Question 1
A ball is thrown from the ground and lands at the same height. The graph shows the vertical component of its velocity against time, with upwards positive. What is the maximum height the ball reaches?
SACE Physics Stage 2: the course and its three topics
Stage 2 Physics has three topics: motion and relativity, electricity and magnetism, and light and atoms. School assessment is 70% of the subject and the external examination is 30%.
26 weeks, 104 hours in all
Start with Topic 1
Motion and relativity: 33.6 of your hours. It is 7 of the 20 questions on our timed checks, 35%.
| Topic | Your hours | Share of the checks |
|---|---|---|
| Topic 1: Motion and relativity | 33.6 | 35% |
| Topic 2: Electricity and magnetism | 33.6 | 35% |
| Topic 3: Light and atoms | 28.8 | 30% |
Week by week
- Week 1Topic 1: Motion and relativity
- Week 2Topic 1: Motion and relativity
- Week 3Topic 1: Motion and relativity
- Week 4Topic 1: Motion and relativity
- Week 5Topic 1: Motion and relativity
- Week 6Topic 1: Motion and relativity
- Week 7Topic 1: Motion and relativity
- Week 8Topic 1: Motion and relativity
- Week 9Topic 1: Motion and relativity, Topic 2: Electricity and magnetism
- Week 10Topic 2: Electricity and magnetism
- Week 11Topic 2: Electricity and magnetism
- Week 12Topic 2: Electricity and magnetism
- Week 13Topic 2: Electricity and magnetism
- Week 14Topic 2: Electricity and magnetism
- Week 15Topic 2: Electricity and magnetism
- Week 16Topic 2: Electricity and magnetism
- Week 17Topic 2: Electricity and magnetism, Topic 3: Light and atoms
- Week 18Topic 3: Light and atoms
- Week 19Topic 3: Light and atoms
- Week 20Topic 3: Light and atoms
- Week 21Topic 3: Light and atoms
- Week 22Topic 3: Light and atoms
- Week 23Topic 3: Light and atoms
- Week 24Topic 3: Light and atoms
- Week 25A timed check and a set of written questions, then review every lost mark
- Week 26A timed check and a set of written questions, then review every lost mark
| The examination | 30% of the subject: one 130-minute examination, 120 marks |
|---|---|
| Booklets | Two question booklets of 60 marks, about 65 minutes each |
| Questions | Questions in parts of different types; no multiple choice |
| Provided | A formula sheet with constants and formulae; approved calculators allowed |
| School assessment | 70%: investigations folio 30%, skills and applications tasks 40% |
The three topics
- Motion and relativity: projectile motion and air resistance, momentum in two dimensions and spacecraft propulsion, circular motion, banked curves, gravitation and satellites, and special relativity.
- Electricity and magnetism: electric fields, charged particles in electric fields, magnetic fields, charged particles in magnetic fields and the cyclotron, and electromagnetic induction with generators and transformers.
- Light and atoms: interference and diffraction gratings, photons and the photoelectric effect, X-rays and matter waves, spectra, energy levels and lasers, and the Standard Model.
How the subject is assessed
- School assessment, 70%: an investigations folio (30%) and skills and applications tasks (40%).
- The external examination, 30%: one 130-minute paper set on all three topics.
- Stage 1 Physics is assumed background, so linear motion, forces, energy, waves and circuits appear inside Stage 2 questions.
Try 2 questions
Question 2
Singly charged positive ions of one kind are fired at different speeds at right angles into a uniform 0.500 T magnetic field, and the radius of each path is measured. The graph shows the results. Taking e = 1.60 × 10⁻¹⁹ C, what is the mass of each ion?
Next step
Questions people ask
How many topics are in Stage 2 Physics?
Three: motion and relativity, electricity and magnetism, and light and atoms, with thirteen subtopics between them.
Is Stage 1 Physics needed?
Stage 2 builds on it. Motion, forces, energy, waves and circuits from Stage 1 are used throughout Stage 2 questions.