Physical World Year 9: ENERGY AND WAVES
Year 9 Term 2
Revise your understanding by reading relevant stage 4 material
PW1: Energy transfer through different mediums can be explained using wave and particle models
How does heat energy move through substances?
- How can the particle model of matter be used to explain the processes underlying convection and conduction of heat energy?
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Thermal Energy, heat and Temperature( video of definitions)
- How does the heat energy move from one place to another?
- Heat and energy quick definition of concepts
- A click view video summarising heat transfer types, examples and including more advanced concepts like specific heat capacity.

What other types of energy can move along waves?
- Describe qualitatively, using the wave model, the features of waves including wavelength, frequency and speed


Another way to represent longitudinal waves and transverse waves is by using diagrams as shown below.

What is frequency, wavelength amplitude and speed of a wave? A quick lesson from BBC bytes with practice questions and answers.
Explain, using the particle model, the transmission of sound in different mediums
- Can humans hear in space? – and explanation of how sound travels
- Sound on the move- relating the movement of sound to particles. A resource from the science learning hub.

Identify situations where waves transfer energy
Waves and energy transfer. A resource from the science learning hub.
Activities and videoes
- What can you hear? A video by ASAP science about the types of frequencies humans can hear and how age affects our ability to hear. It is called “how old are your ears?”
- How to make a wave machine using jelly babies. A stem activity for students.
How does society use electromagnetic waves in everyday life?
Some video tutorials
- What is the electromagnetic spectrum? Basic and advanced versions from NASA
- The electromagnetic spectrum video and questions from the Khan Academy.
- The electromagnetic spectrum a Ted ed lesson made with a video from NASA. Introduces the types of EM waves and their uses.
- Light waves, visible and invisible – Lucianne Walkowicz a Ted ed lesson

1. Relate the properties of different types of radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum to their uses in everyday life, including communications technology.
- Wires, cables and wifi- how information is sent across the internet.
- How does wifi work?( video)
- How to use a microwave to calculate the speed of light(video)
- Colours of light and what we see. Information from the Science learning hub.
- Is radiation dangerous? When we hear the word radiation, it’s tempting to picture huge explosions and frightening mutations. But that’s not the full story — radiation also applies to rainbows and a doctor examining an X-ray. So what is it, really, and how much should we worry about its effects? Matt Anticole describes the different types of radiation.
- making holograms and investigating peppers ghost pyramids to create a hologram and a handy template.
2. Describe the occurrence and some applications of absorption, reflection and refraction in everyday situations
Reflection
- Reflection types and examples from the science learning hub
- Concave and convex lenses( click view video) and a quick you tube video summary
- Video resource to investigate the laws of reflection with a light box and mirror.
- How holograms work and a fun investigation making your own hologram using an overhead projector plastic or plastic CD case plastic and a smartphone.
- How do telescopes work?( video)
- Solar ovens- cooking for free, almost( video)
- Total internal reflection – applications of reflection sing fibre optic cables

Refraction
- A simple video that explains refraction.
- How do glasses help us see? A Ted ed lesson
- Refraction of light from the science learning hub
- click view video on refraction of concave and convex lenses.

Absorption
- Pigments of chlorophyll and light absorption, a Khan Academy resource and
- Practical to investigate plant pigments using chromatography

Physical world year 9: GENERATING ELECTRICITY and ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Year 9 Term 2
PW3: Scientific understanding of current electricity has resulted in technological developments designed to improve the efficiency in generation and use of electricity.
Science by doing resources from the CSIRO
- Part 2: Charged Particles. relates to the two subheadings below
Glossary
glossary of key terms
What is voltage, current and resistance?
- Describe voltage, current and resistance in terms of energy applied, carried and dissipated
- Describe qualitatively the relationship between voltage, resistance and current
- Electricity concepts, an introduction from Queensland science teachers
- Voltage, Current, Resistance, and Ohm’s Law information, equations and video examples.
- Ausgrid resources about electricity for stage 4 and 5. this resource contains information, links, experiments and interactive content.
- Nichrome wire investigations
What are series and parallel circuits?
Compare the characteristics and applications of series and parallel electrical circuits.
- connecting an ammeter and voltmeter to a circuit. A click view video on lab technique.
- Simple series and parallel circuits
- Ausgrid resource section on series and parallel circuits
- PHET simulations from beginning to advanced concepts.
- Click view video on electricity including extension calculations.

How do technological developments enable and improve electricity generation?
Outline recent examples where scientific or technological developments have involved specialist teams from different branches of science, engineering and technology, eg low-emissions electricity generation and reduction in atmospheric pollution.
- Race to store renewable energy in an article from the COSMOS magazine.
- Disney develops wireless electricity in an article from the COSMOS magazine
- Does ‘green energy’ have hidden health and environmental costs? An article by the CONVERSATION about the different technologies used to generate electricity and the issues around these technologies.
- CATALYST story on battery-powered homes
- CSIRO – low emission electricity technology information
Additional content is not prerequisite knowledge for the following stages, but may be used to broaden and deepen students’ skills, knowledge, and understanding in Stage 5.
- explain the relationship between resistance, voltage and current, using Ohm’s Law
- investigate the energy efficiency of appliances and relate this to a household energy account
Physical world year 10: OBJECTS MOVE IN A PREDICTABLE WAY
Year 10 Term 1
PW2: The motion of objects can be described and predicted using the laws of physics.
General guides and activities for the topic
- A helpful guide to some of the language and concepts in motion. Unfortunately, it is not using metric units as it is American document however, the concepts are written in a straightforward way.
- A simple glossary of terms from Quizlet relating to newtons laws and forces
- A speed and acceleration term and graph flashcard glossary from Quizlet( note the application of equations are additional content).
- speed and distance time questions relating to speed and acceleration
- Shedding light on motion: an excellent 8 part series from Clickview covering speed, acceleration, relative motion, graphing motion graphing freefall and a clip on each on Newtons laws of motion. This video series contains extension concepts.
What is the relationship between distance, speed and time?
Describe the relationship between distance, speed and time
Distance-time graphs by BBC Bitesize

Short video explainers
- Average speed ( American video example, just change miles to km by multiplying by 1.6)
- Instantaneous speed video
Additional content is not prerequisite knowledge for following stages, but may be used to broaden and deepen students’ skills, knowledge, and understanding in Stage 5.
- explain the difference between speed and velocity
- describe the relationships between displacement, time, velocity and acceleration, using the equations of motion
- relate quantitatively, force, mass, and acceleration, and apply to everyday situations
- apply Newton’s laws of motion to space travel
What is the relationship between force mass and acceleration?
Describe the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration
1. What is acceleration? Relate acceleration qualitatively to a change in speed and/or direction as a result of a net force( basic definition and extension ideas)
- Introduction to acceleration by BBC bitesize science.
- Practice graph questions with answers involving acceleration from the physics hypertextbook

2. Analyse everyday situations involving motion in terms of Newton’s laws
- Introduction to the work of Sir Isaac Newton
- Newtons laws of Motion explained from a NASA

Newtons second law experimental simulation to help you understand the relationship between force, mass and acceleration.
Physical world year 10: ENERGY CONSERVATION
Year 9/10 term 1/2
PW4: Energy conservation in a system can be explained by describing energy transfers and transformations.
Science by doing resources
How is energy conserved in a system?
Apply the law of conservation of energy to account for the total energy involved in energy transfers and transformations
- An excellent 3 part video from click view called “Shedding light on energy“series on energy, energy types, energy transformations. it includes many practical applications. and experimental ideas.
- Law of conservation of energy( roller coaster demo)
- Trust in physics- pendulum experiment
- energy transformation in a roller coaster (the physics classroom) showing mathematical relationships
- Forms of energy
- Misconceptions about falling objects (Veritasium compares a medicine ball and a basketball)
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Galileo’s Famous Gravity Experiment | Brian Cox | BBC Two (a feather and a bowling ball in and out of a vacuum)
- Energy-the science of Disney engineering ( click view)

Describe how, in energy transfers and transformations, a variety of processes can occur so that usable energy is reduced and the system is not 100% efficient.
Why are energy transfers never 100% efficient?
Energy transfers are never 100% efficient. There is always some energy lost that is not useful to the function of the system or device. Most often it is in the form of heat.
- heat transfer and energy. Introduction to Sankey diagrams.
- Sankey diagram information and links to generating these.

Discuss, using examples, how the values and needs of contemporary society can influence the focus of scientific research in the area of increasing efficiency of the use of electricity by individuals and society.
Some useful information
- How to convert watts to kilowatt hours to calculate how much appliances use
- 2016 energy update containing useful background statistics and graphs that describe how Australians use energy.
- A typical cost of electricity example from Origin energy NSW
- Light bulb efficiency
- Star energy rating system
- Energy efficiency form the NSW Department of Environment and heritage-teaching and learning resources
Discuss viewpoints and choices that need to be considered in making decisions about the use of non-renewable energy resources.
- BBC Bitesize summary discussing advantages and disadvantages of energy types
- More detailed information from the science learning hub regarding non- renewable resources.
Additional content is not prerequisite knowledge for following stages, but may be used to broaden and deepen students’ skills, knowledge, and understanding in Stage 5.
- research how engineers and architects employ scientific concepts and principles in designing energy-efficient devices and buildings
Building IQ – improving the energy efficiency of buildings using technology from the CSIRO
- compare energy changes in interactions in sport activities