The aim of this paper is to study physics in preparation for the first year University degree courses that require a physics background. You may also choose to study this paper out of interest, wanting to know some of the basic principles that underlie the physical world and the universe. The paper includes topics in Mechanics, Waves, Electricity and Magnetism, and Atomic/Nuclear Physics. As far as possible, the learning of the physics concepts is supported by a wide range of experiments and demonstrations.

Moodle is used to support learning in this paper. Moodle will also be used as a resource providing links to additional reading and videos clips to support the topics studied on a weekly basis. Flipped classroom method of teaching used in this paper requires students to access the videos and other links provided in Moodle to make their own notes on the topics before coming to their lessons. Moodle also serves as an important means of communication between all students and their teacher.

This paper is divided into three main sections:

Mechanics and Waves
The aim of this section is to develop an understanding of the physical phenomena, concepts and principles involved in translational, circular, rotational, oscillatory and wave motion. The experiments and demonstrations help to exemplify these ideas.

Electricity and Electromagnetism
The aim of this section is to develop an understanding of the physical phenomena, concepts and principles involved in electricity and electromagnetism. This study is complemented with a range of experiments and demonstrations.

Atomic/Nuclear Physics
The aim of this section is to create an opportunity to understand the historical and conceptual development of the ideas and principles of modern physics. It is a self-directed study in a group involving literature research into one area in atomic/nuclear physics.

The teaching for this paper is 4 hours per week. This will include lectures, tutorials, and practical work in the Physics laboratory. It is very important that all students participate in the experiments and write up their reports so that they can be successful in this course. Apart from laboratory work, the course will also include watching videos and making notes before lessons (flipped classroom), tutorial quizzes, two tests, a research assignment, and discussions using Moodle (online). Students are also part of the STEM Academy and are expected to participate in the STEM activities. There will be facilitated Study Groups organised and a STEM assignment/module worth 5% of the overall grade for Bridging Physics.

Students will attend 4 hours of classes per week and another hour for the STEM Academy. Averaged over the course, they should spend another 7 hours per week on preparation for lessons, exercises, laboratory reports, assignments, online work and revising for tests. You are expected to do 150 hours of study in total for this paper. Students are advised to read about the topics before they are discussed in the lectures. This will make the lectures easier to follow and understand. The course outline and Moodle will guide you on what topics are covered each week. Please note that attendance for all classes and laboratory sessions is essential for a good grade in this paper.

This paper is a service paper for students wanting to study for degrees in Engineering and Science. The teacher is in close communication with the undergraduate lecturers to ensure the relevance of this paper as a background for degree level study. This paper is related to New Zealand high school physics NCEA Level 2 and Level 3.