on a free-body diagram; energy does once you see it change form without ever vanishing. The labs let you play with each idea — nudge a slider, break it, fix it — so the equations feel like descriptions of something you've already watched happen.
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Module by Module

Five modules, from describing motion to powering a circuit. Each is self-contained — open them in any order, follow your curiosity, and lean on Foundations whenever you want a math refresher first.

Module 01

Kinematics — Motion in 1D & 2D

Self-Paced

Big idea: motion is just position changing in time — describe how fast and how the speed itself changes, and a projectile becomes two simple motions happening at once.

Topics

Position, Velocity & Acceleration — displacement vs. distance, average vs. instantaneous, and reading motion graphs.

Equations of Motion — the constant-acceleration kinematics equations, including free fall under gravity.

Projectile & 2D Motion — splitting motion into independent horizontal and vertical components.

You'll be able to…

  • Read position, velocity, and acceleration off a motion graph.
  • Apply the kinematics equations to constant-acceleration and free-fall problems.
  • Resolve a velocity into horizontal and vertical components.
  • Predict the range and flight time of a launched projectile.

Worked example

Free fall from rest A ball dropped from rest falls for \(t=2\,\text{s}\) with \(a=g=9.8\,\text{m/s}^2\): \[ d = \tfrac12 g t^2 = \tfrac12(9.8)(2)^2 = 19.6\,\text{m}. \]
Independent components Launched at \(v_0=20\,\text{m/s}\), \(30^\circ\): \(v_{0x}=20\cos30^\circ\approx17.3\,\text{m/s}\) stays constant, while \(v_{0y}=20\sin30^\circ=10\,\text{m/s}\) slows under gravity.
Visualize this module → 🧱 Shaky on the basics? → Foundations
Module 02

Forces & Newton's Laws

Self-Paced

Big idea: forces are the why behind motion — an object keeps doing what it's doing until a net force changes it, and that change is exactly \(\vec{F}=m\vec{a}\).

Topics

The Three Laws — inertia, \(\vec{F}_{net}=m\vec{a}\), and action–reaction pairs.

Free-Body Diagrams — identifying every force on an object and summing them as vectors.

Common Forces — weight, normal, tension, and friction (static and kinetic).

You'll be able to…

  • Draw a free-body diagram for an object and label every force.
  • Apply \(\vec{F}_{net}=m\vec{a}\) to find acceleration or an unknown force.
  • Identify Newton's-third-law action–reaction pairs.
  • Account for friction and the normal force on level and inclined surfaces.

Worked example

Newton's second law A net force of \(F=12\,\text{N}\) acts on a \(m=3\,\text{kg}\) cart: \[ a = \frac{F}{m} = \frac{12}{3} = 4\,\text{m/s}^2. \]
Weight vs. mass A \(5\,\text{kg}\) box has weight \(W = mg = 5(9.8) = 49\,\text{N}\) — the mass is the same anywhere, but the weight depends on \(g\).
Visualize this module → 🧱 Shaky on the basics? → Foundations
Module 03

Energy & Momentum

Self-Paced

Big idea: energy and momentum are the great bookkeepers — they change form and trade hands in a collision, but the total is conserved, which makes hard problems suddenly easy.

Topics

Work & Energy — \(W=Fd\), kinetic energy \(\tfrac12 mv^2\), gravitational potential \(mgh\), and the work–energy theorem.

Conservation of Energy — tracking energy through a system, plus power \(P=\dfrac{W}{t}\).

Momentum & Impulse — \(p=mv\), impulse \(F\Delta t\), and conservation of momentum in collisions.

You'll be able to…

  • Compute work, kinetic energy, and potential energy in a system.
  • Use conservation of energy to find speeds and heights.
  • Apply impulse and conservation of momentum to collisions.
  • Distinguish elastic from inelastic collisions.

Worked example

Conservation of energy A ball dropped from \(h=5\,\text{m}\) converts \(mgh\) into \(\tfrac12 mv^2\): \[ v = \sqrt{2gh} = \sqrt{2(9.8)(5)} \approx 9.9\,\text{m/s}. \]
Conservation of momentum A \(2\,\text{kg}\) cart at \(3\,\text{m/s}\) sticks to a \(1\,\text{kg}\) cart at rest: \[ v = \frac{(2)(3)+(1)(0)}{2+1} = 2\,\text{m/s}. \]
Visualize this module → 🧱 Shaky on the basics? → Foundations
Module 04

Waves, Sound & Optics

Self-Paced

Big idea: a wave carries energy without carrying matter — sound is a wave you hear, light is a wave you see, and the same rules of speed, frequency, and reflection govern both.

Topics

Wave Basics — wavelength, frequency, amplitude, period, and the wave relation \(v=f\lambda\).

Sound — longitudinal waves, pitch and loudness, resonance, and a first look at the Doppler effect.

Light & Optics — reflection, refraction, and image formation by lenses and mirrors.

You'll be able to…

  • Relate speed, frequency, and wavelength with \(v=f\lambda\).
  • Describe how pitch and loudness map to frequency and amplitude.
  • Trace reflection and refraction with the law of reflection and Snell's law.
  • Predict image formation for a converging lens or mirror.

Worked example

The wave equation A sound wave at \(f=440\,\text{Hz}\) travels at \(v=343\,\text{m/s}\): \[ \lambda = \frac{v}{f} = \frac{343}{440} \approx 0.78\,\text{m}. \]
Snell's law Light from air (\(n_1=1.00\)) at \(30^\circ\) entering glass (\(n_2=1.50\)): \[ \sin\theta_2 = \frac{n_1\sin\theta_1}{n_2} = \frac{(1.00)\sin30^\circ}{1.50}, \quad \theta_2\approx19.5^\circ. \]
Visualize this module → 🧱 Shaky on the basics? → Foundations
Module 05 · Capstone

Electricity & Circuits

Self-Paced

Big idea: charge in motion is a current, voltage is the push behind it, and resistance is what holds it back — tie them together with \(V=IR\) and you can read any simple circuit.

Topics

Charge, Current & Voltage — electric charge, current as flow of charge, and potential difference.

Ohm's Law & Power — \(V=IR\), electrical power \(P=IV\), and energy delivered over time.

Series & Parallel Circuits — combining resistors and finding current and voltage across each branch.

You'll be able to…

  • Relate current, voltage, and resistance with Ohm's law.
  • Compute electrical power and energy use.
  • Reduce series and parallel resistor networks to an equivalent resistance.
  • Trace current and voltage through a simple circuit.

Worked example

Ohm's law A \(12\,\text{V}\) battery drives a \(4\,\Omega\) resistor: \[ I = \frac{V}{R} = \frac{12}{4} = 3\,\text{A}. \]
Electrical power That same resistor dissipates \[ P = IV = (3)(12) = 36\,\text{W}. \]
Visualize this module → 🧱 Shaky on the basics? → Foundations
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What You'll Build

Physics is a way of seeing — a few laws that explain a great deal. By the time you've wandered through all five modules, you can:

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Describe how things move

Read motion graphs, apply the kinematics equations, and split a projectile into two independent motions.

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Explain why they move

Draw a free-body diagram, sum forces as vectors, and turn a net force into an acceleration with Newton's laws.

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Follow energy & momentum

Track energy as it changes form, use conservation to shortcut a problem, and analyze a collision.

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Read waves & circuits

Relate speed, frequency, and wavelength, trace light through lenses, and read current and voltage in a circuit.

The Toolkit

What Helps (All Optional)

  • A scientific calculator or any device with one built in
  • A notebook for sketches, free-body diagrams, and worked examples
  • Pencil and graph paper — physics is always drafted with a diagram first
  • Curiosity and a willingness to break the Visual Labs and see what happens
About this course

Enrichment, Not a Class

Physics here is a self-study enrichment course — an open invitation to explore, not a graded class. There is no syllabus, no pacing guide, no homework, and no test. Nothing you do is collected, scored, or reported. Move through the modules in whatever order calls to you, spend as long as you like on a Visual Lab, and reach for Foundations any time the algebra or trigonometry feels rusty. It's built for the joy of figuring out how the world works.

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Learning Resources & Supports

Free, vetted places to explore alongside the modules. Use them when you're curious, when you're stuck, or when you just want to watch a concept simulated a different way.

Simulations

PhET Interactive Simulations

Free, research-based simulations from the University of Colorado — projectile motion, forces, energy skate parks, waves, and circuit construction kits. Perfect for playing with a concept.

phet.colorado.edu →
Video + practice

Khan Academy — Physics

Free video lessons and practice sets covering every topic in this course. Best when you want a concept re-taught a different way.

khanacademy.org/science/physics →
Skill practice

IXL — Physics

Targeted skill practice with instant feedback. Great for drilling a single idea — kinematics, forces, energy, circuits — until it clicks.

ixl.com/science/physics →
Graphing tool

Desmos Graphing Calculator

The free graphing calculator we use in class. Plot a position-time curve, add a parameter, and watch motion graphs and waves trace live.

desmos.com/calculator →
More modules on the way

Visual Labs Are Rolling Out

The interactive Visual Lab for each module is being built and released as it's ready. Because this is an enrichment course, there are no scores, checkpoints, or progress tracking — just the labs, the worked examples, and the Foundations refreshers, free to explore the moment they go live.

Stuck on a problem? Try the worked example for that module above, sketch a quick diagram, re-run it in the module's Visual Lab or a PhET simulation, and check your units before you trust an answer. Still stuck? Bring it to Student Support — asking a precise question is itself a physicist's skill.

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Where to Go Next

Three doors into the course. Jump into the first module, brush up your math in Foundations, or reach out through Student Support.

Start with Module 1

Open the Kinematics Visual Lab and launch a projectile — the most hands-on way into the whole course. Then wander wherever your curiosity leads.

Open Module 1

Brush Up the Math

Each module has a Foundations page that refreshes the algebra, trig, and vector basics it leans on — perfect if it's been a while.

Start with Foundations

Student Support

Questions, encouragement, and the best ways to reach out when you're stuck. Open to every scholar exploring the studio.

Visit Student Support

Instructor: Dr. Goodluck Ijezie-Desbois, PharmD · Beta Academy · Room: TBA
Reach out by appointment, at gijezie-desbois@betaacademy.org, or through ParentSquare.

Physics is a self-study enrichment course — not a graded class. There is no syllabus, no pacing, and nothing collected or scored. Explore the five modules in any order, at your own pace, for the joy of understanding how the world moves.