Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT) Section III: Physics Syllabus

Section III: Physics syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Section III: Physics in Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Mechanics

   5 topics

   • Kinematics
     • Displacement, velocity and acceleration
     • Equations of motion
     • Projectile motion
   • Forces and Newton's laws
     • Newton's three laws
     • Friction and tension
     • Free body diagrams
   • Work, energy and power
     • Kinetic and potential energy
     • Conservation of energy
   • Momentum and collisions
     • Conservation of momentum
     • Elastic and inelastic collisions
   • Circular motion and gravitation
2. 2

   Electricity and Magnetism

   4 topics

   • Electrostatics
     • Coulomb's law and electric fields
     • Electric potential
   • Current electricity
     • Ohm's law and resistance
     • Series and parallel circuits
     • Power and energy in circuits
   • Magnetism and electromagnetism
     • Magnetic fields and forces
     • Electromagnetic induction
   • Capacitance
3. 3

   Waves, Sound and Light

   4 topics

   • Wave properties
     • Wavelength, frequency and speed
     • Transverse and longitudinal waves
   • Wave phenomena
     • Reflection, refraction and diffraction
     • Interference and superposition
   • Sound waves
     • Doppler effect
   • Optics
     • Lenses, mirrors and image formation
     • The electromagnetic spectrum
4. 4

   Thermal, Atomic and Modern Physics

   4 topics

   • Thermal physics
     • Temperature, heat and specific heat capacity
     • Laws of thermodynamics
   • Atomic and nuclear physics
     • Atomic models and energy levels
     • Radioactivity and decay
     • Nuclear reactions and half-life
   • Quantum and modern physics basics
     • Photoelectric effect
     • Wave-particle duality
   • Units, measurement and data analysis
     • SI units and dimensional analysis
     • Interpreting graphs and uncertainty

Section III: Physics flashcards for Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT)

18 of 50 cards from the Section III: Physics deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. Define the relationship between displacement, velocity and acceleration in terms of calculus.

   Velocity is the time-derivative of displacement and acceleration is the time-derivative of velocity: $v = \frac{dx}{dt}$ and $a = \frac{dv}{dt} = \frac{d^{2}x}{dt^{2}}$.

2. State the three SUVAT equations of motion for constant acceleration.

   $v = u + at$, $\quad s = ut + \frac{1}{2}at^{2}$, $\quad v^{2} = u^{2} + 2as$.

3. For a projectile launched at speed $u$ and angle $\theta$ (ignoring air resistance), give the range, maximum height and time of flight.

   Range $R = \frac{u^{2}\sin 2\theta}{g}$, max height $H = \frac{u^{2}\sin^{2}\theta}{2g}$, time of flight $T = \frac{2u\sin\theta}{g}$.

4. State Newton's three laws of motion.

   1st: a body remains at rest or in uniform motion unless acted on by a net external force. 2nd: $\vec{F}_{net} = m\vec{a}$. 3rd: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

5. Give the formula for the maximum static friction force and kinetic friction force.

   Maximum static friction $f_{s}^{max} = \mu_{s}N$; kinetic friction $f_{k} = \mu_{k}N$, where $N$ is the normal force and typically $\mu_{s} > \mu_{k}$.

6. What is the net force required to keep a mass $m$ moving in a circle of radius $r$ at speed $v$, and in which direction does it point?

   The centripetal force $F = \frac{mv^{2}}{r} = m\omega^{2}r$, directed toward the centre of the circle.

7. Define work done by a constant force and state its SI unit.

   $W = Fd\cos\theta$, where $\theta$ is the angle between force and displacement. SI unit is the joule (J), $1\,\text{J} = 1\,\text{N\,m}$.

8. Give the formulas for kinetic energy and gravitational potential energy (near Earth's surface).

   $E_{k} = \frac{1}{2}mv^{2}$ and $E_{p} = mgh$.

9. Define power and give two equivalent formulas.

   Power is the rate of doing work: $P = \frac{W}{t}$. For a force on a moving object, $P = Fv$. SI unit is the watt (W), $1\,\text{W} = 1\,\text{J\,s^{-1}}$.

10. State the work-energy theorem.

    The net work done on an object equals its change in kinetic energy: $W_{net} = \Delta E_{k} = \frac{1}{2}mv^{2} - \frac{1}{2}mu^{2}$.

11. Define linear momentum and state the impulse-momentum theorem.

    Momentum $\vec{p} = m\vec{v}$. Impulse equals change in momentum: $\vec{J} = \vec{F}\,\Delta t = \Delta \vec{p}$.

12. Compare elastic and inelastic collisions in terms of conserved quantities.

    Both conserve total momentum. Elastic collisions also conserve kinetic energy; inelastic collisions do not (some $E_{k}$ becomes heat/deformation). A perfectly inelastic collision has the objects stick together.

13. State the law of conservation of momentum for a two-body collision.

    $m_{1}u_{1} + m_{2}u_{2} = m_{1}v_{1} + m_{2}v_{2}$, provided no external net force acts on the system.

14. Relate linear speed, angular speed and period for uniform circular motion.

    $v = \omega r$ and $\omega = \frac{2\pi}{T} = 2\pi f$, where $T$ is the period and $f$ the frequency.

15. State Newton's law of universal gravitation.

    $F = \frac{Gm_{1}m_{2}}{r^{2}}$, where $G \approx 6.67\times10^{-11}\,\text{N\,m^{2}\,kg^{-2}}$ is the gravitational constant.

16. Give the formula for gravitational field strength and orbital speed of a satellite.

    Field strength $g = \frac{GM}{r^{2}}$; circular orbital speed $v = \sqrt{\frac{GM}{r}}$.

17. State Coulomb's law for the force between two point charges.

    $F = \frac{1}{4\pi\varepsilon_{0}}\frac{q_{1}q_{2}}{r^{2}} = k\frac{q_{1}q_{2}}{r^{2}}$, with $k \approx 8.99\times10^{9}\,\text{N\,m^{2}\,C^{-2}}$.

18. Define electric field strength and give the field due to a point charge.

    $\vec{E} = \frac{\vec{F}}{q}$ (force per unit positive charge). For a point charge, $E = \frac{kQ}{r^{2}}$, in $\text{N\,C^{-1}}$ or $\text{V\,m^{-1}}$.

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