Physics First - A 9th Grade Physics eTextbook

Physics First is a concept of reordering the traditional method of teaching science in high school. Typically students take Biology in the 9th grade year, Chemistry in the 10th grade year, and then they might take Physics in 11th or 12th grade. In many cases, students never take a Physics class. The idea behind this order goes back about 100 years and was done because it was alphabetical order.

Most people think that Physics can't be done in 9th grade because of the math. Some schools that do try this, only teach the concepts with very little justice done to the math. However, it has been shown that not only can it be done with the math (keeping it mostly algebra, geometry, and some simple trig rules), but students actually find comfort in the math to help prove the concepts.

Physics First gives 9th grade students a more hands-on introduction to high school science. It provides a strong base for Chemistry, which in turn provides a stronger base for Biology. I have found that students taking Physics in 9th grade were more likely to take more and higher level science classes before graduation.

As there are really no textbooks that are written at the 9th grade physics level that includes both the concepts and the math, I have created this etextbook to fill that void. It also contains links to many video demonstrations I have created and some physics simulation sites.