PHYC10003 Physics 1
The Complete Exam Bible · S2 2026PHYC10003 Overview
- University of Melbourne
- Semester 2 2026
- Level 1 subject
- Quantitative physics
How the subject fits together
PHYC10003 Physics 1 develops a connected toolkit for classical mechanics and waves. PHYC10003 begins with forces, friction and rolling, then changes viewpoint from vector forces to scalar work and energy.
- Official assessment Practical work and weekly assignments support a written examination that carries the largest weight.
- Core calculation habit Choose the system and axis before substituting numbers into any relationship.
- Course-wide check Use units, direction and limiting behaviour as separate tests of a numerical result.
- Course emphasis Phase, graph axes, model assumptions and distinct meanings of speed receive repeated attention.
How PHYC10003 is assessed
| Component | Weight | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Ongoing assessment of practical work during the semester · hurdle | 25% | Throughout the semester. Hurdle: attendance and submission for at least 80% of workshop sessions and at least 50% on assessed work. |
| Ten weekly assignments (10 x 1.5%) | 15% | Throughout the semester. |
| A written examination 3 hours | 60% | During the examination period. |
Satisfactory completion of practical work is necessary to pass the subject. This hurdle requires attendance and submission for at least 80% of workshop sessions together with at least 50% on assessed practical work. It applies alongside the 25% practical-work weight; the ten weekly assignments contribute 15% and the three-hour written examination contributes 60%.
What PHYC10003 covers
Eight source-supported chapters connect mechanics, energy, rotation, oscillations and waves into one revision route.
Forces, Friction and Rolling
Static and kinetic friction, contact-state decisions, pure rolling and friction-limited braking.This chapter separates static friction, kinetic friction and pure rolling before any equation is chosen.
- Static friction as an adjusting force
- Maximum static and kinetic friction
- Normal force on level and inclined surfaces
- Rolling without slipping
- Contact-point velocity
- Friction-limited braking
Work and Energy
Dot products, the work-energy theorem, conservative forces and energy ledgers with dissipation.Work converts a force description into a signed energy transfer by selecting the force component parallel to displacement.
- Force-displacement dot product
- Positive, negative and zero work
- Net work and kinetic energy
- Conservative interactions
- Mechanical energy
- Friction and thermal transfer
Potential Energy and Particle Systems
Potential gradients, equilibrium, turning points, system boundaries and internal versus external interactions.Potential-energy curves encode force direction in their slope and kinetic energy in their separation from the total-energy level.
- Force as negative potential gradient
- Stable and unstable equilibrium
- Allowed motion and turning points
- Kinetic energy from curve separation
- Internal and external interactions
- System momentum
Impulse, Torque and Rotation
Momentum change, average collision force, torque geometry, rotational energy and moment of inertia.Impulse and torque extend familiar translational ideas into short collisions and rotational motion. Momentum change retains direction, so rebound problems demand signed velocities. Torque depends on lever arm, force and angle about a chosen axis.
- Impulse and momentum change
- Average collision force
- Torque about a chosen axis
- Lever arm and force angle
- Moment of inertia
- Rotational kinetic energy
Simple Harmonic Motion
Restoring forces, amplitude, phase, angular frequency and derivative relationships for motion.Simple harmonic motion is defined by a restoring force proportional and opposite to displacement. The resulting position is sinusoidal, with amplitude, angular frequency and phase constant playing distinct roles.
- Restoring-force definition
- Amplitude and peak-to-peak range
- Angular frequency and period
- Phase and phase constant
- Velocity as a derivative
- Acceleration opposite displacement
Oscillation Energy and Pendulums
Spring energy exchange, vertical equilibrium, small-angle motion and physical pendulum models.Ideal spring motion exchanges kinetic and potential energy while total mechanical energy remains constant. Vertical springs require displacement to be measured about the gravity-shifted equilibrium.
- Spring potential energy
- Energy exchange through a cycle
- Vertical equilibrium extension
- Simple pendulum
- Small-angle approximation
- Physical pendulum and centre of mass
Travelling Waves
Wave transport, transverse and longitudinal motion, phase, medium dependence and string speed.Travelling waves carry energy while particles remain near equilibrium. Their displacement depends on both position and time, unlike a single stationary oscillator.
- Energy transport without matter transport
- Transverse and longitudinal waves
- Frequency, wavelength and speed
- Travelling-wave phase
- Spatial snapshots and time histories
- String speed from tension and linear density
Superposition and Standing Waves
Interference, nodes, antinodes, fixed-string modes, resonance and particle speed.Superposition adds signed displacements wherever waves overlap. Equal coherent waves travelling in opposite directions can create a standing pattern with fixed nodes and oscillating antinodes.
- Linear superposition
- Constructive and destructive interference
- Nodes and antinodes
- Fixed-end boundary conditions
- String harmonics
- Resonance and particle speed
Potential-energy curves turn spatial changes into force directions, while particle systems show how a carefully chosen boundary separates internal interactions from external transfers. Rotation adds torque, moment of inertia and angular momentum to the same reasoning pattern.
The later material describes oscillations and waves with sinusoidal functions whose phase, derivative and boundary conditions carry physical meaning.
Where PHYC10003 puts its weight in 2026 S2
PHYC10003 puts its strongest recurring emphasis on method, not formula recall. For mechanics, draw the geometry, choose an axis and decide whether contact sticks or slips.
For energy, name the system and count each transfer once. For rotation, choose the axis and retain force angle. For oscillations, work in radians and use initial position together with velocity direction to select phase. For waves, distinguish a spatial snapshot from a time history, keep source frequency separate from medium-dependent speed, and never confuse particle velocity with phase velocity.
The chapter map below links each of these priorities to its full guide.
How hard the course is in facts
The official handbook makes the three-hour written examination worth 60% of the subject. It also publishes a practical-work hurdle that is necessary to pass: students need attendance and submission for at least 80% of workshop sessions and at least 50% on assessed practical work.
The course repeatedly moves between diagrams, algebra, graphs and physical interpretation. That combination creates the real workload: a correct calculation must also use the right model, sign, unit and direction.
Mistakes the course warns about
Do not use maximum static friction before the threshold is reached. Do not treat peak-to-peak displacement as amplitude.
Do not use a pendulum formula without stating the small-angle approximation. Do not substitute numbers before simplifying a physical-pendulum expression. Do not reverse the sign connecting force and potential gradient. Do not change frequency when a wave crosses a boundary. Do not report particle speed as wave speed.
These checks recur across the guide because each one changes the physical conclusion, not just presentation.
Worked example · free
Select the phase from position and direction
- 1Use the starting displacement to obtain cos phi = minus 0.5.
- 1List the two candidate angles within the chosen interval.
- 1Use positive initial velocity to require negative sine of phi.
- 1Select phi = minus 2 pi over 3 radians and verify both conditions.
Key terms
- Static Friction
- Static friction adjusts up to a limiting magnitude to oppose impending relative motion at a contact.
- Kinetic Friction
- Kinetic friction is the sliding-contact model whose magnitude is the kinetic coefficient multiplied by normal force.
- Work
- Work is the signed energy transfer given by the dot product of force and displacement.
- Potential Energy
- Potential energy is stored energy associated with configuration for a conservative interaction.
- System Boundary
- A system boundary declares which objects are analysed together and which interactions count as external.
- Impulse
- Impulse is force accumulated over time and equals the vector change in momentum.
- Torque
- Torque measures the turning effect of force about a specified axis.
- Moment Of Inertia
- Moment of inertia measures rotational resistance and depends on mass distribution relative to an axis.
- Amplitude
- Amplitude is the maximum displacement from equilibrium rather than the full peak-to-peak range.
- Phase Constant
- A phase constant fixes an oscillator or wave's initial position within its cycle.
- Angular Frequency
- Angular frequency is phase accumulation per unit time measured in radians per second.
- Wavelength
- Wavelength is the spatial separation between points with the same phase in a periodic wave.
- Wave Number
- Wave number is spatial phase accumulation per unit distance.
- Standing Wave
- A standing wave is a fixed node and antinode pattern produced by coherent opposing waves.
PHYC10003 FAQ
How do I choose a phase constant from the starting motion?
Use the initial displacement first to find all angle candidates that give the required cosine value. Then evaluate the sign of velocity, which is minus amplitude times angular frequency times sine of phase. The required motion direction selects the correct candidate. Report an equivalent angle inside the interval requested by the question and keep the calculator in radians.
When should I use a physical pendulum instead of a simple pendulum?
Use a simple pendulum when the moving mass can be idealised as a point at a fixed distance from the pivot. Use a physical pendulum when the object's mass is spread out and its moment of inertia about the pivot matters. State the small-angle approximation in either model before using a simple harmonic period relationship.
How do I recover period after calculating angular frequency?
Angular frequency counts radians of phase per second, while one full cycle contains two pi radians. Divide two pi by angular frequency to obtain period in seconds. The reciprocal relation also gives frequency as angular frequency divided by two pi. Label the result carefully so a value in seconds is not accidentally called a frequency.
What do visible flame heights show in a standing sound demonstration?
The flame pattern is a visual response to pressure variation in the tube, not a direct picture of air parcels travelling from one end to the other. Resonance creates a stationary spatial pattern. Before assigning nodes or antinodes, identify whether the display represents pressure or displacement because those quantities reach nodes at different places.
Why does tube length affect resonant frequency?
Boundary conditions allow only patterns whose nodes and antinodes fit the tube geometry. Changing length changes the wavelengths compatible with those boundaries. With wave speed set by the medium, frequency follows from speed divided by wavelength. The exact sequence also depends on whether each end behaves as open or closed, so the boundary model must be stated.
How can a wave carry energy if matter stays near equilibrium?
A disturbance makes neighbouring particles interact, so energy moves through the medium while each particle oscillates around its own equilibrium position. In a transverse wave the particle motion is perpendicular to propagation; in a longitudinal wave it is parallel. The pattern can travel a long distance even though individual particles have no comparable net displacement.
Does a more massive orbiting body have a longer period at the same orbit size?
In the ideal central-force comparison used in PHYC10003, orbital period at a given semimajor axis is independent of the small orbiting body's mass. The stronger gravitational force on a heavier body is accompanied by proportionally greater inertia. This statement relies on the usual approximation that the central mass dominates the system.
What are the practical-work pass conditions?
Satisfactory completion of practical work is necessary to pass the subject. The official hurdle requires attendance and submission for at least 80% of workshop sessions together with at least 50% on assessed practical work. This condition applies in addition to the practical component's 25% contribution to the final result.
Which formulas must I memorise for the written examination?
The available official handbook page confirms a three-hour written examination but does not publish a current permitted-materials list. In PHYC10003, distinguish relationships supplied for use from relationships you should recognise, while remembering that operational instructions can change. Learn what each relationship means and confirm the current formula-sheet and materials rules on the subject LMS before the examination.
Questions students ask in each PHYC10003 chapter
- Is static friction always equal to its maximum value?
- No. Static friction matches the tangential force needed to prevent relative motion until it reaches its maximum. Use an inequality during sticking and set it equal to its maximum only at impending slip. A smaller applied tangential force therefore produces an equally smaller static-friction response. Chapter 01 · Forces, Friction and Rolling
- Can a force be large and still do no work?
- Yes. Work uses the force component along displacement. A normal force during horizontal motion or a centripetal force in uniform circular motion can be large while remaining perpendicular to motion and doing zero work. Always evaluate the local angle when the direction of motion changes along a curved path. Chapter 02 · Work and Energy
- Does low potential energy always mean large force?
- No. Force depends on the slope of potential energy, not its absolute value. A deep flat minimum can have zero force at its centre, while a higher but steep region can have a large force. Read height, slope, and curvature as separate graph features before drawing a physical conclusion. Chapter 03 · Potential Energy and Particle Systems
- Why is rebound impulse larger than stopping impulse?
- Stopping changes momentum from its initial value to zero. Rebounding continues the change into the opposite direction, so final minus initial contains both speed magnitudes when the rebound velocity has the opposite sign. A signed velocity line makes that additional change visible before any multiplication by mass. Chapter 04 · Impulse, Torque and Rotation
- Is every periodic motion simple harmonic?
- No. Simple harmonic motion specifically requires acceleration or restoring force proportional and opposite to displacement. A motion can repeat without satisfying that linear restoring condition. Test the force law around equilibrium rather than judging only from the repeated appearance of a graph. Chapter 05 · Simple Harmonic Motion
- Where is spring energy largest during motion?
- Spring potential energy is largest at either endpoint where displacement magnitude equals amplitude. Kinetic energy is then zero. At equilibrium, spring energy is minimum and kinetic energy is maximum. At intermediate positions, both forms are present and must sum to the same ideal mechanical total. Chapter 06 · Oscillation Energy and Pendulums
- What stays fixed when a wave enters another medium?
- The source frequency stays fixed because the boundary continues oscillating at the same rate. The new medium changes wave speed, so wavelength adjusts to keep speed equal to frequency times wavelength. Amplitude needs separate boundary information and cannot be inferred from the speed relation alone. Chapter 07 · Travelling Waves
- Do waves disappear during destructive interference?
- No. Their signed displacements cancel during overlap at particular places and times, but in an ideal linear medium each travelling wave continues afterward with its original form. Permanent standing-wave nodes require cancellation at the same positions throughout the motion, not at one instant. Chapter 08 · Superposition and Standing Waves
How to study for the exam
Revise by decision type rather than by rereading in order. Begin a mechanics session with three fresh situations and decide the system, axis and contact state before calculating. On energy days, draw a before-and-after ledger and explain where every joule crosses the boundary. For rotation, vary the lever arm or force angle and predict the torque direction before arithmetic.
For oscillations, sketch the phase landmarks, work in radians and use initial velocity to remove phase ambiguity. For waves, alternate between spatial snapshots and time histories, then practise keeping source frequency fixed across a medium boundary. Once each week, complete one mixed problem under time and audit it using units, sign and a limiting case.
Keep a mistake log organised by physical decision, such as wrong boundary, wrong direction, wrong graph axis or wrong speed type. The available folder contains no past paper or official solutions, so the practice in this guide is original and its score splits are study aids rather than University marking schemes. Before the examination, confirm current operational instructions on the subject LMS.
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