Netherlands VWO 2 (onderbouw) Physics (nask)
Chapters: 2
1. Research, design and technology
Doing an investigation · Designing a technical product · Scientific ways of working (adopted, legal 2027) · Technical systems (adopted, legal 2027)
- The Scientific Method – The scientific method is the careful way scientists find out how the world works. Observe something, ask a testable question, make a hypothesis (a clear, testable guess), test it with a fair experiment (change one variable, measure one, keep the rest the same), repeat and record data, analyse it, draw a conclusion and share it so others can check. Results that fail the test are useful too: they send you back to a new hypothesis.
- The Design Process: From Problem to Product – The design process is a loop of steps designers use to solve a real problem for real people: investigate the need, define it in a brief and a measurable specification, generate many ideas, build a prototype, then test and evaluate it against the specification. Whatever fails sends you back round the loop. This repeating is called iteration, and it is how almost every product, app, building and artwork is improved.
2. Light and sound
Light and sound phenomena · Optics (adopted, legal 2027)
- How Light Travels – Light comes from sources like the Sun or a lamp and travels in straight lines. We see an object when light from it enters our eyes. Transparent things let light through, translucent things let some through, and opaque things block it. Blocked light makes shadows; a wide source gives a dark umbra and a lighter penumbra. A pinhole camera makes an upside-down image. Light is very fast: about 300 000 km every second.