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§-Physics syllabus
VIC · VCAA← Physics

Physics syllabus, dot point by dot point

Every dot point in the VIC Physics study design, in syllabus order, with a focused answer for each. Open any dot point for the answer, exam-style questions and links to related points.

Unit 1: How is energy useful to society?

Unit overview →

How are current, voltage and resistance related?

Define electric current, potential difference and resistance, and apply Ohm's law (V=IRV = IR) to ohmic and non-ohmic conductors, including filament lamps and diodes
7 min read →

How is heat transferred between bodies?

Compare the mechanisms of heat transfer (conduction, convection and radiation), including Wien's displacement law (λmax⁡T=b\lambda_{\max} T = b) for thermal radiation (the Stefan-Boltzmann law is an extension)
7 min read →

What holds atomic nuclei together and why do some decay?

Describe the structure of atomic nuclei, the strong nuclear force, and the modes of radioactive decay (alpha, beta-minus, beta-plus, gamma), and write balanced nuclear equations
7 min read →

How is temperature related to particle motion?

Explain temperature in terms of the thermal energy of particles (the average translational kinetic energy relation Eˉk=32kBT\bar{E}_k = \frac{3}{2} k_B T is an extension), distinguishing absolute (kelvin) and celsius temperature scales
7 min read →

How are electric circuits analysed using Ohm's law and conservation of energy?

Electric current, voltage and resistance, Ohm's law V=IRV = IR, series and parallel circuits, electric power P=VIP = VI, energy in circuits, and household electricity
10 min read →

How are light and heat explained?

Apply the wave model of light to refraction using Snell's law, total internal reflection and the critical angle, colour dispersion in prisms and lenses, rainbows, mirages and optical fibres
7 min read →

How is the timing of nuclear decay used in science and medicine?

Solve problems involving exponential decay and half-life (N=N0(12)t/T1/2N = N_0 (\tfrac{1}{2})^{t/T_{1/2}}), and apply to nuclear medicine (the continuous decay law and dating techniques are extension)
7 min read →

How does the physics of energy transfer explain Earth's climate and the enhanced greenhouse effect?

The radiative energy balance of Earth, the natural greenhouse effect, the enhanced greenhouse effect from increased greenhouse gas concentrations, climate feedbacks, and the physics of climate change mitigation
10 min read →

How are thermal phenomena and heat transfer explained, and what is the role of energy in climate?

Thermal energy, temperature and internal energy, methods of heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation), specific heat capacity Q=mcΔTQ = mc\Delta T, latent heat of fusion and vaporisation, and applications including the greenhouse effect and climate
10 min read →

How does the greenhouse effect change Earth's energy balance?

Apply the energy balance of the Earth-atmosphere system to model the enhanced greenhouse effect, including the role of greenhouse gases (the radiative forcing concept is an extension)
8 min read →

How do bodies exchange heat?

Investigate and apply theoretically and practically the relationships Q=mcΔTQ = mc\Delta T (specific heat capacity) and Q=mLQ = mL (latent heat of fusion and vaporisation), including multi-stage heating problems
7 min read →

What is the structure of the atomic nucleus, and how does it produce energy through radioactivity and nuclear reactions?

Atomic nucleus structure (protons, neutrons), isotopes, types of radioactive decay (alpha, beta, gamma), nuclear stability, half-life, fission and fusion, and applications including nuclear power
10 min read →

How do series and parallel circuits work?

Analyse DC circuits containing resistors in series and parallel (Kirchhoff's current and voltage laws are an extension), including problems combining series and parallel branches and including electrical power and energy (P=VIP = VI, W=PtW = Pt)
8 min read →

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

Unit overview →

How are scalar and vector quantities described in physics?

Distinguish scalar and vector quantities and apply vector addition, subtraction and resolution into perpendicular components in one and two dimensions
6 min read →

How does physics explain astronomical phenomena (an option topic)?

Astrophysics option (one possible Unit 2 AoS 2 option): the structure of the solar system, stellar life cycles, the colour-magnitude diagram, distance measurement (parallax, standard candles), and cosmological structure (galaxies, the expanding universe, Big Bang model)
11 min read →

How is motion in one dimension described using displacement, velocity and acceleration?

Kinematics of motion in one dimension: displacement, velocity, acceleration, the equations of uniformly accelerated motion (suvat), and graphical analysis
10 min read →

How are work, energy and power defined and applied to mechanical systems?

Work W=Fdcos⁡θW = Fd \cos\theta, kinetic energy 12mv2\frac{1}{2}mv^2, gravitational potential energy mghmgh, elastic potential energy 12kx2\frac{1}{2}kx^2, conservation of mechanical energy, and power P=W/t=FvP = W/t = Fv
10 min read →

How is the work-energy theorem used to solve motion problems?

Apply the work-energy theorem (Wnet=ΔKEW_{\rm net} = \Delta KE) to motion problems, distinguishing situations where energy methods are more efficient than kinematic methods
7 min read →

How do Newton's laws explain motion under forces, and how is momentum conserved?

Newton's three laws of motion, force as a vector (F=maF = ma), free-body diagrams, momentum p=mvp = mv and impulse Δp=FΔt\Delta p = F \Delta t, and conservation of momentum in collisions
10 min read →

How does uniform circular motion work?

Investigate uniform circular motion, including the centripetal acceleration a=v2/ra = v^2 / r and the net force required to maintain circular motion (Fc=mv2/rF_c = m v^2 / r)
7 min read →

How is projectile motion analysed?

Solve problems involving projectile motion by resolving the motion into independent horizontal and vertical components, assuming constant gravitational acceleration and negligible air resistance
8 min read →

How are motion graphs interpreted?

Interpret and construct position-time, velocity-time and acceleration-time graphs for one-dimensional motion, including reading slope (instantaneous rates) and area (displacement and change in velocity)
7 min read →

How are collisions analysed using conservation of momentum?

Apply the principle of conservation of momentum to one-dimensional collisions and explosions, distinguishing elastic (kinetic energy conserved) and inelastic (kinetic energy not conserved) collisions
8 min read →

How do connected bodies and tension forces behave?

Apply Newton's second law to systems of connected bodies, including tension in light inextensible strings over light frictionless pulleys and trains of carts on horizontal and inclined surfaces
7 min read →

How are friction and forces on inclined planes analysed?

Apply Newton's second law to objects on horizontal surfaces and inclined planes, including problems with static and kinetic friction (fs≤μsNf_s \le \mu_s N, fk=μkNf_k = \mu_k N)
7 min read →

Unit 3: How do fields explain motion and electricity?

Unit overview →

How do things move without contact?

describe electric fields using the field model, apply Coulomb's law F=kq1q2/r2F = k q_1 q_2 / r^2 and the relationships E=F/qE = F/q, E=kQ/r2E = kQ/r^2 for point charges and E=V/dE = V/d for the uniform field between parallel plates; identify the directions of field, force and acceleration of charged particles in uniform and radial fields
11 min read →
describe magnetic fields around magnets, current-carrying wires and solenoids; apply the right-hand rule to determine the directions of fields and forces; apply F=qvBF = qvB for a charged particle moving perpendicular to a uniform magnetic field, including circular motion of the particle
11 min read →
describe gravitation using a field model and apply Newton's law of universal gravitation F=Gm1m2/r2F = G m_1 m_2 / r^2 and the relationships g=GM/r2g = G M / r^2, g=F/mg = F/m, the work done by a gravitational field W=ΔU=mgΔhW = \Delta U = mg \Delta h in a uniform field and the change in gravitational potential energy in non-uniform fields as the area under a force-distance graph
12 min read →

How are fields used in electricity generation?

explain the operation of AC and DC generators, distinguish between peak and RMS values of voltage and current using VRMS=Vpeak/2V_{RMS} = V_{peak} / \sqrt{2} and IRMS=Ipeak/2I_{RMS} = I_{peak} / \sqrt{2}, and apply the ideal transformer relationship V1/V2=N1/N2=I2/I1V_1 / V_2 = N_1 / N_2 = I_2 / I_1 to AC power transmission, including resistive losses Ploss=I2RP_{loss} = I^2 R
12 min read →
investigate and apply theoretically and practically electromagnetic induction using the concepts of magnetic flux ΦB=B⊥A\Phi_B = B_\perp A, induced EMF ε=−NΔΦB/Δt\varepsilon = -N \Delta\Phi_B / \Delta t (Faraday's law) and Lenz's law to determine the direction of the induced current
11 min read →
investigate and analyse theoretically and practically the force on a current-carrying conductor in a magnetic field, F=nBILF = n B I L, and apply this to the operation of a simple DC motor including the role of the split-ring commutator
11 min read →

How do physicists explain motion in two dimensions?

model the force vectors acting on an object on a banked track moving in uniform circular motion in a horizontal plane and identify the design speed at which friction is not required to keep the object on the track
9 min read →
investigate and analyse theoretically and practically the uniform circular motion of an object moving in a horizontal plane and on a vertical circle, including a quantitative analysis of the forces acting at the top and bottom of the vertical circle
11 min read →
investigate and apply theoretically and practically Newton's three laws of motion in situations where two or more coplanar forces act along a straight line and in two dimensions; apply the concepts of momentum and impulse, including the conservation of momentum in one and two dimensions, and distinguish between elastic and inelastic collisions
11 min read →
investigate and analyse theoretically and practically the motion of projectiles near Earth's surface including a qualitative description of the effects of air resistance
9 min read →

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

Unit overview →

How has understanding about the physical world changed?

Describe electromagnetic waves as transverse waves of oscillating electric and magnetic fields propagating at the speed of light, and identify the regions of the electromagnetic spectrum with their characteristic frequencies, wavelengths and applications
10 min read →
Describe proper length and use the length contraction relationship with the Lorentz factor to compare lengths measured in different inertial frames at speeds approaching the speed of light
8 min read →
Describe proper time and use the time dilation relationship with the Lorentz factor to compare time intervals measured in different inertial frames at speeds approaching the speed of light
9 min read →
Explain the discrete energy levels of atoms and how transitions between levels produce photons with Ephoton=Ei−EfE_{\text{photon}} = E_i - E_f, including the appearance of line emission and absorption spectra
11 min read →
Explain and analyse examples of special relativity: muons reaching Earth despite their short half-lives, the design of particle accelerator lengths, and the correction of GPS satellite time signals for orbital speed
10 min read →
Explain de Broglie's hypothesis that matter has wave-like properties with wavelength λ=h/p\lambda = h / p, and apply it to predict diffraction of electrons and other particles
11 min read →
Describe the limits of classical mechanics near the speed of light, state Einstein's two postulates of special relativity, interpret the null result of the Michelson-Morley experiment, and compare special relativity with classical physics
8 min read →
Investigate the wave model of light, including diffraction and constructive and destructive interference (Young's double-slit experiment), and apply Δx=λL/d\Delta x = \lambda L / d for fringe spacing in the small-angle limit
11 min read →
Extension topic: explain polarisation of light as evidence for the transverse-wave nature of light, and apply Malus's law I=I0cos⁡2(θ)I = I_0 \cos^2(\theta) to determine the intensity of light transmitted by an ideal polariser
11 min read →
Use the relationship between mass and energy, total energy as the sum of rest energy and kinetic energy, and relativistic kinetic energy, and apply it to mass conversion in the Sun, electron-positron annihilation and particle accelerators
10 min read →
Apply the photon model of light to the photoelectric effect using Ephoton=hfE_{\text{photon}} = h f and Ek,max⁡=hf−ϕE_{k,\max} = h f - \phi, where ϕ\phi is the work function of the metal, and interpret the stopping voltage V0V_0 as eV0=Ek,max⁡e V_0 = E_{k,\max}
11 min read →
Synthesise the evidence for wave-particle duality: that light has both wave and particle properties (interference, photoelectric effect) and that matter has both particle and wave properties (Newtonian mechanics, electron diffraction)
11 min read →

How are light and heat explained?

Unit 1 topic: apply Snell's law n1sin⁡θ1=n2sin⁡θ2n_1 \sin \theta_1 = n_2 \sin \theta_2 to predict the refraction of light at a boundary between two media, including the critical angle for total internal reflection, and explain dispersion in terms of frequency-dependent refractive index
10 min read →

How is scientific inquiry used to investigate fields, motion or light?

Design and conduct a student-directed practical investigation related to fields, motion or light, including formulating a research question, identifying independent, dependent and controlled variables, collecting and analysing data with explicit uncertainty estimates, and communicating findings
11 min read →

Based on the official VCAA study design. Not individually reviewed by a person; always check VCAA and your school's materials.

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