Unit Synopsis
This unit will prepare you for university study in engineering or the physical sciences (which may include allied health). You will gain an introductory understanding of the basic concepts in physics and learn to apply the principles of physics to solve problems of a physical nature in everyday life. Topics covered in this unit include measurement, motion, forces and mechanics, atomic and nuclear physics, properties of matter, heat and thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism and electromagnetism, waves, and optics. This unit assumes an intermediate level of mathematical knowledge.
Details
| Level | Non-award |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | Not Applicable |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 2 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
There are no pre-requisites for the unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework). |
| Class Timetable | View Unit Timetable |
| Residential School | No Residential School |
Unit Availabilities from Term 2 - 2026
Term 2 - 2026 Profile
Term 3 - 2026 Profile
Term 1 - 2027 Profile
Term 2 - 2027 Profile
Term 3 - 2027 Profile
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Non-award unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Online Quiz(zes) | 20% |
| 2. Written Assessment | 30% |
| 3. Examination | 50% |
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Source: Students
Students would like more exercises.
Increase the number and range of questions in the tutorial sheets.
Tutorial questions were expanded and integrated into the workshops so students could easily find the worked solutions for the workbook assessments. Consequently students completed more questions than previously in preparation for the exam.
Source: Students
Occasional errors in solutions and videos.
Review all materials and recreate any solutions that contain errors.
Solutions were updated and uploaded to Moodle.
Source: Students
Students appreciate personalised feedback on assessments.
Trial worked solutions videos for assignments.
Video solutions were provided with limited viewing from students.
Source: Students
Students would like more practical applications.
Trial practical activity simulations.
Online simulation sites were used with positive feedback from students.
Source: Student Unit Evaluation
Assumed knowledge was not explicit
Compile a written document of expectations of prior knowledge, including specific modules from MATH40237 and MATH40228 to supplement existing verbal advice.
In Progress
Source: Student Unit Evaluation
Students would like more exercises than what was in the tutorial.
Scaffold the incorporation of textbook questions into the assessment workbooks already including the tutorial questions.
In Progress
Source: Staff feedback
Students would benefit from guidance on how to learn the unit content.
Provide guidance on how to engage, ask questions, and work through problem solving strategies, potentially incorporating AI-assisted learning.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Recall fundamental physics concepts and techniques
- Solve quantitative and qualitative problems using appropriate physics and mathematical techniques
- Analyse information using physics techniques
- Communicate physics in a competent, logical and professional manner
- Improve physics comprehension through effective reflective practice.
This course has no external accreditation.
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) | • | • | • | • | |
| 2 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | • | • |
| 3 - Examination | • | • | • | • | |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Self Management | • | • | • | • | |
| 2 - Communication | • | • | • | ||
| 5 - Problem Solving | • | • | |||
| 6 - Critical Thinking | • | • | • | • | |
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | |