HKU SCNC1112: Fundamentals of Modern Science — course overview with AskSia
SCNC1112 Fundamentals of Modern Science is a 6-credit first-year Science Foundation Course at The University of Hong Kong, offered by the Faculty of Science and compulsory for every student taking a Science major unless exempted. In 2026-27 it runs in both the first and second semesters, with examinations in December and May.
Sia generates SCNC1112 practice questions, walks through motion and energy step by step, and quizzes you on the material the heaviest assessments weight most heavily.
Worked example
A hot cup of coffee left in a cool room always cools; the room never spontaneously warms the coffee back up, even though energy would be conserved either way. Which unifying concept from the course explains the direction?
Energy conservation alone cannot pick a direction, because both directions conserve energy.
Heat flowing from hot to cold spreads energy over more microstates, raising total entropy; the reverse would lower it.
Gravity and kinetics describe different things; this is thermodynamics.
The trap: classic slip!
One exam decides 45% of your grade. Maps to CLOs 1-4. This whole page is built around that.
Overview
What SCNC1112 is, and where it sits
SCNC1112 Fundamentals of Modern Science is a 6-credit first-year Science Foundation Course at The University of Hong Kong, offered by the Faculty of Science and compulsory for every student taking a Science major unless exempted. In 2026-27 it runs in both the first and second semesters, with examinations in December and May.
The course gives an overview of the giant web of knowledge that makes up science through an integrated approach across physics, astronomy, earth sciences, chemistry and biology, focusing on the general principles and unifying concepts used across disciplines. Its four content blocks are the universal principles (motion, force and gravity; energy and heat; entropy and order), the important reactions of the physical and living world (atoms and molecules, electronic configuration, bonds, acid-base and redox reactions, kinetics and thermodynamics), the living world (origin of life, molecules of life, genomics and DNA, genetics, cells and systems, evolution, ecology) and evolution in the physical world (solid Earth, atmosphere and hydrosphere, Earth's motion, planets, the Sun and stars, cosmology). It is also a Communication-intensive Course.
Assessment is 20% assignments (tutorials and homework), 45% examination, 20% group project presentation and 15% tests (three quizzes). The published workload is 33 hours of lectures, 10 of tutorials, 3 of in-class quiz time and 102 of reading and self-study. Students admitted from 2021-22 with Level 4 or above in HKDSE Biology, Chemistry and Physics (or comparable IB, GCE A-level or Gaokao results) are exempted and take a 6-credit disciplinary elective instead.
Always treat your own course outline and the exam timetable as authoritative.
Difficulty & time commitment
Is SCNC1112 hard, and how much time does it take?
SCNC1112 is manageable if you keep a weekly rhythm and treat the back half as the main event. The pattern is consistent: it starts gently and steepens, and the heaviest assessment is the part that separates grades.
The difficulty curve and the assessment weighting point the same way: the back half is harder and worth more. Front-loading effort there is the highest-return decision in the course.
Is this course for you
Who tends to do well, and who tends to struggle
You will likely do well if
- You are strong in one or two sciences and willing to learn the third from first principles.
- You can present science to non-specialists; the group presentation is 20%.
- You like seeing energy and entropy turn up in physics, chemistry and biology alike.
You may struggle if
- You treat the discipline you already know as the course and skim the rest; the exam covers all four blocks.
- You leave the three quizzes as afterthoughts; they are the built-in revision schedule.
- You memorise facts without the unifying concept behind them.
- Keep one page per block that states its unifying principle in one sentence and its three hardest ideas.
- Turn every tutorial exercise into a past-paper-style question and answer it under time.
- Choose a presentation topic in the discipline you know least; the preparation covers your weakest exam block.
Syllabus
The 10 topics, topic by topic
Topics from the public source. Their order is a content map, not an official weekly timetable or published exam weighting.
T1 · Motion, force and gravity
Content block 1The universal principles that describe how things move and why.
T2 · Energy and heat; entropy and order
Content block 1Energy as the unifying currency of science; entropy as the direction of change.
T3 · Atoms, molecules, electronic configuration and chemical bonds
Content block 2The building blocks of the physical and living world.
T4 · Chemical reactions: acid-base and redox; kinetics and thermodynamics
Content block 2How fast reactions go and whether they go at all.
T5 · Definition and origin of life; molecules of life
Content block 3What makes something alive and the molecules that make it so.
T6 · Genomics and DNA; genetics and inheritance; cells and systems
Content block 3Information and organisation in living things.
T7 · Evolution; ecology and environment
Content block 3Change in populations and the systems they live in.
T8 · Solid Earth, atmosphere and hydrosphere; Earth's motion in space
Content block 4The planet as a physical system in motion.
T9 · Planets, the Sun, stars and cosmology
Content block 4From the solar system to the structure and history of the universe.
T10 · Communicating contemporary science
CLO 6; Communication-intensive CourseGroup presentation on the contemporary developments of a topic in science.
How it's assessed
Assessment structure
| Component | Weight | Format & timing |
|---|---|---|
| Assignments (tutorials and homework) | 20% | Tutorial exercises and homework across the course. Throughout the semester. Maps to all six CLOs. |
| Examination | 45% | Written examination at the end of the semester. Examination period (December or May). Maps to CLOs 1-4. |
| Project presentation | 20% | Group project presentation describing the contemporary developments of a topic in science. Later in the semester. Group; maps to all six CLOs. |
| Tests (3 quizzes) | 15% | Three quizzes, with three hours of in-class quiz time scheduled. Spread through the semester. Maps to CLOs 1-4. |
- Assignments 20%, examination 45%, group project presentation 20%, three quizzes 15%. Letter grades A+ to F against the Faculty's published grade descriptors; no separate hurdle is published. Assignments and the presentation map to all six course learning outcomes; the examination and quizzes map to CLOs 1-4.
- An end-of-semester examination worth 45%, held in the December or May examination period depending on the semester taken, mapped to CLOs 1-4: the history and spirit of scientific inquiry, the fundamental principles and concepts, multidisciplinary perspectives, and critical appraisal of established knowledge.
This is a coursework course. Coursework carries 55% of the grade and the examination is the single heaviest piece at 45%, so steady work across the semester decides your result more than any one sitting. Maps to CLOs 1-4.
Final exam timing: December (1st semester) or May (2nd semester) examination period. Confirm the exact date and venue on your exam timetable.
How to actually pass it
A weekly rhythm, two checklists, and the traps to avoid
The course rewards consistency over cramming, and practice over re-reading. Here is the loop that works, then what to have nailed before each exam.
The weekly loop
The mistakes that cost marks
Teaching team
Who teaches SCNC1112
The bios below are factual. We do not rate lecturers; any star ratings are submitted by students who have taken SCNC1112.
Prof M Guo
Teaching team as listed in the course materials reviewed. AskSia does not rate lecturers; star ratings are submitted by students who have taken SCNC1112.
Formula & concept sheet
The vocabulary and formulas you must own
- Entropy
- A measure of disorder that sets the direction of spontaneous change.
- Redox reaction
- A reaction in which electrons are transferred between species.
- Chemical kinetics
- The study of how fast reactions proceed and what controls the rate.
- Thermodynamics
- The study of energy changes and whether a process can occur.
- Electronic configuration
- The arrangement of electrons in an atom, which decides its bonding.
- Genome
- The complete set of DNA in an organism.
- Natural selection
- The mechanism of evolution by differential survival and reproduction.
- Cosmology
- The study of the origin, structure and evolution of the universe.
Set texts
The prescribed reading
The syllabus references map straight onto these.
Trefil & Hazen, The Sciences: An Integrated Approach, 7th ed., Wiley, 2013
.
Where it fits
Prerequisites, related courses & why it matters
No prerequisites; 6 credits; first-year Science Foundation Course, compulsory for all Science majors unless exempted by HKDSE Level 4 (or equivalent) in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Offered both semesters in 2026-27.
Your SCNC1112 study toolkit
Study the course with Sia, not just read about it
Use your permitted course notes with these study tools. Follow your course’s rules for AI and assessed work.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is SCNC1112 hard?
Moderate on the six-factor rubric, just under the HK anchor: breadth across five disciplines and a 45% exam, but at foundation level with published hours of 33 lectures, 10 tutorials and 102 of self-study.
What is the assessment breakdown?
Assignments 20%, examination 45%, group project presentation 20%, three quizzes 15%, as published on the Faculty of Science course record for 2026.
Do I have to take it?
It is compulsory for all students taking a Science major, in their first year, unless exempted: Level 4 or above in HKDSE Biology, Chemistry and Physics, IB HL 5, GCE A-level B, or Gaokao results considered case by case. Exempted students take a 6-credit disciplinary elective instead.
Who teaches it?
The 2026 record names Dr J C S Pun (Physics) as course co-ordinator, with Dr E K M Leung, Prof C Zheng, Prof H Y Au-Yeung, Prof J Merila and Prof M Guo teaching across the Faculty of Science, Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Earth and Planetary Sciences.
Which textbook?
Trefil and Hazen, The Sciences: An Integrated Approach, 7th edition (Wiley, 2013), with Tillery, Campbell and Zumdahl texts as references.
When is it offered?
In 2026-27 in both the first and second semester, with examinations in December and May; it is also listed for 2027-28.
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