TCE Physics Level 4

🎓Course Type	Pre-tertiary
TASC Code	PHY415115
TCE Points	15
⏱Hours	150
✔️Standard	Mathematics (Numeracy)
📚Prerequisites	It is expected that all students who wish to undertake this course will have successfully studied Physical Sciences in the previous year. They should also have studied, or be concurrently studying, Mathematics Methods or General Mathematics.
📎Desirable prior experiences	nil
📝Assessment	Internal - ongoing against criteria External - 3 hour examination

What will I learn?

This Physics course is designed to prepare students for tertiary study of physics or related subjects such as engineering, medicine or technology. It is designed for Year 12 students and contains a wide and detailed coverage of physics topics which includes Mechanics, Fields, Waves, Atomic and Nuclear models. Successful completion of a course based on this syllabus is a prerequisite for first year university Physics.

The topics for study are:

Newtonian Mechanics
Fields – Electric, Magnetic and Gravitational
Electromagnetism
Waves
Atomic Physics
Nuclear Physics

Why should I consider this course?

The purpose of science education is to develop scientific literacy, helping learners:

to be interested in, and understand, the world around them;
to engage in discourse about the scientific and technological aspects underlying global and local issues;
to understand the testable and contestable nature of science, and question the claims made by others about scientific matters;
to be able to identify questions, draw evidence-based conclusions and discuss their validity; and
to form opinions, that are reasoned and informed, about the environment, about their own health and well-being, and about the role and impact of science on society.

Students learn how an understanding of physics is central to the identification of, and solutions to some of the key issues facing an increasingly globalised society. They consider how physics contributes to diverse areas in contemporary life, such as engineering, renewable energy generation, communication, development of new materials, transport and vehicle safety, medical science, an understanding of climate change, and the exploration of the universe. Studying physics will enable learners to become citizens who are better informed about the world around them and who have the critical skills to evaluate and make evidence-based decisions about current scientific issues.

What Skills does this course provide?

This course will develop students’:

interest in and appreciation of physics and its usefulness in helping to explain physical phenomena and solve problems encountered in their ever-changing world
understanding of concepts, models and theories that may be used to explain, analyse and make predictions about natural phenomena
understanding of how physics knowledge is used in a wide range of contexts, and that it has significant impacts on society and implications for decision making
investigative skills, including conducting investigations to explore physical phenomena and solve problems, collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data, and interpretation of evidence
ability to use accurate and precise measurement, valid and reliable evidence, and scepticism and intellectual rigour to evaluate claims
ability to communicate physics understanding, findings, arguments and conclusions using appropriate representations, formats and language.

What Pathway Options does this course provide?

Successful completion of a course based on this syllabus is a prerequisite for first year university Physics as well as for a number of other tertiary courses. In addition, an understanding of Physics Level 4 is relevant and provides a foundation for a range of careers, including those in: astronomy; biomechanics; engineering; energy creation and management; forensic science; computer game design; meteorology; oceanography; quantum computing; space science; and sport science.