Subjects / Leaving Certificate / Physics
Mapped to: Leaving Certificate Physics – established syllabus (Mechanics, Heat, Waves, Electricity, Modern Physics; last examined June 2026) plus the revised NCCA specification for students who started 5th year in September 2025 (first examined 2027: Unifying strand Nature of Science; Strand 1 Forces and Motion; Strand 2 Wave Motion and Energy Transfer; Strand 3 Electric and Magnetic Fields and their Interactions; Strand 4 Modern Physics). Topics marked '(2025 spec)' are new to the revised specification. · official specification (NCCA). Topic names are StudyRoom's own summaries.
Mechanics
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Measurement, units and vectorsSI units, scalars and vectors, and resolving and adding vectors.HLOL 15 q In review
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Linear motionDisplacement, velocity, acceleration, the equations of motion and motion graphs.HLOL 15 q In review
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Forces and Newton's lawsNewton's three laws of motion, friction and F = ma.HLOL 15 q In review
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Momentum and its conservationMomentum, impulse and the principle of conservation of momentum.HLOL 15 q In review
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Work, energy and powerWork, kinetic and potential energy, conservation of energy, power and efficiency.HLOL 15 q In review
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Moments and equilibriumTurning effect of a force, couples and conditions for equilibrium.HLOL 15 q In review
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Density and pressureDensity, pressure in fluids, atmospheric pressure, Archimedes' principle and Boyle's law.HLOL 15 q In review
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Circular motionAngular velocity, centripetal acceleration and force.HLOL 15 q In review
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GravitationNewton's law of universal gravitation, g, weight and satellites.HLOL 15 q In review
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Hooke's law and simple harmonic motionElastic restoring forces, Hooke's law and SHM; the pendulum.HLOL 15 q In review
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Orbits, Kepler's third law and escape velocity (2025 spec)Satellite orbits (near-Earth and geostationary), Kepler's third law T² = 4π²R³/GM and escape velocity v = √(2GM/R). Added for the revised specification (students starting 5th year from September 2025).HL 15 q In review
Temperature and heat
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Temperature and thermometersThermometric properties, scales and calibration.HLOL 15 q In review
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Heat: specific heat capacity and latent heatHeat, specific heat capacity, latent heat and heat transfer.HLOL 19 q In review
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Heat transfer and U-valuesConduction, convection, radiation, U-values and solar constant.HLOL 15 q In review
Waves, sound and light
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Waves and wave motionWave types, wave speed, interference, diffraction and the Doppler effect.HLOL 15 q In review
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SoundCharacteristics of notes, resonance, stationary waves in strings and pipes, sound intensity.HLOL 15 q In review
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Reflection and mirrorsLaws of reflection, curved mirrors and the mirror formula.HLOL 15 q In review
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Refraction and lensesSnell's law, refractive index, total internal reflection, lenses and the eye.HLOL 15 q In review
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Wave nature of light and the electromagnetic spectrumInterference, diffraction grating, polarisation, dispersion and the EM spectrum.HLOL 15 q In review
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Ultrasound, optics in medicine and solar irradiance (2025 spec)Ultrasound imaging, optical fibres and endoscopes, and solar irradiance I = P/A and its effects on life on Earth. Added for the revised specification (students starting 5th year from September 2025).HLOL 15 q In review
Electricity and magnetism
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Static electricity and electric fieldsCharge, conductors and insulators, Coulomb's law and electric field strength.HLOL 15 q In review
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Potential difference and capacitancePotential, capacitors, C = Q/V and energy stored.HLOL 15 q In review
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Electric current and chargeCurrent, charge flow, sources of emf and effects of current.HLOL 15 q In review
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Resistance and circuitsOhm's law, resistivity, series and parallel combinations, Wheatstone bridge.HLOL 15 q In review
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Electrical energy, power and the homeJoule's law, P = VI, kWh, fuses, RCDs and safety.HLOL 16 q In review
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SemiconductorsIntrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors, the p–n junction and LDRs/thermistors.HLOL 15 q In review
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Electromagnetism and magnetic forcesMagnetic fields, force on a current-carrying conductor and on moving charges.HLOL 15 q In review
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Electromagnetic induction and ACFaraday's and Lenz's laws, generators, transformers and alternating current.HLOL 15 q In review
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DC motors, generators and the national grid (2025 spec)The motor effect in a DC motor (split-ring commutator), AC and DC generators, transformer efficiency and transmission losses (P = I²R) in the grid. Added for the revised specification (students starting 5th year from September 2025).HLOL 15 q In review
Modern physics
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The electron: thermionic and photoelectric emission, X-raysElectron discovery, cathode rays, photoelectric effect and X-ray production.HLOL 15 q In review
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The nucleus and radioactivityStructure of the atom, radioactive decay, half-life and detecting radiation.HLOL 15 q In review
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Nuclear energyMass–energy equivalence, fission, fusion and nuclear reactors.HLOL 15 q In review
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Particle physicsFundamental forces, accelerators, antimatter, leptons, hadrons and quarks.HL 15 q In review
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Models of the atom, energy levels and emission spectra (2025 spec)Thomson, Rutherford and Bohr models, energy levels, E2 − E1 = hf, line spectra, and mass defect and binding energy. Added for the revised specification (students starting 5th year from September 2025).HLOL 15 q In review
Unifying strand: Nature of Science (2025 spec)
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Nature of science in physics: data, uncertainty and unit analysis (2025 spec)Random and systematic error, accuracy and precision, significant figures, SI base and derived units, dimensional analysis, order-of-magnitude estimates and verifying models with data. Added for the revised specification (students starting 5th year from September 2025).HLOL 15 q In review