Physics

Purpose and Structure

Physics is the study of the way the physical world works, and the laws and principles established and maintained by the Creator. It increases our understanding of the physical and social environments, leading to developments which have profoundly influenced the material and societal world. Physics is an active conceptual, experimental and intellectual process, establishing critical thinking skills, analytic effectiveness and an open inquiring mind. This study covers traditional areas of physics at various levels as it explores aspects of matter and energy and the relationship between them. A contextual approach to the study has been adopted, enabling students to appreciate the relevance of physics in the physical, technological and social worlds. Physics provides wonderful insight into the enormous complexity and the incredible beauty of God’s creation, thereby engendering respect, humility and a sense of awe.

Unit 1: How is Energy useful to Society 

In this unit students examine some of the fundamental ideas and models used by physicists to understand and explain energy. Models used to understand light, thermal energy, radioactivity, nuclear processes and electricity are explored. Students apply these physics ideas to contemporary societal issues: communication, climate change and global warming, medical treatment, electrical home safety and Australian energy needs.

Unit 2: How does physics help us to understand the world? 

n this unit students explore the power of experiments in developing models and theories. They investigate a variety of phenomena by making their own observations and generating questions, which in turn lead to experiments.

Unit 3: How do fields explain motion and electricity? 

In this unit students use Newton’s laws to investigate motion in one and two dimensions. They explore the concept of the field as a model used by physicists to explain observations of motion of objects not in apparent contact. Students compare and contrast three fundamental fields – gravitational, magnetic and electric – and how they relate to one another. They consider the importance of the field to the motion of particles within the field. Students examine the production of electricity and its delivery to homes. They explore fields in relation to the transmission of electricity over large distances and in the design and operation of particle accelerators.

Unit 4: How have creative ideas and investigation revolutionised thinking in physics?

In this unit, students explore some monumental changes in thinking in Physics that have changed the course of how physicists understand and investigate the Universe. They examine the limitations of the wave model in describing light behaviour and use a particle model to better explain some observations of light. Matter, that was once explained using a particle model, is re-imagined using a wave model. Students are challenged to think beyond how they experience the physical world of their everyday lives to thinking from a new perspective, as they imagine the relativistic world of length contraction and time dilation when motion approaches the speed of light. They are invited to wonder about how Einstein’s revolutionary thinking allowed the development of modern-day devices such as the GPS. 

A student-designed practical investigation involving the generation of primary data and including one continuous, independent variable related to fields, motion or light is undertaken in Unit 3 and/or Unit 4.