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Curriculum-aligned learning support — not an official school, university, or ministry-approved course, and not a replacement for official credit.

Grade 11 · Physics · Core

Physics 11

BC Physics 11 core coverage: skills, vectors and measurement, kinematics, contact forces and Newton's laws, energy and heat, DC circuits, and wave motion, taught with original figures and worked examples, plus an Extension unit covering geometric optics, special relativity and nuclear physics.

Contents

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1

Skills, Methods & the Nature of Physics

4 of 5 published

  1. 1.1
    What Physics Is & How We Do It

    The scientific method and measurement.

    Published

  2. 1.2
    Measurement, SI Units & Uncertainty

    Significant figures and precision.

    Published

  3. 1.3
    Unit Conversion & Dimensional Analysis

    Converting and checking units.

    Published

  4. 1.4
    Scalars & Vectors

    Adding and resolving vectors.

    Published

  5. 1.5
    Graphical methods in physics

    Plotting a linear relationship, finding the slope of a best-fit line with correct significant figures and units, interpolation and extrapolation, and area under a graph.

    In review

2

Kinematics

4 of 4 published

  1. 2.1
    Speed & Velocity

    Describing motion in one dimension.

    Published

  2. 2.2
    Acceleration

    The rate of change of velocity.

    Published

  3. 2.3
    The Equations of Uniform Acceleration

    Solving motion problems.

    Published

  4. 2.4
    Free Fall & Projectiles

    Motion under gravity.

    Published

3

Friction & Elastic Forces

2 of 2 published

  1. 3.1
    Friction

    Static and kinetic resistive forces.

    Published

  2. 3.2
    Hooke’s Law & Springs

    Elastic force and extension.

    Published

4

Newton’s Laws of Motion

3 of 3 published

  1. 4.1
    Inertia & the First Law

    Balanced forces and equilibrium.

    Published

  2. 4.2
    The Second Law (F = ma)

    Force, mass and acceleration.

    Published

  3. 4.3
    The Third Law

    Action–reaction pairs.

    Published

5

Energy

4 of 5 published

  1. 5.1
    Work & Power

    Transferring energy over distance.

    Published

  2. 5.2
    Mechanical Energy & Conservation

    Kinetic and potential energy.

    Published

  3. 5.3
    Temperature, Heat & Thermal Energy

    Kinetic molecular theory and heat transfer.

    Published

  4. 5.4
    Specific Heat & Efficiency

    Measuring thermal energy.

    Published

  5. 5.5
    Simple machines and mechanical advantage

    Mechanical advantage in levers, pulleys and ramps, and their traditional application by First Peoples.

    In preparation

6

DC Circuits

2 of 2 published

  1. 6.1
    Circuits

    Current, voltage, resistance.

    Published

  2. 6.2
    Power

    Energy in circuits.

    Published

7

Wave Motion

2 of 4 published

  1. 7.1
    Wave Properties

    Frequency, wavelength and the wave equation.

    Published

  2. 7.2
    Wave Phenomena

    Interference, diffraction and the Doppler effect.

    Published

  3. 7.3
    Characteristics of sound

    Pitch, volume, speed and the Doppler effect for sound, and the sonic boom.

    In preparation

  4. 7.4
    Resonance and frequency of sound

    Harmonics, the fundamental frequency, and beat frequency in musical instruments.

    In preparation

8

ExtensionExtension, not counted toward course totals

9 of 9 published

  1. 8.1
    Reflection & Plane Mirrors

    The law of reflection.

    Published

  2. 8.2
    Curved Mirrors

    Concave and convex mirror images.

    Published

  3. 8.3
    Refraction & Snell’s Law

    Bending light and total internal reflection.

    Published

  4. 8.4
    Lenses & the Human Eye

    Forming images with lenses.

    Published

  5. 8.5
    Frames of Reference & Postulates

    Einstein’s two postulates.

    Published

  6. 8.6
    Time Dilation & Length Contraction

    Moving clocks and rulers.

    Published

  7. 8.7
    Mass–Energy Equivalence

    E = mc² and relativistic momentum.

    Published

  8. 8.8
    Radioactivity, Isotopes & Half-Life

    Radioactive decay and dating.

    Published

  9. 8.9
    Fission, Fusion & Reactors

    Releasing nuclear energy.

    Published

What is Physics 11 in British Columbia?

Short answer

Physics 11 is the BC senior-science course that introduces how the physical world works quantitatively. It covers measurement and vectors, kinematics, forces and Newton’s laws, energy, wave motion and geometric optics, and finishes with an introduction to special relativity and nuclear physics. It builds the modelling and problem-solving skills Physics 12 extends.

Course overview

Physics 11 teaches you to describe motion and forces with vectors, graphs, and equations, then to reason about energy as a conserved quantity. From there you study waves and light, and meet two modern topics — special relativity and nuclear fission and fusion. The throughline is building a physical model of a situation before reaching for a formula.

What you will learn

  • Work with measurement, significant figures, and vectors
  • Describe motion using kinematics equations and motion graphs
  • Draw free-body diagrams and apply Newton’s laws
  • Analyse energy transfer and conservation
  • Explain wave motion and geometric optics
  • Describe the core ideas of special relativity and nuclear reactions

Who this course is for

  • • BC students taking Physics 11 who want conceptual understanding, not just plug-and-chug
  • • Students planning to take Physics 12
  • • Anyone who finds vectors, free-body diagrams, or kinematics graphs confusing

Commonly difficult topics

  • • Vectors — adding components and keeping directions consistent
  • • Kinematics — reading and connecting position, velocity, and acceleration graphs
  • • Forces — building correct free-body diagrams before writing equations
  • • Energy — choosing a system and tracking conservation

How Dr. Shreyank Educare teaches this course

  1. 01 · Diagnose

    Find the exact skill causing difficulty — not the chapter, the skill.

  2. 02 · Understand

    Learn it through explanations, worked examples and visual reasoning.

  3. 03 · Practice

    Work problems that adapt to how you are actually doing.

  4. 04 · Fix

    A wrong answer becomes targeted remediation for the misconception behind it.

  5. 05 · Prove

    Solve new, unseen problems independently before mastery is awarded.

Course curriculum

1Skills, Methods & the Nature of Physics5 topics
  • — What Physics Is & How We Do It
  • — Measurement, SI Units & Uncertainty
  • — Unit Conversion & Dimensional Analysis
  • — Scalars & Vectors
  • — Graphical methods in physics
2Kinematics4 topics
  • — Speed & Velocity
  • — Acceleration
  • — The Equations of Uniform Acceleration
  • — Free Fall & Projectiles
3Friction & Elastic Forces2 topics
  • — Friction
  • — Hooke’s Law & Springs
4Newton’s Laws of Motion3 topics
  • — Inertia & the First Law
  • — The Second Law (F = ma)
  • — The Third Law
5Energy5 topics
  • — Work & Power
  • — Mechanical Energy & Conservation
  • — Temperature, Heat & Thermal Energy
  • — Specific Heat & Efficiency
  • — Simple machines and mechanical advantage
6DC Circuits2 topics
  • — Circuits
  • — Power
7Wave Motion4 topics
  • — Wave Properties
  • — Wave Phenomena
  • — Characteristics of sound
  • — Resonance and frequency of sound
8Extension9 topics
  • — Reflection & Plane Mirrors
  • — Curved Mirrors
  • — Refraction & Snell’s Law
  • — Lenses & the Human Eye
  • — Frames of Reference & Postulates
  • — Time Dilation & Length Contraction
  • — Mass–Energy Equivalence
  • — Radioactivity, Isotopes & Half-Life
  • — Fission, Fusion & Reactors

A sample learning experience

A cyclist starts from rest and accelerates uniformly at 2.0 m/s² for 4.0 s. How fast is the cyclist moving at the end?

  1. 1. List what you know: initial velocity u = 0, acceleration a = 2.0 m/s², time t = 4.0 s.
  2. 2. Choose the kinematics equation with these variables: v = u + at.
  3. 3. Substitute: v = 0 + (2.0 m/s²)(4.0 s).
  4. 4. v = 8.0 m/s.

Frequently asked questions

Is Physics 11 hard?
The math is manageable, but Physics 11 asks you to model a situation before calculating. Students who slow down to draw the diagram and identify the physics usually find it far more approachable than those who jump to formulas.
What math do I need for Physics 11?
Algebra, rearranging equations, basic trigonometry (for vector components), and careful unit work. It pairs naturally with Pre-Calculus 11.
How is Physics 11 different from Physics 12?
Physics 11 introduces motion, forces, energy, waves, and optics broadly. Physics 12 goes deeper into dynamics, momentum, circular motion, fields, and electricity, assuming Physics 11 problem-solving habits.
Do I need Physics 11 before Physics 12?
Yes — Physics 12 builds directly on the kinematics, forces, and energy foundation from Physics 11.
What is the best way to study Physics 11?
Practise translating a word problem into a labelled diagram and a short list of knowns and unknowns before touching a formula. Most lost marks come from setup, not arithmetic.

Related courses

Physics 12 →

Explore all Physics courses →

Curriculum & sources

Content source: original lessons, worked examples and diagrams created for Dr. Shreyank Educare.

Curriculum alignment: Grade 11 Physics (BC curriculum).

Curriculum-aligned learning support — not an official school, ministry, or College Board course, and not a replacement for official credit.

Last updated . Authored and maintained in-house by the Dr. Shreyank Educare teaching team — see our editorial standards, methodology and source policy.