Physics

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Physics is the Science of the fundamental concepts of field, force, radiation and particle structures, which are inter-linked to form unified models of the behaviour of the material universe. From such models, a wide range of ideas, from the broadest issue of the development of the universe over time to the numerous and detailed ways in which new technologies may be invented, have emerged. These have enriched both our basic understanding of, and our many adaptations to, our material environment.

Young people should be helped to understand how, through the ideas of physics, the complex and diverse phenomena of the natural world can be described in terms of a number of key ideas which are of universal application and which can be illustrated in the separate topics set out below.

One-to-one tutoring from a Birmingham Tutors physics specialist will ensure secure understanding at each stage of development.

Energy

• energy changes in a system involving heating, doing work using forces, or doing work using an electric current: calculating the stored energies and energy changes involved
• power as the rate of transfer of energy
• conservation of energy in a closed system, dissipation
• calculating energy efficiency for any energy transfers
• renewable and non-renewable energy sources used on Earth, changes in how these are used

Forces

• forces and fields: electrostatic, magnetic, gravity
• forces as vectors
• calculating work done as force x distance; elastic and inelastic stretching
• pressure in fluids acts in all directions: variation in Earth’s atmosphere with height, with depth for liquids, up-thrust force (qualitative)

Forces and motion

• speed of sound, estimating speeds and accelerations in everyday contexts
• interpreting quantitatively graphs of distance, time, and speed
• acceleration caused by forces; Newton’s First Law
• weight and gravitational field strength
• decelerations and braking distances involved on roads, safety

Wave motion

• amplitude, wavelength, frequency, relating velocity to frequency and wavelength
• transverse and longitudinal waves
• electromagnetic waves, velocity in vacuum; waves transferring energy; wavelengths and frequencies from radio to gamma-rays
• velocities differing between media: absorption, reflection, refraction effects
• production and detection, by electrical circuits, or by changes in atoms and nuclei
• uses in the radio, microwave, infra-red, visible, ultra-violet, X-ray and gamma-ray regions, hazardous effects on bodily tissues

Electricity

• measuring resistance using p.d. and current measurements
• exploring current, resistance and voltage relationships for different circuit elements; including their graphical representations
• quantity of charge flowing as the product of current and time
• drawing circuit diagrams; exploring equivalent resistance for resistors in series
• the domestic a.c. supply; live, neutral and earth mains wires, safety measures
• power transfer related to p.d. and current, or current and resistance

Magnetism and electromagnetism

• exploring the magnetic fields of permanent and induced magnets, and the Earth’s magnetic field, using a compass
• magnetic effects of currents, how solenoids enhance the effect
• how transformers are used in the national grid and the reasons for their use

The structure of matter

• relating models of arrangements and motions of the molecules in solid, liquid and gas phases to their densities
• melting, evaporation, and sublimation as reversible changes
• calculating energy changes involved on heating, using specific heat capacity; and those involved in changes of state, using specific latent heat
• links between pressure and temperature of a gas at constant volume, related to the motion of its particles (qualitative)

Atomic structure

• the nuclear model and its development in the light of changing evidence
• masses and sizes of nuclei, atoms and small molecules
• differences in numbers of protons, and neutrons related to masses and identities of nuclei, isotope characteristics and equations to represent changes
• ionisation; absorption or emission of radiation related to changes in electron orbits
• radioactive nuclei: emission of alpha or beta particles, neutrons, or gamma-rays, related to changes in the nuclear mass and/or charge
• radioactive materials, half-life, irradiation, contamination and their associated hazardous effects, waste disposal
• nuclear fission, nuclear fusion and our sun’s energy

Space physics

• the main features of the solar system.

These ideas include:

• the use of models, as in the particle model of matter or the wave models of light and of sound
• the concept of cause and effect in explaining such links as those between force and acceleration, or between changes in atomic nuclei and radioactive emissions
• the phenomena of ‘action at a distance’ and the related concept of the field as the key to analysing electrical, magnetic and gravitational effects
• that differences, for example between pressures or temperatures or electrical potentials, are the drivers of change
• that proportionality, for example between weight and mass of an object or between force and extension in a spring, is an important aspect of many models in science