Physics, Secondary 5

Unit 1: Kinematics

Describing motion: speed, velocity, acceleration, the uniformly-accelerated equations, free fall, inclined planes, and projectiles.

• Constant speed, distance and time
• Displacement, velocity and time

• Acceleration and change in velocity
• The uniformly-accelerated motion equation
• Average velocity
• Instantaneous velocity

• Motion of a free-falling body
• Motion on an inclined plane
• Projectile motion

Unit 2: Dynamics

The causes of motion: work, mass and weight, gravitational force, Newton's laws, friction, structural constraints, and force vectors.

• Work, force and distance
• Mass versus weight (qualitative)
• Calculating weight (Fg = mg)

• Effective force
• Gravitational force on a slope

• The law of inertia (Newton's First Law)
• Newton's Second Law (F = ma)
• Newton's Third Law (action-reaction)
• Explaining phenomena with Newton's laws

• Effects of friction
• Factors affecting friction
• Calculating the force of friction
• Structural constraints on technical objects
• Resultant of a system of forces

Unit 3: Transformation of energy

Conservation of energy, work-energy relationships, potential and kinetic energy, elastic energy, power, and efficiency.

• Conservation of energy (qualitative)
• Applying conservation of energy
• Energy efficiency

• Gravitational potential energy (Ep = mgh)
• Kinetic energy (Ek = one-half mv squared)
• The work-energy relationship (W = delta-E)
• Analysing mechanical energy transformations
• Elastic potential energy

• Electrical energy and power
• Power, work and time (P = W/delta-t)

Unit 4: Geometric optics

The behaviour of light: reflection, refraction, lenses and mirrors, the eye, and the image relations.

• The law of reflection
• Diffuse and specular reflection
• Applying the law of reflection

• Index of refraction
• The law of refraction (Snell's law)
• Total internal reflection

• Focal point of lenses
• Real and virtual images
• The mirror and lens equations