Introduction

The study of Physics will help you maintain your fascination of the physical world all around you. It ranges from aspects of astronomy with the structure of the Universe and the life history of stars to the way the tiny nucleus of an atom is made up. Also included are the traditional topics of forces and motion, light, heat, electricity and electromagnetism. The course aims to focus on the development of Physics and the exciting developments taking place at the moment.

You will learn how Physics impinges on our everyday lives, seeing how technological advances have affected the quality of life. It will enable you to explain the Physics behind much in the world around us, such as the Physics of seat belts and applications in the home. On a larger scale the course deals with applications of Physics such as ultrasound scanning, use of optical fibres and uses of electrostatics. Another aspect of the course is to study the advantages and disadvantages of applications of Physics much in the news today such as the debate over nuclear energy against the alternative energy resources such as wind energy. A knowledge of the facts will enable you to make informed choices about such topics.

With a Physics qualification you could choose to work in a wide variety of areas such as part of a medical physics team in a hospital, fundamental research in Physics itself, in some kind of engineering or in education. It could lead to a career based on materials science, computers, energy, food science, meteorology, electronics, astronomy, communications, scientific journalism, to mention but a few. The ideas, techniques and ways of thinking which you will learn in Physics would also be useful in a non-physics based career such as accountancy or business studies. You will have learnt to have an enquiring mind, be adaptable, to enjoy a challenge, have good powers of observation and be able to communicate your ideas clearly to others.

Examining Board

AQA – specification 4451

Assessment

Examination: 75%

Pupils will complete three papers of 45 minutes of short answer, structured questions. The first two papers are the same as those completed by students on the Science and Additional Science Course

Centre Assessed Unit: 25%

As for Science and Additional Science, students will probably complete several Physics ISA’s and PSA’s and must submit one of them for the Physics qualification

Course content

Unit 1

• How is heat energy transferred and what factors affect the rate at which heat is transferred?
• What is meant by the efficient use of energy?
• Why are electrical devices so useful?
• How should we generate the electricity we need?
• What are the uses and hazards of the waves that form the electromagnetic spectrum?
• What are the uses and dangers of emissions from radioactive substances?
• What do we know about the origins of the Universe and how it continues to change?

Unit 2

• How can we describe the way things move?
• How do we make things speed up or slow down?
• What happens to the movement energy when things speed up or slow down?
• What is momentum?
• What is static electricity and how can it be used and what is the connection between static electricity and electric currents?
• What does the current through an electrical circuit depend on?
• What is mains electricity and how can it be used safely?
• Why do we need to know the power of electrical devices?
• What happens to radioactive substances when they decay?
• What are nuclear fission and nuclear fusion?

Unit 3

• How do forces have a turning effect?
• What keeps objects moving in a circle?
• What provides the centripetal force for planets and satellites?
• What do mirrors and lenses do to light?
• What is sound?
• What is ultrasound and how can it be used?
• How can electricity be used to make things move?
• How do generators work?
• How do transformers work?
• What is the life history of stars?
  
  

Homework

Please see Science and Additional Science for details.