§-Physics syllabus
TAS · TASC← Physics
Physics syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the TAS Physics syllabus, with a focused answer for each. Click any dot point for a worked explainer, past exam questions and links to related points.
Unit 3: Gravity and Electromagnetism
Module overview →How is alternating current generated from rotating motion?
Explain the operation of an AC generator and the sinusoidal EMF it produces.
Why do magnetic fields make charged particles move in circles?
Analyse the circular motion of charged particles in uniform magnetic fields and its applications.
What force acts between electric charges?
Apply Coulomb's law to the force between point charges and describe how objects become charged.
How do we map the influence of a charge on the space around it?
Define electric field strength and represent the fields of point charges and parallel plates with field lines.
How does an electric field change the energy and motion of a charge?
Analyse the work done on a charge and the motion of charged particles in uniform electric fields.
How does a changing magnetic field create electricity?
Apply Faraday's and Lenz's laws to electromagnetic induction, generators and transformers.
How does a current in a magnetic field produce motion?
Describe the magnetic force on currents and charges and explain the operation of a DC motor.
What determines the size and direction of an induced voltage?
Apply Faraday's law and Lenz's law to determine the magnitude and direction of induced EMF.
What holds planets and satellites in their orbits?
Apply Newton's law of universal gravitation and the field model to orbital motion.
How much energy does it take to move through a gravitational field?
Describe gravitational potential energy in a radial field and relate work done to changes in field energy.
How do we describe and predict motion in a straight line?
Use the equations of motion to analyse uniform and uniformly accelerated straight line motion.
What produces magnetic fields and what shape do they take?
Describe magnetic fields from magnets and currents and represent them with field lines.
How was the charge on a single electron measured?
Explain how Millikan's oil drop experiment balanced electric and gravitational forces to find the elementary charge.
What stays the same when objects collide?
Apply conservation of momentum and the impulse-momentum relationship to collisions and explosions in one and two dimensions.
How do forces determine how an object moves?
Apply Newton's three laws of motion to objects modelled as point masses.
How do objects move when launched or turned by a force?
Analyse projectile motion and uniform circular motion using vectors and Newton's laws.
Why do astronauts float and how are orbital periods related to radius?
Explain apparent weightlessness and apply Kepler's laws to the orbits of satellites and planets.
How is energy transferred when a force moves an object?
Apply work, kinetic and potential energy, conservation of energy and power to mechanical systems.
Unit 4: Revolutions in Modern Physics
Module overview →How do atoms emit light and how do nuclei release energy?
Explain atomic energy levels and spectra and analyse nuclear decay and mass-energy in reactions.
What happens to space and time at very high speeds?
Apply Einstein's postulates to time dilation, length contraction and mass-energy equivalence.
Why does light behave like a stream of particles?
Use the photon model and Einstein's photoelectric equation to explain the photoelectric effect.
What are the fundamental building blocks of matter?
Describe the Standard Model's particles, the four fundamental forces and their carriers.