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Unit 1: Thermal, nuclear and electrical physics 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 …

Unit 1 | Physics | Science | Senior secondary curriculum

Unit 2: Linear Motion and Waves Physics

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 …

Unit 2 | Physics | Science | Senior secondary curriculum

Unit 3: Gravity and electromagnetism Physics

Field theories have enabled physicists to explain a vast array of natural phenomena and have contributed to the development of technologies that have changed the world, including electrical power generation and distribution systems, artificial satellites …

Unit 3 | Physics | Science | Senior secondary curriculum

Unit 4: Revolutions in modern physics Physics

The development of quantum theory and the theory of relativity fundamentally changed our understanding of how nature operates and led to the development of a wide range of new technologies, including technologies that revolutionised the storage, processing …

Unit 4 | Physics | Science | Senior secondary curriculum

Rationale/Aims Physics

Rationale Physics is a fundamental science that endeavours to explain all the natural phenomena that occur in the universe. Its power lies in the use of a comparatively small number of assumptions, models, laws and theories to explain a wide range of …

Rationale/Aims | Physics | Science | Senior secondary curriculum

Structure of Physics Physics

Units In Physics, students develop their understanding of the core concepts, models and theories that describe, explain and predict physical phenomena. There are four units: Unit 1: Thermal, nuclear and electrical physics Unit 2: Linear motion and waves Unit …

Structure of Physics | Physics | Science | Senior secondary curriculum

ACSPH071

The mechanical wave model can be used to explain phenomena related to reflection and refraction (for example, echoes, seismic phenomena)

ACSPH076

A wave model explains a wide range of light-related phenomena including reflection, refraction, total internal reflection, dispersion, diffraction and interference; a transverse wave model is required to explain polarisation

ACSPH101

Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation is used to explain Kepler’s laws of planetary motion and to describe the motion of planets and other satellites, modelled as uniform circular motion

ACSPH129

Observations of objects travelling at very high speeds cannot be explained by Newtonian physics (for example, the dilated half-life of high-speed muons created in the upper atmosphere, and the momentum of high speed particles in particle accelerators …

ACSPH134

The concept of mass-energy equivalence emerged from the special theory of relativity and explains the source of the energy produced in nuclear reactions

ACSPH137

A wide range of phenomena, including black body radiation and the photoelectric effect, are explained using the concept of light quanta

ACSPH139

The Bohr model of the hydrogen atom integrates light quanta and atomic energy states to explain the specific wavelengths in the hydrogen spectrum and in the spectra of other simple atoms; the Bohr model enables line spectra to be correlated with atomic …

ACSPH140

On the atomic level, energy and matter exhibit the characteristics of both waves and particles (for example, Young’s double slit experiment is explained with a wave model but produces the same interference pattern when one photon at a time is passed through …

ACSPH142

The Standard Model explains three of the four fundamental forces (strong, weak and electromagnetic forces) in terms of an exchange of force-carrying particles called gauge bosons; each force is mediated by a different type of gauge boson

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