Question 1

What is NCEA AS 91173 about?

Accepted Answer

This standard asks you to show you understand electricity and electromagnetism—how electric and magnetic fields work, how they affect charges and currents, and how to use formulas to solve problems. You need to write explanations and do calculations that show you can connect these ideas to real situations, not just memorise formulas.

Question 2

What do students need to do for AS 91173?

Accepted Answer

1. Use correct physics terminology and formulas to explain how electric fields, currents, and magnetic fields behave 2. Perform multi-step calculations with proper substitution of values, showing your working and using correct units 3. Change units to SI before calculating (e.g. mm to m, minutes to s, or use the exp key correctly for scientific notation) 4. Apply concepts to new situations rather than reproducing rote-learned answers from past exams 5. Answer all parts of a question, especially when it has bullet points, and explain what you're calculating at each step

Question 3

What's the difference between Achieved, Merit, and Excellence for AS 91173?

Accepted Answer

Achieved: You demonstrate basic understanding by determining single quantities correctly (like drawing electric field lines or doing one-step calculations), showing awareness of how concepts relate to the situation. Merit: You demonstrate in-depth understanding by performing linked two-step calculations correctly, giving partial explanations using correct physics terminology, and showing why concepts apply in context, though you may miss some connections between ideas. Excellence: You demonstrate comprehensive understanding by setting out logical solutions with clear explanations at each step, performing multi-step calculations accurately with correct units and significant figures, explaining connections between concepts, and answering all parts of every question using precise physics language.

Question 4

What mistakes do students typically make in AS 91173?

Accepted Answer

1. Using the 'exp' key incorrectly on your calculator when entering scientific notation, leading to answers that are wrong by powers of 10, or writing 2.6E-04 instead of 2.6×10⁻⁴ 2. Confusing magnetic poles (thinking magnets have positive and negative poles) and incorrectly applying right-hand rules to find directions 3. Leaving out parts of a question, especially bullet-pointed sections, and not showing what you're calculating or giving directions when asked

Electricity

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AS91173 — Electricity and electromagnetism

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