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. Table 6 of QTAC’s 2025 report publishes separate raw and scaled subject medians for General subjects with at least 50 students. 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

Heating processes

The kinetic particle model says that all matter is made of tiny particles (atoms or molecules) that are always moving and that attract one another with forces that depend on how far apart they are. In a solid the particles are held close together in fixed positions and can only vibrate. In a liquid they are still close but can slide past one another. In a gas they are far apart, move rapidly in random directions and interact mainly during collisions. Adding energy makes the particles move faster or pulls them further apart against the attractive forces. Several quantities that sound alike must be kept separate: Temperature is a measure of the average translational kinetic energy of the particles. It does not depend on how much material there is. Internal energy (U) is the total of all the kinetic energy and all the potential energy (from the attractive forces) of every particle in a system. A large bath of warm water has far more internal energy than a cup of boiling water, even though its temperature is lower. Thermal energy is the part of internal energy associated with the random motion of particles; in everyday use it is the energy that a hotter object can give to a cooler one. Heat (Q) is energy in transit from a region of higher temperature to a region of lower temperature. An object does not contain heat; it contains internal energy. Heat is what flows. Heat moves by three processes. Conduction occurs mainly in solids: energetic particles collide with neighbours and pass on kinetic energy, and in metals free electrons carry energy very quickly, which is why metals are good conductors. Convection occurs in fluids (liquids and gases): the heated fluid expands, becomes less dense and rises, while cooler, denser fluid sinks to take its place, setting up a convection

Original practice question: A temperature of −23 °C is equivalent to

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 — QCE Units 3 & 4 (opens in a new tab)

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