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“I want to know God's thoughts - the rest are mere details.”
The study of Physics is basic to develop the skills needed to investigate the physical environment that surrounds us and to become scientifically informed members of our society. Additionally, these skills are needed to find employment within the scientific community.
It is the philosophy of Marine Technology III that all students in the Marine Academy of Science and Technology need to learn the basics of Physics and the applications of Physics to the marine environment. It is hoped that after a study of Physics the students will continue in their appreciation for, and in their sense of belonging to, their surrounding environment.
Marine Technology III, Physics is designed to introduce the students to the fundamentals of Physics and its application to Oceanography. The class meets five days a week for two periods. Class time is used to discuss Physics principles, developed problem solving techniques, conduct demonstrations and lab activities, and take field and vessel trips.
The topics studied include mechanics, fluids, heat and thermodynamics, wave motion, electricity and magnetism, quantum theory, nuclear energy, oceanographic physics and the history of physics.
Applications to oceanography are stressed, studying such topics as vectors and sailing, ocean waves, sound in the sea, Archimedes Principle and ship design and the use of electric and magnetic fields by ocean life.
A trip to The Cloisters and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City to study vectors and forces in Gothic design (if possible) will culminate the study of mechanics.The vessel trips offer the unique opportunity to not only travel to oceanographic sites and confirm the physical oceanographic topics discussed in classes and demonstrated in lab, but also the ability to interact with the marine environment in unexpected circumstances. On these trips, if the weather permits, the students will make predictions about the changing physical nature of the marine environment due to such factors as weather, tides, currents, seasons, biological activity, chemical cycles and pollution; they will then observe and study the effects of these factors. A model of the Sandy Hook sinkhole will be constructed as an application of sound in the sea. A unique opportunity to study bridge design will be conducted by taking a trip (if possible) to New York Harbor. The impact of bridges on the environment will be stressed.
Text: Hewitt, Paul G. Conceptual Physics.
Problem solving workbook: Bond Hickman, Jennifer. Problem-Solving Exercises in Physics