What is in MCAT Physics? What is in Physics 7?
Many students take Physics 7 as part of the requirement for their major,
as well as a chance to study physics before takign the MCAT. While Physics 7
is not and has never been advertised as an MCAT preperation course, as it
is the main opportunity most life science and pre-medical students have to see
physics at university I feel that we should make some effort to tell you which
subjects are covered by MCAT physics that you are not taught in
Physics 7. This way everything on the MCAT will either be a "known known"
or a "known unknown"
As no one involved in Physics 7 has found it important to educate you in these
matters, I have compiled a list myself. I have found a list of topics covered by the MCAT in physical sciences from
the 2005 MCAT
interpretation manual, put out by the AAMC. This is the copy in use for 2007
as well, but you should check that it is identical with the year you wish to take.
Best regards and good luck on the MCAT
Damien Martin
Graduate student,
UC Davis Physics department
Topics
Translational motion
| Units and dimensions | 7A |
| Vector components | 7B |
| Vector addition | 7B |
| Instantaneous and average speed, velocity | 7B |
| Acceleration | 7B |
| Freely falling bodies | 7A, 7B, 7C |
Force and motion, Gravitation
| Centre of mass | 7B (v. roughly, should be more) |
| Newton's 3 laws | 7B, 7C |
| Concept of a field | 7C |
| Law of gravitation | 7C |
| Uniform circular motion | 7B |
| Weight | 7A, 7B, 7C |
| Friction, static and kinetic | Briefly in 7B |
| Motion on an inclined plane | Application of concepts in 7B |
| Analysis of pulley systems | Absent |
Equilibrium
All in Physics 7B.
Momentum
All in Physics 7B.
- Momentum as mv
- Impulse
- Conservation of momentum
- Elastic collisions
- Inelastic collisions
Work and energy
| Amount of work done in gravitational field is path independent |
7A (State functions) |
| Mechanical advantage | Absent |
| Work-kinetic energy theorem | Absent |
| Power | 7B |
| Kinetic energy | 7A, 7B, 7C |
| Potential energy (gravitational and spring) | 7A, 7B, 7C |
| Conservation of energy | 7A, 7B, 7C |
Periodic Motion
| Period, amplitudem frequency | 7B, 7C |
| Phase | 7C |
| Hooke's law Fstring = -kx | 7B, 7C |
| SHM | 7B, 7C |
| General periodic motion | Absent |
Wave characteristics
| Transverse and longitudinal waves | 7C |
| Wavelength, frequency and wave speed | 7C |
| Amplitude | 7B, 7C |
| Intensity | Absent |
| Superposition | 7C |
| Resonance | Absent |
| Standing waves: nodes and anti-nodes | 7C |
| Beat frequencies, pitch | 7C |
| Refraction and reflection | 7C |
Sound
| Production of sound | Absent |
| Relative speed of sound in solids, liquids and gases | Absent |
| Intensity of sound, decibel units | Absent |
| Attenuation | Absent |
| Pitch | 7C |
| Resonance in pipes and strings | 7C, standing waves |
| Harmonics | 7C, standing waves |
| Ultrasound | Absent |
Fluids
| Density | 7B |
| Buoyancy | Absent |
| Hydrostatic pressure | 7B |
| Visocity: Poiseuille flow | Absent |
| Concept of turbulance | Absent |
| Surface tension | Absent |
| Bernoulli's equation | 7B |
Solids
| Density | 7B |
| Elastic properties | Absent |
| Elastic limit | Absent |
| Thermal expansion coefficient | Absent |
| Shear | Absent |
| Compression | Absent |
Electrostatics
| Charge, charge conservation | 7B, 7C |
| Insulators | Absent |
| Coulumb's law | 7C |
| Electric field lines | 7C |
| Potential difference | 7C |
| Equipotential lines | 7C |
| Electric dipole | 7C |
| Electrostatic induction | Absent |
| Gauss's law | Absent |
Magnetism
| Definition of B | 7C |
| Magnetic force on charge, RHR 2 | 7C |
| Nature of solenoid | 7C |
| Ampere's law for magnetic field from simple
configurations | 7C |
| Comparison of E and B forces on a
current | 7C |
| Energy stored in E and B fields |
7C (sometimes) |
Circuits
| Current as charge per time | 7B |
| Batteries and voltage | 7B |
| Internal resistence of battery | Absent |
| Ohm's law | 7B |
| Resistors in series/parallel | 7B |
| Resistivity ρ (R = ρ L/A) | 7B |
| Capacitance, parallel plate | 7B |
| Energy in charged capacitor | Absent |
| Capacitors in series/parallel | Absent |
| Dielectric | Absent |
| Capacitor discharging through a resistor | Absent |
| Power used in circuits | 7B |
AC and reactive circuits
| Root-mean-square current | Absent |
| Root-mean-square voltage | Absent |
Light: physical and geometric optics
| Concept of interference, double slit | 7C |
| Thin films, diffraction grating | Absent |
| Single slit diffraction | Absent |
| Polarisation of light | 7C |
| Visual spectrum, colour | 7C |
| Law of reflection | 7C |
| Law of refraction (Snell's law) | 7C |
| Total internal reflection | 7C |
| Spherical mirrors | 7C (sometimes) |
| Thin lenses; dipoters | 7C |
| Combination of lenses | 7C |
| Lens abberation | Absent |
| Ray tracing | 7C |
| Optical instruments | 7C (no telescope/microscope) |
Atomic and nuclear structure
| Emission lines, Bohr model, Energy levels | 7C |
| Atomic number, atomic weight | 7A |
| Neutrons, protons, isotopes | 7A |
| Radioactive decay types | Absent in any detail |
| Exponential decay and half-life | 7B |
| General nature of fission | 7A |
| General nature of fusion | 7A |
| Mass deficit, energy liberated | 7A |