Physics
In the Physics ATAR course students will learn how energy and energy transformations can shape the environment from the small scale, in quantum leaps inside an atom’s electron cloud, through the human scale, in vehicles and the human body, to the large scale, in interactions between galaxies. Students have opportunities to develop their investigative skills and use analytical thinking to explain and predict physical phenomena.
Students plan and conduct investigations to answer a range of questions, collect and interpret data and observations, and communicate their findings in an appropriate format. Problem-solving and using evidence to make and justify conclusions are transferable skills that are developed in this course. Physics is a challenging and rewarding subject. Physics is a prerequisite subject for most university engineering courses and is a desired subject for most tertiary science courses. Students wishing to enter Unit 1 and 2 Physics in Year 11 should have developed mathematics skills and meet the minimum expected results from Year 10 Extended Science: Physics. |
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Physics ATAR
WACE Breadth & Depth Requirement:
List B
Prerequisite
65% in Science Extended
Unit 1
Thermal, Nuclear and Electrical Physics
An understanding of heating processes, nuclear reactions and electricity is essential to appreciate how global energy needs are met. In this unit, students explore the ways physics is used to describe, explain and predict the energy transfers and transformations that are pivotal to modern industrial societies. Students investigate heating processes, apply the nuclear model of the atom to investigate radioactivity, and learn how nuclear reactions convert mass into energy. They examine the movement of electrical charge in circuits and use this to analyse, explain and predict electrical phenomena.
Unit 2
Linear Motion and Waves
In this unit, students develop an appreciation of how an understanding of motion and waves can be used to describe, explain and predict a wide range of phenomena. Students describe linear motion in terms of position and time data, and examine the relationships between force, momentum and energy for interactions in one dimension. Students investigate common wave phenomena, including waves on springs, and water, sound and earthquake waves.