QLD · QCAASyllabus
Physics syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the QLD Physics syllabus, with a focused answer for each one. Click any dot point for a worked explainer, past exam questions, and links to related dot points. Generated by Claude Opus and reviewed by Better Tuition Academy tutors.
Unit 1: Thermal, nuclear and electrical physics
Module overview →- How are electric circuits analysed using Ohm's law and energy conservation?Electric current, voltage, resistance, Ohm's law $V = IR$, series and parallel circuits, electric power $P = VI$, and household electricity8 min answer →
- Topic 3: Electrical circuitsSolve problems involving electrical power and energy in DC circuits, applying $P = VI = I^2 R = V^2 / R$ and electrical energy $W = P t$5 min answer →
- Topic 2: Ionising radiation and nuclear reactionsSolve problems involving the exponential decay of radioactive nuclides, half-life and decay constant, and apply to radiometric dating and medical applications6 min answer →
- Topic 1: Heating processesDescribe and distinguish between conduction, convection and radiation as mechanisms of heat transfer, with reference to everyday and industrial applications5 min answer →
- Topic 1: Heating processesDescribe internal energy, temperature and thermal equilibrium in terms of the kinetic theory of matter, and distinguish heat from temperature5 min answer →
- Topic 2: Ionising radiation and nuclear reactionsDescribe nuclear fission and nuclear fusion, including the role of binding energy per nucleon, and apply mass-energy equivalence ($E = mc^2$) to estimate the energy released6 min answer →
- What is nuclear physics, and how do nuclei decay and produce energy?Atomic nucleus, isotopes, types of radioactive decay (alpha, beta, gamma), half-life, fission and fusion8 min answer →
- Topic 3: Electrical circuitsDefine electric current, potential difference and resistance, and apply Ohm's law ($V = IR$) to simple resistive circuits5 min answer →
- Topic 3: Electrical circuitsAnalyse series and parallel resistor combinations using Kirchhoff's current and voltage laws, including problems with mixed series and parallel branches7 min answer →
- Topic 1: Heating processesSolve problems involving specific heat capacity ($Q = mc\Delta T$) and specific latent heat ($Q = mL$) of fusion and vaporisation, including state changes6 min answer →
- How are thermal phenomena explained using kinetic theory and heat transfer?Thermal energy, temperature and kinetic theory of matter, methods of heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation), specific heat capacity $Q = mc\Delta T$, and latent heat8 min answer →
- Topic 2: Ionising radiation and nuclear reactionsDescribe the properties of alpha, beta and gamma radiation, including charge, mass, ionising and penetrating power, and represent decay reactions using balanced nuclear equations6 min answer →
Unit 2: Linear motion and waves
Module overview →- Topic 1: Linear motion and forceRecall, describe and apply the concepts of position, displacement, distance, speed, velocity and acceleration, distinguishing between scalar and vector quantities and between average and instantaneous values6 min answer →
- How is linear motion analysed using Newton's laws?Linear motion (displacement, velocity, acceleration, suvat equations), Newton's three laws, free-body diagrams, momentum $p = mv$, impulse $J = F \Delta t$, work, energy, power8 min answer →
- Topic 1: Linear motion and forceDefine linear momentum and impulse, and apply the principle of conservation of momentum to one-dimensional collisions and explosions, distinguishing between elastic and inelastic collisions7 min answer →
- Topic 1: Linear motion and forceAnalyse the linear motion of an object using graphs of position, velocity and acceleration against time, interpreting slope and area under the graph7 min answer →
- Topic 1: Linear motion and forceRecall, describe and apply Newton's three laws of motion, including the use of free-body diagrams to identify forces acting on an object and solve problems involving weight, normal force, friction and tension8 min answer →
- Topic 1: Linear motion and forceDefine power as the rate of doing work or transferring energy, and apply $P = W / t = Fv$ to mechanical systems, including efficiency calculations6 min answer →
- Topic 1: Linear motion and forceDistinguish between scalar and vector quantities, including identifying examples and applying operations of addition and subtraction in one and two dimensions6 min answer →
- Topic 2: WavesExplain the formation of standing waves in strings (fixed at both ends) and in air columns (open and closed pipes), and solve problems involving the resonant frequencies of mechanical systems7 min answer →
- Topic 2: WavesDescribe the superposition of mechanical waves and explain constructive and destructive interference in terms of phase relationships6 min answer →
- Topic 1: Linear motion and forceRecall and apply the equations for uniformly accelerated motion to one-dimensional problems, including problems involving free fall under gravity7 min answer →
- Topic 2: WavesRecall and apply the wave equation $v = f \lambda$ to determine the speed, frequency or wavelength of a wave, including across media in which the wave speed changes6 min answer →
- Topic 2: WavesDescribe mechanical waves as transverse or longitudinal, identifying their characteristics including wavelength, period, frequency, amplitude and speed, and giving examples of each6 min answer →
- How are waves described and how do they behave?Wave properties (wavelength, frequency, amplitude, period, wave speed $v = f\lambda$), transverse vs longitudinal waves, sound waves, the wave behaviours (reflection, refraction, diffraction, interference, polarisation), the Doppler effect, and the electromagnetic spectrum8 min answer →
- Topic 1: Linear motion and forceDefine work, kinetic energy and gravitational potential energy, and apply the principle of conservation of mechanical energy to one-dimensional problems including those with friction7 min answer →
Unit 3: Gravity and electromagnetism
Module overview →- Topic 2: ElectromagnetismApply the relationships for the magnetic force on a moving charge F = q v B sin(theta) and on a current-carrying conductor F = B I L sin(theta), including the right-hand rule, circular motion of charged particles in uniform magnetic fields, and forces between parallel conductors9 min answer →
- Topic 2: ElectromagnetismApply Coulomb's law F = k q1 q2 / r^2, the electric field of a point charge E = k Q / r^2, and the uniform electric field between parallel plates E = V / d to calculate forces, fields and the motion of charged particles9 min answer →
- Topic 2: ElectromagnetismApply Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction (induced EMF = - N dPhi/dt) and Lenz's law to determine the magnitude and direction of induced EMF, including motional EMF in a moving conductor and the induced current in a circuit10 min answer →
- Topic 1: Gravity and motionApply Newton's law of universal gravitation F = G m1 m2 / r^2 and the gravitational field strength g = G M / r^2 to calculate gravitational force, field strength and acceleration at points in a radial gravitational field7 min answer →
- Topic 1: Gravity and motionApply the relationships for orbital motion of satellites and planets, including Kepler's third law T^2 / r^3 = 4 pi^2 / (G M), orbital speed v = sqrt(G M / r), and the energy of an orbit (kinetic, gravitational potential and total)9 min answer →
- Topic 1: Gravity and motionSolve problems involving projectile motion by resolving the motion into independent horizontal and vertical components, assuming constant downward acceleration due to gravity and negligible air resistance8 min answer →
- Topic 2: ElectromagnetismApply the ideal-transformer relationships V_s / V_p = N_s / N_p and I_p / I_s = N_s / N_p, and the role of step-up and step-down transformers in minimising I^2 R losses in AC power transmission10 min answer →
- Topic 1: Gravity and motionApply the relationships for uniform circular motion, including centripetal acceleration a = v^2/r, centripetal force F = m v^2 / r, period T = 2 pi r / v, and the geometry of banked curves and conical pendulums9 min answer →
Unit 4: Revolutions in modern physics
Module overview →- Topic 3: The standard modelDescribe the four fundamental forces (gravitational, electromagnetic, strong nuclear, weak nuclear), their gauge boson mediators (in the Standard Model), their relative strengths and effective ranges, and applications in nuclear and particle physics8 min answer →
- Topic 3: The standard modelIdentify the elementary particles of the Standard Model (quarks, leptons, gauge bosons, Higgs boson), classify hadrons as baryons (three quarks) and mesons (quark-antiquark pairs), and explain the role of each particle family9 min answer →
- Topic 1: Special relativityApply the length contraction formula $L = L_0 / \gamma$ and the relativistic momentum formula $p = \gamma m v$ to predict the contraction of moving objects and the momentum of relativistic particles8 min answer →
- Topic 1: Special relativityApply Einstein's mass-energy equivalence $E = mc^2$ (rest energy) and the relativistic energy $E = \gamma m c^2$ (total energy) to nuclear reactions, particle physics and astrophysics8 min answer →
- Topic 2: Quantum theoryApply the photon model of light ($E = hf$), the photoelectric equation ($E_{k,\max} = hf - \phi$), and the Bohr model of atomic energy levels with transitions producing photons of energy $\Delta E = h f$9 min answer →
- Topic 1: Special relativityExplain Einstein's two postulates of special relativity (the principle of relativity and the constancy of the speed of light), and apply the time dilation formula $t = \gamma t_0$ where $\gamma = 1/\sqrt{1 - v^2/c^2}$ to predict the time experienced by moving observers9 min answer →
- Topic 2: Quantum theoryExplain wave-particle duality through de Broglie's matter-wave hypothesis $\lambda = h/p$, applying it to electron diffraction and to the quantum nature of matter8 min answer →