Overview
This unit will prepare you for university study in engineering or the physical sciences (which may include allied health). You will gain an introductory understanding of the basic concepts in physics and learn to apply the principles of physics to solve problems of a physical nature in everyday life. Topics covered in this unit include measurement, motion, forces and mechanics, atomic and nuclear physics, properties of matter, heat and thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism and electromagnetism, waves, and optics. This unit assumes an intermediate level of mathematical knowledge.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 3 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Non-award unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
| Assessment Task | Part Weighting (% of assessment) |
Assessment Security Level | Gen AI Guidance Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Online quizzes (20% of unit ) | |||
| Online quizzes (Online Quiz(zes)) | 100% of 20% | Low | AI-Assisted (Guided Collaboration) |
| 2. Assignments (30% of unit ) | |||
| Assignments (Written Assessment) | 100% of 30% | Low | AI-Assisted (Guided Collaboration) |
| 3. EXAMINATION (50% of unit ) | |||
| Examination (Examination) | 100% of 50% | High | No Gen AI Use |
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Academic Progression Policy and Procedure
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Student Unit Evaluation
Assumed knowledge was not explicit
Compile a written document of expectations of prior knowledge, including specific modules from MATH40237 and MATH40228 to supplement existing verbal advice.
Feedback from Student Unit Evaluation
Students would like more exercises than what was in the tutorial.
Scaffold the incorporation of textbook questions into the assessment workbooks already including the tutorial questions.
Feedback from Staff feedback
Students would benefit from guidance on how to learn the unit content.
Provide guidance on how to engage, ask questions, and work through problem solving strategies, potentially incorporating AI-assisted learning.
- Recall fundamental physics concepts and techniques
- Solve quantitative and qualitative problems using appropriate physics and mathematical techniques
- Analyse information using physics techniques
- Communicate physics in a competent, logical and professional manner
- Improve physics comprehension through effective reflective practice.
This course has no external accreditation.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
|
1.
Assessment 1
(20% of unit )
Online Quiz(zes)
|
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|
2.
Assessment 2
(30% of unit )
Written Assessment
|
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|
3.
Examination
(50% of unit )
Examination
|
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Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Self Management | |||||
| 2 - Communication | |||||
| 3 - Information Literacy | |||||
| 4 - Information Technology Competence | |||||
| 5 - Problem Solving | |||||
| 6 - Critical Thinking | |||||
| 7 - Cross-Cultural Competence | |||||
| 8 - Ethical Practice | |||||
| 9 - First Nations Knowledges | |||||
Textbooks
Introductory Physics
- Edition: 6 (2023)
- Authors: Sharon Cohalan
- CQUniversity Publishing Unit
- Rockhampton Rockhampton , Queensland , Australia
- ISBN: N/A
The textbook for Introductory Physics (PHYS40110) is available on the unit Moodle site; however, we advise you to print out your copy. You may like a hard copy to complete activities and take notes. The textbook cannot be purchased from the CQUniversity Bookshop. Your Access Coordinator can provide you with advice on printing options.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- PDF reader
- Computer- ability to access study materials, including instructional videos & upload assessment. Printer for printing assessment. Scanner or equivalent for uploading assessment.
- Basic scientific calculator
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
c.hayes@cqu.edu.au
Week 1
Begin Date: 09 Nov 2026Module/Topic
Maths and Measurement
Chapter
MEAS
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 2
Begin Date: 16 Nov 2026Module/Topic
Motion - Kinematics
Chapter
MOTN
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 3
Begin Date: 23 Nov 2026Module/Topic
Forces and Motion
Chapter
FORC
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 1 is due on Wednesday of Week 3 (25 Nov 2026) at 11:45 PM AEST.
This assessment must be submitted by the specified due date and time. Due to the nature of this task, the standard 72-hour grace period does not apply.
Week 4
Begin Date: 30 Nov 2026Module/Topic
Work, Energy and Momentum
Chapter
WENM
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 2 is due on Wednesday of Week 4 (2 Dec 2026) at 11:45 PM AEST.
This assessment must be submitted by the specified due date and time. Due to the nature of this task, the standard 72-hour grace period does not apply.
Week 5
Begin Date: 07 Dec 2026Module/Topic
Atoms, Matter and Heat
Chapter
AMAH
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assignment 1 is due on Wednesday of Week 5 (9 Dec 2026) at 11:45PM AEST.
Week 6
Begin Date: 14 Dec 2026Module/Topic
Atomic and Nuclear Physics
Chapter
ATNU
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 3 is due on Wednesday of Week 6 (16 Dec 2026) at 11:45 PM AEST
This assessment must be submitted by the specified due date and time. Due to the nature of this task, the standard 72-hour grace period does not apply.
Mid-Term Break
Begin Date: 21 Dec 2026Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 7
Begin Date: 04 Jan 2027Module/Topic
Properties of Matter
Chapter
MATT
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 8
Begin Date: 11 Jan 2027Module/Topic
Heat and Thermodynamics
Chapter
HTTH
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assignment 2 is due on Wednesday of Week 8 (13 Jan 2027) at 11:45 PM AEST.
Week 9
Begin Date: 18 Jan 2027Module/Topic
One of:
Two Dimensional mechanics
OR
Waves and Optics
Chapter
2DME
OR
OPTC
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 10
Begin Date: 25 Jan 2027Module/Topic
Continue with:
Two Dimensional mechanics
OR
Waves and Optics
Chapter
2DME
OR
OPTC
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 11
Begin Date: 01 Feb 2027Module/Topic
Electricity
Chapter
ELEC
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assignment 3 is due on Wednesday of Week 11 (3 Feb 2027) at 11:45 PM AEST
Week 12
Begin Date: 08 Feb 2027Module/Topic
Magnetism
Chapter
MAGN
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 4 is due on Wednesday of Week 12 (10 Feb 2027) at 11:45 PM AEST
This assessment must be submitted by the specified due date and time. Due to the nature of this task, the standard 72-hour grace period does not apply.
Exam Week
Begin Date: 15 Feb 2027Module/Topic
Review all modules
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz 5 is due on Monday of Exam Week (15 Feb 2027) at 11:45 PM AEST.
This assessment must be submitted by the specified due date and time. Due to the nature of this task, the standard 72-hour grace period does not apply.
Examination: The date and time of the examination will be available through MyCQU approximately six weeks before the examination period.
This assessment must be completed on the specified due date and time. Due to the nature of this task, the standard 72-hour grace period does not apply.
Unit Coordinator:
Dr Clinton Hayes
(07) 49309246
c.hayes@cqu.edu.au
Rockhampton North Campus 32/G.39
1. Online quizzes ( 20% of unit )
Online Quiz(zes)
This assessment has five online quizzes in Moodle. Each quiz is worth 4% of your final grade (20% in total). For each quiz, you must complete the following steps in order:
- Complete the workbook for the module(s) listed below. The workbook questions prepare you for the quiz.
- Complete the Moodle quiz. Questions are multiple choice, matching and short answer.
- Upload your completed workbook to the quiz page in Moodle.
Do not attempt a quiz until you have completed its workbook. A quiz is not complete until you have submitted both the quiz and the workbook by the due date and time. Follow the instructions on each quiz page about writing formulas and units. The quizzes assess your own knowledge and understanding. The unit Moodle site has all the content and worked examples you need.
Quiz 1 - MEAS module. Available from week 1 and due on Wednesday of week 3.
Quiz 2 - MOTN and FORC modules. Available from week 2 and due on Wednesday of week 4.
Quiz 3 - AMAH module. Available from week 5 and due on Wednesday of week 6.
Quiz 4 - ELEC module. Available in Moodle from week 10 and due on Wednesday of week 12.
Quiz 5 - MAGN module. Available in Moodle from week 11 and due on Monday of Exam week.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):
Level 1: AI-Assisted (Guided Collaboration). You should attempt the workbook task and answer the quiz questions yourself. You may use GenAI only to clarify concepts or worked examples, or to understand feedback on earlier work. You should not use GenAI to answer workbook problems or quiz questions. You must use the techniques, setting out and protocols taught in PHYS40110. Zero marks will be awarded for questions answered using other techniques.
Quiz 1 - 25 Nov 2026 at 11:45pm AEST. Quiz 2 - 2 Dec 2026 at 11:45pm AEST. Quiz 3 - 16 Dec 2026 at 11:45pm AEST. Quiz 4 - 10 Feb 2027 at 11:45pm AEST. Quiz 5 - 15 Feb 2027 at 11:45pm AEST.
Each quiz will automatically return a result on completion.
Marks will be awarded for the correct response to multi-choice and short answer questions. Mark allocations are indicated on the individual questions in each quiz.
- Recall fundamental physics concepts and techniques
- Solve quantitative and qualitative problems using appropriate physics and mathematical techniques
- Analyse information using physics techniques
- Improve physics comprehension through effective reflective practice.
2. Assignments ( 30% of unit )
Written Assessment
This assessment has three written assignments. Each assignment is worth 10% of your final grade (30% in total). For each assignment, you must complete the following steps in order:
- Complete the workbook for the module(s) listed below. The workbook questions prepare you for the assignment
- Complete the Assignment. The assignments require you to answer questions, solve problems, carry out simple practical or simulated experiments and complete calculations covered by the nominated modules
- Upload your completed assignment and workbook as a single document to the assessment page in Moodle.
Do not attempt the asssignment until you have completed its workbook. The assignments assess your own knowledge and understanding. The unit Moodle site has all the content and worked examples you need.
Assignment 1 - MOTN, FORC and WENM modules. Available from Friday of week 2 and due on Wednesday of week 5.
Assignment 2 - AMAH, ATNU and MATT modules. Available from Friday of week 5 and due on Wednesday of week 8.
Assignment 3 - HTTH, and the chosen additional module, either 2DME or OPTC. Available from Friday of week 8 and due on Wednesday of week 11.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):
Level 1: AI-Assisted (Guided Collaboration). You should attempt the workbook task and answer the assignment questions yourself. You may use GenAI only to clarify concepts or worked examples, or to understand feedback on earlier work. You should not use GenAI to answer workbook problems or assignment questions. You must use the techniques, setting out and protocols taught in PHYS40110. Zero marks will be awarded for questions answered using other techniques.
Assignment 1 - 9 Dec 2026 at 11:45pm AEST. Assignment 2 - 13 Jan 2027 at 11:45pm AEST. Assignment 3 - 3 Feb 2027 at 11:45pm AEST.
Two academic calendar weeks from due date or submission date, whichever is later.
Mark allocations are indicated in the question documents. The questions are available on the unit Moodle site; follow the instructions carefully. Marks for each question will be awarded for using appropriate setting out as per the resources on the Moodle site, only following correct methods and protocols taught in this unit, showing the correct steps in the solution, and calculating the correct answer (including units). Answers to all questions should be neatly and clearly presented, and full working is required to obtain maximum credit for solutions.
- Recall fundamental physics concepts and techniques
- Solve quantitative and qualitative problems using appropriate physics and mathematical techniques
- Analyse information using physics techniques
- Communicate physics in a competent, logical and professional manner
- Improve physics comprehension through effective reflective practice.
Examination (50% of unit)
Calculator - all non-communicable calculators, including scientific, programmable and graphics calculators are authorised
- Recall fundamental physics concepts and techniques
- Solve quantitative and qualitative problems using appropriate physics and mathematical techniques
- Analyse information using physics techniques
- Communicate physics in a competent, logical and professional manner
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
