School: Science

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Physics of Motion
  • Unit Code

    SCP1111
  • Year

    2025
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    2
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
  • Unit Coordinator

    A/Prof Steven HINCKLEY

Description

This unit develops techniques used in describing and predicting the motion of material objects. Topics include projectile motion, circular motion, momentum and collisions, work and energy, rotation of rigid bodies, statics, oscillatory motion and gravitation.

Prerequisite Rule

((Students must pass 1 units from SCP1132, SCP1134 OR Scaled Score in PHY3A/3B > 49.99 OR Scaled Score in PHY3 > 49.99) AND (Students must pass 1 units from MAT1108, MAT1137 OR Scaled Score in MAT3A/3B > 49.99))

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Apply process and problem solving skills in dealing with conceptual and experimental situations.
  2. Demonstrate proficiency in handling a range of physics equipment used to make measurements of mechanical phenomena.
  3. Describe, explain and apply concepts, theories and principles relating to the motion of material objects.

Unit Content

  1. KINEMATICS: Measurement, vectors and scalars, displacement, velocity, acceleration, kinematic equations, freely falling bodies, projectile motion. Coordinate systems, frames of reference. Uniform circular motion, tangential and radial acceleration.
  2. FORCE AND ENERGY: Newton's three laws of motion, inertial mass, weight, frictional forces, centripetal force, fictitious forces. Work done, kinetic energy, power. Conservative and non-conservative forces, potential energy, conservation of energy, gravitational and elastic potential energy. Linear momentum, impulse, collisions, centre of mass, conservation of linear momentum.
  3. ROTATION OF RIGID BODIES: Angular velocity, angular acceleration, rotational kinematics, rotational kinetic energy, moments of inertia, torque, rolling motion, angular momentum, conservation of angular momentum.
  4. MECHANICAL SYSTEMS: Static equilibrium, centre of gravity, elastic properties of solids: Young's modulus, shear modulus, bulk modulus. Simple harmonic motion, mass on a spring, pendulum, energy, relationship to uniform circular motion, damping. Universal law of gravitation, motion of the planets, gravitational field and potential energy. Fluid statics, Archimedes' principle, fluid dynamics.

Learning Experience

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU's LMS

JoondalupMount LawleySouth West (Bunbury)
Semester 16 x 3 hour labNot OfferedNot Offered
Semester 113 x 2 hour lectureNot OfferedNot Offered

For more information see the Semester Timetable

Additional Learning Experience Information

Lectures, tutorials, and laboratory experiments.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Due to the professional competency skill development associated with this Unit, student attendance/participation within listed in-class activities and/or online activities including discussion boards is compulsory. Students failing to meet participation standards as outlined in the unit information may be awarded an I Grade (Fail - incomplete). Students who are unable to meet this requirement for medical or other reasons must seek the approval of the unit coordinator.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
TestQuizzes25%
Laboratory Work ^Laboratory performance25%
ExaminationEnd of semester examination50%

^ Mandatory to Pass


Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Assessment

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. Informal vivas may be conducted as part of an assessment task, where staff require further information to confirm the learning outcomes have been met. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work as well as any generative artificial intelligence tools that may have been used. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

Plagiarism

Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people or generative artificial intelligence tools, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).

Unauthorised collaboration (collusion)

Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).

Contract cheating

Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.

Cheating in an exam

Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

SCP1111|2|1