SYLLABUS AIMS
The aims of a course based on this syllabus should be to:
1. provide students with an experience that develops their interest in Physics and builds the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for further studies in related fields
2. enable students to become scientifically literate citizens who are well-prepared for the challenges of the 21st century
3. develop in students the understanding, skills, ethics and attitudes relevant to the Practices of Science, including the following:
- 3.1 understanding the nature of scientific knowledge
- 3.2 demonstrating science inquiry skills
- 3.3 relating science and society
4. develop in students an understanding that a small number of basic principles and core ideas can be applied to explain, analyse and solve problems in a variety of systems in the physical world.
1. Measurement
- Physical quantities and SI units
- Scalars and vectors
- Errors and uncertainties
2. Kinematics
- Rectilinear motion
- Non-linear motion
3. Dynamics
- Newton’s laws of motion
- Linear momentum and its conservation
4. Forces
- Types of force
- Centre of gravity
- Turning effects of forces
- Equilibrium of forces
- Upthrust
5. Work, Energy and Power
- Work
- Energy conversion and conservation
- Efficiency
- Potential energy and kinetic energy
- Power
6. Motion in a Circle
- Kinematics of uniform circular motion
- Centripetal acceleration
- Centripetal force
7. Gravitational Field
- Gravitational field
- Gravitational force between point masses
- Gravitational field of a point mass
- Gravitational field near to the surface of the Earth
- Gravitational potential
- Circular orbits
8. Temperature and Ideal Gases
- Thermal equilibrium
- Temperature scales
- Equation of state
- Kinetic theory of gases
- Kinetic energy of a molecule
9. First Law of Thermodynamics
- Specific heat capacity and specific latent heat
- Internal energy
- First law of thermodynamics
10. Oscillations
- Simple harmonic motion
- Energy in simple harmonic motion
- Damped and forced oscillations, resonance
11. Wave Motion
- Progressive waves
- Transverse and longitudinal waves
- Polarisation
- Determination of frequency and wavelength of sound waves
12. Superposition
- Principle of superposition
- Stationary waves
- Diffraction
- Two-source interference
- Single slit and multiple slit diffraction
13. Electric Fields
- Concept of an electric field
- Electric force between point charges
- Electric field of a point charge
- Uniform electric fields
- Electric potential
14. Current of Electricity
- Electric current
- Potential difference
- Resistance and resistivity
- Electromotive force
15. D.C. Circuits
- Circuit symbols and diagrams
- Series and parallel arrangements
- Potential divider
- Balanced potentials
16. Electromagnetism
- Concept of a magnetic field
- Magnetic fields due to currents
- Force on a current-carrying conductor
- Force between current-carrying conductors
- Force on a moving charge
17. Electromagnetic Induction
- Magnetic flux
- Laws of electromagnetic induction
18. Alternating Current
- Characteristics of alternating currents
- The transformer
- Rectification with a diode
19. Quantum Physics
- Energy of a photon
The photoelectric effect - Wave-particle duality
- Energy levels in atoms
- Line spectra
- X-ray spectra
- The uncertainty principle
20. Nuclear Physics
- The nucleus
- Isotopes
- Nuclear processes
- Mass defect and nuclear binding energy
- Radioactive decay
- Biological effects of radiation