3SPHY

NCEA Level 3 Physics

Course Description

Head of Faculty - Kaihautuu: Miss M. Ashford.

Students will develop their understanding of physical world concepts and laws to solve quantitative, real-world, problems. This will prepare them for further study in Physics as they build knowledge of fundamental physical laws. Students will develop their understanding of modern Physics, mechanical systems, wave systems and electrical systems.

They will learn the application of the above in the real world via a range of practical activities, experiments and demonstrations. 

This course is suitable for students who wish to pursue further study in Physics,  Engineering, Medical and Veterinary Sciences. Please note that some universities require Engineering students to have passed all 3 external exams.

Course Overview

Term 1
Students will deepen their understanding of Mechanical Systems. Topics covered include:
1) collisions and explosion of objects in 2 dimensions
2) circular motion (including gravitation and satellite motion, banked corners and loop-the-loop motion)
3) rotational motion (spinning objects)
4) simple harmonic motion (such as motion of pendulums)

Term 2
Students will finish Mechanical Systems topics started in Term 1. Thereafter, students will undertake a practical investigation for a non-linear Physics relationship including error analysis and will then learn to critically evaluate their findings

Term 3
Students will deepen their understanding of Electrical Systems. Topics covered include:
1) complex DC circuits (including internal resistance and Kirchhoff Laws)
2) capacitors in circuits
3) electromagnetic induction
4) introduction to AC theory

Thereafter Students will deepen their understanding of Wave Systems. Topics covered include:

1) The physics of music
2) the Doppler effect
3) diffraction and interference

Term 4
Term 4 will be spent preparing for external NCEA examinations

Recommended Prior Learning

It is recommended that students have gained at least 16 credits at NCEA Level 2 Physics as this Level 3 course builds on Level 2.

This course is numeracy rich and requires students to use algebraic skills. We recommend that students take this course with Calculus.

Career Pathways

Credit Information

You will be assessed in this course through all or a selection of the standards listed below.

This course is eligible for subject endorsement.

This course is approved for University Entrance.

Total Credits Available: 20
Internal Assessed Credits: 4
External Assessed Credits: 16
Assessment
Description
Level
Internal or
External
Credits
L1 Literacy Credits
UE Literacy Credits
Numeracy Credits
A.S. 91521 v2
NZQA Info

Physics 3.1 - Carry out a practical investigation to test a physics theory relating two variables in a non-linear relationship


Level: 3
Internal or External: Internal
Credits: 4
Level 1 Literacy Credits: 0
University Entrance Literacy Credits: 0 *
Numeracy Credits: 0
A.S. 91523 v2
NZQA Info

Physics 3.3 - Demonstrate understanding of wave systems


Level: 3
Internal or External: External
Credits: 4
Level 1 Literacy Credits: 0
University Entrance Literacy Credits: 0 *
Numeracy Credits: 0
A.S. 91524 v2
NZQA Info

Physics 3.4 - Demonstrate understanding of mechanical systems


Level: 3
Internal or External: External
Credits: 6
Level 1 Literacy Credits: 0
University Entrance Literacy Credits: 0 *
Numeracy Credits: 0
A.S. 91526 v2
NZQA Info

Physics 3.6 - Demonstrate understanding of electrical systems


Level: 3
Internal or External: External
Credits: 6
Level 1 Literacy Credits: 0
University Entrance Literacy Credits: 0 *
Numeracy Credits: 0
Credit Summary
Total Credits: 20
Total Level 1 Literacy Credits: 0
Total University Entrance Literacy Credits: 0
Total Numeracy Credits: 0

Approved subject for University Entrance

Number of credits that can be used for overall endorsement: 20

Only students engaged in learning and achievement derived from Te Marautanga o Aotearoa are eligible to be awarded these subjects as part of the requirement for 14 credits in each of three subjects.