Mechanics & Thermal Physics (PHYS1001)

Course overview

Nature of physics, kinematics, dynamics, conservation laws, rigid body rotation, oscillations, fluids and elasticity, thermodynamics, arrow of time, heat engines, laboratory experiments & error analysis.

This course is an introduction to the fundamentals of physics - kinematics, dynamics, momentum and energy, rigid body rotation, elasticity and fluids, oscillations, and thermodynamics.

This is the first semester "mainstream physics" course for students wishing to complete a BSc focusing on physics; or for students in other disciplines (e.g. biology, law, teaching) who wish to have a thorough grounding in physics. ﾠIt is followed by PHYS1002 in the second semester.

PHYS1001 is taught with a philosophy of active learning. Studies at Harvard, MIT, UQ, and other universities have shownﾠactive learning approachesﾠto be more effective than conventional lectures in generating a deep understanding of physics concepts. ﾠTo get the full benefit from it youﾠneed will need to put in work to prepare for each class.

The most effective preparation for class is to read the relevant sections of the textbook.ﾠ You don't need to understand everything on first reading, but you should get some familiarity with the content, so that we can use class time –ﾠin the form of twice weekly interactive workshops –ﾠto help you process the content and obtain a much deeper understanding.ﾠ

To help you in this preparation, we have created a handy set of online resources. ﾠDelivered via the UQ Extend platform, these resources include:

• Introductory videos that highlight the important concepts you will encounter in the assigned textbookﾠreading.
• Short podcasts providing a student viewpoint of theﾠreading.
• Problem-solving videos in which staff members talk through the stepsﾠinvolved in solving relevant problems.
• For some topics, there are alsoﾠinteractive simulations.
• Sets of check-your-knowledge multiple choice questions for you to attempt and provide continual feedback to the lecturers.

The expected time commitment for PHYS1001 is around 10 hours per week.ﾠOf these, approximately 1-2 hours are expected to be spent onﾠreading the textbook and theﾠUQ Extend content before workshops and doing the quiz. Four hours is spent in workshop, about 1.5-2 hours per week on average spent preparing and doing the labs, and two hours doing homework questions (some of which is doneﾠduring your practical/workshop).ﾠMore information about how we run the course, and how you can best make use of the range of materials and learning activities on offer, will be given at the first workshop.

Prior to the start of classes you should:

Obtain a copy/ e-copy of the primary textbook for the course (see Section 3. Learning Resources). Mastering Physics in Blackboard comes with an e-copy (Pearson etext).

Once enrolled, login to Blackboard ( https://learn.uq.edu.au/ ) go to Learning Resources, which has the links to access the UQ Extend home page.ﾠﾠ

Watch the first introductory video, do the first week's readings. ﾠ

Have successfully completed the UQ Academic Integrity course before attending the first workshop https://www.uq.edu.au/integrity/

Any questions relating to timetable and administrative matters should be sent to the PHYS1001 mailbox - phys1001@uq.edu.au

In the School of Mathematics and Physics we are committed to creating an inclusive and empowering learning environment for all students. We value and respect the diverse range of experiences our students bring to their education, and we believe that this diversity is crucial for fostering a rich culture of knowledge sharing and meaningful exploration. We hold both students and staff accountable for actively contributing to the establishment of a respectful and supportive learning environment.

Bullying, harassment, and discrimination in any form are strictly against our principles and against ﾠUQ Policy,ﾠ and will not be tolerated. We have developed a ﾠsuite of resourcesﾠ to assist you in recognising, reporting, and addressing such behaviour. If you have any concerns about your experience in this course, we encourage you to tell a member of the course teaching team, or alternatively contact an SMP Classroom Inclusivity Champion (see Blackboard for contact details). Our Inclusivity Champions are here to listen, to understand your concerns, and to explore potential actions that can be taken to resolve them. Your well-being and a positive learning atmosphere are of utmost importance to us.

Course requirements

Assumed background

Secondary school years 11 and 12 physics and mathematics with calculus; preferably Specialist Mathematics.ﾠ We encourage students to study MATH1050 or MATH1051 when studying PHYS1001.

An alternative background is a non-calculus-based university physics course such as PHYS1171 (Physical Basis of Biological Systems).

Recommended prerequisites

We recommend completing the following courses before enrolling in this one:

PHYS1171 or a grade of C or higher in Queensland Year 12 Physics (Units 3 & 4) (or equivalent); and MATH1040 or a grade of C or higher in Queensland Year 12 Mathematical Methods (Units 3 & 4) (or equivalent).

Recommended companion or co-requisite courses

We recommend completing the following courses at the same time:

MATH1050 or MATH1051

Restrictions

Students who commenced the Bachelor of Engineering or Bachelor of Engineering dual program before 2021 need to seek permission from the EAIT Faculty to enrol.

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

There will be two workshops per week.ﾠ The pre-reading schedule will be available on blackboard/UQ Extend.ﾠ Pdf copies of workbooks with space for notes will be released before each module, whilst pdf's of the slides covered by the lecturers will be uploaded after each workshop.ﾠ

Practicals (in the lab)ﾠ(PRA1, etc) start in week 3 or 4 (depending on your group)ﾠand occur approximately fortnightly.ﾠ

Practicals (in the classroom) (PRA2) begin in week 2, and continue throughout semester, these are where you can work together with other students and get advice from tutors to help do your homework (Mastering Physics). These will be Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS), supervised byﾠstudentsﾠwho did well in PHYS1001 previously.ﾠ

Important: If you are ill, then do not attend any classes in person.ﾠ Alternative arrangements can be made, see Blackboard for details.

Aims and outcomes

This course aims to help students:

• understand central concepts in Newtonian Mechanics (motion, conservation laws, rotation, oscillations, fluids) and Thermodynamics (heat, ideal gas, engines and refrigerators).
• be able to solve a range of numerical problems involving these concepts.
• be capable of linking the underlying theory to everyday phenomena and scientific or engineering applications.
• be able to use their problem-solving skills in other scientific and engineering areas.
• develop skills in experimental work, aspects of laboratory report writing and using uncertainty analysis in processing experimental data.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.

Assessment details

Pre-reading quizzes

• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Quiz, Tutorial/ Problem Set

Weight

10% Formative assessment, marked on effort not correctness.

Due date

Week 1 Mon - Week 13 Fri

Due two hours before the start of each workshop.

Task description

Submission guidelines

Submitted online via Blackboard.

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

Extensions for this activity are not possible as students need to complete the activity before the class held shortly after the submission time

Late submission

You will receive a mark of 0 if this assessment is submitted late.

There are 22 workshops during semester. You only have to complete 16 of the quizzes (i.e. approximately 75% of them) to get full marks for this assessment item.

Laboratory

• Hurdle
• In-person

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Practical/ Demonstration

Weight

20%

Due date

Five laboratories during the semester. Week 3 Mon - Week 13 Fri

During the lab tutors will confirm at certain checkpoints that you have correctly filled out your workbook. You will need to arrive prepared (details will be in the lab workbook) as the first checkpoint is at the beginning of the lab. Completing these checkpoints will constitute half your lab grade. Upon successful completion of the checkpoints the other half will come from your answers to the lab quiz, which you will submit online within a week of finishing the lab.

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Checkpoints will be marked by tutors during the lab. The lab quiz will be done online either during the lab, or within one week of the lab if you need more time.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Labs must be done in person. If you miss your scheduled session for good reason you can join another session or come during the catchup week. Catchup labs should be completed before the end of Week 13.

Late submission

A penalty of 1 grade for each 24 hour period from time submission is due will apply for up to 7 days. After 7 days you will receive a mark of 0.

Mastering Physics

• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Tutorial/ Problem Set

Weight

20%

Due date

Week 1 Mon - Week 13 Fri

To be completed at your own pace during semester.

Task description

Submission guidelines

From Blackboard access the online "Mastering Physics" application from Pearson. There you will find the questions for each topic and you answer them online. You can do these at your own pace throughout the semester.

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

Since you have the opportunity to complete this well ahead of time during the semester there will be no extensions for this assessment item. Note we will provide practice questions for the content we cover in the last week of semester, but they will not form part of the assessable Mastering Physics homework.

Late submission

You will receive a mark of 0 if this assessment is submitted late.

Anything submitted after the last Friday of Semester will not be counted towards your grade.

Final exam

• Hurdle
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

50%

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for the extension and deferred examination information relating to this assessment item.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

Your grade for this course will be determined by which of the above levels of achievement that you consistently display in the items of assessment.ﾠ For each category of assessment a fractional grade will be calculated using grades from each assigned task. ﾠThese fractional grades will be combined in aﾠweighted average.

In addition there are hurdles on some items for which you have to demonstrate a minimum achievement. To obtain a grade of 4 or higher, you must meet the following requirements:

• An average grade of 3.0 or higher in the final exam.
• An average grade of 3.0 or higher in the laboratory component of the course.

Students should be familiar with the rules which relate to assessment in their degrees as well as general university policy such as found in the Policy and Procedures Library. These are all set out on the myAdvisor page on the UQ website.

Assessment Criteria

Answers to written examination questions, andﾠlaboratory reports will be assessed in terms of the extent to which they demonstrate the ability of the student to:

• Define, explain and interrelate the key concepts involved in the course.
• Use the basic theory to describe quantitatively the behaviour of important mechanics, rotational, fluid,ﾠgravitational, thermodynamic ﾠand wave systems treated.
• Recognise the regime of applicability of the theory presented.
• Apply the theory to new physical problems and obtain correct analytical and numerical results in the appropriate units of measurement.
• Utilise the appropriate mathematical and other techniques to derive relationships for physical quantities.
• Have an appreciation of the orders of magnitude of important quantities.
• Perform experimental measurements, analyse the data and present qualitative and/or quantitative results.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is not available for some items in this course.

Should you fail a course with a grade of 3 you may be eligible for supplementary assessment. Refer to my.UQ for information on supplementary assessment and how to apply. 

Supplementary assessment provides an additional opportunity to demonstrate you have achieved all the required learning outcomes for a course.

Supplementary assessment is not available if you have received a grade of less than 3.0 in the practical laboratory component of this course. The learning objects of the laboratory components are demonstrated throughout the semester and it is not possible to validly reassess these learning objectives in the supplementary assessment period.

Supplementary assessment in this course will be a 2-hour examination similar in style to the end-of-semester examination. To receive a passing grade of 3S4, you must obtain a mark of 50% or more on the supplementary assessment.

Additional assessment information

Artificial Intelligence

Assessment tasks in this course evaluate students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. 

Applications for Extensions to Assessment Due Dates

Extension requests are submitted online via my.UQ – applying for an extension. Extension requests received in any other way will not be approved. Additional details associated with extension requests, including acceptable and unacceptable reasons, may be found at my.UQ.

Please note:

• Requests for an extension to an assessment due date must be submitted through your my.UQ portal and you must provide documentation of your circumstances, as soon as it becomes evident that an extension is needed. Your application must be submitted on or before the assessment item's due date and time.
• Applications for extension can take time to be processed so you should continue to work on your assessment item while awaiting a decision. We recommend that you submit any completed work by the due date, and this will be marked if your application is not approved. Should your application be approved, then you will be able to resubmit by the agreed revised due date.
• If an extension is approved, you will be notified via your my.UQ portal and the new date and time for submission provided. It is important that you check the revised date as it may differ from the date that you requested.
• If the basis of the application is a medical condition, applications should be accompanied by a medical certificate dated prior to the assignment due date. If you are unable to provide documentation to support your application by the due date and time you must still submit your application on time and attach a written statement (Word document) outlining why you cannot provide the documentation. You must then upload the documentation to the portal within 24 hours.
• If an extension is being sought on the basis of exceptional circumstances, it must be accompanied by supporting documentation (eg. Statutory declaration).
• For extensions based on a SAP you may be granted a maximum of 7 days (if no earlier maximum date applies). See the Extension or Deferral availability section of each assessment for details. Your SAP is all that is required as documentation to support your application. However, additional extension requests for the assessment item will require the submission of additional supporting documentation e.g., a medical certificate. All extension requests must be received by the assessment due date and time.
• Students may be asked to submit evidence of work completed to date. Lack of adequate progress on your assessment item may result in an extension being denied.
• If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 14 days, you are advised to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses this semester. You might be eligible to withdraw without academic penalty - seek advice from the Faculty that administers your program.
• There are no provisions for exemption from an assessment item within UQ rules. If you are unable to submit an assessment piece then, under special circumstances, you may be granted an exemption, but may be required to submit alternative assessment to ensure all learning outcomes are met.

Applications to defer an exam

In certain circumstances you can apply to take a deferred examination for in-semester and end-of-semester exams. You'll need to demonstrate through supporting documentation how unavoidable circumstances prevented you from sitting your exam. If you can’t, you can apply for a one-off discretionary deferred exam.

Deferred Exam requests are submitted online via mySi-net. Requests received in any other way will not be approved. Additional details associated with deferred examinations, including acceptable and unacceptable reasons may be found at my.UQ.

Please note:

• Applications can be submitted no later than 5 calendar days after the date of the original exam.
• There are no provisions to defer a deferred exam. You need to be available to sit your deferred examination.
• Your deferred examination request(s) must have a status of "submitted" in mySI-net to be assessed.
• All applications for deferred in-semester examinations are assessed by the relevant school. Applications for deferred end-of-semester examinations are assessed by the Academic Services Division.
• You’ll receive an email to your student email account when the status of your application is updated.
• If you have a medical condition, mental health condition or disability and require alternative arrangements for your deferred exam you’ll need to complete the online alternative exam arrangements through my.UQ. This is in addition to your deferred examinations request. You need to submit this request on the same day as your request for a deferred exam or supplementary assessment. Contact Student Services if you need assistance completing your alternative exam arrangements request.

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

Pearson eText

Your Mastering Physics account comes with an e-copy of the 5th edition of your textbook.ﾠ You can access this e-text either online when you are logged on to the Mastering Physics platform, or offline if you download via the Pearson+ app on your mobile device. The 4th edition is very similar to the 5th edition, so you can buy a second hand 4th edition if you like (but some of the chapters are in a different order).ﾠ

Extra Help

The Physics Learning Centre (room 208 in the passageway between Parnell and the Physics Annexe) will be open 12:30 – 1:30pm Mon-Thurs, from Week 2 of semester onwards. You can drop into the P.L.C. any time during its opening hours to get assistance from a tutor.

Other Useful Referencesﾠ

No textbook is perfect. If you have problems in understanding sections of Knight, or you want additional information, the books listed below are a good starting point. (Not in order of preference.)ﾠSome are in the library.

• P. A. Tipler: Physics for Scientists and Engineers (this was used for this course until 2007).
• R. T.ﾠ Weidner & R. L. Sells, Elementary Classical Physics.
• R. A. Serway and others, Physics for Scientists and Engineers.
• F. W. Sears, M. W. Zemansky & H. D. Young, University Physics.
• H. C. Ohanian, Physics,.
• D. Halliday, R. Resnick, and J. Walker, Fundamentals of Physics.
• K. Cummings, P. W. Laws, E. F. Redish and P. J. Cooney Understanding Physics.
• D. C. Giancoli, Physics for Scientists and Engineers.
• M. Alonso and E. Finn, Physics.
• R. P. Feynman, Feynman Lectures on Physics (relevant volume).

Good books for learning the mathematics involved are:

• J Stewart, Calculus.
• M.L. Boas, Mathematical methods in the physical sciences.

Library Contact

The Liaison librarian for the School of Mathematics and Physics is located in the Dorothy Hill Engineering and Sciences library in the Hawken Building (building 50) and may be consulted for assistance finding resources for the course.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.