VCE Vault

VCE Physics (Year 12)

VCE Physics (Year 12) on VCE Vault: 25 lessons written for Year 12 (VCE, Victorian Certificate of Education), each with worked examples, practice questions and Aari, an AI tutor. The first 4 lessons are free; the whole subject is a one-off A$14.99.

VCE Physics past exams 2023–2025: 213 questions matched to these lessons.

VCE Physics (Year 12) study notes: 100 pages covering 25 topics (PDF, A$9.99).

Lessons

Motion and Forces

  • Kinematics — Motion in a Straight Line (free) — Use the five kinematic equations and motion graphs to solve straight-line motion problems involving constant acceleration.
  • Newton's Laws and Free-Body Diagrams (free) — Apply Newton's three laws and free-body diagrams to solve single-body, connected-body and inclined-plane force problems.
  • Momentum, Impulse and Collisions (free) — Apply conservation of momentum and the impulse–momentum theorem to collision, explosion and vehicle-safety scenarios.
  • Energy, Work and Power (free) — Use the work–energy theorem and conservation of energy to solve mechanical problems including springs and friction.
  • Projectile Motion — 2D Kinematics — Analyse projectile motion by separating horizontal (constant velocity) and vertical (uniform acceleration) components.
  • Inclined Planes and Banked Tracks — Resolve forces on inclined surfaces and apply circular-motion laws to banked tracks.
  • Hooke's Law, Springs and Simple Harmonic Motion — Use Hooke's Law and SHM equations for springs and simple pendulums.

Fields and Gravitation

  • Gravitational Fields and Satellites — Apply Newton's law of universal gravitation and circular motion to analyse satellites and orbits.
  • Circular Motion — Analyse horizontal and vertical circular motion using centripetal acceleration a = v²/r.
  • Electric Fields and Charges — Describe electric fields around point charges and parallel plates; calculate forces on charges.
  • Magnetic Fields and Forces on Currents — Use F = BIL and F = qvB with the right-hand rule to analyse forces on wires and charged particles.

Electricity and Induction

  • Electromagnetic Induction — Faraday's Law — Use Faraday's law (ε = −NΔΦ/Δt) to calculate induced EMFs in changing magnetic flux scenarios.
  • Generators, Transformers and Transmission — Analyse AC generators and ideal transformers, and explain why high voltage is used in transmission.
  • DC Motors and the Motor Effect — Explain the operation of a DC motor using the motor effect and the role of the commutator.
  • RMS Values and AC Power — Compare peak and RMS values for AC voltage and current, and apply them to power calculations.

Waves, Light and Relativity

  • Wave Properties and Interference — Apply v = fλ and two-slit interference conditions to analyse wave phenomena.
  • Photoelectric Effect — Use E = hf and KE_max = hf − W to analyse photoelectric observations and explain photon behaviour.
  • Special Relativity — Postulates and Dilation — State Einstein's two postulates and apply time dilation and length contraction formulas.
  • Mass–Energy Equivalence — Apply E = mc² and E_total = γmc² to calculate rest energy and total energy.
  • Diffraction — Single Slit and Resolution — Describe single-slit diffraction using the λ/d ratio and explain when diffraction is significant.
  • Wave-Particle Duality and de Broglie — Describe wave-particle duality and calculate de Broglie wavelengths for matter.
  • Light from Atoms — Energy States, Emission and Absorption Spectra — Explain atomic emission and absorption line spectra using quantised energy states, calculate photon energies, frequencies and wavelengths for transitions, and link quantised states to electron standing waves.

Units 1–2 refresher (assumed knowledge)

  • DC Circuits — Series, Parallel and Kirchhoff's Laws — Analyse DC circuits using Ohm's Law, Kirchhoff's laws, and series/parallel resistor combinations.
  • Standing Waves, Resonance and Sound — Describe standing waves on strings and in pipes, and calculate harmonic frequencies.

Exam Preparation and Technique

  • Physics Exam Technique, Uncertainties and Graphs — Maximise marks through sig-fig discipline, linearised graphs, and uncertainty handling.