PRELIMINARY PHYSICS

PHYS 0070 (P07A) PRELIMINARY PHYSICS I
(credits)
Prerequisite: Olevel Physics. In exceptional circumstances, depending on academic merit, this prerequisite may be waived.
Syllabus
Mechanics, Heat and Waves & Sound.
SI system and standard units, dimensional analysis, vectors (graphical analytical); Equilibrium, Newton’s first law, third law, friction, motion in a straight line, average and instances velocity and acceleration, accelerated motion, free fall. Relative velocity; motion in a plane, projectiles, circular motion, centripetal force, Newton’s second law and applications; Gravitation, mass and weight, satellite motion; Work and kinetic energy, gravitational and elastic potential energy, dissipative and conservative forces, power, equilibrium: Stress, strain, elastic moduli, force constant, Hooke’s law, simple harmonic motion (basic concepts), SHM and circular motion, massspring system, simple pendulum, pressure in a fluid, pressure gauges. Archimedes principle, surface tension, pressure difference across surface film, contact angle and capillaries. Bernoulli’s equation (applications), viscosity, Stoke’s law, Reynold’s number.
The temperature concept, thermometers, scales, thermal expansion and stress; Heat capacity, phase changes, conduction, convection, radiation, StefanBoltzman law, ideal radiator, solar energy, ideal gas, equation of state, phase diagrams, triple and critical points, vapour pressure, effect of dissolved substances on freezing and boiling point, first law of thermodynamics, energy and work, work and heat , adiabatic, isochoric, isothermal and isobaric processes, internal energy, molecular theory of motion, kinetic theory of ideal gas.
Mechanical waves, periodic waves, wave speed, traveling waves, mathematical representation, waves at boundaries , standing waves, interference of sound waves, beats, sound intensity, the decibel, the ear and hearing, quality and
pitch, Doppler effect, ultrasonics and applications.
Assessment:
32 hours of practical coursework
Theory coursework 20%
Practical coursework 20%
One3hour theory paper 60%

PHYS 0071 (P07B) PRELIMINARY PHYSICS II
(credits)
Prerequisite: Olevel Physics. In exceptional circumstances, depending on academic merit, this prerequisite may be waived.
Syllabus:
Electricity and Magnetism, Optics and Modern Physics Charge, Coulomb’s law,
insulators and conductors, electric field , lines of force, electric potential, potential
differences, electron volt (Millikin’s experiment, CRC).
Capacitance, series and parallel combination, energy in a charged capacitor,
dielectrics, current, resistivity, resistance, EMF, work and power, resistors in
series and parallel, Kirchoff’s laws, Wheatstone bridge and potentiometer. The
magnetic field, lines of force, magnetic flux, motion in a magnetic field.
Thomson’s measurement of e/m, isotopes and spectrography; force on
conductor, torque on a current loop, the d.c. motor, pivotedcoil
galvanometer,
magnetic field of a long straight wire, force between parallel conductors, the
ampere, induced emf, Faraday’s law, Lenz’slaw, eddy currents.
The nature of light, speed of light (experimental), waves and rays, refraction and
reflection. Snell’s law, total internal reflection, dispersion, single surface images,
reflection from plane and spherical surfaces, focal point and length, refraction at
plane and spherical surfaces, graphical and analyatical methods, images and
objects, thin lens, diverging lens, lensmaker equation, aberrations, the eye,
defects of vision, magnifier, camera projector, compound microscope, telescope,
etc.
Atomic nucleus, nuclear radiation, isotopes and isobars, binding energy and
stability; alpha, beta and gamma rays, decay law, halflife,
decay constant,
activity, radioactivity series, nuclear reactions, nuclear fission, nuclear fusion,
radioactive shielding, radiation and the life sciences.
Assessment:
32 hours of practical coursework
Theory coursework 20%
Practical coursework 20%
One 3hour theory paper 60%

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