Our school excursions for the experiments listed below are specifically designed to complement the Stage 6 Physics syllabus requirements for practical investigations or depth studies.

Excursions happen in the UNSW School of Physics first-year laboratories, where your students work in pairs to engage with physics equipment to collect and analyse data.

To facilitate their learning, we provide digital copies of worksheets and instructions, ensuring a seamless experience. Our demonstrators will be available to provide guidance and support throughout the excursion.

For excursions with two experiments in a day, we usually start at either 9AM or 10AM with the standard schedule as follows (for 10AM start shift back an hour): 

  • 9-11 AM – Lab experiment 1  
  • 11-11:30 Talk by a researcher  
  • 11:30-12 Break  
  • 12-2 PM - Lab experiment 2  
  • 2-2:30 School of Physics tour

The tour and talk are of no extra cost and the schedule is flexible to suit your needs.

The costs are $20 per student per lab session with a $240 minimum booking for one lab session or $400 for two lab sessions. If you are a Gateway school the cost is $10 per student per lab session with no minimum booking fee.

(For the list of Gateway schools click here), opens in a new window

Possible dates, subject to confirmed availability are weekdays: 1-30 May, 11 August – 8 September, 21-24 October, 24 November and later.

For bookings or more information: contact schools@phys.unsw.edu.au

Collisions
Analyses collisions and their elasticity, including measuring impulse and reducing maximum force.
Magnetic Fields and Solenoids
Examines the magnetic field around a solenoid using formula calculations.
Electrostatic field plotting
You will develop an understanding of electrical potential | equipotentials and their relation to filed lines.
Capacitors
Understand the process by which objects become electrically charged and the relationship to time and voltage.
Linear oscillatory motion
Using a simple harmonic oscillator to measure amplitude and frequency.
Projectile Motion

Conduct experiments to analyse horizontal and vertical components of motion.

Snell’s Law

Conduct experiments to examine qualitatively and quantitatively the refraction and total internal reflection of light.

Equilibrium of rigid bodies
Determine the number of vectors from scaled diagram and calculate force through orthogonal components.
Microwave optics
Investigate electromagnetic radiation through microwaves.
Rotational inertia
Introduces rotational velocity and rotational inertia as they relate to torque.
Digital and Analog Spectrometry
Measure spectral lines of sodium and mercury lamps using a spectrometer.
Specific and latent heat
Understand the difference in heat and temperature as well as the concepts of heat capacity and latent heat.
Standing waves on a string
Observe, measure and understand standing waves in harmonics using an oscillator.
Static friction on an inclined plane
Measures the co-efficient of static friction using and inclined plane.
The photoelectric effect
Investigate photoelectric effect and calculate a value for Planck's constant.