This module is designed to develop and strengthen a student's ability to solve practical, numerical, and conceptual physics-based problems which are rooted in a wide array of different topics that have been encountered during the suite of first semester modules which the student has completed. This is achieved by the design of the module, which effectively integrates laboratory and problem-based physics components to develop the student's understanding and application of concepts including:
- Experimental design: graphing principles, linearization of data, data analysis, data visualization
- Scientific writing
- Mechanics: linear and projectile motion
- Optics: ray optics and wave optics
- Heat (heat exchange, specific heat capacity, latent heat)
- Ideal gases: the ideal gas equation and pressure-volume diagrams
- Electricity: resistor networks, capacitor networks, Kirchhoff's laws, Ohm's law, circuit design
- Properties of materials: stress, strain, Young's modulus, and buoyancy
Each of these topic areas is explored in the module through a dedicated problem-based learning session whereby the student is gradually introduced to problems (both concept and calculation-based) of growing complexity in the topic area. Each problem-based learning session is flexible in its design, which enables the direction of the content to be adjusted to meet the individual needs of the student.
Introduction to Physics
Basic and derived S.I. units. Standards. Vectors and scalars. Scientific notation and prefixes. Experimental uncertainties. Graphs.
Mechanics
Displacement, velocity, speed, and acceleration. Equations of motion with constant acceleration. Motion under gravity (free-fall). Force and Newton’s Laws. Momentum.
Properties of Materials
Stress, strain, elastic moduli, and Hooke’s Law. General behaviour of materials under stress. Density. Pressure in a fluid and pressure at a depth. Measurement of pressure. The hydraulic lift. Buoyancy and Archimedes’ Principle. Fluid flow and the continuity equation and pressure in a moving fluid. Surface tension. Viscosity.
Heat and Temperature
Heat. Specific Heat Capacity. Phase changes and specific latent heat. Temperature and temperature measuring devices. The Kelvin temperature scale. Thermal expansion.
Electrostatics and Electricity
Charge, attraction, repulsion, Coulomb’s Law. Capacitance, stored energy, power, voltage, current, Ohm’s law, resistance, resistors (parallel and series), resistivity, circuit symbols.
Atomic Physics
The photoelectric effect. Photons.
Geometrical Optics
Refraction, Snell’s law, real and virtual images, concave and convex lenses, ray diagrams, thin lens equation, magnification, total internal reflection, optical instruments, reflection, concave and convex mirrors.
Physical Optics
Waves, electromagnetic spectrum, interference, diffraction
The lectures and the accompanying tutorials in this module are delivered in a problem based learning style approach, where the student is gradually introduced to problems (concept and calculational) of increasing complexity in order for the improve the student's understanding of the physics and mathematical concepts involved in the topic area as well as the application of the different topics to solving unforeseen problems.
The learning material and any additional online resources are made available using Brightspace.
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Other Assessment(s) | 100 |