Australia · ACARA Content Descriptions
Year 11 Physics
A comprehensive exploration of the fundamental laws governing motion, energy, and matter. Students develop mathematical modeling skills and experimental techniques to analyze complex physical systems from the subatomic to the macroscopic scale.
01Kinematics and the Geometry of Motion
An investigation into how objects move in one and two dimensions using vectors and graphical analysis. Students model displacement, velocity, and acceleration to predict the future state of a system.
Defining fundamental concepts of position, distance, and displacement, and understanding the importance of a chosen reference frame.
Distinguishing between scalar and vector quantities for speed and velocity, and introducing acceleration as the rate of change of velocity.
Interpreting and constructing position-time, velocity-time, and acceleration-time graphs to describe motion.
Deriving and applying the SUVAT equations to solve problems involving constant acceleration in one dimension.
Understanding vector quantities and performing graphical and analytical addition and resolution of vectors.
Analyzing the independent horizontal and vertical components of motion for projectiles launched horizontally.
Investigating the trajectory, range, and maximum height of projectiles launched at an angle.
Understanding how motion is perceived differently from various moving reference frames.
Introducing centripetal acceleration and centripetal force for objects moving in a circular path at constant speed.
Applying Newton's Second Law to analyze the forces responsible for centripetal acceleration in various contexts.
Exploring Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation and its application to celestial mechanics.
Applying gravitational principles to understand the motion of satellites and spacecraft.
02Dynamics and the Drivers of Change
An analysis of forces and their role in changing the motion of objects. Students apply Newton's Laws to solve real world engineering challenges involving friction, tension, and gravity.
Defining force as a push or pull and understanding inertia as resistance to changes in motion.
Investigating the quantitative relationship between net force, mass, and acceleration.
Understanding that forces always occur in pairs, equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.
Identifying and calculating common forces such as gravitational force (weight), normal force, and tension.
Investigating the nature of friction and its role in opposing motion, including coefficients of friction.
Applying Newton's Laws to analyze objects at rest or moving with constant velocity, where net force is zero.
Defining work as the transfer of energy by a constant force and calculating work done when force is parallel or at an angle to displacement.
Investigating different forms of mechanical energy: kinetic energy of motion and gravitational/elastic potential energy.
Applying the principle of conservation of mechanical energy in systems where only conservative forces do work.
Defining power as the rate at which work is done or energy is transferred, and calculating efficiency.
Introducing momentum as a measure of an object's motion and impulse as the change in momentum.
Applying the law of conservation of momentum to analyze elastic and inelastic collisions in one dimension.
03Thermodynamics and Kinetic Theory
Exploring the microscopic behavior of matter and how it manifests as heat, temperature, and pressure. Students model energy transfer in thermal systems.
Understanding temperature as a measure of average kinetic energy of particles and the postulates of the kinetic theory.
Differentiating between heat and internal energy, and calculating heat transfer using specific heat capacity.
Applying the principle of conservation of energy to calculate heat exchange in calorimetry experiments.
Analyzing the energy transitions that occur during melting, boiling, and sublimation without a change in temperature.
Investigating the three primary modes of heat transfer and their applications.
Understanding how temperature changes affect the dimensions of materials and its practical implications.
Exploring the relationship between pressure, volume, temperature, and the number of moles of an ideal gas.
04Waves and the Propagation of Energy
A study of mechanical waves and their behavior across different media. Students investigate sound, light, and the mathematical properties of wave motion.
Defining waves, distinguishing between transverse and longitudinal waves, and identifying key wave properties.
Investigating the bending of waves as they encounter boundaries and change media.
Examining the spreading of waves around obstacles and the superposition of multiple waves.
Exploring the formation of standing waves in strings and air columns, and the concept of resonance.
Analyzing the properties of longitudinal waves and the physics of music and resonance.
Investigating the apparent change in frequency of a wave due to relative motion between source and observer.
Exploring the full range of electromagnetic waves, from radio waves to gamma rays, and their properties.
Using geometric optics to predict the behavior of light in plane, concave, and convex mirrors.
Applying geometric optics to predict the behavior of light in converging and diverging lenses.
05Electricity and Circuitry
Exploring the flow of charge and the laws governing electrical circuits. Students build and analyze complex series and parallel networks.
Introducing the concept of electric charge, its conservation, and the force between charges.
Defining electric fields as regions of influence around charges and electric potential energy/voltage.
Defining electric current as the flow of charge and resistance as the opposition to that flow.
Applying Ohm's Law to calculate current, voltage, and resistance in basic series and parallel circuits.
Analyzing the characteristics of series circuits, including total resistance, current, and voltage drops.
Investigating the characteristics of parallel circuits, including total resistance, current division, and constant voltage.
Applying Kirchhoff's Current and Voltage Laws to analyze more complex circuits with multiple loops and junctions.
Investigating the conversion of electrical energy into other forms and calculating power dissipation in circuits.
Understanding the mechanisms used to protect electrical circuits and prevent hazards.
Introducing the concept of magnetism, magnetic poles, and the creation of magnetic fields.
Investigating the force experienced by moving charges and current-carrying wires in magnetic fields.
Exploring Faraday's Law of Induction and Lenz's Law, explaining how changing magnetic fields produce electric currents.
06Nuclear Physics and Radioactivity
An introduction to the subatomic world, exploring the forces within the nucleus and the applications of ionizing radiation.
Investigating the composition of the nucleus (protons, neutrons), isotopes, and factors influencing nuclear stability, including the concept of binding energy.
Analyzing the different types of radioactive decay and their associated particles/waves.
Understanding the concept of half-life and its application in determining the age of materials.
Investigating the effects of ionizing radiation on living organisms and principles of radiation protection.
Exploring the processes of nuclear fission and fusion, their energy release, and applications.
Examining the practical applications of nuclear physics in medicine, energy generation, and industry.
An introduction to the fundamental particles and forces that make up matter, as described by the Standard Model.