NCEA L1 Physics & ESS case studies
NCEA L1 Physics & ESS · Put your knowledge to work in context.
NCEA Level 1 is the first of the three National Certificates of Educational Achievement in Aotearoa New Zealand, administered by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA). The source describes NCEA as the "National Certificate of Educational Achievement" and positions the NCEA and secondary section as "Your hub for everything related to the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) and secondary school in Aotearoa." It is designed for secondary school students, and NZQA states that learners can "learn more about NCEA and find information to help you plan your studies and future." Achievement is intended to support progression, since the source notes you can "Find out how to achieve NCEA and how it helps you move into tertiary study or work." This profile covers the Physics and Earth and Space Science strands, treated here as two equally weighted domains (50% each) for study planning. The NCEA L1 Physics & ESS case studies are 5 cases and about 4,341 words.
1The Newsletter Claim: Is 8 m/s Safe on a Wet Path?
A Year 11 student is running a bike-safety investigation for the school newsletter. She rides a bike-and-rider combination of total mass 75 kg along a straight, level path at a steady 8.0 m/s and measures the distance travelled from the moment a friend shouts 'stop' until she is stationary.
825 words, about 4 min2Campervan 12 V Circuit: Fuse, Battery Budget and a 300 W Kettle
A family is wiring the 12 V leisure circuit in a converted van. The battery is a 100 Ah lead-acid type, which should not be discharged below about 50% of its rated capacity or it will be damaged.
896 words, about 4 min3The Boomy Music Room: Echo, Diffraction and What to Buy
A school is turning an 8.0 m long, 5.0 m wide classroom into a music room. The walls are bare concrete, the floor is vinyl on concrete, and the only opening is a 0.9 m wide doorway leading to a corridor.
886 words, about 4 min4Offshore Earthquake: Reading the Waves and Making the Call
A coastal town of about 4 000 people sits on a low-lying spit roughly 2 m above sea level, with a single narrow road to high ground 3 km inland. At 14:32 a town seismograph records the first P-wave arrival from an offshore earthquake; the S-wave arrival follows 12.0 s later.
878 words, about 4 min5Spring Tides and Two Trips: Choosing the Right Day
A Year 11 class must plan two trips in the week beginning Monday the 3rd: a rocky-shore ecology survey that needs a low tide below 0.5 m and must run between 09:00 and 15:00 on a school day, and an evening stargazing session at the same beach that needs genuinely dark skies. The bus is available on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday only.
856 words, about 4 min