Physics 101 {The 101 Series Review}

Science is one of those subjects that instill fear and trepidation in homeschooling families and it's one of the most researched aspects of home educating. If you fall into this category I would like to encourage you that the science's is one of the most enjoyable subjects to teach in your home educating journey.  I have a confession to make ... I love science.  In high school I loved physics and hated chemistry (I did not like learning the periodic table ...) IF I could have I would have taken physics as one of my elective subjects.  I was very excited when  The 101 Series offered me the opportunity to review their Physics 101 DVD course.

What I received

• Physics 101 - The Mechanics of God's Physical World DVD set containing four DVD's.  Physics 101 is a Christian DVD High School Level course from Westfield Studios.
• A Companion Guide to the Physics 101 DVD set in PDF format (98 pages) on the fourth DVD.

 Subjects Covered

• Disk A
  1. Introduction to Physics (30 min)
  2. Light and Colour (40 min)
  3. Mirrors and Lenses (35 min)
  4. Invisibility and Speed of Light (35 min)
• Disk B
  5. Introduction to Sound (43 min)
  6. Acoustics: the sound of Music (35 min)
  7. What is fire? (30 min)
  8. The Three Laws of Thermodynamics (35 min)
  9. Refrigeration: Hot and Cold (40 min)
• Disk C
  10. What is Electricity? (30 min)
  11. Outlets and Circuits (40 min)
  12. Batteries and the Electromagnetic Spectrum (40 min)
  13. The Life of Sir Isaac Newton (30 min)
  14. The Universal law of Gravity (30 min)
  15. The 1st law of Motion (35 min)
  16. The 2nd and 3rd Laws of Motion (25 min)
• Disk D
  17. The Life of Albert Einstein (35 min)
  18. Relativity (30 min)
  19. Quantum Mechanics (30 min)
  20. The Future of Physics (20 min)

How we used Physics 101
Physics 101 is a high school level course produced by Westfield Studios.  The host is Wes Olson who guides you through each area of physics covered.  He helps to untangle the complex terms and ideas and presents each topic in an easy to understand conversation accompanied by visually rich graphics which help to clarify his presentation.  The purpose of the course is to provide you and your student with a thorough overview of the intriguing world of Physics.

When you load the disk you will find a comprehensive list of contents to make easier navigation.

The course is split into seven areas and colour coded:

1. Light (Red)
2. Sound (Orange)
3. Heat (Yellow)
4. Electricity & Magnetism (Green)
5. Motion (Blue)
6. Physics of the Weird (Indigo)
7. Future of Physics (Violet)

At the beginning of each section Wes presents a couple of questions that will be answered in the lesson.  For example in Section 1 we learned the answer to the age old question: Why is the sky blue? and Why is my reflection upside down in a spoon?

We also studied some famous scientists know for their contributions to Physics.  Nathaniel was particularly intrigued to learn that Cavendish, Newton, Curie, Einstein and Galileo are all thought to have had Aspergers Syndrome.

It was interesting knowing that Sir Isaac Newton studied the bible daily and fundamentally believed that the Bible is the Word of God.  He was also born prematurely and could fit in a quart jar!  His mother was advised to let him die. We learned that he was frustrated with the math of the day because it could not help with his science so he developed Calculus (The mathematical study of change) in order to help him with his science.

Sir Isaac Newton tomb

He died in 1727 at the age of 84 and was famous for his discoveries in optics, motion and mathematics.  His most acclaimed published work is: Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy).

Guidebook and Quizzes
The guidebook came as a 98 page pdf document found on disk D.  I printed this to work through along with the DVD's.  Each segment follows the same layout.

• Video information:  This area contains text with information directly from the film session.
• Side Bar:  Contains interesting trivia, facts and physics-related matter.
• Text box: Containing biographical information, observations and interesting points relating to the session, or questions for discussion.
• Footnotes: Contains references and quotes in relation to points of interest pertaining to the subject matter.

This is then followed by a Quiz with multiple answer section.    The answer key to the Quiz section is found at the back of the booklet.

About The 101 Series 
Westfield Studios was established in 2004 in order to produce Biology 101 for Wes wife Tammy who could not find a biology curriculum to assist her in home educating her two high school age sons.  Wes has many years of experience in producing films for companies such as Boeing and Portland GE.   The whole family are involved in the business and work closely alongside leaders in the scientific fields pertaining to each section of the DVD's produced.  Wes is passionate about the sciences and is an avid biblical student.  All the scripts are vetted for scientific accuracy by numerous Professors to make sure that all the information is current and correctly presented.

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Available Titles in The 101 Series

• Physics 101
• Chemistry 101
• Biology 101

I am very impressed with the quality and presentation of Physics 101 and will definitely be investing in the other two courses which are available.  We have both enjoyed the visually complementing materials in the presentation which help to clarify the materials being covered.  If you are looking for an excellent introduction to the complex world of Physics then this is definitely the DVD set for you.