A Level Physics · AQA (reformed)

Dates Available
Week 1: Monday 3 - Friday 7 April
Week 2: Monday 10 - Friday 14 April
Week 3: Monday 17 - Friday 21 April

Boards
AQA A 7408

Not suitable for students studying AQA Physics B

Length of Course
20 hours

Times
9am to 6pm daily

The course examines key Section areas and extensive use will be made of previous exam questions to illustrate relevant principles. The course will focus on exam technique and relating principles to applications.

The course will cover the following:

Section 1 Measurements and their Errors

Quantities and Units

Vectors and Scalars

Measurements

Implications of scientific knowledge

Section 2 Particles and Radiation

Radiation, atoms, antimatter, the Standard Model, the fundamental forces, E=mc2

Photons, spectra, the photoelectric effect, wave-particle duality, the electronvolt

Section 3 Waves and the Particle Nature of Light

Progressive waves, wave properties, refraction and reflection, superposition and interference

Young’s double slits, diffraction gratings, stationary waves, optical fibres

Section 4 Mechanics and Materials

Motion in a straight line, SUVAT (constant acceleration) equations, projectile motion, freefall

Newton’s laws, Linear Momentum, Impulse, Collisions

Force diagrams, terminal velocity, moments and couples, Conservation of energy, kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy, power and efficiency

Springs and Hooke’s law, elastic potential energy, Stress-strain and the Young modulus

Density and pressure, Archimedes’ principle

Section 5 Electricity

Charge, Current, Kirchoff’s laws, energy, power and resistance

Circuit components and symbols, I-V characteristics, resistivity

Resistor combinations, analysing circuits, internal resistance, potential dividers, sensing circuits

Section 6 Further Mechanics and Thermal Physics

Circular motion, centripetal force and acceleration

Temperature, specific heat capacity and specific latent heat, matter, absolute zero

Simple harmonic motion, resonance, damping

Kinetic theory of gases, ideal gases

Section 7 Fields and their Consequences

Gravitational fields, potentials, energy, Newton’s laws and planetary motion.

Electric Fields, potentials, energy, Coulomb’s law, particles in electric fields,

The parallel plate capacitor, energy storage, charging and discharging capacitors

Magnetic fields, currents, particles in magnetic fields, induction

Alternating currents, Root-mean-square values, transformers

Section 8 Nuclear Physics

Types and causes of radiation, hazards and inverse square law

Nuclear decay equations, half-life, E=mc2

Nuclear reactions, binding energy, fission and fusion, safety

The practical endorsement is not explicitly covered on this course, however relevant experiments and techniques will be discussed where appropriate throughout.

Synoptic exam questions will be discussed through the course.

Option topics are not taught in this course. However, for reference they are:

Astrophysics
Medical Physics
Engineering Physics
Turning points in physics
Electronics