Physics

Course summary

YEAR ONE Year one consists of five modules. Each module is assessed in two written papers completed by the students at the end of their first year of study. Each paper is 1½ hours and makes up 50% of the end-of-year grade. Paper one covers all five modules and is made up of short and long-style questions. Paper two is split into three sections: section A, twenty marks testing the students’ knowledge of practical skills and data handling; Section B, twenty marks covering modules 1 – 5; and Section C, thirty multiple choice questions each worth one mark. • Module 1: Measurements and their errors. This section is a continuing study for a student of physics. A working knowledge of the specified fundamental units of measurement is vital. • Module 2: Particles and Radiation. This section introduces students both to the fundamental properties of matter and to electromagnetic radiation and quantum phenomena. • Module 3: Waves. Students will further their GCSE studies of wave phenomena and extend their knowledge of the characteristics, properties, and applications of traveling waves and stationary waves. • Module 4: Mechanics and Materials. Vectors and their treatment are introduced followed by the development of the student’s knowledge and understanding of forces, energy, and momentum. • Module 5: Electricity. This section builds on and develops earlier studies of these phenomena from GCSE. It provides opportunities for the development of practical skills at an early stage in the course and lays the groundwork for later study of the many electrical applications that are important to society. YEAR TWO Year two consists of three standard modules and one option module. All modules, including those from year one of the course, are assessed in the three written papers completed by the students at the end of their two-year study. All three papers are two hours long and make up 100% of the A Level grade. • Module 6.1: Periodic Motion. The student’s earlier study of mechanics is further advanced through a consideration of circular motion and simple harmonic motion (the harmonic oscillator). • Module 6.2: Thermal Physics. This section allows the students to gain a greater understanding of the thermal properties of materials, the properties and nature of ideal gases, and the molecular kinetic theory. • Module 7: Fields and their consequences. The concept of field is one of the great unifying ideas in physics. The ideas of gravitation, electrostatics, and magnetic field theory are developed within the topic to emphasize this unification. • Module 8: Nuclear Physics. This section builds on the work of Particles and radiation to link the properties of the nucleus to the production of nuclear power through the characteristics of the nucleus, the properties of unstable nuclei, and the link between energy and mass. • Option Choice: Students are offered the opportunity to study one of the following optional topics to gain a deeper understanding and awareness of a selected branch of Physics: ▪ Astrophysics. ▪ Electronics.