Explore Physics at accredited Level 4. Course level is distinct from the school year in which you study it.
Confirm your cohort: Check the linked course version and school availability for your cohort.
What will I learn?
Kinematics and motion graphs
Accredited course guide — check versionTreat displacement, velocity and acceleration as vectors. Slopes of s–t and v–t graphs give velocity and acceleration; the area under a v–t graph gives displacement. Use the constant-acceleration equations with one sign convention throughout, including vertical motion with g = 9.81 m s⁻².
Projectile motion
Accredited course guide — check versionSplit the launch velocity into components, keep horizontal velocity constant and apply uniform acceleration vertically. Launch and landing heights can differ, so solve the vertical equation for time first, then use it horizontally.
Momentum, impulse, work and energy
Accredited course guide — check versionImpulse FΔt equals the change in momentum, and momentum is conserved in collisions and explosions in two dimensions. Use vector triangles with the cosine and sine rules. Compare kinetic energy before and after to classify a collision, and use W = Fs cos θ and P = W/t.
Newton's laws and circular motion
Accredited course guide — check versionDraw free-body diagrams with every real force and no 'centripetal force' arrow. Apply ΣF = ma on inclines, to rockets and to mass-flow systems where force equals momentum change per second. In horizontal circles the net force points to the centre: F = mv²/r = 4π²mr/T².
Gravitation and orbits
Accredited course guide — check versionF = Gm₁m₂/r² and g = GM/r² use centre-to-centre distance. Add the fields of two masses as vectors, locate the null point, and sketch field lines. Kepler's third law T² = 4π²r³/GM links period and orbital radius for satellites, including geostationary orbits.
Electrostatics and point-charge fields
Accredited course guide — check versionCoulomb's law F = kq₁q₂/r² and E = kq/r² give magnitudes; directions come from the sign of the source charge. Combine fields from two charges with a labelled vector diagram, and sketch field lines that start on positive and end on negative charge.
Uniform fields and accelerated charges
Accredited course guide — check versionBetween parallel plates E = V/d and a charge gains qV of kinetic energy. A charge entering perpendicular to the field follows a parabola like a projectile. Millikan's oil-drop method balances qE against mg.
Magnetic fields and forces on currents
Accredited course guide — check versionA long straight wire produces B = kI/r in circles given by a right-hand rule. A current in a field feels F = IlB sin θ; parallel currents attract and antiparallel currents repel with F/l = kI₁I₂/r. Motors use this force with a split-ring commutator.
Charged particles in magnetic fields
Accredited course guide — check versionA moving charge feels F = qvB sin θ at right angles to its velocity, so it moves in a circle of radius r = mv/qB, or a helix if it has a component along B. Crossed fields pass only v = E/B, and the Bainbridge spectrometer separates isotopes by radius.
Electromagnetic induction
Accredited course guide — check versionA conductor moving through a field has emf = vlB sin θ, and a closed circuit carries I = V/R. Lenz's law makes the induced current oppose the change, so work done against the opposing force becomes electrical energy and then heat. Generators, eddy currents and transformers apply the same idea.
Wave properties and pulses at boundaries
Accredited course guide — check versionWaves carry energy without carrying matter. v = fλ and f = 1/T link the graphs. A pulse inverts on reflection from a fixed end and stays upright at a free end; on a string v = √(T/μ), so a heavier string carries a slower, shorter-wavelength transmitted pulse.
Refraction and total internal reflection
Accredited course guide — check versionSnell's law n₁ sin θ₁ = n₂ sin θ₂ uses angles from the normal. Different colours have different refractive indices, so a prism disperses white light. Total internal reflection needs light travelling from a slower to a faster medium at more than the critical angle.
Superposition, beats and standing waves
Accredited course guide — check versionOverlapping waves add. Two close frequencies give beats at |f₁ − f₂|. Standing waves form from reflected waves: strings and open pipes have f = nv/2L, closed pipes have only odd harmonics f = nv/4L. Resonance builds energy at a natural frequency.
Two-source interference
Accredited course guide — check versionCoherent sources produce maxima where the path difference is a whole number of wavelengths and minima at half-wavelengths. For a distant screen the fringe (band) width is w = λx/d. The same method works for light, sound, radio and water waves.
Diffraction and polarisation
Accredited course guide — check versionDiffraction is greatest when the gap or obstacle is comparable to the wavelength, which limits resolution and helps long-wavelength signals bend round obstacles. Only transverse waves polarise; reflection, transmission and scattering partly polarise light.
Black bodies and the photoelectric effect
Accredited course guide — check versionPlanck explained black-body spectra with quantised energy; Wien's law gives λ_max T = 2.90 × 10⁻³ m K. Einstein's equation Ek(max) = hf − W = eV₀ means a graph of stopping voltage against frequency has gradient h/e (h in eV s) and intercepts that give the threshold frequency and work function.
X-rays, photon momentum and matter waves
Accredited course guide — check versionX-ray tubes give a continuous spectrum with f_max = eV/h plus characteristic lines. Photons carry momentum p = h/λ, so Compton scattering conserves vector momentum. de Broglie's λ = h/p gives particles wave behaviour, strongest at low momentum.
Energy levels and spectra
Accredited course guide — check versionElectrons occupy discrete levels. Moving between them absorbs or emits a photon with ΔE = hf = hc/λ. Electron collisions can excite an atom if they carry at least the level gap, and the scattered electron keeps the rest; photons must match a gap exactly unless they ionise.
Radioactive decay and half-life
Accredited course guide — check versionAlpha, beta-minus (with antineutrino), beta-plus (with neutrino) and gamma emissions conserve charge and nucleon number. Activity A = λN, λ = 0.693/T½ and N = N₀e^(−λt); convert between mass and number of atoms with N = mN_A/M.
Mass defect, binding energy and nuclear energy
Accredited course guide — check versionMass defect × 931 MeV per u gives binding energy; the binding energy per nucleon curve peaks near iron, so fusion of light nuclei and fission of heavy nuclei release energy. Reactors need moderators, control rods and heat exchangers. The strong force is short-range; nucleons are up/down quarks held by gluons.
How will I be assessed?
School arrangements: TASC course assessment applies to the accredited course and level, whether you take it in Year 11 or Year 12. Check criteria, work requirements and any external assessment in the course document, plus your provider’s internal assessment outline.
Needs verification: Accredited course guide (Physics Level 4 (PHY415115), course document version 3c, re-accredited by TASC as ongoing from 1 January 2026 (no expiry date), so it applies in 2027; External Assessment Specifications Version 1.3 (March 2023); PHY415115 Physics Information Sheet. Sources downloaded and verified 4 October 2026.): The external assessment is one 3-hour written examination (plus 15 minutes preparation) worth 180 numeric marks: Section A Newtonian Physics (Criterion 5), Section B Electromagnetism (Criterion 6), Section C Waves (Criterion 7) and Section D Twentieth Century (Criterion 8), each 45 marks, about 45 minutes and five to seven compulsory structured questions. Each section score becomes an A, B, C, t or z rating; TASC combines those 4 external ratings with 8 internal ratings to decide the award. You may use the official Physics Information Sheet and a TASC-approved calculator. Confirm the syllabus and assessment schedule for your own completion year.
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?
TASC awards and scaled TE scores are distinct. The old requirement for three final-year results was removed from 2025.
1 more sources
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
Kinematics: vectors, motion graphs and the equations of uniform acceleration
1. Vectors, scalars and adding vectors at any angle A scalar has size only (distance, speed, time, mass, energy). A vector has size and direction (displacement, velocity, acceleration, force, momentum). TASC markers deduct half a mark when a vector answer has no direction, so every final vector answer needs a magnitude, a unit and a direction such as 'N 32° E', '32° east of north' or 'down the slope'. Worked example (right angles). A boat points north at 4.0 m s⁻¹ relative to the water while the current carries it east at 2.5 m s⁻¹. Draw the vectors head to tail: the resultant is the hypotenuse. Magnitude = √(4.0² + 2.5²) = 4.72 m s⁻¹ ; direction = tan⁻¹(2.5/4.0) = 32.0° east of north . Writing 'tan⁻¹(4.0/2.5)' gives 58.0°, the angle measured from east, which is only correct if you say so. Non-right-angled triangles. When the two vectors are not perpendicular, either resolve each into components and add the components, or draw the triangle and use the cosine rule a² = b² + c² − 2bc cos A for the magnitude and the sine rule for the angle. Both rules are on the Information Sheet. Components are safer when there are three or more vectors. Change in velocity. Δv = v − u = v + (−u). A car travelling 15 m s⁻¹ north rounds a corner and travels 15 m s⁻¹ east: speed is unchanged, but Δv = √(15² + 15²) = 21.2 m s⁻¹ towards the south-east . Draw v and then −u (pointing south) head to tail. The 2024 assessment report notes that students who drew the vector triangle were far more successful than those who tried to add numbers directly. 2. Displacement–time, velocity–time and acceleration–time graphs Three graph rules carry most of the marks: the gradient of an s–t graph is velocity, the gradient of a v–t graph is acceleration, and the area under a v–t graph is displacement (area und
Original practice question: A ball is thrown from the edge of a platform 12.0 m above level ground with a velocity of 18.0 m s⁻¹ at 35.0° above the horizontal. Ignore air resistance. (a) Calculate the horizontal and vertical components of the launch velocity. (2 marks) (b) Calculate the time the ball is in the air. (3 marks) (c) Calculate the horizontal distance from the platform edge to the landing point, and the ball's velocity (magnitude and direction) just before it lands. (3 marks)
Show the worked answer
Worked solution
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 (Level 4) subject hub and free preview
Core subject information and planning are free. Full study resources are optional.
Sources, versions and verification dates
Profile source metadata last checked: 2026-11-14. A source check is not an endorsement by the authority or confirmation that a future course version is unchanged.
- ATARMAxxing Physics Level 4 (PHY415115), course document version 3c, re-accredited by TASC as ongoing from 1 January 2026 (no expiry date), so it applies in 2027; External Assessment Specifications Version 1.3 (March 2023); PHY415115 Physics Information Sheet. Sources downloaded and verified 4 October 2026. guide — ATARMAxxing; 2026-11-14. Original existing study guide, not an independent official verification or a forecast of a future syllabus.
- Physics PHY415115 — Level 4 — TASC; 2026-11-12. Official source snapshot; Course span 2015 onwards. Check accreditation and school delivery for your cohort.