Physics 101 is the latest product in a line of high school science curriculum offerings form Westfield Studios. The four DVD set contains 20 individual video segments, each covering a separate physics topic. It also contains pdf files with the “Guidebook and Quizzes” and “Course Accreditation Program” materials. Both of those files were easy to print out so we could have easy access to them during the course.

According to the “Course Accreditation Program” materials, a typical segment includes watching an instructional segment on the DVD, reading the corresponding material in the guidebook, and talking about the discussion questions with a parent. The student then continues the lesson by writing a 200-word report on an assigned research topic, completing at least one laboratory activity (again with a 200 word report), and taking the quiz for that segment. The program is divided into twenty segments, and the course suggests spending 5-7 hours on most segments. The total estimated time to complete the program is 135 hours, which would be sufficient to count for a one-year high school credit in many states.

The goal of this physics program is to make physics concepts, even the most complicated ones, easy to understand. Each video segments lasts for approximately 30 – 40 minutes. Addison says the videos were very well done. Wes Olson presented the concepts very clearly and understandably. The video segments piqued her interest in subjects she hadn’t previously studied, like electricity and magnetism, and especially in Einstein’s theories of special and general relativity. Addison has a strong academic bent towards math and science subjects, so she saw these videos as a good starting point even though they did not fully satisfy her desire to completely learn the concept. These videos have a Christian basis and often point out the spiritual background of the scientists being discussed.

In order for this course to be worthy of a high school credit, the student needs to complete many of the extra labs and research assignments listed in the “Course Accreditation Program.” The total running time of the four DVDs is only 11 hours, 10 minutes. As we worked through the materials, I found that the time estimates for completing the extra activities were a bit generous in some instances. For instance, the program lists a target time of 1 hour for reading the Guidebook and talking about discussion questions for each segment. Because the guidebook materials were typically only four or five pages long, Addison spent far less than an hour reviewing the material and formulating answers to the discussion questions. She and I both think that the student would have to spend significant time doing further research in order for these materials to count as a full-credit of physics on a high school transcript.

Addison pointed out that this program does not require a student to be good in math. It would be impossible to discuss physics without talking about mathematical formulas, but this program does not require the student to learn or use the formulas that it does introduce. For instance, the student is taught Isaac Newton’s Second Law of Motion – “force equals mass times acceleration.” This program does not, however, ask students to calculate the force in a given situation. In fact, we did not find a single mathematics related question on any of the segment quizzes.

Addison frequently referred to this physics program as “physics for poets,” but she wasn’t being derogatory. We would recommend it for a high school student who struggles with upper level math concepts and yet enjoys science (or needs an additional science credit). This program does an excellent job of helping students understand the overarching concepts behind physics. For a student planning on a career in a math or science related field, this basic understanding could be useful. The student might not, however, get enough practice with the mathematics relating to these physics concepts to do well in a college physics class.

-Product review by Cristi Schwamb, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, January, 2016