Science Curriculum

First year students will take physics, chemistry, and biology in that order. The idea behind this is that physics lays the groundwork for chemistry and chemistry, in turn, prepares one for biology. Additionally, the mathematics background will be in place to understand the motivation for various formulas and laws that appear in physics without the need for rote memorization. Once one understands that

• $\frac{ds(t)}{dt} = v(t)$
• $\frac{dv(t)}{dt} = a(t)$

where s(t) is displacement, v(t) is a velocity, and a(t) is acceleration (all as functions of time), then one only needs to apply the principals of calculus to derive these formulas and manipulate them efficiently. It is, in my opinion, beyond unproductive to have students memorize numerous unmotivated formulas for purely situational use- especially where a singular unifying concept serves to replace them.