A Level Physics Revision Courses

This course covers everything that could be assessed in your Paper 1. Note that this material (forming the standalone AS) is also used synoptically in Papers 2 and 3. Synoptic means the earlier material is used in assessing the current material.

Particles and radiation

• constituents of the atom
• stability of nuclei;
• particles & antiparticles
• the four fundamental interactions
• particle classification
• conservation laws

Electromagnetic radiation and quantum phenomena

• Photoelectric effect
• ionisation & excitation
• energy levels & photon emission
• wave-particle duality leading to de Broglie waves
• a taster of quantum mechanics.

Waves

• Progressive & stationary waves
• principle of superposition;
• refraction and the refractive index
• diffraction, leading to the diffraction grating
• interference including a detailed study of Young’s double-slits.

Year 1 Mechanics

• Scalars & vectors
• moments
• linear motion (suvat)
• projectile motion
• Newton’s Laws of Motion and linear momentum
• Work, power, conservation of energy
• circular motion including its linear analogues
• theory of simple harmonic motion; SHM systems; resonance.

• Fundamental concepts (charge, voltage, current, resistance)
• I-V characteristics
• resistivity and superconductivity
• circuits including Kirchoff’s Laws
• the potential divider including sensing
• electromotive force & internal resistance.

This course covers everything that could be assessed in your Paper 2.

Note that the Paper 1 material (forming the standalone AS) will be used synoptically in both Papers 2 and 3. Synoptic means earlier materials is used whilst assessing the current material.

Thermal physics

• Internal energy (1st law of thermodynamics) & energy transfers; understanding specific heat capacity & specific latent heat
• Changes of state; experimental verification of these models
• Ideal gases
• Molecular kinetic theory; including contrasting the empirical gas laws to the theoretically derived kinetic theory model

Fields (gravitation, electric, magnetic)

• The concept of a field
• the gravitational field including Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation
• gravitational potential; planetary orbits including Kepler’s law;
• Electric fields & Coulomb’s Law; Electric field strength & potential;
• capacitance & capacitors; capacitor charge & discharge;
• Magnetic fields and their relationship with electric fields;
• Moving charges in B fields; Magnetic flux;
• electromagnetic induction including Faraday’s Law;
• alternating currents including transformers
• the National Grid and power distribution

Nuclear physics

• Rutherford scattering and the early atomic theories
• alpha/beta/gamma radiation behaviours
• radioactive decay and its probabilistic nature
• nuclear instability including the N vs Z graph
• electron scattering for measuring the nuclear radius including de Broglie waves
• mass-energy & binding energy
• nuclear fission including the basic design of nuclear power stations

The third and final paper of the A Level has two sections:

1. Section A assesses experimental skills and data analysis. This is based around the 12 required practicals you should have been covered in class over the two years.
2. Section B assesses the Optional unit you would have followed in class. We provide the two most popular options taken by schools/colleges: Astrophysics or Engineering physics