Understand physics for insight into how our world works!
Develop a foundation for applying theoretical physics to any world situation. From engineering or environmental management to rural industries or health sciences. Unpacking objects in motion and understanding the concepts of displacement, velocity, speed and acceleration is a great way to understand how physics (and our world) works!
This course guides you through a journey of discovering the fundamentals and relevance of physics in our world and everyday lives.
This is an experiential learning-based course. Throughout your studies you will have the opportunity to network with and learn from a variety of industry professionals. Establishing real-world relationships and confidence is key to career success.
Lesson Structure
There are 10 lessons in this course:
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Review of Basic Algebra
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Introduction
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Equations and formulae
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Variables
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Quadratic equations
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Graphing
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Geometry
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Triangles
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Basic formulae
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Quadrilaterals
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Angles and radians
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Logarithms and exponentials
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Trigonometry
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Introduction: Scope and Nature of Physics
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Observing, measuring, modeling, predicting
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Units of measurement
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Converting between units
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Precision of measurements and identifying significant digits
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Forces and Mechanics
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Physics and motion
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Displacement
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Speed and velocity
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Acceleration
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Force
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Force of gravity
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Work
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Power
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Energy
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Waves
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What are waves
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Properties of waves: longitudinal waves, transverse waves
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Wave terminology
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Relationship of frequency or period
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Wave speed
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Electromagnetic radiation and waves
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Sound waves
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Sound spectrum
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Measuring sound
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Speed of sound
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Doppler effect
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Standing waves and resonance
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Electricity and Magnetism
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Electrostatics
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Conductors and insulators
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How to make an electroscope
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Coulomb's law
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The electric field
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Electricity and electric circuits
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Current
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Voltage
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Resistance
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Power
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Ohm's law
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Circuits: series, parallel
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Magnets
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Magnetic forces
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Ferromagnetism
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Creating magnets
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Earth's magnetic field
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Geomagnetic reversal
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Electromagnetism
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Electromagnetism and solenoids
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Electric motors
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Magnetic force
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Right hand rule
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Inductors
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Lenz's law
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Energy and Work
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What is energy
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Mechanical energy
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Potential energy
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Kinetic energy
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Conservation of total energy and mechanical energy
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Converting kinetic energy into potential energy
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Work and force
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Conservative and non conservative forces
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Conservation of mass energy
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Fundamentals of Thermodynamics
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Temperature measurement units
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Fahrenheit
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Celsius
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Kelvin
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Converting between units
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What is heat
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Heat transfers: thermal equilibrium
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Thermal expansion and thermal contraction
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Light and Optics
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What is light
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Reflection
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Refraction
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Demonstration of refraction
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Index of refraction
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Diffraction
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The electromagnetic spectrum
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How a rainbow forms
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What are mirrors
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Flat mirrors
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Convex mirrors
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Concave mirrors
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Lenses
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Converging lenses
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Diverging lenses
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Nuclear Physics and Radioactivity
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Structure of matter
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The periodic table
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What is radioactivity
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Alpha radiation
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Beta radiation
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Gamma radiation
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Radioactivity applications
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Nuclear medicine -diagnostic and therapy
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Radioactive tracers in agriculture
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Food irradiation
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Archeological and geological dating
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Radiocarbon dating
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Half life
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Power generation
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Radiation effects and injuries
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Cancer and burns caused by radiation
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Astronomy, Cosmology and Astrophysics
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What is astronomy
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The pioneers of astronomy
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The branches of astronomy
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Sub fields of astronomy
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Astronomy in our daily life
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The most important discoveries in astronomy
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What is Cosmology
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How did cosmology evolve
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Hubble's law
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Cosmological principle
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Calculate the age of the universe using the Hubble constant
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What is astrophysics
Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
What will you learn in this course?
Mathematics is the foundational language of physics. All physics courses will contain a certain degree of math.
Relevant, basic maths is reviewed in lesson one as to ensure you possess the blocks to build your understanding of physics upon.
Much of physics is about explaining physical phenomena and being able to create predictive mathematical models or theories to explain why things occur as they do and be able to predict future results in a reliable manner.
Learn to Understand Motion
Unpacking objects in motion and understanding the concepts of displacement, velocity, speed and acceleration is a great way to understand how physics work. This is the study of motion - a 400 year history of observation, trialling and discovering that gave birth to the science of physics. It is often known as kinematics.
What are Waves?
Simply put, waves are a form of energy travelling from one place to another. For example, think of the sun, it is very far away yet its light and heat reaches Earth; think of hitting a snare drum - the sound travels to your ears. Many sound and radio waves are not normally visible to the naked eye. This can make them difficult to describe and understand. Others, however, are easier to visualise - how waves behave when dropping a stone into water
What are Electrostatics?
Over the past few decades, people’s dependency on electricity has witnessed an exponential growth, compared with the past century where people only used a few electric lights. However, scientists began to study and research electricity long before electric lamps were invented. These studies and observations date back to the days of ancient Greeks when they observed that rubbing amber would allow it to attract smaller objects such as feathers. To better understand electricity, we need to start with understanding electrostatics which is the study of electric charges at rest.
Understanding Energy
The energy of an object can be defined as the potential of that object to do work. This has relevance to kinetic energy, potential energy and other types of energy, such as chemical, electrical, nuclear and thermal energy. To further understand the concept of energy, consider a ball rolling on the ground. If you apply a force to the ball and increase its rolling speed, you are actually doing work on the ball which results in an increase in the ball’s energy. So as you can see, work and energy are inter-related and in this lesson you will learn how to calculate the work done on an object as well as the amount of potential and kinetic energy that object possesses at any point in time.
Why study physics?
Physics is the foundation of so much of our daily lives. Machines, tools and equipment that we use every day, both at work, and in our private lives, are commonly designed, built and used by applying the principles of physics. Without physics, we wouldn't have computers, cameras, broadcasting (TV and radio), plumbing or electric lighting. An understanding of physics allows construction workers to move things more easily and build objects more soundly. Physics even allows athletes to better understand how the human body moves.
This is an excellent foundation course for many industries; from engineering to photography, farming or transport.
Why Study with ACS?
Design your own learning pathway.
Study at your own pace, from anywhere, at any time.
Receive prompt, expert support from our team of committed and friendly tutors.
Your learning is our priority. We are flexible and adaptable to meet your educational needs!
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