Physics II Course Overview
Physics II is an intensive one-week program designed for motivated students who have completed Physics I or have a strong foundation in mechanics, and are preparing for advanced Year 11 and 12 Physics. It offers a comprehensive and logically structured overview of the non-mechanical components of senior Physics across NSW, ACT, and IB curricula, exploring the fundamental forces and phenomena that shape our universe from the quantum to the cosmic scale.
From the statistical nature of heat to the quantum behaviour of light, from Einstein's relativity to the fundamental particles that constitute matter, students will develop an appreciation for physics as a coherent and beautiful description of reality. The course emphasises how modern physics emerged from classical foundations, showing students the historical development of ideas whilst building intuitive understanding of concepts that often seem counterintuitive.
Every student will receive a Wise Minds bespoke course book containing clear explanations, worked examples, real-world applications, and structured exercises. By the end of the course, students will have not only mastered advanced physics content, but gained appreciation for the elegance and power of modern physical theories.
⚛️ Years 10–12
📖 Course book included
👥 Small group tutorials
📝 Examinations
📅 Next Course
Dates
19 Jan – 23 Jan 2026
Time
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM daily
Duration
40 hours (1 week)
Location
Wise Minds Belconnen
Unit I, 59-69 Lathlain Street
Price
$800
Payment plans available
Class Size
20 students max
Who Is This Course For?
This course is ideal for students preparing for advanced Physics across all major curricula:
ACT Physics
HSC Physics
IB Physics SL
IB Physics HL
Year 11 Students
Year 12 Students
Year 10 Students (who have completed Physics I)
Note: Year 11 and 12 students do not need to have completed Physics I to enrol in Physics II.
What You'll Learn
The course covers the non-mechanical components of senior Physics, from thermodynamics to cosmology:
1. Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics
- What is Statistical Mechanics
- Heat and Temperature
- Specific Heat Capacity
- Latent Heat
- Conduction, Convection, Radiation
- Modelling a Gas (Diffusion, Brownian Motion, Ideal Gas)
- Black Body Radiation
- Wien's Displacement Law and the Stefan-Boltzmann Law
- First Law of Thermodynamics
- Isobaric, Isothermal, Adiabatic, and Isovolumetric Changes
- Cycles and Engines
- Second Law of Thermodynamics and Entropy
2. Motion in Gravitational Fields
- Gravity and Satellite Motion
- Gravitational Potential Energy
- Describing Fields and Fields at Work
- Matter and Energy
- Particle Models and Field Models
- Fields and Field Lines
3. Electricity
- Electric Charge and Electric Fields
- Coulomb's Law
- Electric Current and Electric Circuits
- The Heating Effect of Electric Current
- Energy in Electric Circuits
- Resistance and Resistivity
- Series and Parallel Circuits
- Kirchhoff's First and Second Laws
- Electric Cells
- Capacitance
4. Magnetism
- Magnetic Materials
- Magnetic Fields
- Calculating Magnetic Fields
5. Electromagnetism
- Unified Electricity and Magnetism
- Particles in Electric and Magnetic Fields
- The Motor Effect (Force on Conductors)
- Electromagnetic Induction and EMF
- Faraday's and Lenz's Laws
- Magnetic Flux
- Transformers
- Applications: Motors and Generators
6. Electromagnetic Spectrum
- Electromagnetism and Light
- Spectroscopy
7. Light as Wave and Particle
- Review of Diffraction and Interference
- Young's Double Slit Experiment
- Black-body Radiation
- The Photoelectric Effect
- Electron Energy Levels
- Matter Waves
- Schrödinger's Equation
- Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle
8. Relativity
- Reference Frames and Galilean Relativity
- Einstein's Postulates
- Evidence for Special Relativity
- Minkowski Diagrams
- Relativistic Momentum and Energy
9. Nuclear Physics
- Review of Exponentials and Logarithms
- Models of the Atom
- Energy Levels, Emission and Absorption Spectra
- Fundamental Forces Introduction
- Radioactive Decay and Half-Life
- Mass Defect and Nuclear Binding Energy
- Nuclear Fission and Fusion
- Standard Model Particles
- Exchange Particles and the Higgs Boson
- Pair Production and Annihilation
10. Cosmology
- The Big Bang and Stellar Evolution
- Solar Systems and Schwarzschild Black Holes
- Galaxies and Astronomical Distances
- Stellar Characteristics and Evolution
- Redshift and Hubble's Law
- The Cosmological Principle
- Dark Matter and Dark Energy