Planetary orbits and Kepler’s laws
Too fast and the planet flies off, never to return. A little slower and it traces an ellipse around the Sun, exactly as Kepler's laws say.
Physics – grade 12
Main phase, first and second half-year (here grade 12): topic fields for the basic and the advanced course; LK = advanced course only. The numbers are those of the curriculum.
Unit 1.1Gravitational field
The law of gravitation and the gravitational field, orbital data of celestial bodies for circular orbits only, without Kepler’s laws.
Unit 1.2Electric field
Field lines and field strength, the parallel-plate capacitor and capacitance, energy in the electric field.
Field lines of point charges
Two charges and the field rearranges itself. A test charge measures where the force is strongest.
Charging and discharging a capacitor
A capacitor charges through a resistor and discharges again. The graphs show how voltage and current change over time.
Unit 1.3Magnetic field
Magnetic fields of conductors and coils, magnetic flux density.
No separate simulation is planned for this.
Unit 1.4Motion of charge carriers in fields
Charged particles in electric and magnetic fields, the Lorentz force.
Lorentz force and fine-beam tube
Electrons fly along a glowing circular path in a magnetic field. From the radius you determine a property of the electron.
Unit 2Electromagnetic induction
The law of induction; LK: self-induction and the energy of the magnetic field.
Electromagnetic induction
Magnet in, the needle swings. Magnet out, it swings the other way. Every generator works on the same principle.
Unit 3.1Mechanical oscillations
Harmonic oscillation of spring and simple pendulums, damped oscillation; LK: forced oscillation and resonance.
Simple pendulum
Pull a pendulum aside, let it go and measure how long one swing takes. What does it depend on? Also with large angles and damping.
Spring pendulum
A mass bounces up and down on a spring. Graphs show position, speed and energy during the oscillation.
Driven oscillation and resonance
A motor drives an oscillating wheel. If the motor hits exactly the right rhythm, the wheel swings especially strongly: resonance.
Unit 3.2Mechanical waves
Propagation and parameters of waves, superposition and interference, standing waves.
Transverse and longitudinal waves
A wave travels through a chain of particles. Each particle only oscillates in place, across or along the direction of travel.
Interference of two circular waves
Two circular waves overlap: in some places they reinforce each other, in others they cancel out.
Standing waves
A wave is reflected at the end and a fixed pattern of nodes and antinodes appears, like on a guitar string.
The summaries describe the curriculum in our own words. The original text is authoritative. Original text (German): Lehrplan, Gymnasium, Physics, grade 12