HSC Physics
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Module 1: Kinematics1.1 Motion in a Straight Line
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1.2 Motion on a Plane
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Module 2: Dynamics2.1 Forces
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2.2 Forces, Acceleration and Energy
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2.3 Momentum, Energy and Simple Systems
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Module 3: Waves and Thermodynamics3.1 Wave Properties
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3.2 Wave Behaviour
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3.3 Sound Waves
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3.4 Ray Model of Light
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3.5 Thermodynamics
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Module 4: Electricity and Magnetism4.1 Electrostatics
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4.2 Electric Circuits
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4.3 Magnetism
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Module 5: Advanced Mechanics5.1 Projectile Motion
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5.2 Circular Motion
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5.3 Motion in Gravitational Fields2 Topics
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Module 6: Electromagnetism6.1 Charged Particles, Conductors and Electric and Magnetic Fields
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6.2 The Motor Effect1 Topic
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6.3 Electromagnetic Induction
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6.4 Applications of the Motor Effect1 Topic
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Module 7: The Nature of Light7.1 Electromagnetic Spectrum3 Topics
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7.2 Light: Wave Model
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7.3 Light: Quantum Model2 Topics
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7.4 Light and Special Relativity
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Module 8: From the Universe to the Atom8.1 Origins of the Elements5 Topics
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8.2 Structure of the Atom3 Topics
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8.3 Quantum Mechanical Nature of the Atom2 Topics
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8.4 Properties of the Nucleus2 Topics
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8.5 Deep Inside the Atom4 Topics
Subatomic Particles
In 1932, with the discovery of the neutron, the three basic constituents of an atom had been found. But in the same year a positive electron was discovered using cosmic rays.
Cosmic rays are very high-energy, charged particles that are produced in the Sun and other stars that continually bombard the Earth. Before particle accelerators were developed, cosmic rays were sued to examine high-energy nuclear collisions.
In the 1930s and 1940s, several new subatomic particles were discovered using cosmic rays. With the development of high-energy particle accelerators in the 1950s and 1960s, over 200 new subatomic particles were created in particle collisions. These short-lived particles were comparatively large (like neutrons and protons) and were called hadrons. Physicists initially thought all the new particles were fundamental particles but later discovered they were composed of more fundamental particles called quarks.
Murray Gell-Mann
- Fired electrons into nucleus
- Analysed kinetic energy, which should have been conserved through the collision (law of conservation of energy)
- Found the energy had been scattered (in a similar pattern to Rutherford’s gold foil experiment
- Concluded that there must be 3 points within the neutron causing this scattering, realising the neutron could not be a single solid particle
- Phenomenon now known as Deep Inelastic Scattering