Physics & Architecture: Forces that Shape Structures – High School Curriculum

Description

Explore the Physics Behind Buildings with This Physics and Architecture Curriculum for High School

Bring engineering and design to life with Physics & Architecture: Forces that Shape Structures, a project-based physics and architecture curriculum for high school. From the towering Parthenon to the wind-defying Burj Khalifa, students explore how forces like tension, compression, torque, and gravity work together to shape the world’s most iconic structures.

This curriculum blends conceptual physics, global case studies, and real-world applications into a full-year science course aligned with AP Physics 1 and NGSS standards. Through dynamic hands-on labs and architectural analysis, learners discover how science supports safety, innovation, and aesthetics in buildings across cultures.

🏛️ What Students Will Learn:

• Newton’s Laws and how they stabilize buildings

• Types of forces: tension, compression, shear, and friction

• Torque, center of mass, and rotational equilibrium

• Structural failure and engineering problem-solving

• Free-body diagrams and vector analysis

• Stress, strain, and material properties like Young’s modulus

• Global architecture examples: obelisks, bamboo bridges, cathedrals, and skyscrapers

🧪 Curriculum Features:

• 📄 Format: Digital PDF with printable worksheets, labs, and diagrams

• 🔬 STEM integration: Physics, math, design, and history

• 🎓 Standards: NGSS HS-PS2-1 and AP Physics 1 aligned

• 🧠 Outcome: Develops scientific thinking, engineering design, and problem-solving

• 🧰 Labs: Includes tower, bridge, and elasticity challenges using basic household materials

• 🌍 Ideal for: Homeschoolers, co-ops, classrooms, and AP enrichment

🌐 Enrich Learning with These Resources:

🔗 HyperPhysics – Mechanics Overview
🔗 American Institute of Physics – Physics of Buildings

🔗 Link to related curriculum: High School Classes
🔗 Link to full catalog