Physics

Course summary

Measurements & their errors – the basic practical skills for all experimental investigation. Particles & radiation – the fundamental properties of matter, electromagnetic radiation, and quantum phenomena. Waves – knowledge of the characteristics, properties, and applications of waves including refraction, diffraction, superposition & interference. Mechanics & materials – development of an understanding of forces, energy, and momentum. Study of the bulk properties and tensile strength of materials. Electricity – development of the understanding of charge and practical circuits. Further mechanics & thermal physics – circular motion and simple harmonic motion. Thermal properties of materials, ideal gases, and molecular kinetic theory. Fields and their consequences – a key unifying idea in physics. Field theories of gravitation, electrostatics and magnetism are developed in the context of the impact on modern society. Nuclear physics – characteristics of the nucleus, unstable nuclei, and the link between energy and mass. Nuclear energy production and impact on society. Optional topic – Turning points – enables key developments in physics to be studied in depth so that students can appreciate, from a historical viewpoint, the significance of major conceptual shifts in the subject, both in terms of the understanding of the subject and in terms of its experimental basis.