A Level Physics (AQA)

A Level Physics

Dates Available

• Week 1: Monday 25 March – Friday 29 March
• Week 2: Monday 1 April – Friday 5 April
• Week 3: Monday 8 April – Friday 12 April

Boards

AQA A 7408 – not suitable for those studying AQA B

Length of Course

40 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