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?

Use SATAC subject evidence. An aggregate-to-ATAR table is not a subject scaling table.

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

Science inquiry skills

An investigation begins by turning a broad concern into a question that measurements can answer. “What affects a spring?” is too broad because force, material, coil diameter and temperature could all matter. Deconstruct it by identifying the system, the possible causes, the measurable response and practical restrictions. A testable question specifies a relationship and conditions: how does applied force affect the extension of this spring within its elastic range? A hypothesis predicts a pattern and supplies a physical reason. Predicting proportional extension is useful because the prediction can be compared with a graph; claiming that springs are interesting cannot be tested. The independent variable is deliberately changed; the dependent variable is measured. Controlled factors are held approximately constant to avoid competing explanations. For a spring, change applied force, measure extension, and retain the same spring, ruler position and temperature. Distinguish a controlled factor from an uncontrollable one. Room vibration may remain despite precautions; acknowledge it and reduce its influence by waiting for oscillations to settle. Specify equipment with suitable range and resolution. Resolution is the smallest displayed increment, not a guarantee that the displayed value is accurate. A reproducible procedure gives another investigator enough detail to repeat the method. State how zero readings are obtained, how variables are changed, when observations are made and how repeats are recorded. Choose several evenly spread settings and repeat each setting, rather than taking many readings at only one setting. A pilot trial helps identify the safe range and whether the response is measurable. Repeating measurements estimates scatter; increasing the range helps disting

Original practice question: Which question best isolates a measurable spring relationship?

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 — SACE Stage 2 (opens in a new tab)

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