What will I learn?
Through studying this course, you will develop the following:
- An understanding of the forces that hold the universe together;
- An understanding of the science beyond the nanoscale;
- An understanding of the impact and ethical associations of science on the society around us;
- An ability to explain the mechanics of everything from bicycles to space ships;
- A respect for the scientific method and a respect for evidence;
- Critical thinking skills.
What is the structure of the course?
All students will study the following core topics:
Measurements and uncertainties, Mechanics, Thermal physics, Waves, Electricity and magnetism, Circular motion and gravitation, Atomic, nuclear and particle physics, Energy production.
Higher Level students will also study these additional topics:
Wave phenomena, Fields, Electromagnetic induction, Quantum and nuclear physics.
In addition to this, HL students study one out of a choice of four additional topics. These are:
Relativity, Engineering particles, Imaging, Astrophysics.
Higher Levels
Part 1: Knowledge
Demonstrate knowledge of:
- terminology, facts and concepts;
- skills, techniques and methodologies
Part 2: Apply
Apply knowledge to:
- terminology and concepts;
- skills, techniques and methodologies.
Part 3: Formulate, analyse and evaluate
Formulate, analyse and evaluate:
- hypotheses, research questions and predictions;
- methodologies and techniques;
- primary and secondary data;
- scientific explanations.
Part 4: Investigation
Demonstrate the application of skills necessary to carry out insightful and ethical investigations.
How will I be assessed?
Assessment
Higher Level
Part 1: Knowledge
External – Paper 1 (1 hour) – 40 multiple choice questions (20% of final grade)
Part 2: Apply
External – Paper 2 (2.25 hours) – Data based, short answer and extended response questions (36% of final grade)
Part 3: Formulate, analyse and evaluate
External – Paper 3 (1.25 hours) – Data based, short answer and extended response questions (24% of final grade)
Part 4: Investigation
Internal (10 hours) – An investigation and write-up, usually 6-12 pages in length (20% of final grade)
Frequently Asked Questions
Which CAS opportunities are available?
Science Club, Extra-Curricular Trips, Debating Club.
Which opportunities for further study are available?
Studying Physics will open doors to many fascinating and rewarding careers and opportunities to study further. Physics will be the perfect starting point for opportunities in engineering, architecture, astronomy, design, finance, computer engineering, medicine, meteorology, geoengineering and many more.
Curriculum map
Module 1
Topics / Units
- Kinematics
- Distance and Displacement
- Speed and Velocity
- Acceleration
- Kinematic Equations
- Motion Graphs
- Projectile Motion
- Conservation of Linear Momentum
- Impulse and Momentum
- Force and Momentum
- Collisions and Explosions in One-Dimensions
- Photoelectric effect
- De Broglie wavelength
- Stellar Evolution
- Mass Defect
- Nuclear fusion
- Nuclear fission
Core Declarative Knowledge
What should students know?
- How to use SUVAT equations
- Velocity, displacement and acceleration can be found using the gradient and area under kinematic graphs
- Projectile motion can be broken down into vertical and horizontal components
- Momentum is always conserved
- Force is equal to the rate of change of momentum
- Matter can act as both waves and particles
- The photoelectric effect shows waves acting like particles
- De Broglie shows particles acting like waves
- The life cycle of stars
- Iron is the element with the highest binding energy per nucleus
- Nuclear fission being atoms splitting to form energy
- Nuclear fusion being when atoms fuse to form energy
Core Procedural Knowledge
What should students be able to do?
- Break down equations to form vertical and horizontal SUVAT equations
- Find the gradient at the point of a graph
- Find the area underneath a graph
- Work out momentum in 2 dimensions
- Calculate the mass defect from equations
- Describe the life cycle of stars
Module 2
Topics / Units
- Free-Body Diagram
- Newton’s First Law
- Newton’s Second Law
- Newton’s Third Law
- Contact Force
- Non-contact forces
- Frictional Forces
- Hooke’s Law
- Stoke’s Law
- Upthrust
- Radioactive decay,
- Activity and half-life,
- Nuclear stability,
- Nuclear energy level,
- Evidence for the neutrino
Core Declarative Knowledge
What should students know?
- How to use radioactive decay equations
- How to work out the half-life of a radioactive isotope from a graph
- How to work out the decay constant from the half life
- How to use exponents to work out Number of nuclei, Count rate and Activity
- Describe and explain Newton’s 3 laws of motion
- Describe evidence for the neutrino using the evidence of kinetic energy
Core Procedural Knowledge
What should students be able to do?
- Find the half life of graphs
- Be able to use logarithms to rearrange decay equations
- To be able to rearrange further mechanics equations
- To be able to use equations of stokes law to work out drag
- To use Hooke’s law to calculate the extension of springs
- To from a graph work out the ultimate tensile strength, elastic limit and breaking point
Module 3
Topics / Units
- Thermal Energy transfers
- Ideal gas laws
- Kinetic theory of gases
- Further mechanics/Circular motion
- Thermodynamics
- Current in circuits
- A.4 Rigid body mechanics
- A.5 Galilean and special relativity
Core Declarative Knowledge
What should students know?
- How to work out the energy transferred to an object through heating
- How to work out the energy transferred to an object when changing its state
- How to work out thermal equilibrium between two object
- To understand the gas laws are based on empirical evidence
- To show graphically the observations from boyle’s law, charles’ law and the pressure law
- To be able to work out absolute zero from the pressure law or charles’ law
- To know the assumptions for kinetic theory
- To derive the kinetic theory gas equation
- To work out the average kinetic energy of molecules by combining the kinetic gas equation with the ideal gas equation
- To use the equations for circular motion on different objects
- To understand what angular speed is
- To understand what linear speed is
- To be able to convert degrees to radians and vise versa
- To understand the 3 laws of thermodynamics and observe the Carnot cycle
- To understand and apply ohms law
- To describe and explain IV characteristics
- To apply Kirchhoff’s first and second law
- To understand how semi-conductors work with reference to an NTC thermistor
- To know the concept of a superconductor with 0 resistance
- To understand the concept of EMF and internal resistance
Core Procedural Knowledge
What should students be able to do?
- To use the equation E=mc(delta)T to work out the energy used to heat
- To use the equation E=mL to work out the energy needed to change the state of an object
- Students need to combine these equations from two different objects to be able to work out the thermal equilibrium of objects
- To be able to draw and interpret gas law diagrams
- To extrapolate results of volume against temperature to work out absolute 0
- To apply the assumptions of kinetic theory to derive the kinetic gas equations
- To apply the ideal gas equation using both moles and molecules
- To interpret the Carnot cycle, to describe isobaric and isotropic reactions
- To use equations for EMF to work out terminal voltage and internal resistance
- To be able to work out the total resistance from any combination of resistors
- To use circular motion to describe real life scenarios like hammer throws, or the solar system
- To convert degrees to radians