PHYC10004 Physics 2: Physical Science and Technology
The Complete Exam Bible · S2 2026PHYC10004 Overview
- Semester 2 2026
- University of Melbourne
- Level 1
- Physics
- Three-hour written exam
- Laboratory hurdle
PHYC10004 Physics 2: Physical Science and Technology is the University of Melbourne's second first-year physics subject for students whose interests lie in the physical sciences, technology and engineering. It introduces calculus techniques alongside the physics and covers three large blocks in one semester.
- Exam carries the subject The end-of-semester written exam is worth 60% of the final mark and runs for three hours with a formula sheet attached.
- Labs are the hurdle Laboratory work is worth 25% and must be completed satisfactorily, in attendance and performance, to pass.
- Show the physics Markers add marks for each correct step, so write the law, carry units and give vector directions.
- Three blocks of physics Electrostatics and circuits, magnetism and fluids, then quantum, atomic and nuclear physics.
How PHYC10004 is assessed
| Component | Weight | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Exam | 60% | End of semester; three-hour written examination testing conceptual understanding and problem solving; formula sheet attached; Casio FX82 only |
| Weekly Online Homework | 15% | Weeks 2 to 12 on WileyPLUS; the 2026 handbook lists ten weekly assignments at 1.5% each |
| Labs (Practicals) · hurdle | 25% | Eight labs in Weeks 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10; each marked out of 20 (3 pre-lab, 17 performance and logbook); attendance and a pass are required |
The laboratory programme is a hurdle: you cannot pass the subject without completing it satisfactorily. The Assessment Information page requires attendance at a minimum of 80% of the labs and a 50% pass overall, and the 2026 handbook words it as attendance and submission for at least 80% of workshop sessions with at least 50% for the assessed work. The laboratory manual, the special consideration page and the Week 10 and 11 notices instead say a minimum of six labs with a 50% pass, which is 75% of the eight labs, so check the Lab Resources module for the rule that applies to you. The exam is not a hurdle: the exam tips page says a student scoring under 50% on it may still pass if the other assessment is strong enough. The exam date and reading time for 2026 are set in the University exam timetable; the 2018 and 2019 papers allowed fifteen minutes of reading time.
Current PHYC10004 dates
| Date | Item | Control |
|---|---|---|
| 27 July 2026 | Lectures begin (Week 1) | Problem-solving classes and labs start in Week 2 |
| 10 August 2026 | First assessed homework due, 4:00pm | Homework is usually released Fridays and due ten days later |
| 28 September 2026 | Non-teaching week | No lectures, problem-solving classes or labs |
| 26 and 27 October 2026 | Swot Vac make-up lab sessions | Sign-up required before the end of Week 11; at most two make-up labs |
Dates are as published in the Semester 2 2026 subject pages. Confirm exact deadlines and submission settings in the live LMS.
What PHYC10004 covers
Thirteen chapters follow the 2026 weekly schedule from electrostatics to the nucleus. Each topic links to its free chapter guide.
Electric Charge, Coulomb's Law and Electric Fields
Week 1, with dipoles from Week 3. Charge and conductors, Coulomb's law and permittivity, vector superposition, the electric field, field-line rules, continuous charge and the dipole in a uniform field.Week 1 of PHYC10004 starts with electric charge itself: two signs, conserved, carried by electrons and protons, free to move in conductors and fixed in insulators.
- Charge and Charge Conservation
- Conductors and Insulators
- Coulomb's Law and Permittivity
- Superposition of Forces
- The Electric Field
- Field Line Rules
Electric Flux and Gauss's Law
Week 2. Area vectors and flux, Gauss's law, choosing Gaussian surfaces for spheres, lines and sheets, conductors in equilibrium, charge in a cavity and the Faraday cage.Gauss's law is the Week 2 tool that turns symmetry into a one-line field calculation.
- Area Vectors and Flux
- Gauss's Law Statement
- Choosing a Gaussian Surface
- Spherical Symmetry
- Line and Cylinder Charges
- Sheets and Conductor Surfaces
Electric Potential and Equipotential Surfaces
Weeks 2 and 3. Conservative fields, potential difference as a line integral, point-charge potentials as scalar sums, equipotentials, field from potential, conductors and sharp points, the electronvolt.Electric potential is the scalar that makes electrostatics easier.
- Conservative Fields
- Potential Difference
- Potential of Point Charges
- Equipotential Surfaces
- Field From Potential
- Potential Energy of Charges
Capacitors, Dielectrics and Stored Energy
Weeks 3 and 4. Capacitance and parallel plates, stored energy and field energy density, dielectrics and polarisation, battery-connected versus isolated capacitors, series and parallel networks, breakdown.A capacitor is two conductors holding equal and opposite charge, and its capacitance C = Q/V depends only on geometry. For parallel plates, Gauss's law gives a uniform field between them and C = ε₀A/d.
- Capacitance and Geometry
- Parallel Plate Capacitors
- Energy Stored in a Capacitor
- Electric Field Energy Density
- Dielectrics and Polarisation
- Connected Versus Isolated
Current, Resistance and Kirchhoff's Laws
Week 4. Current and drift velocity, resistivity and temperature, Ohm's law and power, Kirchhoff's junction and loop rules, internal resistance, meter loading, the RC time constant and the Wheatstone bridge.Week 4 moves from static charge to moving charge. Current is the rate at which charge crosses a section of a conductor, i = dq/dt = enAv_d, and resistance R = V/i measures how strongly scattering in the material resists that drift.
- Current and Drift Velocity
- Resistance and Resistivity
- Ohm's Law and Ohmic Devices
- Electrical Power
- Kirchhoff's Junction Rule
- Kirchhoff's Loop Rule
Magnetic Forces on Charges and Currents
Week 5. The magnetic force on a moving charge, circular and cyclotron motion, the velocity selector, the Hall effect, force on a current-carrying wire, torque on a loop and the magnetic dipole moment.Week 5 introduces the magnetic field through the force it exerts. A charge moving through a field B feels F = qv × B, perpendicular to both its velocity and the field, so the force changes the direction of motion but never the speed.
- The Magnetic Force Law
- Right-Hand Rules
- Circular Orbits in a Field
- The Cyclotron
- Velocity Selector
- Mass Spectrometer
Magnetic Fields from Currents: Biot-Savart and Ampere
Weeks 5 and 6. The Biot-Savart law for wires and arcs, forces between parallel currents, Ampere's law for wires, solenoids and coaxial cables, Gauss's law for magnetism and magnetic materials.Currents create magnetic fields, and PHYC10004 teaches two ways to calculate them.
- The Biot-Savart Law
- Field of a Long Wire
- Field of an Arc or Loop
- Ampere's Law
- Choosing an Amperian Loop
- Solenoids and Toroids
Electromagnetic Induction: Faraday and Lenz
Week 6. Magnetic flux, Faraday's law, Lenz's law and the direction of induced current, motional emf, generators and eddy currents, induced electric fields, displacement current and Maxwell's equations.Electromagnetic induction is how almost all electrical power is generated. Faraday's law states that a changing magnetic flux through a circuit induces an emf equal to minus the rate of change of that flux, ε = −N dΦ/dt for a coil of N turns.
- Magnetic Flux
- Faraday's Law
- Lenz's Law
- Motional Emf
- The AC Generator
- Eddy Currents
Fluids: Pressure, Buoyancy and Bernoulli
Week 7. Density and pressure, hydrostatic pressure and gauges, Pascal's principle, Archimedes' principle and flotation, the continuity equation and Bernoulli's equation for pipes, jets and Venturi meters.Week 7 of PHYC10004 is a self-contained block on fluids. It begins with density and pressure, and the result that pressure in a fluid at rest depends only on depth, p = p_atm + ρgh, whatever the shape of the container.
- Density and Pressure
- Pressure at Depth
- Gauge and Absolute Pressure
- Pascal's Principle
- Archimedes' Principle
- Floating and Submerged Objects
Photons: Blackbody, Photoelectric and Compton Effects
Week 8. Blackbody radiation and the ultraviolet catastrophe, Wien and Stefan-Boltzmann laws, the photoelectric effect and work function, X-ray production, Compton scattering and photon momentum.Week 8 begins the quantum block with the experiments that forced physics to treat light as particles.
- Blackbody Radiation
- Wien and Stefan-Boltzmann Laws
- The Ultraviolet Catastrophe
- Photon Energy and Momentum
- The Photoelectric Effect
- Work Function and Stopping Voltage
Matter Waves, Diffraction and the Bohr Atom
Week 9. Bragg reflection and X-ray diffraction, de Broglie wavelength, electron diffraction and the Davisson-Germer experiment, the Bohr model, hydrogen spectra and the particle in a box.Week 9 shows that the wave-particle story runs both ways. X-rays diffract from crystal planes, reinforcing only when 2d sin θ = mλ, and the lectures expect students to derive this Bragg condition from the path difference.
- Bragg's Law
- X-ray Diffraction
- The de Broglie Wavelength
- Davisson-Germer Experiment
- Hydrogen Spectral Series
- The Bohr Model
Quantum Numbers, Spin and the Periodic Table
Week 10. The four quantum numbers, orbital angular momentum and its magnetic moment, electron spin, the Pauli exclusion principle, shell filling, Moseley's law and the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.Week 10 labels every electron state with four quantum numbers.
- Principal Quantum Number
- Orbital Angular Momentum
- Magnetic Quantum Number
- Electron Spin
- Pauli Exclusion Principle
- Shell Filling and the Periodic Table
Nuclear Physics: Binding Energy, Decay and Half-Life
Weeks 11 and 12. Rutherford scattering and nuclear size, mass defect and binding energy, stability, alpha and beta decay with Q-values, the decay law, half-life and radiocarbon dating, fission and fusion.The final weeks of PHYC10004 move inside the atom's core.
- Rutherford Scattering
- Nuclear Size and Composition
- The Strong Nuclear Force
- Binding Energy and Mass Defect
- Alpha, Beta and Gamma Decay
- Q-Values of Reactions
Weeks 1 to 4 build electrostatics and circuit theory: Coulomb's law, electric fields, Gauss's law, potential, capacitors, current and Kirchhoff's rules. Weeks 5 and 6 turn to magnetism, from the force on a moving charge to the Biot-Savart and Ampere laws and Faraday's law of induction. Week 7 is fluids, with pressure, buoyancy, continuity and Bernoulli's equation.
Weeks 8 to 12 cover quantum, atomic and nuclear physics: blackbody radiation, the photoelectric effect, X-rays, Compton scattering, matter waves, the Bohr atom, quantum numbers and the periodic table, and finally binding energy, radioactive decay, half-life, fission and fusion.
The subject is taught through three lectures a week, weekly problem-solving classes from Week 2 and eight laboratory sessions.
Assessment is a three-hour written examination worth 60%, weekly online homework worth 15% and laboratory work worth 25%, and satisfactory completion of the laboratory programme is a hurdle for passing. The exam supplies a formula sheet and allows only the Casio FX82 calculator family.
Recent papers have carried eleven structured questions totalling 150 marks, each split into small parts that ask you to draw, derive, explain or calculate, so this guide works every topic as a sequence of marked steps with units and directions.
Worked example · free
Net electric field from two equal charges
- 1Distance from each charge to P: r = √(0.20² + 0.15²) = 0.25 m.
- 1Magnitude from each charge: E = (8.99 × 10⁹)(3.0 × 10⁻⁶)/(0.25)² = 4.3 × 10⁵ N/C, each pointing away from its charge.
- 1Symmetry: the x components point in opposite directions and cancel; each y component is E × 0.15/0.25 = 2.6 × 10⁵ N/C upward.
- 1Sum: E = 2 × 2.6 × 10⁵ = 5.2 × 10⁵ N/C, pointing along +y, straight up from the midpoint line.
Key terms
- Electric Field
- The electric field is the force per unit positive test charge at a point, a vector measured in N/C.
- Gauss's Law
- Gauss's law states that the electric flux through a closed surface equals the enclosed charge divided by ε₀.
- Electric Potential
- Electric potential is the potential energy per unit charge at a point, a scalar measured in volts.
- Capacitance
- Capacitance is the charge stored per volt of potential difference between two conductors, measured in farads.
- Kirchhoff's Rules
- Kirchhoff's rules are the junction rule, from charge conservation, and the loop rule, from energy conservation, used together to solve circuits.
- Lorentz Force
- The Lorentz force is the force on a moving charge in electric and magnetic fields, F = q(E + v × B).
- Ampere's Law
- Ampere's law relates the line integral of the magnetic field around a closed loop to the current passing through the loop.
- Faraday's Law
- Faraday's law states that the emf induced in a circuit equals minus the rate of change of magnetic flux through it.
- Bernoulli's Equation
- Bernoulli's equation states that pressure plus ½ρv² plus ρgh stays constant along a streamline of steady, ideal flow.
- Work Function
- The work function is the minimum energy needed to free an electron from a metal surface, the threshold in the photoelectric effect.
- De Broglie Wavelength
- The de Broglie wavelength is the wavelength λ = h/p associated with any particle of momentum p.
- Half-Life
- The half-life is the time for half the nuclei in a radioactive sample to decay, related to the decay constant by λ = ln 2 / t½.
PHYC10004 FAQ
Is the final exam in Physics 2 a hurdle?
No. The exam is worth 60% of the final mark, but the exam tips page says a student who scores under 50% on it may still pass the subject if the homework and laboratory marks are strong enough. The hurdle sits on the laboratory programme instead, which must be completed satisfactorily in both attendance and performance.
What do I need to pass the laboratory component?
The labs are worth 25% and are a hurdle. The Assessment Information page requires at least 80% of the labs and a 50% pass overall, while the lab manual and later weekly notices say a minimum of six labs and a 50% pass. Treat every lab as compulsory, and use the Swot Vac make-up sessions only for genuine absences.
Can I bring notes or a cheat sheet into the exam?
No. The exam tips page says a formula sheet is supplied with the paper and published in the Exam Resources module beforehand for revision, but you may not bring your own. You can bring pens, pencils, a ruler, erasers, a clear water bottle, your ID and a Casio FX82 calculator.
What does a recent exam paper for this subject look like?
The 2018 and 2019 papers each had eleven compulsory structured questions totalling 150 marks in three hours of writing time, ordered from electrostatics through circuits, magnetism and fluids to the quantum, atomic and nuclear block. Each question is split into parts of two to eight marks that ask you to draw, derive, explain or calculate.
Which topics carry the most marks?
On the 2018 and 2019 papers the quantum, atomic and nuclear block took about a third of the marks, electrostatics and Gauss's law about a quarter, magnetism and induction roughly a sixth, and circuits and fluids one question each. Past papers are not comprehensive, so revise every syllabus week rather than only repeated question types.
How is the weekly homework assessed?
Homework runs on WileyPLUS from Week 2 to Week 12 and is worth 15% in total. Each set is usually released on a Friday and due ten days later, late submissions lose marks per question, and opening a hint reduces that question's maximum. The 2026 handbook lists ten weekly assignments at 1.5% each.
How do markers award marks on numerical questions?
Marking is positive: markers add marks for each correct, logically reasoned step rather than subtracting for errors. Write the formula before substituting numbers, carry units through every line, give the direction of every vector, and round to significant figures that match the data, because the exam tips page says missing units or unreasonable precision can cost marks.
Questions students ask in each PHYC10004 chapter
- Why does a charged rod attract a neutral object?
- The rod polarises the neutral object. Opposite charge is drawn to the near side and like charge pushed to the far side, so the attraction on the nearer charge is stronger than the repulsion on the farther charge. The net force is towards the rod, and in a perfectly uniform field there would be only a twist, not a pull. Chapter 01 · Electric Charge, Coulomb's Law and Electric Fields
- Is Gauss's law only true for symmetric charge distributions?
- No. The law holds for every distribution and every closed surface. Symmetry matters only for using it to find the field, because without symmetry the field varies over the surface and the flux integral cannot be simplified into a field strength times an area. Chapter 02 · Electric Flux and Gauss's Law
- What is the difference between potential and potential energy?
- Potential is a property of a point in space, energy per unit charge in volts. Potential energy belongs to a charge placed at that point and equals qV in joules. The lab notes warn the two are easy to confuse, so keep track of which one a question asks for. Chapter 03 · Electric Potential and Equipotential Surfaces
- What changes when a dielectric is inserted with the battery connected?
- The battery holds the voltage fixed, so the capacitance, the charge and the stored energy all rise by the factor κ while the field between the plates stays V/d. Extra charge flows from the battery to make this happen. Chapter 04 · Capacitors, Dielectrics and Stored Energy
- Why do bulbs in parallel glow brighter than the same bulbs in series?
- Brightness follows the power in each bulb, P = V²/R. In parallel each bulb receives the full battery voltage; in series the voltage is shared between them, so each bulb's power falls sharply even though the current is the same through both. Chapter 05 · Current, Resistance and Kirchhoff's Laws
- Why does a magnetic field not change a charged particle's speed?
- The magnetic force is always perpendicular to the velocity, so it does no work on the particle. Its kinetic energy and speed therefore stay constant, while the direction of its velocity, momentum and acceleration keep changing as it curves. Chapter 06 · Magnetic Forces on Charges and Currents
- When should I use Ampere's law instead of Biot-Savart?
- Use Ampere's law when the current distribution is symmetric enough that B is constant along a loop you can draw, such as a long wire, a coaxial cable, a solenoid or a toroid. For arcs, rings or finite segments, the symmetry is missing and Biot-Savart is needed. Chapter 07 · Magnetic Fields from Currents: Biot-Savart and Ampere
- How do I find the direction of an induced current?
- Ask three questions: which way does the external field point through the loop, is its flux increasing or decreasing, and which induced field would oppose that change? Then use the right-hand grip rule to turn the induced field direction into a current direction. Chapter 08 · Electromagnetic Induction: Faraday and Lenz
- Why does pressure depend only on depth and not on container shape?
- In a fluid at rest each horizontal layer must support the weight of fluid directly above it, and pressure acts equally in all directions at a point. The pressure at a given depth is therefore ρgh above the surface pressure, whether the container is a narrow tube or a wide lake. Chapter 09 · Fluids: Pressure, Buoyancy and Bernoulli
- Why does brighter light not give photoelectrons more energy?
- Each electron absorbs a single photon, and a photon's energy depends only on the light's frequency. Brighter light delivers more photons per second, so more electrons are ejected and the current rises, but each electron's maximum kinetic energy and the stopping voltage stay the same. Chapter 10 · Photons: Blackbody, Photoelectric and Compton Effects
- Why are the energy levels of hydrogen negative?
- The zero of energy is chosen at infinite separation of the electron and proton. A bound electron has less energy than that, so its energy is negative, and 13.6 eV must be supplied to lift a ground-state electron to zero and free it. Chapter 11 · Matter Waves, Diffraction and the Bohr Atom
- How many electrons can each shell hold?
- Shell n contains n² orbitals, because each value of l from 0 to n − 1 has 2l + 1 values of m_l. Each orbital holds two electrons with opposite spin, so the shell holds 2n² electrons: two, eight, eighteen and thirty-two for the first four shells. Chapter 12 · Quantum Numbers, Spin and the Periodic Table
- Why does a nucleus weigh less than its separate parts?
- Assembling a nucleus releases energy as the strong force binds the nucleons together. By mass-energy equivalence that released energy corresponds to a loss of mass, so the bound nucleus is lighter, and the missing mass times c² is its binding energy. Chapter 13 · Nuclear Physics: Binding Energy, Decay and Half-Life
How to study for the exam
Revise PHYC10004 in its three blocks and turn every topic into a method you can write out as marked steps. For electrostatics and circuits, practise drawing force and field diagrams before any algebra, run Gauss's law as a four-decision routine, and solve at least one two-loop Kirchhoff network a week.
For magnetism, drill the right-hand rule on charges, wires and loops until directions are automatic, then practise Ampere's law derivations and Lenz's-law explanations in words. For fluids, chain pressure, continuity and Bernoulli on one pipe or tank problem at a time. For the modern block, keep an energy ledger in electronvolts and joules and check which constants the formula sheet supplies.
Work the past papers in the Exam Resources module under timed conditions near the end of semester, but remember the subject's own warning that past papers do not cover everything, and use the recommended textbook questions for each demisemester to fill the gaps.
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