MATSEC IM Physics study guide
MATSEC IM Physics · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The MATSEC Intermediate Level Physics examination is part of the suite of examinations administered by the MATSEC Examinations Board at L-Università ta' Malta. It is a secondary-school-leaving and university-entry qualification taken by candidates in Malta who wish to demonstrate competence in physics at an intermediate level, typically alongside other intermediate subjects in the two-year matriculation programme. The MATSEC IM Physics study guide has 6 sections and about 1,912 words.
01Mechanics and Properties of Matter
Mechanics and Properties of Matter tests whether you can move between describing motion, explaining it with forces, and then applying the same ideas to solids and fluids. Expect calculations on projectiles, Newton's laws, momentum, moments and equilibrium, plus density, pressure, Hooke's law and the Young modulus.
351 words, about 2 min02Waves, Oscillations and Optics
Waves, Oscillations and Optics links simple harmonic motion to wave behaviour and then to light. Questions typically ask you to calculate a period, wavelength or fringe spacing, and to explain refraction, total internal reflection, interference and diffraction.
319 words, about 2 min03Electricity
Electricity tests direct-current circuit analysis: Ohm's law, resistivity, series and parallel networks, EMF and internal resistance, power and potential dividers, with Kirchhoff's laws as the underlying rules. Ohm's law V = IR holds for a component at constant temperature.
328 words, about 2 min04Magnetism and Electronics
Magnetism and Electronics covers magnetic forces, electromagnetic induction, transformers and the basic semiconductor and logic content of the syllabus. A straight wire carrying current I in a field B experiences F = BIL sin θ, maximum when the wire is perpendicular to the field; a moving charge experiences F = Bqv sin θ.
315 words, about 2 min05Thermal Physics
Thermal Physics tests heat-transfer calculations, specific and latent heat, the ideal gas equation and the first law of thermodynamics. Q = mcΔθ for a temperature change; Q = mL for a change of state at constant temperature.
308 words, about 2 min06Modern Physics and Fields
Modern Physics and Fields covers photons, the photoelectric effect, wave–particle duality, nuclear decay and the field concepts of gravitation and electrostatics. A photon has energy E = hf = hc/λ.
291 words, about 1 min