PHYSICS

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course is part of the A-level programme but also part of the Engineeering and Sciences and also the Biological Sciences Foundation Programmes. It is designed to help you to understand and apply physical concepts by teaching the theories and offering examples and questions on a wide range of topics including topics from modern physics. Teaching is done by regular classes and is supported by online notes and questions and their solutions as well as weekly quizzes. A number of practical demonstrations as well as training in experimental physics is envisaged.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS:

Edexcel AS Physics Students' Book with Activebook (Edexcel A Level Sciences) by Miles Hudson, 2008
Edexcel A2 Physics Students' Book with Activebook (Edexcel A Level Sciences) by Miles Hudson, 2009

COURSE OUTLINE:

mechanics (rectilinear motion, forces, energy and power)
materials (flow of liquids, viscosity, Stokes’ Law)
properties of materials
Young’s modulus and elastic strain energy

waves (including refraction, polarisation, diffraction and standing (stationary) waves)
electricity (current and resistance, Ohm’s law and non-ohmic materials, potential dividers
emf and internal resistance of cells
negative temperature coefficient thermistors
wave/particle nature of light and the photoelectric effect
spectra

further mechanics (momentum and circular motion),
electric fields
magnetic fields
particle physics
the standard model

thermal energy
nuclear decay
oscillations and simple harmonic motion
astrophysics
cosmology