Physics in year 7

At the start of Year 7, the pupils add to their knowledge and understanding of electrical circuits. They set up series and parallel circuits with lamps and measure the currents and voltages. This leads to important conclusions about currents and voltages in series and parallel circuits. They investigate the factors which affect the resistance of wire and see how this is used in the variable resistor. The aspect of safety when using electricity is emphasised and they learn how a fuse works.

The second topic is all about forces. They learn about the different types of force, including an investigation of floating and sinking, leading to an understanding of the effect that forces have on objects, including an introduction to the use of tickertape to measure motion.  An experiment is done to establish a law for stretching springs and this leads to simple calculations.

There is then a topic all about energy, learning about different types of energy and how it is transferred from one form to another. They learn about fuels and look at how they are used to generate electricity, before briefly considering alternative sources of energy.

The year ends with a project about the Earth and its place in space.

The whole of year 7 work is based fairly and squarely around experimental work. The pupils make their observations, develop laws and rules and then see how they are used and applied in different circumstances. The topics are developed further in subsequent years.

Physics in year 8

There are four major themes in year 8. In all of the topics, experimental work is central. Sometimes the girls watch demonstrations but wherever possible they carry out experiments for themselves, working in two’s or  three’s.

• LIGHT. Ray boxes are used to find out what happens when light is reflected by a mirror and when it passes through glass blocks. The girls learn how a visible spectrum is produced and find out about the colours of objects
• SOUND. In this topic the girls learn what sound is and how it can be changed, thinking about how sound gets from one place to another. They learn how the ear works and then consider the effects of noise pollution and how it can be controlled.
• HEATING AND COOLING. This topic starts by a reminder of the use of thermometers to measure temperature and then looks at the ways in which heat is transferred from one place to another, including learning about the idea of using ‘models’ in science to explain observations. We then look at ways of conserving energy and finally use the particle model to explain what happens when materials change state
• MAGNETS AND ELECTROMAGNETS. The girls investigate the magnetism around bar magnets and then go on to find out about the magnetic effect of the electric current and learn how this has important applications in electromagnets.

Physics in year 9

In year 9, the emphasis on experimental work continues wherever possible. The aim is to make a start on some of the important themes in the GCSE specification, building on the work in years 7 and 8.

• SOUND. In this topic the girls learn what sound is and how it can be changed, thinking about how sound gets from one place to another. They learn how the ear works and then consider the effects of noise pollution and how it can be controlled.

• MOTION. This is a short topic and provides an opportunity to do short calculations involving speed and acceleration. The girls use ticker-tape to investigate motion and use graphical methods to represent motion.
• LIGHT. The girls learn all about colour before looking at the action of lenses on light rays and studying some important uses of lenses. They investigate what happens when light passes through a semicircular glass block and learn about applications of total internal reflection.
• STATIC ELECTRICITY. This topic looks at how static electricity builds up, with the girls learning about the uses and dangers associated with static electricity. Seeing the Van der Graaff generator in action is always popular, with the chance to get your hair standing on end – all very shocking if you are not careful!
• HEAT TRANSFER. We investigate the ways in which heat gets from one place to another. This provides a good opportunity to do some data-logging experiments and to study the ways of keeping the heat in and energy conservation.
• MAGNETISM AND ELECTROMAGNETISM. The girls investigate the magnetism around bar magnets and then go on to find out about the magnetic effect of the electric current and learn how this has important applications in electromagnets. They learn about the motor effect of the electric current and then have a brief introduction to the way that electric currents can be made using magnetism.