13 Physics

13 Physics

Mā te whakaaro nui e hanga te whare; mā te mātauranga e whakaū - Big Ideas create the house; knowledge maintains it

What do you do with physics? What’s the point of all this study, all these exams? Here we focus on the ways in which you might use physics in your future. There are several examples of where you can take physics that can align to your future pathways:

ENGINEERING: Main focus is preparing students for tertiary study in Engineering. Expect weekly assignments and occasional integration with calculus studying for externals, alongside short inquiries exploring different aspects of engineering.

MEDICINE: Main focus is preparing students for success in physics study at medical school at university. Expect weekly assignments and short inquiries with medical contexts focussed on biomechanics, neurology, medical imaging and fluid dynamics. This strand is not designed to support all study at medical school, just the physics components while providing engaging and relevant contexts exploring some aspects of medicine.

FOR THE LOVE OF PHYSICS: For those who just like physics. The focus here is on long-term projects and inquiries exploring the very heart of what physics is about, starting with current unsolved problems in physics. You might use a variety of skills, including coding simulations, building complex projects, and investigating more complex topics than are strictly necessary for level 3. Topics include special and general relativity, quantum mechanics and the Standard Model, astronomy and cosmology. Assessment here is all internal, with extra internals available from Earth and Space Science.

It is highly recommended that students have completed Q2 Physics in order to do Q3 Physics, as concepts build on themselves.