PHS1022: Physics

It's broken up a bit, so to list them
- 20% Lab work (10 labs+1 presentation, includes prelabs)
- 5% Formal Report
- 3% written problem set
- 7% Mastering Physics Assignments
- 7% Mid-semester test
- 58% Exam (yes, 58, such an odd (we'll even but the other kind of odd) number)

Overall this unit is alright, I don't particularly like physics so it goes without saying that since I partly enjoyed it that it's probably a good unit. I didn't go to lectures after the mid-semester test, which wasn't because of the lecturers but more because I just got lazy. You have clickers for this unit, that is you can go and borrow a clicker at the start of the semester, and throughout the lectures they'll ask questions, which you respond with your multiple choice option, then a chart comes up with the lectures %'s for each option. I decided not to get one, because I had a clash with 2 out of 3 lectures a week (so I was only physically going to one lecture a week for physics), but it seemed like a good idea.

The labs aren't too hard, as long as you keep on top of things. It's mostly groups of three, and every 4 weeks your group members change. In the first two blocks I was in a group of 2, which I feel we might have got marked a little easier because we had one less set of hands to do things. Towards the end there is a lab where you get to pick from a series of labs, you're not given a procedure but have to come up with your own idea and method on how to test the question or concept that you're given. Then 2 weeks later you give a 5 minute presentation as a group on what your experiment was, results and what you can conclude from it e.t.c. (For this I was in a group of three, but we had one member not show up and so had to wing a third of the presentation, if you know your material and sound like you know what you're doing then you'll do well. Even be a bit enthusiastic, the demonstrator seemed to like that for our presentation).

Some of the concepts might be a bit challenging, and hard to get your head around. The quantum section gets kind of tough at the end, but I seemed to enjoy it once it all made sense and fell into place. The breakdown of the exam was as follows:
Gravitation/Rotational 12.78%
Electrostatics 26.11%
Magnetism 30.56%
Quantum Mechanics 30.56%
Which meant that exam was weighted more towards the Electromagnetism part of the course.

Overall, I think if you keep on top of things you should be fine, but if you don't then it's crammable given that you put the hard yards in during swotvac (probably not a good idea though).

- Rotation & Gravitation: Dr Istvan Laszlo
- Electricity & Fields: Dr Shane Kennedy
- Magnetism & Fields: Dr Istvan Laszlo
- Quantum Physics: Professor Michael Morgan (Head of the School of Physics)

Yes, 2011 and onwards are more relevant, we had two of those with solutions. Pre-2011 there were two exams instead of one, and we got 5 sets of 2 with solutions.

3.8 Out of 5

Yes, with screen capture.

You don't really need it, but anyways: Physics for Scientists & Engineers 3ed

3x1 hr lectures and a 3 hr lab each week

Semester 2 2013

91 - HD

Yes, around 4-6 exam papers available, I think 3-4 have answers

4/5

(per week)

• 3x 1 hour lectures
• 1x 3 hour lab

82 HD