110 Phys-General Physics (1)
This course is one of the undergraduate program courses offered at Level 3, providing students with a comprehensive foundation in classical physics and measurement principles. The course is designed to develop a strong conceptual understanding of physical laws while enhancing analytical, mathematical, and problem-solving skills essential for advanced studies in physics and related disciplines.
The course begins with physics and measurement, introducing standards of length, mass, and time, along with dimensional analysis, unit conversions, order-of-magnitude estimates, and the proper use of significant figures. These topics establish the quantitative framework required for precise physical reasoning.
Students are then introduced to vectors, including coordinate systems, scalar and vector quantities, vector properties, vector components, and unit vectors, forming the mathematical language used throughout the course.
The course covers kinematics in one dimension, focusing on position, velocity, speed, and acceleration. Analytical models such as motion under constant velocity and constant acceleration are examined, including applications to freely falling objects.
A major portion of the course addresses Newton’s laws of motion, emphasizing the concept of force, inertial frames of reference, mass, gravitational force, and weight. Students apply Newton’s second law to analyze physical systems using established analysis models.
The course also explores energy concepts, including work done by constant and varying forces, kinetic energy, the work–energy theorem, potential energy, and conservative and non-conservative forces. The relationship between force and potential energy is highlighted.
Building on these concepts, the course introduces the conservation of energy, analyzing isolated and non-isolated systems, mechanical energy changes, the effects of kinetic friction, and the concept of power.
Additional topics include static equilibrium and elasticity, focusing on the elastic properties of solids, followed by fluid mechanics, which covers pressure, pressure variation with depth, fluid dynamics, Bernoulli’s equation, and selected applications.
The course concludes with thermal physics, introducing temperature and the zeroth law of thermodynamics, temperature measurement and scales, thermal expansion, and the first law of thermodynamics, including heat, internal energy, specific heat, calorimetry, and mechanisms of energy transfer in thermal processes.
Overall, the course aims to strengthen students’ physical intuition, quantitative reasoning, and problem-solving abilities, providing a solid foundation for more advanced coursework in physics, astronomy, and engineering.