PHYC10003
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This subject is designed for students with a sound background in physics, and aims to provide a strong understanding of a broad range of physics principles. Topics include: Mechanics: describing and explaining translational and rotational motion, for example in the contexts of human and animal movement and transport (Newton’s laws of motion, both translational and rotational; energy transfer and transformation; momentum and impulse; simple harmonic motion, equilibrium). Waves and sound: water waves; seismic waves; production and detection of sound, eg. musical instruments, hearing; ultrasound (reflection and refraction, superposition, resonance, energy transport, absorption, Doppler effect). Optics: optical imaging, sensors and optical instruments, human vision, crystallography (dispersion, lenses and mirrors, interference, diffraction, polarisation). Gravitation: weightlessness, planetary and satellite orbits, escape velocity (universal gravity, Kepler’s laws). Special relativity: particle accelerators, the ‘twin paradox’ (Einstein’s modification of Newtonian physics, relativity of time and space, equivalence of mass and energy). Vector notation, and differential and integral calculus, are used wherever appropriate. On the completion of this subject, students shouild be able to: A student who completes this subject should be able to:
Practical workshop assessment ongoing
hurdle: 80% attendance + 50% result
Ten weekly assignments 1.5% each
Written exam 3hr
took it Sem 2, 2024
lab marking criteria is strict and unforgiving in the early sessions. getting 6 or 7 out of 17 on your first lab when you thought you understood everything is a very common experience
took it Sem 1, 2025
results come out late almost every semester and the scaling rumours are constant. treat it as a hard subject regardless of your vce physics score — people with 40+ vce still struggle
took it Sem 1, 2025
results consistently come back lower than students expect. people with 85+ wam in other subjects still get hurt by the labs, which are marked harshly and penalise any deviation from the required reporting style