South Sudan Secondary 2 Curriculum - Physics S-2

Course Entries:

Unit 1: Behaviour of Light at Curved Surfaces

• Topic 1: Reflection of Light at Curved Surfaces
• Reflection of light at curved surfaces (concave, convex, parabolic)
• Laws of reflection applied to curved surfaces
• Terms: focal length, principal axis, principal focus, center of curvature, radius of curvature
• Image formation by curved mirrors (characteristics and location)
• Image location by construction (ray diagrams)
• Mirror formula and magnification calculations
• Applications of curved mirrors (e.g., telescopes, car side mirrors)
• Topic 2: Refraction of Light in Thin Lenses
• Refraction through thin lenses (converging and diverging)
• Image formation by converging lenses
• Lens formula and calculations
• Power of a lens
• Lens defects and correction
• Applications of thin lenses (e.g., eyeglasses, cameras)

Unit 2: Forces and Turning Effects

• Topic 3: Moment of a Force
• Definition and calculation of moment of a force
• Principle of moments
• Couple forces and torque
• Center of mass
• Applications of moment of a force (e.g., levers, seesaws)
• Topic 4: Centre of Gravity
• Center of gravity and stability
• States of equilibrium (stable, unstable, neutral)
• Factors affecting stability
• Applications of center of gravity (e.g., vehicle design, balancing objects)

Unit 3: Work, Energy and Power

• Topic 5: Work, Energy, and Power
• Definition and calculation of work, energy, and power
• Forms of energy (kinetic, potential, solar, sound, heat, electrical, chemical, mechanical)
• Sources of energy (renewable and non-renewable)
• Environmental effects of energy use
• Energy transformations
• Law of conservation of energy
• Law of conservation of mechanical energy
• Energy conservation methods and efficiency

Unit 4: Machines

• Topic 6: Machines
• Definition of simple machines
• Mechanical advantage, velocity ratio, and efficiency
• Types of simple machines (levers, inclined planes, screws, wheel and axle, pulleys)

Unit 5: The Properties of Waves

• Topic 7: Introduction to Waves
• Oscillations and wave formation
• Types of waves (transverse and longitudinal)
• Wave characteristics (wavelength, frequency, speed, amplitude)
• Topic 8: Sound Waves
• Production and nature of sound waves
• Human audible frequency range and ultrasound
• Characteristics of sound (pitch, loudness, quality)
• Speed of sound in different media
• Sound pollution

Unit 6: Heat Transfer

• Topic 9: Heat Transfer
• Heat and temperature
• Modes of heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation)
• Thermal expansion and its applications

Unit 7: Magnetism

• Topic 10: Magnetism
• Properties of magnets
• Magnetic and non-magnetic materials
• Magnetic fields and field lines
• Magnetization and demagnetization methods
• Storing magnets