Physics: should I choose it?

What will I learn?

How will I be assessed?

Progression and companion subjects

No complete companion or exclusion review is attached to this profile. Check the official course-entry conditions, language eligibility and your school’s sequence before enrolling. Links between resource hubs show related learning; they do not establish a compulsory prerequisite.

Will I find it hard?

Difficulty depends on your experience, interests, teaching and assessment. These are our reflection prompts, not an official difficulty rating.

• Look at how much data, calculation and graph interpretation appear in the sample for this particular science.
• Can you explain the ideas in your own words as well as recall the terminology?
• Do investigations and evaluating evidence interest you? Check the course’s practical requirements.

Does it scale up or down?

Physics, 2025. UAC Table A3 reports separate means for reported HSC marks and scaled marks per unit, with candidature for each course in 2025. These are cohort statistics. They do not supply individual raw exam marks or a conversion between the two columns. Historical cohort data cannot predict your result or a future scaling direction.

Scaling is not a measure of difficulty or a guaranteed bonus. Prioritise content you can engage with and required subjects for courses you are considering.

Try a little of the subject

Fundamentals of mechanics: describing motion

Physics describes motion with two kinds of quantity. A scalar has magnitude only: distance, speed, time, mass and energy are scalars. A vector has magnitude and direction: displacement, velocity and acceleration are vectors. A vector is drawn as an arrow whose length is proportional to its magnitude and whose orientation shows its direction, and in one dimension we often use a sign convention such as east positive and west negative. Distance is the total length of the path travelled, so it is never negative and never decreases. Displacement is the straight-line change in position from start to finish, together with its direction. If you walk around a block and end where you began, your distance is the perimeter but your displacement is zero. Displacement can be smaller than distance, and the two are equal in size only for straight-line motion that never reverses. Speed is distance divided by time, and velocity is displacement divided by time. Average speed = total distance ÷ total time, while average velocity = displacement ÷ time taken, and it points in the direction of the displacement. Because they use different numerators, a person can have a high average speed yet an average velocity of zero. The SI unit for both is metres per second (m s⁻¹). Scalars add as ordinary numbers; vectors must be added with direction taken into account. Always state a direction (for example 'north', 'up the slope' or a positive sign) when giving a vector answer. Use a labelled arrow or a sign convention and keep it consistent through a whole problem. Displacement over two perpendicular legs is found using Pythagoras' theorem for the magnitude and trigonometry for the direction. The angle is usually quoted from a reference direction, such as 'north of east', so that another person could d

Original practice question: A student walks 3 m east and then 4 m north. What is the student's displacement?

This is ATARMAxxing’s original sample learning material. It is not an official assessment task or a prediction of your school’s workload.

Explore the resources

Open the Physics subject hub and free preview (opens in a new tab)

• Physics — HSC Year 12 (opens in a new tab)

Core subject information and planning are free. Full study resources are optional.