Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Form 5 Subjects (CSEC) - Science > Physics

This course covers the CSEC Physics syllabus, preparing students for the CSEC Physics examination. The syllabus is structured into five main sections:

Section A: Mechanics

This section introduces fundamental concepts in physics, including the scientific method, measurement, and vectors. It then delves into the study of motion and forces, covering topics such as:

• Statics: Effects of forces, types of forces (gravitational, electric, magnetic, nuclear), weight, moments, center of gravity, stability, and Hooke's Law.
• Dynamics: Distance, displacement, speed, velocity, acceleration, Newton's Laws of Motion, linear momentum, and the conservation of linear momentum.
• Energy: Forms of energy, energy transformations, work, potential energy, kinetic energy, the law of conservation of energy, power, and efficiency.
• Hydrostatics: Pressure, Archimedes' principle, and buoyancy.

Section B: Thermal Physics and Kinetic Theory

This section explores the nature of heat, temperature, and heat transfer. Key topics include:

• Nature of Heat: Caloric and kinetic theories of heat.
• Macroscopic Properties and Phenomena: Temperature, physical properties varying with temperature, thermometers, phases of matter (solids, liquids, gases), thermal expansion, and the gas laws (Boyle's Law, Charles' Law, Pressure Law, General Gas Law).
• Thermal Measurements: Specific heat capacity, heat capacity, specific latent heat, evaporation, and boiling.
• Transfer of Thermal Energy: Conduction, convection, radiation, and the design of devices related to heat transfer (e.g., vacuum flask, solar water heater).

Section C: Waves and Optics

This section covers wave motion, sound, electromagnetic waves, and light. Topics include:

• Wave Motion: Types of waves (transverse, longitudinal), wave parameters (speed, frequency, wavelength, period, amplitude), and graphical representation of waves.
• Sound: Production and propagation of sound, pitch, loudness, speed of sound, reflection, refraction, diffraction, interference, and ultrasound.
• Electromagnetic Waves: Properties of electromagnetic waves, types of electromagnetic waves (radio, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, x-rays, gamma rays), and their sources and uses.
• Light Waves: Wave-particle duality, diffraction, laws of reflection, image formation in plane mirrors, refraction, Snell's Law, critical angle, total internal reflection, lenses (converging and diverging), and image formation by lenses.

Section D: Electricity and Magnetism

This section explores electrical and magnetic principles and phenomena, as well as their applications in electronics. Topics covered include:

• Electrostatics: Charging of objects, forces between electric charges, charging by induction, electric fields, and hazards and applications of static charge.
• Current Electricity: Conductors and insulators, electric current, electron flow vs. conventional current, direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC), and analysis of current-time/voltage-time graphs.
• Electrical Quantities: Conversion of electrical energy, voltage, power, energy, and electrical energy conservation.
• Circuits and Components: Circuit diagrams, series and parallel circuits, primary and secondary cells, I-V relationships, resistance, Ohm's Law, ammeters and voltmeters, electricity in the home (fuses, circuit breakers, earth wire), and selecting appropriate fuses/circuit breakers.
• Electronics: Semiconductors in rectification, logic gates (AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR), truth tables, and the impact of electronics on society.
• Magnetism: Magnetic and non-magnetic materials, magnetic poles, magnetic forces, magnetic fields, and mapping magnetic fields.
• Electromagnetism: Magnetic fields around current-carrying conductors, Fleming's left-hand rule, electromagnets, electromagnetic force, factors affecting force on a current-carrying conductor, DC motors, induced EMF, AC generators, and transformers.

Section E: The Physics of the Atom

This section delves into the structure of the atom and radioactivity. Topics include:

• Models of the Atom: Development of atomic theory, including the work of Thomson, Rutherford, Bohr, and Chadwick, and the Geiger-Marsden experiment.
• Structure of the Atom: Structure of simple atoms, mass and charge of electrons and protons, atomic neutrality and stability, isotopes, and the shell model.
• Radioactivity: Marie Curie's work, types of radioactive emissions (alpha, beta, gamma), experiments to compare ranges of emissions, nuclear reactions, radioactive decay, half-life, applications of radioisotopes, nuclear energy (fission and fusion), and arguments for and against nuclear energy use.