Focus on Physics (Year 12 Physics)

Focus on Physics is a suite of experiential programs linked to the SACE Stage 2 Physics curriculum. Each program can be undertaken as a single two-hour program or as a full-day visit. A full-day visit can include a campus tour and a physics presentation by University lecturers and/or postgraduate physics students. Three workshops are available: Momentum in Two Dimensions – Students carry out an experimental procedure involving large air tables and plastic pucks to investigate the law of conservation of momentum. Links with the ‘Motion and Relativity’ section of the SACE Stage 2 Physics curriculum. The Motion of Charged Particles in Electric and Magnetic Fields – Students use Teltron Tubes and Hall Effect apparatus to investigate the effect of electric and magnetic fields on electrons. Links with the ‘Electricity and Magnetism’ section of the SACE Stage 2 Physics curriculum. The Interference of Light – Students explore concepts involved in the interference and diffraction of light, including double slit interferometry, calculating the wavelength of a red HeNe laser, measuring the diameter of a human hair, and using a phone’s reflected diffraction pattern to calculate the pixel size of the screen. Links with the ‘Light and Atoms’ section of the SACE Stage 2 Physics curriculum. (Photoelectric Effect apparatus can also be used upon request.)