Uniform and accelerated motion (distance–time and velocity–time graphs)
A car drives at a steady speed or speeds up. The graphs for distance, speed and acceleration are drawn live.
Physics – grade 11/12
Qualification phase (grades 11/12): the curriculum describes both grades together, organised into subject areas with focal points and split into the basic level (gA), the higher level (eA) and the two-hour elective (WPF). The units are therefore the same for grades 11 and 12, and both are shown as one stage. The three-hour elective matches the basic level. The numbers are our own.
Unit gA-1Oscillations and waves (basic level)
Mechanics as a foundation, plus mechanical oscillations and waves and light as a wave.
gA-1.1Foundation course in mechanics
Motion with initial conditions and its superposition in projectile motion, circular motion, conservation of energy, momentum and its conservation.
Free fall
A ball falls on Earth, the Moon or Mars and gets faster every second. In a vacuum even a feather keeps up.
Horizontal and oblique projectile motion
Which launch angle goes furthest? On Earth it is 45°, and on the Moon the same ball flies six times as far.
Circular motion and centripetal force
A ball swings round on a string, a car drives through a bend. Which force keeps them on a circular path?
Conservation of energy (roller coaster)
A car rides a roller coaster: energy bars show how potential and kinetic energy turn into each other.
Elastic and inelastic collisions
Two gliders collide on an air track. Before and after are compared to see what stays the same.
gA-1.2Mechanical oscillations and waves
Parameters of harmonic oscillations on a spring oscillator, forced oscillations and resonance; propagation, interference and standing waves.
Spring pendulum
A mass bounces up and down on a spring. Graphs show position, speed and energy during the oscillation.
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.
Driven oscillation and resonance
A motor drives an oscillating wheel. If the motor hits exactly the right rhythm, the wheel swings especially strongly: resonance.
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.
gA-1.3Wave properties of light
Light as an electromagnetic wave, interference at a double slit and a grating, determining wavelength, colours, dispersion and polarisation.
Double slit and grating
Laser light passes through a double slit or a grating. A pattern of bright and dark stripes appears on the screen.
Unit gA-2Electrodynamics (basic level)
Electric and magnetic fields and electromagnetic induction.
gA-2.1Electric field
Field-line patterns and field strength, the parallel-plate capacitor with capacitance and energy, charging and discharging, motion of charged particles in the 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.
gA-2.2Magnetic field
Magnetic fields of magnets, conductors and coils, magnetic flux density, the Lorentz force and circular paths of charged particles.
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.
gA-2.3Electromagnetic induction
Induced voltage and magnetic flux, the law of induction and Lenz’s rule, the transformer, energy in an LC circuit qualitatively.
Electromagnetic induction
Magnet in, the needle swings. Magnet out, it swings the other way. Every generator works on the same principle.
Unit gA-3Quantum physics (basic level)
Quantum objects such as photons and electrons and the quantum model of the atom.
gA-3.1Properties of quantum objects
The photoelectric effect and photons, Planck’s constant, electrons as waves after de Broglie, key features of quantum physics at the double slit.
Photoelectric effect
Red light can be as bright as you like, it frees not a single electron. Short-wave light does it at once. A puzzle for waves, not for photons.
Electron diffraction
Electrons hit a thin layer of graphite and form rings on the screen, just like waves do.
gA-3.2Quantum model of the atom
Energy levels of the hydrogen atom, orbitals, emission and absorption and how line spectra arise.
Atomic models and line spectra
Every element glows in its own colours. When an electron drops one level, exactly one line appears in the spectrum.
Unit gA-4Practicals (basic level)
Experimenting and problem solving as focal points in their own right.
gA-4.1Experimental practical
Planning and evaluating experiments independently, estimating measurement uncertainties.
No separate simulation is planned for this.
gA-4.2Problem-solving practical
Practising strategies for physics problems: balances, analogies, simplifying and choosing suitable models.
No separate simulation is planned for this.
Unit eA-1Oscillations and waves (higher level)
Oscillations, waves and light in more depth, plus an advanced course in mechanics with collisions.
eA-1.1Mechanical oscillations
The harmonic oscillator with a linear restoring force, simple pendulum and spring oscillator, damped oscillations, natural frequency, forced oscillations and the resonance curve.
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.
eA-1.2Mechanical waves
Describing harmonic waves mathematically, Huygens’ principle, interference, polarisation, standing waves and sound.
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.
eA-1.3Wave properties of light
As at the basic level, plus interferometers, X-rays and spectral analysis.
Double slit and grating
Laser light passes through a double slit or a grating. A pattern of bright and dark stripes appears on the screen.
eA-1.4Advanced course in mechanics
Forces on an inclined plane with friction, laws of motion using calculus, projectile motion, energy and momentum balances in elastic and inelastic collisions.
Uniform and accelerated motion (distance–time and velocity–time graphs)
A car drives at a steady speed or speeds up. The graphs for distance, speed and acceleration are drawn live.
Free fall
A ball falls on Earth, the Moon or Mars and gets faster every second. In a vacuum even a feather keeps up.
Adding and resolving forces
Two forces pull on one point. Use the parallelogram of forces to find the total force or to split a force into two.
Inclined plane
A block sits on a slope. At what angle does it start to slide? The weight is split into two parts to find out.
Horizontal and oblique projectile motion
Which launch angle goes furthest? On Earth it is 45°, and on the Moon the same ball flies six times as far.
Conservation of energy (roller coaster)
A car rides a roller coaster: energy bars show how potential and kinetic energy turn into each other.
Elastic and inelastic collisions
Two gliders collide on an air track. Before and after are compared to see what stays the same.
Unit eA-2Electrodynamics (higher level)
Fields and induction in more depth, plus alternating current and electromagnetic oscillations.
eA-2.1Electric field
As at the basic level, plus Coulomb’s law, potential, the radial field, charging and discharging quantitatively and Millikan’s experiment.
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.
eA-2.2Magnetic field
The Lorentz force quantitatively, the Hall effect, the specific charge of the electron, flux density of a coil and the mass spectrograph.
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.
eA-2.3Electromagnetic induction
The law of induction in differential form, eddy currents, generator and loaded transformer, self-induction and inductance.
Electromagnetic induction
Magnet in, the needle swings. Magnet out, it swings the other way. Every generator works on the same principle.
eA-2.4AC resistance and electromagnetic oscillations
RMS values, inductive and capacitive reactance with phasor diagrams, the LC circuit and Thomson’s equation.
No separate simulation is planned for this.
Unit eA-3Selected topics in non-classical physics (higher level)
Special relativity, quantum objects and the quantum model of the atom.
eA-3.1Special relativity
Einstein’s postulates, relativity of simultaneity, time dilation and length contraction, relativistic mass and energy.
No separate simulation is planned for this.
eA-3.2Properties of quantum objects
As at the basic level, plus photon momentum, the electron diffraction tube, the Compton effect, the uncertainty principle and the wave function.
Photoelectric effect
Red light can be as bright as you like, it frees not a single electron. Short-wave light does it at once. A puzzle for waves, not for photons.
Electron diffraction
Electrons hit a thin layer of graphite and form rings on the screen, just like waves do.
eA-3.3Quantum model of the atom
The potential well, energy levels and orbitals of the hydrogen atom, the Franck–Hertz experiment, line spectra and X-ray spectra.
Atomic models and line spectra
Every element glows in its own colours. When an electron drops one level, exactly one line appears in the spectrum.
Unit eA-4Practicals (higher level)
Experimenting and problem solving as focal points in their own right.
eA-4.1Experimental practical
Planning and evaluating experiments independently, estimating measurement uncertainties.
No separate simulation is planned for this.
eA-4.2Problem-solving practical
Practising strategies for physics problems, including force approaches and choosing a suitable frame of reference.
No separate simulation is planned for this.
Unit WPF-1Electric and magnetic fields (two-hour elective)
The field concept, bodies in static fields and induction in brief.
WPF-1.1The field concept for describing interactions
Describing electric and magnetic fields with field lines, the parallel-plate capacitor as an energy store.
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.
WPF-1.2Bodies in static fields
Forces on charged particles in electric and magnetic fields, the Lorentz force and the resulting paths.
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.
WPF-1.3Changing electromagnetic fields
Induction by a changing magnetic flux, the generator principle and the law of induction.
Electromagnetic induction
Magnet in, the needle swings. Magnet out, it swings the other way. Every generator works on the same principle.
Unit WPF-2Mechanical and electromagnetic oscillations and waves (two-hour elective)
Mechanical oscillations and waves up to light as a wave.
WPF-2.1Oscillations
Parameters of mechanical oscillations on a simple pendulum, energy conversions, also in an LC circuit.
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.
WPF-2.2Waves
Harmonic waves, light as an electromagnetic wave, interference at a double slit and a grating, 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.
Double slit and grating
Laser light passes through a double slit or a grating. A pattern of bright and dark stripes appears on the screen.
Standing waves
A wave is reflected at the end and a fixed pattern of nodes and antinodes appears, like on a guitar string.
Unit WPF-3Quantum physics and matter (two-hour elective)
Key features of quantum physics and models of the atom.
WPF-3.1Quantum objects
Overview of key features of quantum physics, energy and wavelength of quantum objects, Planck’s constant.
Photoelectric effect
Red light can be as bright as you like, it frees not a single electron. Short-wave light does it at once. A puzzle for waves, not for photons.
WPF-3.2Models of the atom
Energy levels and orbitals of the hydrogen atom, absorption and emission lines.
Atomic models and line spectra
Every element glows in its own colours. When an electron drops one level, exactly one line appears in the spectrum.
The summaries describe the curriculum in our own words. The original text is authoritative. Original text (German): Fachlehrplan, Gymnasium, Physics, grade 11/12