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All Sciences Physics Chemistry Organic Biology

Module 17

Main Progression - Electricity reprise, DC Current, Magnetism, Electromagnetic Induction, AC Current

Review & Preview - This is the first module in which we find ourselves responsible for the outlines of all four disciplines: Physics, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry and Biology.

Knowledge Mapping - An intense and challenging set of discussions designed to help you integrate a great deal of physics and chemistry.

Verbal Reasoning and Essay - Continuing the regimin of reading program, exercise, and writing assignment.

Main Progression

Videos

Assignments


Orient yourself to the model systems and terminology of Electricity before proceeding with the rest of your assignments. Browse the terminology and images within your Learning System Book, complete the basic terms Crossword Puzzle (Solution) and perform an online drill at the Question Server..
Master the Concept and Question cards for Electricity from the Learning System for Physics.
Read the Examkrackers Physics discussion on Electricity, pp. 115-120, the Electrostatics section of lecture 7. Perform problems 145-152 on pp 121-122. (You should have saved these in Module 3.)
Finish your Main Progression work on Electricity with a review tour of the Electricity external resources in the Learning Center.

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Goals


Memorize Coulomb's Law and achieve a good comfort level solving basic quantitative problems involving arrangements of static charges.
Master the basic concept of the electric field. Be able to explain the meaning of a 'newton per coulomb'
Develop the capability to produce the graphical representation of the electrical fields for point charges, dipoles and charged parallel plates.
Be able to model the potential energy changes in electrostatic systems of like and unlike charges. Understand the meaning of the 'binding energy'.
Be able to explain the meaning of 'electric potential' or 'voltage' and explain what it means to say that 'a volt is a joule per coulomb'.
Understand capacitance not only in the context of traditional capacitors but also in a general sense of capacitance as describing the relationship between the potential function and the geometry of a charge distribution.

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Videos

Assignments


Orient yourself to the conceptual field of DC Current by browsing the terminology and images within your Learning System Book, complete the basic terms Crossword Puzzle (Solution) and perform an online drill at the Question Server.
Master the Concept and Question cards for DC Current from the Learning System for Physics.
Finish your Main Progression work on Harmonic Motion with a review tour of the DC Current external resources in the Learning Center.

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Goals


Be able to conceptualize the different ways that various types of charge carriers may constitute an electric current.
Have a good, clear sense of what it means to say that a volt is a joule per coulomb and an ampere is a coulomb per second.
Understand Ohm’s Law conceptually and be able to solve basic problems involving simple circuits.
Possess a good facility for solving for unknowns in circuits involving series and parallel resistors.
Understand Kirchoff’s Current Law and the Voltage Law and know how to apply these to solving for unknowns in complex circuits.
Be familiar with the concept of electric power in an intuitive, conceptual way and in quantitative problem solving.
Be able to describe what happens over time when an RC circuit (resistor and capacitor) is switched on or off.
Know how to solve problems involving the Wheatstone Bridge.

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Videos

Assignments


Warm up before watching the videos. Browse Magnetism in your Learning System Book to get a feel for the field of reference. Perform your basic terms Crossword Puzzle (Solution) and perform an online drill at the Question Server.
Work through the Concept and Question cards for Magnetism from the Learning System for Physics.
Perform the Magnetism Practice Items Here is the Answer Key.
Close the circle with a review tour of the Magnetism resources in the Learning Center.

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Goals


For a charged particle moving through a given magnetic field, be prepared to determine the magnitude and direction of the magnetic force.
Understand why particles moving through magnetic fields often follow circular or spiral trajectories.
Be able to determine the magnitude and direction of the force on a wire carrying current within an external magnetic field and understand how a torque may be produced on a current loop within a magnetic field.
Understand how to use the right hand rule for magnetic fields to determine the orientation of the magnetic field around a current carrying conductor.
Be able to predict the direction of the magnetic force operating between two parallel current carrying wires.
Understand what the magnetic field looks like within a solenoid.
Be able to distinguish diamagnetism, paramagnetism, and ferromagnetism.
Understand the concept of magnetic susceptibility and know how to interpret magnetization curves.

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Videos

Assignments


Browse Electromagnetic Induction in Learning System Book to get warmed up and then try to do your basic terms Crossword Puzzle (Solution) in one sitting. Perform online drill with the vocabulary at the Question Server. You want to have the basic terminology in hand before watching the videos.
Work carefully through the Concept and Question cards for Electromagnetic Induction from the Learning System for Physics. See if you can comfortably work through the question cards.
Take a review tour of the Electromagnetic Induction resources in the Learning Center.

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Goals


Have a clear mental picture of magnetic flux through a current loop and the situations that may lead magnetic flux to change.
Be able to describe Faraday’s Law and Lenz’s Law in clear, simple language and be able to use these laws to predict the occurrence and orientation of induced EMF in basic problems.
Understand how an electric generator works.
Be familiar with the dynamics of back EMF in an electric motor.
Comprehend inductance of a circuit element.
Have a basic understanding of how electromagnetic induction provides the bridge from electricity & magnetism to light & optics.

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Assignments


AC current is a somewhat difficult, minor MCAT topic, so you want to get the basics and move on. (The Physics Cards are very good here). Before watching the videos, orient yourself to the basic terminology and conceptual space of AC Current before proceeding with the rest of your assignments. Browse the terminology and images within your ManDala Learning System Book, complete the basic terms Crossword Puzzle (Solution) and perform an online drill at the Question Server.
Study the Concept and Question cards for AC Current from the Learning System for Physics either online or with the printed version. Reach the stage to be able to comfortably work through the problems with a deep familiarity.
Take a review tour of the AC Current resources in the Learning Center.

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Goals


Understand how AC current is generated.
Know how to use rms values in expressions such as those for AC power.
Have a good, clear understanding of how a capacitor behaves in an AC circuit and be able to describe why the current leads the voltage by 90 degrees in a purely capacitive AC circuit.
Have a good, clear understanding of how an inductor behaves in an AC circuit and be able to describe why the current lags the voltage by 90 degrees in a purely inductive AC circuit.
Know how to compute the capacitive reactance, inductive reactance, and impedance of an AC circuit and how to use these quantities to solve for unknowns in AC circuit problems.
Understand what it means for an AC circuit to be in resonance and be able to apply this understanding to basic problems such as tuning the receiving circuit of a radio.

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Review & Preview

Assignments


Take a quick review tour of the Physics section of ManDala from beginning to end. Concentrate on mastery of the Level 1 terminology. Test yourself on each chapter. Familiarize yourself with the figures. Set your pace to complete this task in no more than 3 hours. Keep your forward momentum. Get through it! (Note: Do not worry about the cosmology and particle physics areas of the Modern Physics chapter, which is not MCAT material.) What you are aiming for with this assignment is to get a bird's eye view on Physics from beginning to end: Mechanics, Gravitation, Waves, Thermodynamics, Electricity & Magnetism, Light & Optics, Modern Physics, and Nuclear Physics.
As in the first module of the course, spend some time practicing with the outline of physics HERE to make sure you can reproduce the outline in full if given a blank sheet of paper. Sit down and try to write it out until you can do it!

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Goals


Keep working on your ability to outline physics. Make sure you can outline Physics in a clear, conversational manner: Mechanics, Waves, Thermodynamics, Electricity & Magnetism, Light & Optics, Modern Physics, Nuclear Physics and then going further to the subtopic level within each of these topics. Within Mechanics, for example, you have Kinematics, Newton's Laws, Work & Energy, Momentum & Impulse, Rotation, Harmonic Motion, Elasticity, & Fluid Mechanics.
Hold yourself accountable for having a mental picture of the field of reference for each subtopic. Try to think of the simplest situation describing the phenomena. What is the simple model system for each subtopic?

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Knowledge Mapping

Assignments


Read the Coaching Discussions associated with the Main Progression topics of Rotation, Harmonic Motion, Elasticity, Fluid Mechanics and Waves. Start HERE and proceed by clicking 'Next Discussion'.

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Goals


Relate the special topics in mechanics: Rotation, Harmonic Motion, Elasticity, and Fluid Mechanics to the more fundamental topics: Kinematics, Newton's Laws, Work, Power & Energy, and Momentum & Impulse.

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Verbal Reasoning

Assignments


Two or three times this for this module, sit down for one half hour and read from the following works in the category of PHILOSOPHY. With the Santayana, which is a long work, read the first ten pages. Practice reading carefully and slowly. Find the voice in the writing Find the structure of argument. Don't zone out. This is exercise in sustaining attention and concentration. Grip down with your attention and don't let go.

accessibleWalking - Henry David Thoreau
moderateTerminus: of the Interpretation of Nature - Francis Bacon
difficultThe Life of Reason - George Santayana
Let's practice being an MCAT test writer. In this exercise, write a 'correct' and an 'incorrect' answer corresponding to questions following a typical verbal reasoning passage. Pretend you are part of a committee making the test, and your job is to write a 'best answer' and a 'second best' (tricky but wrong) answer. We will do this exercise often throughout the course to help you understand the nuances of the Verbal Reasoning questions. Print and complete this exercise. Click Here.

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Goals


Improve the stamina of your reading attention. Practice sustaining your focus through dense reading material.
Understand the intentions of the writers of Verbal Reasoning questions on the MCAT.
Verbal Reasoning Tip of the Week
Think for a moment after you read a prompt for an author's tone question. Take a moment to think before reading the answer choices. The shades of difference between the answer choices are usually subtle with author's tone questions. Don't let the answers dictate your impression.

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Essay

Video

Assignments


Read the WikiPremed guide to Writing the MCAT Essay.
Arrange a clear, undisturbed half hour to write an essay. Use your word processor. Click Here for your essay topic for module two. Don't advance to page 2 until you are ready to begin writing.

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Goals


Understand how to imagine a dialogue or debate as a generative device for writing MCAT essays.

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MECHANICS AND WAVES
Course
Modules


Kinematics
Newton's Laws
Work, Energy, and Power
Momentum and Impulse		MCAT course syllabus module 1
* * *
Rotation
Harmonic Motion
Elastic Properties of Solids
Fluid Mechanics
Waves		MCAT course syllabus module 2
FUNDAMENTAL FORCES

Gravitation
Electricity		MCAT course syllabus module 3
THE STRUCTURE OF MATTER

Atomic Theory
Periodic Properties
The Chemical Bond
Intermolecular Forces		MCAT course syllabus module 4

Functional Groups in Organic Chemistry
Stereochemistry		MCAT course syllabus module 5
THERMODYNAMICS AND KINETICS

Temperature and Heat Flow
The Ideal Gas and Kinetic Theory
The First Law of Thermodynamics
Stoichiometry
Thermochemistry		MCAT course syllabus module 6

The Second Law of Thermodynamics and Heat Engines
Chemical Thermodynamics and the Equilibrium State
The States of Matter
The Physical Properties of Organic Compounds
Chemical Kinetics		MCAT course syllabus module 7
SOLUTIONS AND AQUEOUS SYSTEMS

Water
Solutions
Acids and Bases
Organic Acids and Bases		MCAT course syllabus module 8
ORGANIC REACTION CHEMISTRY

Nucleophiles and Electrophiles
Intramolecular Cationic Rearrangements
Reactions with Radical Intermediates
Conjugated π Systems and Aromaticity
Reactions of Alkanes
Reactions of Alkenes
Reactions of Alkynes
Reactions of Alkyl Halides
Reactions of Allylic and Benzylic Conjugation
Reactions of Aromatic Compounds
Reactions of Alcohols and Ethers
Reactions of Aldehydes and Ketones
Reactions of Carboxylic Acids and Derivatives
Reactions of Amines
Reactions of Organic Phosphorus Compounds
Reactions of Organic Sulfur Compounds		MCAT course syllabus module 9
break
MCAT course syllabus module 10
BIOMOLECULES

Proteins
Carbohydrates
Nucleic Acids
Lipids		MCAT course syllabus module 11
THE CELL
Biological Membranes
The Prokaryotic Cell
The Eukaryotic Cell
BIOENERGETICS AND BIOSYNTHESIS

Coordination Chemistry
Oxidation/Reduction
Oxidation/Reduction in Organic Chemistry
Electrochemistry
Bioenergetics and Cellular Respiration
Photosynthesis  optional for MCAT
Integration of Metabolism		MCAT course syllabus module 12
GENETICS & REPRODUCTION

Gene Expression
Cellular Reproduction
Mendelian Genetics
Recombination and Mutation
The Molecular Biology Laboratory
Human Genetics		MCAT course syllabus module 13
DIVERSITY OF LIFE

Viruses
Monera
Protista  taxonomy optional for MCAT
Fungi
Plants  optional for MCAT

Animals  taxonomy optional for MCAT
Animal Development and Embryology		MCAT course syllabus module 14

Mammalian Tissues and Histology		MCAT course syllabus module 15
HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY
The Nervous System
Sensory Systems
The Endocrine System
The Musculoskeletal System
The Cardiovascular System
Blood
The Respiratory System
The Lymphatic System and Immunity
The Urinary System
The Digestive System and Nutrition
The Reproductive System
POPULATION BIOLOGY

Evolution
Ecology		MCAT course syllabus module 16
ELECTROMAGNETISM, LIGHT, AND MODERN PHYSICS

Electricity
DC Current
Magnetism
Electomagnetic Induction
AC Current		MCAT course syllabus module 17

The Properties of Light
Geometric Optics
Wave Optics		MCAT course syllabus module 18

Modern Physics  relativity optional for MCAT
Molecular Spectroscopy		MCAT course syllabus module 19
Molecular Spectroscopy
Nuclear Physics
break
MCAT course syllabus module 20
The WikiPremed MCAT Course is a free comprehensive course in the undergraduate level general sciences. Undergraduate level physics, chemistry, organic chemistry and biology are presented by this course as a unified whole within a spiraling curriculum.

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