Physics for Freshmen

By Margaret Lyons in News on May 13, 2008 8:03PM

Most high schools teach bio in ninth grade, chemistry in tenth, physics in eleventh and cupcake decorating in twelfth, but several Chicago-area high schools are adopting the Physics First model, which teaches physics freshman year. The thinking behind PF is that physics is more exciting than bio and chem (so true) and that students should all be exposed to physics before they graduate.

Supporters say physics is a good foundation for chemistry and biology. Physics describes properties of atoms and the particles inside them. Subatomic particles are at the core of any chemical reaction, and atoms make up the complex molecules that biologists study.

Those who support freshman physics say students don't need to know calculus, which is one reason schools usually wait to teach physics later on. (We remember physics as being calculus-intensive.) Another issue facing the program? A lack of qualified physics teachers: Around 20 percent of CPS physics classes are taught by teachers who aren't actually qualified to teach the subject. And now, the cheer my physics class used to chant before tests: "E to the U, D U, D X, E to the U D X! Tangent secant cosine sine, 3.14159! Gooooo physics!" Ah, the old days. [Trib, photo illustrating a transfer of kinetic energy by vdbdc]