Unlock secrets of the universe!

The science of physics is essentially a quest to reveal the secrets of the universe. It seeks to explain the behaviours of the universe. The principles of physics principles are relevant to many aspects of our everyday lives.

Physics provides an essential foundation to many professions, e.g., engineering, construction and architecture.

In this course, we will discuss electricity, power generation, relativity, imaging and much more.

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:

1. Electromagnetic Induction
   • Introduction to Electricity
   • Rules of charge
   • Coulomb’s law
   • Magnetism
   • Electromagnetism
   • Electromagnetic induction
   • Faraday’s Law of electromagnetic induction
   • Lenz’s law
   • Fleming’s Rules
   • Eddy currents
   • Transformers
   • Generators
   • Motors
2. Power Generation and Transmission
   • Primary sources of electrical energy
   • Energy from the water head
   • Energy from burning fuels
   • Nuclear energy
   • Wind energy
   • Solar energy
   • Types of power plants
   • Hydroelectric power plants
   • Thermal power plants
   • Nuclear power plants
   • Wind power plants
3. Circular Motion and Gravitation
   • Lesson introduction
   • Review of circles – radius, diameter, tangent, arc, circumference
   • Important equations for working with circles
   • Circular motion
   • Uniform circular motion
   • Time, frequency, position, speed, tangential velocity, centripetal force
   • Centripetal acceleration
   • Newton’s law of gravitation
   • Satellites and Kepler’s Laws
4. Engineering Physics – Rigid Bodies and Rotational Dynamics
   • Rotational Motion
   • Degrees and Radians
   • Angular Position
   • Angular Displacement
   • Angular Velocity
   • Angular Velocity & Linear Velocity
   • Angular Acceleration
   • Kinematic Equations (Angular Acceleration)
   • Torque
   • Moment of Inertia
   • Angular Momentum
   • Kinetic Energy of Rotation
   • Rotational Energy, Work and Power
5. Engineering Physics- Fluids and fluid dynamics
   • Fluid and dynamics introduction
   • Definitions and Properties
   • Density
   • Pressure
   • Flow
   • Steady and Unsteady Flow
   • Laminar Flow and Turbulent Flow
   • Open Flow
   • Open-channel flow
   • Compressible and Incompressible Flow
   • Forces on Fluids
   • Pressure and Atmospheric Pressure
   • Water Pressure
   • Pressure Difference
   • Buoyant Forces
   • Pascal’s Law
   • Principles of Fluid Dynamics
   • The Equation of Continuity
   • Flow Rate and Its Relation to Velocity
   • Archimedes’ Principle
   • Bernoulli’s Theorem
   • Viscosity
   • Turbulence
6. Relativity
   • The Principle of Relativity
   • Special Relativity
   • Space-time
   • Universal Speed Limit
   • Relativistic Mass
   • Time Dilation
   • Length Contraction
   • Doppler Effect on Wavelength
   • Applications
7. Introduction to Imaging
   • Electromagnetic Radiation
   • Electromagnetic Spectrum
   • Comparison of EM Waves
   • Relationship Between Frequency and Wavelength
   • Relationship Between Frequency and Energy
   • Visible Light
   • The Wave Nature of Light
   • Properties of Light
   • Speed of Light
   • Reflection of Light
   • Refraction of Light
   • Snell’s Law
   • Diffraction of Light and Interference
   • Dispersion
   • Optional Image Formation
   • Lens Types
8. Imaging instrumentation and Medical imaging
   • Types of Medical Imaging
   • Radiography
   • Computerised Tomography
   • Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
   • Ultrasound Imaging
   • Electron Microscopy
   • TEM
   • SEM
   • Nuclear Medicine
   • Positron emission Tomography
   • Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography
   • Bone Scan
   • Photoacoustic Imaging
   • Medical Imaging Instruments
   • CT, PET and MRI Scanners
   • Ultrasound Machine
   • Advantages and Disadvantages of Medical Imaging
9. Fibre optics
   • Introduction
   • Definitions
   • Construction of Optical Fibre Cable
   • Advantages and Disadvantages Fibre Optics
   • Fibre Characteristics
   • Mechanical Characteristics
   • Transmission Characteristics
   • Different Types of Fibres and Their Properties
   • Single and Multimode Fibres
   • Step Index and Graded Index Fibres
   • Principles of Light Propagation Through a Fibre
   • Refractive Index
   • Total Internal Reflection
   • Numerical Aperture
   • Acceptance Angle
   • Skew Mode
   • Applications of Fibre Optics
10. Engineering Physics in Construction
    • Introduction to physics in construction
    • Surveying
    • Building Roads and Paths
    • Constructing Buildings
    • Basic Principles in Building Engineering Physics
    • Acoustics
    • Air Movement
    • Building Services
    • Climate
    • Construction Technology
    • Control of Moisture
    • Lighting
    • Thermal Performance
    • Properties of Common Materials
    • Definitions
    • Simple and Damped Harmonic Motion
    • Forced Oscillations
    • Vibrations inside built structures
    • Vibrations from outside built structures
    • Resonant Response and Damping

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.

Aims

• Explain how electricity works, and how it relates to electromagnetic induction.
• Explain different types of power generation.
• Explain some of the advantages and disadvantages of certain types of power generation.
• Explain the general principles of circular motion.
• Explain the general principle of gravity and how it applies to satellites.
• Explain the major principles of rotational motion.
• Explain the relationship between rotational motion and power.
• Define a fluid in physics terms.
• Explain how fluids move and some of their applications in everyday life.
• Explain the general principles of relativity and when they are used.
• Explain how light moves and creates images people can see.
• Explain some common medical imaging techniques and how they use light and sound to create images.
• Explain how light moves through a fibre optic cable and the factors that affect it.
• Explain practical applications for fibre optics.
• Explain practical applications for physics in the construction industry.

What You Will Do

• Demonstrate moving electrons from one material to another via static electricity.
• Research videos on electromagnetic induction online to “see” the relationship between electricity and magnetism for yourself.
• Using the diagrams in this course as a guide, find an old piece of equipment that you can pull apart and identify the motor and its component parts.
• Talk to a person about the energy sources they utilise.
• Search online and watch videos of the inner workings of a power plant.
• Try to test out tangential velocity for yourself. Start with a small stone, marble, or key.
• Search online for videos of car racing and think about the forces in play. Draw a diagram showing the different forces acting on the car.
• Find the measurement of a radian yourself.
• Search online for videos of ice skaters performing spins, pay attention to the velocity – remember, the speed and direction – in how they start their spins.
• Try to make a laminar flow with the balloon experiment.
• Search for videos online on the physics of aeroplanes and airflow, look at the way the air moves and the factors affecting the wings and keeping the plane in the air.
• Experiment with your own personal frames of reference.
• Look at your own, or a friend’s, glasses. Consider questions outlined and take notes.
• Search for funhouse optical illusion videos online and pay attention to the shape of the mirrors in the video and think about how they affect the images shown.
• Think about a time you or a friend may have had a medical scan and talk with others on experiences with medical imaging. Ask them questions about it and make notes.
• Select one of the medical imaging types and understand how the imaging type was developed, when, and what it is commonly used for.
• Explore your house, school, or other accessible places for fibre optic cables. Note down your findings with a pen and paper.
• Search online for the applications of fibre optics in your area. Take notes on your findings.
• Talk to a builder or a surveying technician or anyone familiar with construction about the importance of surveying in construction. Share your opinion on the significance of planning in a construction project.
• Recreate a simple pendulum experiment using a string and a ball and measure the time period T for the pendulum to complete one oscillation.

What is Circular Motion?

Circular motion is exactly what it sounds like – motion that happens in a circle. A turn is a circular motion. This can be anything from the way a fan’s blades spin to the way a door opens.

There are two types of circular motion:

• Uniform circular motion

• Non-uniform circular motion

Uniform Circular Motion

Uniform circular motion is motion where an object consistently follows a circular path with no changes in acceleration (speeding up or slowing down). When we use the word path in physics, we mean the path travelled or described – if the object were dragging a line in the sand, it would drag a line that marked its path. Path is separate to direction.

Imagine you are a DJ at a dance club. You have turntables that play vinyl records, which are an important part of your set. When your turntables are on, the records will spin – and their path will be consistent, with no changes. 

There are five things we need to think about when talking about motion:

• Time

• Position

• Speed

• Velocity

• Acceleration

These properties exist for almost all types of motion but there is a little bit of variation based on the type of motion.

Time

Time is exactly what it sounds like – the amount of time it takes for something to happen. When we are talking about motion, time is usually measured in seconds or minutes, though it can also be measured in hours (e.g., a car travelling at 60 km/h).

We can also talk about period. This is the amount of time it takes for something to go back to the beginning – let us say we are looking at a clock. The hands are moving around the clock face in a consistent way – there is no change in speed or acceleration and the path is the same. It will take a certain amount of time for the hands to get back to the starting point.

The starting point is a point we define – a particular point on the circular path we have marked for some reason. In the case of an analogue clock, it might be the 12, and we say that our starting point is when all three hands (hour, minute, second) are pointing directly at the number 12. The amount of time it takes for the hands to return to the starting position is called the period the motion, and we write it as T in equations. In the case of a clock, the period of motion from all hands pointing to 12 to all hands pointing to 12 again is 12 hours. This means we would say the period of motion for an analogue clock is 12 hours.

Frequency

In some cases, we talk about frequency instead of time. Frequency means how often something happens in a set amount of time – or in the case of circular motion, how often something spins in a set amount of time. This means we could talk about how often something spins in 1 second, or how often something spins in 1 minute...

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!