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What a 17-year-old learns

172 topics open up at age 17, across 5 subjects. They are listed in the order they build on each other, not by importance: each one needs the ones above it.

age 16age 18
What should a 17-year-old be learning?

At age 17, 172 topics open up across Science, Mathematics, Computing, English, Languages. Each one has prerequisites that come first, so the order matters more than the list: Cell Cycle Checkpoints, Control and Cancer is a typical starting point.

How do I know what a 17-year-old already knows?

LightMySky starts by assuming everything below the learner’s level is already known, then checks the assumption as they practise. What holds up stays lit; what does not comes back for review.

Science

  1. Cell Cycle Checkpoints, Control and CancerOrganisms & Life Processes
  2. Co-transport and Coupled Movement Across MembranesOrganisms & Life Processes
  3. Water Potential and Osmosis QuantifiedOrganisms & Life Processes
  4. The Diffraction Grating and Measuring WavelengthWaves, Light & Sound
  5. Single-Slit Diffraction and the Limit of ResolutionWaves, Light & Sound
  6. Electromotive Force, Internal Resistance and the Potential DividerEnergy
  7. Power as Force Times Velocity, and EfficiencyEnergy
  8. Elastic and Inelastic CollisionsForces & Motion
  9. Cohesion-Tension and Water Movement in the XylemOrganisms & Life Processes
  10. Translocation and the Mass Flow HypothesisOrganisms & Life Processes
  11. Elastic Strain Energy and Force-Extension GraphsMatter & Materials
  12. Stress, Strain and the Young ModulusMatter & Materials
  13. Circular Motion: Angular Speed and Centripetal ForceForces & Motion
  14. Simple Harmonic Motion: the Defining Relation and Its GraphsForces & Motion
  15. Energy in Simple Harmonic Motion, Damping and ResonanceForces & Motion
  16. Orbits: Period, Speed and Kepler's Third LawSpace Systems & Earth's History
  17. Plant growth responses: tropisms and the hormones behind themOrganisms & Life Processes
  18. Lattice Enthalpy and Born-Haber CyclesChemistry
  19. Entropy and the Spread of EnergyChemistry
  20. Free Energy and Whether a Reaction Is FeasibleChemistry
  21. Rate Equations and Orders of ReactionChemistry
  22. Reading Orders and Half-Lives from Rate GraphsChemistry
  23. Standard Electrode Potentials and Predicting Redox ReactionsChemistry
  24. Cells That Do Work: Batteries, Fuel Cells and CorrosionChemistry
  25. Redox Titrations with Manganate(VII) and ThiosulfateChemistry
  26. The Rate-Determining Step and Reaction MechanismsChemistry
  27. The Arrhenius Equation and Finding Activation EnergyChemistry
  28. Kp, Partial Pressures and Gas EquilibriaChemistry
  29. pH, Kw and Strong Acids and BasesChemistry
  30. Solubility Equilibria and When a Precipitate AppearsChemistry
  31. Transition Metals: Variable Oxidation State, Colour and CatalysisChemistry
  32. Complex Ions, Ligands and Their ShapesChemistry
  33. Weak Acids, Ka and pKaChemistry
  34. Buffers and Titration CurvesChemistry
  35. Metal Aqua Ions: Acidity, Ligand Exchange and PrecipitationChemistry
  36. Discharging a Capacitor and the Time ConstantEnergy
  37. Charged Particles Moving in a Magnetic FieldForces & Motion
  38. Magnetic Flux, Flux Linkage and Faraday's LawEnergy
  39. Lenz's Law and the Alternating-Current GeneratorEnergy
  40. Forcing, Feedback and Climate SensitivityEarth's Systems
  41. Photon Energy and the ElectronvoltWaves, Light & Sound
  42. The Photoelectric Effect and the Work FunctionWaves, Light & Sound
  43. Energy Levels and Line SpectraWaves, Light & Sound
  44. de Broglie Waves and Electron DiffractionWaves, Light & Sound
  45. Mass, Energy and the Unified Atomic Mass UnitMatter & Materials
  46. Mass Defect and Binding Energy per NucleonMatter & Materials
  47. Energy Released in Fission and FusionMatter & Materials
  48. Particles, Antiparticles and AnnihilationMatter & Materials
  49. Quarks, Leptons and the Conservation LawsMatter & Materials
  50. Exchange Particles and Reading a Feynman DiagramMatter & Materials
  51. The Decay Constant and the Exponential Decay LawMatter & Materials
  52. Activity, Half-Life and Radioactive DatingMatter & Materials
  53. Aldehydes and Ketones: Nucleophilic Addition and the Tests That Separate ThemChemistry
  54. Benzene: Delocalisation and Electrophilic SubstitutionChemistry
  55. Carboxylic Acids, Esters and HydrolysisChemistry
  56. Addition and Condensation PolymersChemistry
  57. Amines and Amides: Basicity and the Nitrogen Functional GroupsChemistry
  58. Mass Spectra and Infrared: Identifying an UnknownChemistry
  59. NMR Spectra: Counting EnvironmentsChemistry
  60. Palaeoclimate: Ice Cores, Isotopes and the Record of Past ChangeEarth's Systems
  61. The Ocean in Motion: Wind-Driven Gyres and the Deep OverturningEarth's Systems
  62. Seawater Chemistry: the Carbonate System and pHEarth's Systems
  63. The Carbon Cycle on Two TimescalesEarth's Systems
  64. Combining Uncertainties and Reading a Result off a GraphScientific Inquiry
  65. Enzyme Inhibition and Metabolic ControlOrganisms & Life Processes
  66. The Krebs Cycle and the Reduced CarriersOrganisms & Life Processes
  67. Oxidative Phosphorylation and ChemiosmosisOrganisms & Life Processes
  68. Anaerobic Routes and the ATP Yield ComparedOrganisms & Life Processes
  69. Ecosystem Energy Budgets: GPP, NPP and Transfer EfficiencyOrganisms & Life Processes
  70. The Nitrogen Cycle and the Microbes That Drive ItOrganisms & Life Processes
  71. Population Growth Curves and Carrying CapacityOrganisms & Life Processes
  72. Succession from Pioneer to Climax CommunityOrganisms & Life Processes
  73. Haemoglobin, the Dissociation Curve and the Bohr ShiftThe Human Body
  74. Monoclonal Antibodies and What They Are Used ForThe Human Body
  75. The Cardiac Cycle and Pressure in the HeartThe Human Body
  76. The Resting Potential and the Action PotentialThe Human Body
  77. Conduction Speed: Myelination and the Refractory PeriodThe Human Body
  78. Synaptic Transmission, Summation and InhibitionThe Human Body
  79. The Sliding Filament Model of Muscle ContractionThe Human Body
  80. Tissue Fluid and Its Return to the CirculationThe Human Body
  81. Ultrafiltration and Selective Reabsorption in the NephronThe Human Body
  82. Osmoregulation and the Action of ADHThe Human Body
  83. Transcription Factors and Epigenetic ControlGenetics & Evolution
  84. Gene Mutations and Their ConsequencesGenetics & Evolution
  85. Dihybrid Crosses and the 9:3:3:1 RatioGenetics & Evolution
  86. Testing Genetic Ratios with Chi-squaredGenetics & Evolution
  87. The Hardy-Weinberg Principle and Allele FrequenciesGenetics & Evolution
  88. Recombinant DNA and Gene TransferGenetics & Evolution
  89. PCR, Electrophoresis and DNA ProfilingGenetics & Evolution

Mathematics

  1. The Power Rule for Differentiating PolynomialsCalculus & Analysis
  2. Integration as the Reverse of DifferentiationCalculus & Analysis
  3. Conic Sections: Ellipse, Parabola and HyperbolaGeometry
  4. Polar Coordinates and Polar CurvesGeometry
  5. Small Angle ApproximationsGeometry
  6. Arithmetic Series and Sigma NotationAlgebra
  7. Geometric Series and the Sum to InfinityAlgebra
  8. Hyperbolic Functions and Their InversesAlgebra
  9. Rational Functions, Asymptotes and Curve SketchingAlgebra
  10. The Imaginary Unit and Complex ArithmeticAlgebra
  11. The Argand Plane, Modulus and ArgumentAlgebra
  12. Euler's Formula and the Exponential FormAlgebra
  13. Roots of Polynomials and Roots of UnityAlgebra
  14. The Laws of LogarithmsAlgebra
  15. Solving Exponential Equations with LogarithmsAlgebra
  16. Straightening Data with Logarithmic GraphsAlgebra
  17. Kinematics with CalculusMechanics
  18. Newton's Second Law: Force, Mass and AccelerationMechanics
  19. Locating Roots and Iterative MethodsCalculus & Analysis
  20. The Definite Integral and the Area Under a CurveCalculus & Analysis
  21. Areas Between Two CurvesCalculus & Analysis
  22. The Derivative as a Rate of ChangeCalculus & Analysis
  23. Tangents and Normals to a CurveCalculus & Analysis
  24. Increasing and Decreasing FunctionsCalculus & Analysis
  25. Stationary Points and the Second DerivativeCalculus & Analysis
  26. Optimisation with CalculusCalculus & Analysis
  27. The Newton-Raphson MethodCalculus & Analysis
  28. The Trapezium RuleCalculus & Analysis
  29. Finding Probabilities and Values from a Normal ModelProbability
  30. Sampling Distributions and the Central Limit TheoremData & Statistics
  31. Setting Up a Hypothesis TestData & Statistics
  32. Testing a Binomial ProportionData & Statistics
  33. Correlation and the Product-Moment CoefficientData & Statistics
  34. The Regression Line and Making PredictionsData & Statistics
  35. Proof by Deduction and ExhaustionMathematical Thinking
  36. Proof by Contradiction and CounterexampleMathematical Thinking
  37. Equilibrium and Newton's First LawMechanics
  38. Friction and the Coefficient of FrictionMechanics
  39. Moments and the Equilibrium of a Rigid BodyMechanics
  40. Newton's Second Law in Two DimensionsMechanics
  41. Connected Particles and PulleysMechanics
  42. Motion on a Rough Inclined PlaneMechanics
  43. Projectile MotionMechanics

Computing

  1. Reading and Writing Files, Including CSVProgramming
  2. Exceptions: Raising, Catching and RecoveringProgramming
  3. Unit Tests: Deciding What Is Worth TestingProgramming
  4. Debugging as a Method: Reproduce, Isolate, FixProgramming
  5. The Project Arc: Building a Program in StagesProgramming
  6. Recursion and the Call StackAlgorithms & Data Structures
  7. Relational Databases: Tables, Keys and RelationshipsComputer Systems
  8. Normalisation to Third Normal FormComputer Systems
  9. Merge Sort and Divide and ConquerAlgorithms & Data Structures
  10. Trees and Binary Search TreesAlgorithms & Data Structures
  11. Graphs and How to Store ThemAlgorithms & Data Structures
  12. Breadth-First and Depth-First SearchAlgorithms & Data Structures
  13. Dijkstra's Shortest PathAlgorithms & Data Structures
  14. Finite State Machines and What They RecogniseAlgorithms & Data Structures
  15. Turing Machines and the Universal MachineAlgorithms & Data Structures
  16. The Halting Problem: A Task No Program Can DoAlgorithms & Data Structures
  17. Network Layers and the Protocol StackComputer Systems
  18. IP Addressing and How Routers Choose a PathComputer Systems
  19. SQL: Selecting, Filtering and Ordering RowsComputer Systems
  20. SQL: Joining Tables and Summarising GroupsComputer Systems

English

  1. Framing a Research QuestionEnglish Thinking
  2. Reading Beyond the Set TextsEnglish Thinking
  3. Genre as a Set of ExpectationsReading Comprehension
  4. Tragedy: The Shape of the FallReading Comprehension
  5. Reading Through a Critical LensReading Comprehension
  6. Arguing With Published CriticismReading Comprehension
  7. Comparing Whole Texts Around a QuestionReading Comprehension
  8. Working an Unseen Text Against the ClockReading Comprehension
  9. Attitudes to Language ChangeVocabulary
  10. Language and Power in Public DiscourseVocabulary
  11. Child Language: How Speech DevelopsSpeaking & Listening
  12. Discourse Analysis: How Conversation Is OrganisedSpeaking & Listening
  13. Gathering and Transcribing Language DataSpeaking & Listening
  14. Building a Source Base for a Long EssayWriting Composition
  15. Signposting and Sections in a Long EssayWriting Composition
  16. Revising at LengthWriting Composition

Languages

  1. Variation Inside One LanguageTexts, Media & Translation
  2. Writing for an Academic or Professional ReaderLanguage Learning
  3. Learning the Next Language FasterLanguage Learning
  4. Keeping a Language for LifeLanguage Learning
What a 17-year-old learns · LightMySky