Physics 11
Foundational Outcomes
2021
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© Crown copyright, Province of Nova Scotia, 2021
Prepared by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
This is the most recent version of the current curriculum materials as used by teachers in Nova Scotia.
The contents of this publication may be reproduced in part provided the intended use is for non-commercial
purposes and full acknowledgment is given to the Nova Scotia Department of Education.
Physics 11
EECD has made suggestions for prioritizing outcomes to assist teachers as they support
student learning. Teachers will need to make their professional decisions based on the needs
of their students.
The Foundational Outcomes identified in this document represent outcomes determined to be relevant
for future learning in the discipline. Decisions about foundational outcomes were made in consultation
with teachers, science specialists and post-secondary institution expectations. The foundational
outcomes are meant to guide teachers in making decisions about creating learning experiences that will
prepare and engage their learners in a responsive way. However, a teacher’s professional judgment
remains the most crucial factor for responding effectively to the needs of learners.
It might be relevant for teachers to review or to seek out learning outcomes from an earlier curriculum
or grade level in order to support learners moving forward with current curriculum. Sometimes,
however, current curricular learnings do not directly rely on learning from the previous year and current
curriculum can be engaged in without additional review.
The learning environment (face-to-face, blended, online) will continue to be an important factor that
will impact the types of learning experiences with which learners are able to engage. While learning
science in a hands-on, experimental way is preferred, should laboratory experiments not be possible
due to public health concerns, teachers are encouraged to offer online experiment simulations, to
record scientific phenomena to discuss, notice, observe and unpack with learners, to support simple,
safe experiments that could be done at home, to provide authentic data that can be analysed etc…
Integrated, project-based learning and inquiry-based learning (especially in areas that connect STSE)
allow for learner choice and flexible pacing which is particularly effective for students to not only learn
new concepts but also for demonstrating their learning.
It is suggested that the focus for science in grades 9-12 be on using the foundational outcomes to focus
on foundational understandings for future learning, encouraging cross-cutting scientific themes and
application of learning. Weighting for course modules should be reflective of the amount of time spent
exploring the outcomes in the module.
Unit: Kinematics
Subtopic: PRESENTING VECTORS
• identify the frame of reference for a given motion and to distinguish fixed and moving
frames (325-7)
• identify and investigate questions that arise from practical problems/issues involving
motion (212-1)
Subtopic: VECTOR ANALYSIS
• use vectors to represent position, displacement, velocity, and acceleration (325-5)
Subtopic: ALGEBRAIC PROBLEM SOLVING
• analyze word problems, solve algebraically for unknowns, and interpret patterns in data
(325-2)
Unit: Dynamics
Subtopic: DYNAMICS INTRODUCTION
• use vectors to represent forces (325-5)
Subtopic: NEWTON’S LAWS
• apply Newton’s laws of motion to explain inertia and the relationships among force,
mass, and acceleration (325-8)
• interpret patterns and trends in data and infer or calculate linear and non-linear
relationships among variables (214-5)
Unit: Momentum and Energy
Subtopic: CONSERVATION OF MOMENTUM
• apply quantitatively the law of conservation of momentum to one-dimensional collisions
and explosions (326-3)
Subtopic: WORK, POWER, AND EFFICIENCY
• analyze quantitatively the relationships among force, distance, and work (325-9)
• analyze quantitatively the relationships among work, time, and power (325-10)
Subtopic: TRANSFORMATION, TOTAL ENERGY, AND CONSERVATION
• analyze quantitatively the relationships among mass, speed, and thermal energy, using
the law of conservation of energy (326-1)
• describe quantitatively mechanical energy as the sum of kinetic and potential energies
(326-5)
• analyze quantitatively problems related to kinematics and dynamics using the
mechanical energy concept (326-6)
• analyze common energy transformation situations using the closed system work-energy
theorem (326-7)
• determine the percentage efficiency of energy transformation (326-8)
• design an experiment, select and use appropriate tools, carry out procedures, compile
and organize data, and interpret patterns in the data to answer a question posed
regarding the conservation of energy (212-3, 212-8, 213-2, 214-3, 214-5, 214-11, 326-4)
• determine which laws of conservation, momentum, and energy are best used to analyze
and solve particular real-life problems in elastic and inelastic interactions (326-4)
Unit: Waves
Subtopic: FUNDAMENTAL PROPERTIES
• describe the production, characteristics, and behaviours of longitudinal and transverse
mechanical waves (327-1)
• apply the universal wave equation to explain and predict the behaviour of waves (327-2)
• apply the laws of reflection and the laws of refraction to predict wave behaviour (327-7)
Subtopic: SOUND WAVES AND ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
• apply the laws of reflection and the laws of refraction to predict wave behaviour (327-7)
• explain qualitatively and quantitatively the phenomena of wave interference,
diffraction, reflection and refraction, and the Doppler-Fizeau effect (327-8)
• compare and describe the properties of electromagnetic radiation and sound (327-5)
• describe how sound and electromagnetic radiation, as forms of energy transfer, are
produced and transmitted (327-6)
Note:
For Physics 12, teachers should ensure students have a solid grasp of dynamics, momentum and
energy prior to engaging with the Physics 12 concepts.
