Physics Lyceum: High School, Princeton
Deep Physics in Princeton. Eight semester-long courses, from mechanics through quantum mechanics.
Three semesters a year · Twice weekly (theory + seminar) · Cohort of 12 · Princeton, NJ
About the High School Physics Lyceum
The high school program of the SoTS Physics Lyceum: a multi-year physics curriculum built around eight semester-long courses. A motivated student can take one course per semester and complete all eight in under three years; a student who prefers a slower pace can spread the same eight courses across the four years of high school.
The courses are largely independent. A student can take one course or all eight in the order that fits their preparation and schedule. Special Relativity and Quantum Mechanics draw on earlier material; the rest can be entered directly.
Lyceum students don’t sample topics. They learn them.
Eight Physics Courses for Grades 9–12
Each course is one semester long and self-contained. Students enter wherever their interest and preparation point them and build the rest from there. Students who complete all eight leave the Lyceum with physics they actually own.
Mechanics of Motion
How and why things move: the foundations of all physics. Kinematics, dynamics, conservation of energy and momentum, gravitation. Taught with depth and intuition rather than equation memorization.
Mechanics of Bodies and Fluids
Spinning, balancing, floating: mechanics where shape matters. Rotational motion, rigid bodies, statics, hydrostatics. Building on the foundations toward the harder problems mechanics can pose.
Waves and Oscillations
What happens when things vibrate, swing, or travel as waves. Periodic motion, simple harmonic motion, mechanical waves, superposition, resonance, interference.
Thermodynamics
What heat really is, and why time has a direction. Heat, temperature, the laws of thermodynamics, kinetic theory of gases, entropy as a physical idea.
Electricity & Magnetism
How charges and currents shape modern physics. Fields, potentials, circuits, magnetic forces, electromagnetic induction. The backbone of modern physics.
Geometric Optics and Atomic Structure
How light bends to form images, and how atoms reveal themselves through it. Ray optics: reflection, refraction, lenses, mirrors, image formation. Then the structure of the atom and atomic spectra, where light meets matter.
Special Relativity
Why time and space bend at high speeds, derived from two postulates. Spacetime, simultaneity, length contraction, time dilation, energy and momentum at relativistic speeds. Einstein’s revolution.
Quantum Mechanics
How nature really behaves at the smallest scales. Wavefunctions, superposition, measurement, uncertainty. The deepest and most beautiful subject in the curriculum.
Math prerequisites: algebra, geometry, and basic trigonometry. No calculus required for any course in the Lyceum.
These describe natural progression, not strict gates. Every course opens with a first lecture that introduces the basic shared ideas it relies on, so a motivated student can also join directly, or arrive with the equivalent background learned elsewhere.
Schedule
Courses run on a year-round schedule across three semesters.
- Fall / Spring: One course over 16 weeks. Twice weekly: one 1.5h theory class, one 1.5h seminar.
- Summer: One course over roughly 8 weeks. Twice weekly, 3-hour sessions combining theory and seminar.
Theory builds the framework; seminar puts it to work on problems together.
Session Format
- Theory class: Concepts built from first principles. Derivations worked out on the board. Intuition developed alongside the formalism.
- Seminar: Problems of increasing difficulty, worked individually and in small groups. Discussion follows: compare approaches, argue, check each other’s reasoning. Students may present solutions on the board. Instructor asks guiding questions and addresses common errors. Explaining to others deepens understanding; seeing different approaches expands your toolkit.
- Cohort size: Up to 12 students per course.
No phones or computers. We focus on thinking through problems together.
Note: We teach responsible and efficient GenAI tools use in our Research Skills courses and Research Laboratories. Lyceum sessions are dedicated to pure thinking and problem-solving without GenAI.
Cost, Enrollment & Refund Policy
Tuition: $3,500 per course.
Location: Princeton, NJ.
Enrollment: Open for the next semester. Schedule a call to find the right course and entry point.
Payment due at enrollment. Full refund if we cancel or minimum cohort size is not formed. If you need to cancel, the following refund policy applies:
| If you cancel at... | Refund |
|---|---|
| 1+ week before start | Full refund |
| Less than 1 week before start | No refund |
Transcripts and Certificates
Students receive grades and certificates documenting their progress. Transcripts can be used by homeschool families and by students who want to demonstrate substantial physics coursework. See the Lyceum overview for our grading philosophy.