Physics Unit 1

Unit 1: Thermal, Nuclear and Electrical Physics

In Unit 1, students explore the ways Physics is used to Describe, Explain and predict the energy transfers and transformations that are pivotal to modern industrial societies. An understanding of heating processes, nuclear reactions and electricity is essential to appreciate how global energy needs are met. Students investigate heating processes, Apply the nuclear model of the atom to investigate radioactivity, and learn how nuclear reactions convert mass into energy. They examine the movement of electrical charge in circuits and Use this to analyse and design electrical circuits.

Contexts that could be investigated in this unit include technologies related to nuclear and thermal energy, electrical energy production, radiopharmaceuticals and electricity in the home; and related areas of science such as nuclear fusion in stars. Through the investigation of these contexts, students may explore the challenge of meeting world energy needs and the ways in which science knowledge interacts with social, economic, cultural and ethical factors.

Participation in a range of experiments and investigations will allow students to progressively develop their suite of science inquiry skills while gaining an enhanced appreciation of heating processes, ionising radiation, nuclear reactions and electric circuits. Collaborative experimental work also helps students to develop communication, interaction, character and management skills.

Throughout the unit, students develop skills in interpreting, constructing and Use a range of algebraic, graphical and symbolic representations to describe, explain and predict energy transfers and transformations.

Unit Objectives

Item	Objective
1.	Describe ideas and findings about heating processes, ionising radiation and nuclear reactions, and electrical circuits.
2.	Apply understanding of heating processes, ionising radiation and nuclear reactions, and electrical circuits.
3.	Analyse data about heating processes, ionising radiation and nuclear reactions, and electrical circuits.
4.	Interpret evidence about heating processes, ionising radiation and nuclear reactions, and electrical circuits.
5.	Evaluate processes, claims and conclusions about heating processes, ionising radiation and nuclear reactions, and electrical circuits.
6.	Investigate phenomena associated with heating processes, ionising radiation and nuclear reactions, and electrical circuits.

Subject Matter

Topic 1: Heating Processes (15 hours)

Science Understanding

Kinetic Particle Model and Specific Heat Capacity

• Describe the kinetic particle model of matter.
• Describe the concepts of thermal energy, temperature, kinetic energy, heat and internal energy.
• Explain heat transfers in terms of conduction, convection and radiation.
• Use  to convert temperature measurements.
• Explain that a change in temperature is due to the addition or removal of energy from a system (without phase change).
• Describe the concept of specific heat capacity.
• Solve problems involving specific heat capacity using  (using but not limited to ,  and .
• Interpret data from specific heat capacity experiments.

Phase Changes and Energy Conservation

• Explain, in terms of the internal energy of a system and the kinetic particle model of matter, why the temperature of a system remains the same during the process of State change.
• Describe the concept of specific latent heat.
• Solve problems involving specific latent heat using .
• Describe the concept of thermal equilibrium in terms of the temperature and average kinetic energy of the particles in each of the systems.
• Explain the process in which thermal energy is transferred between two systems until thermal equilibrium is achieved, and Recognise the relevance of this to the laws of thermodynamics.
• Solve problems involving specific heat capacity, specific latent heat and thermal equilibrium.
• Explain how a system with thermal energy has the capacity to do mechanical work.
• Explain that the change in the internal energy of a system is equal to the energy added or removed by heating plus the work done on or by the system, and recognise this as the first law of thermodynamics and that this is a consequence of the law of conservation of energy.
• Explain how energy transfers and transformations in mechanical systems always result in some heat loss to the environment, so that the amount of useable energy is reduced.
• Describe the concept of efficiency.
• Solve problems involving the efficiency of heat transfers using  and 

Science as a Human Endeavour (SHE)

• Recognise that the science of heating processes is of key importance to the development of efficient and cost-effective technologies that use sustainable and renewable energy sources.
• Explore the development of new technologies and understandings of heating processes as a means to predicting global temperatures and the effects of human-induced climate change.
• Explore how the need for increases to the efficiency of early steam engines led to further technological advancements (e.g. the internal combustion engine) and scientific advancements (e.g. an understanding of, and mathematical articulation of, the relationship between heating processes and mechanical work).
• Appreciate that different temperature scales (e.g. Celsius, Fahrenheit, Kelvin) were developed at different times to serve different purposes.

Science Inquiry

• Consider the significance of using common units of measurement internationally.
• Investigate the precision and accuracy of different temperature measuring devices, such as analogue and digital thermometers, by determining measurement uncertainty.
• Use digital and other measuring devices to collect data, ensuring measurements are recorded using the correct symbol, SI unit, number of significant figures and associated measurement uncertainty (absolute and percentage); all experimental measurements should be recorded in this way.
• Consider the energy contained within a cup of coffee versus a swimming pool.
• Explore the properties of water that makes it ideal for use as a coolant in car engines.
• Consider why you feel colder when you are wearing wet clothes.
• Investigate the proportional relationship between heat and temperature change.
• Investigate specific heat capacity of a substance.
• Explore why it is possible to boil water in a paper cup on a campfire.
• Explore the implications on availability of useable energy in the future if useable energy is reduced every time an energy transfer occurs.
• Investigate percentage error by comparing the theoretical and measured temperatures of a mixture of two liquids.

Topic 2: Ionising Radiation and Nuclear Reactions (15 hours)

Science Understanding

Nuclear Model and Stability

• Describe the nuclear model of the atom characterised by a small nucleus surrounded by electrons.
• Describe nuclides using AZX nomenclature.
• Explain why protons in the nucleus repel each other.
• Describe the concept of the strong nuclear force.
• Explain the stability of a nuclide in terms of the operation of the strong nuclear force over very short distances, electrostatic repulsion, and the relative number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus.
• Explain natural radioactive decay in terms of stability.
• Describe alpha, beta positive, beta negative and gamma radiation, including the properties of penetrating ability, charge, mass and ionisation ability.
• Explain how an excess of mass, protons, or neutrons in a nucleus can result in alpha, beta positive and beta negative decay.
• Solve problems involving balancing nuclear equations.
• Describe spontaneous alpha, beta positive and beta negative decay using decay equations.
• Explain how a radionuclide will, through a series of spontaneous decays, become a stable nuclide.
• Describe the concept of half-life.
• Solve radioactive decay problems using  and other arithmetic or graphical methods.

Energy and Mass Defect

• Describe energy in terms of electron volts (eV) and joules (J).
• Describe the concept of artificial transmutation.
• Describe nuclear fission and nuclear fusion with the aid of nuclear equations.
• Distinguish between artificial transmutations and natural radioactive decay.
• Explain a neutron-induced nuclear fission reaction, including references to extra neutrons produced from many of these reactions.
• Explain a fission chain reaction.
• Describe the concepts of mass defect, binding energy and binding energy per nucleon.
• Describe the mass–energy equivalence relationship.
• Solve problems involving the mass–energy equivalence relationship using ΔE=Δmc2 .
• Explain that more energy is released per nucleon in nuclear fusion than in nuclear fission because a greater percentage of the mass is transformed into energy.

Science as a Human Endeavour (SHE)

• Appreciate the significant contributions of scientists such as Marie Curie, Irene Joliot-Curie, Lise Meitner and Otto Hahn who furthered our understanding of radiation and nuclear stability.
• Appreciate that the development of models of the atom often required a wide range of evidence from multiple individuals and across disciplines.
• Explore advances in medical treatment and imaging that have come from a deepening understanding of the properties of nuclear radiation.
• Consider how scientific knowledge can be used to predict beneficial and/or harmful or unintended consequences, e.g. choosing appropriate radioisotopes for medical imaging, carefully storing nuclear waste.
• Consider how an understanding of radioactive decay can enable scientists to make reliable predictions in radiometric dating of materials.
• Consider the health and environmental risks associated with the use of nuclear fission along with the environmental and cost benefits of lowering fossil fuel consumption.
• Appreciate that energy production in stars was attributed to gravity until the knowledge of nuclear reactions led to the understanding that energy production in stars is due to nuclear fusion.

Science Inquiry

• Consider whether nuclear fission-based power production could replace fossil fuel-based generation in Australia.
• Investigate nuclear safety, considering the suitability of using the sources of information in terms of their credibility.
• Examine exponential decay graphs and use these graphs to estimate half-lives.
• Investigate shielding effects and/or the relationship between intensity and distance from a radioactive source.

Topic 3: Electrical Circuits (15 hours)

Science Understanding

Current, Potential Difference and Energy Flow

• Describe electric charge as positive or negative.
• Describe electric current as carried by discrete electric charge carriers.
• Describe the law of conservation of electric charge.
• Explain that electric charge is conserved at all points in an electrical circuit.
• Describe the concepts of electrical potential difference and power within a circuit.
• Solve problems involving electric current, electric charge and time using .
• Explain that the energy inputs in a circuit equal the sum of energy output from loads in the circuit.
• Explain that the energy available to electric charges moving in an electrical circuit is measured using electrical potential difference.
• Solve problems involving electrical potential difference using .
• Explain in qualitative terms why electric charge separation produces an electrical potential difference.
• Solve problems involving power using .
• Describe the concept of resistance.
• Solve problems using .
• Discuss the differences between ohmic and non-ohmic resistors.
• Interpret experimental data to Determine the resistance across an ohmic resistor.

Circuit Analysis and Design

• Describe the concept of power dissipation over resistors in a circuit.
• Draw electrical circuit diagrams using specific symbols
• Solve problems involving electrical potential difference, electric current, resistance and power.
• Describe series and parallel connections of components in electrical circuits.
• Solve problems involving finding equivalent resistance, electrical potential difference and electric currents in series and parallel circuits using , , , , , .
• Describe simple series, parallel and series/parallel circuits.

Science as a Human Endeavour (SHE)

• Appreciate the significant contributions of scientists such as Gustav Kirchhoff, Georg Ohm, Hertha Ayrton and Florence Violet McKenzie who furthered our understanding of electrical currents.
• Appreciate how international conventions enable clear communication of ideas and findings across the globe, e.g. conventional current.
• Explore the impacts of increased use of household electrical devices during extreme weather, e.g. heat in Australian summers or cold in European winters.
• Appreciate how developing new household electrical devices to improve the efficiency of existing devices and ensure consistency of electrical standards requires international cooperation between scientists, engineers and manufacturers.
• Consider the impacts of computers, smartphones and the internet on society and their reliance on a stable supply of electricity.
• Explore the concerns about sustainable energy usage and global warming that have led to international research and development to improve the energy efficiency of electric lighting.

Science Inquiry

• Compare characteristics of ohmic and non-ohmic resistors experimentally.
• Interpret graphical representations of electrical potential difference versus electric current data to Solve resistance using the gradient and its uncertainty.
• Investigate series and parallel circuits.
• Investigate simple circuits for specific ‘real-life’ purposes.

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