Edexcel a level physics

HI,

I’m due to start Edexcel A level physics in September and I was wondering if anyone could provide me with a list of topics covered. I have looked at the specification and it doesn’t state this clearly.

I am wanting to prepare and start looking at some work so any suggestions for websites/resources would also be appreciated, especially text book recommendations.

Thank you for your time

Reply 1

Sagacious

13

Original post by Harietcress

HI,

I’m due to start Edexcel A level physics in September and I was wondering if anyone could provide me with a list of topics covered. I have looked at the specification and it doesn’t state this clearly.

I am wanting to prepare and start looking at some work so any suggestions for websites/resources would also be appreciated, especially text book recommendations.

Thank you for your time

I'm doing Edexcel Physics in September and I went out and bought some books for it today.

I bought; CGP AS-Level Physics; Edexcel - The Revision Guide. I also bought a 'Head Start to AS Physics' by CGP, it explains stuff very well and has all the symbols for quantities, unit prefix's and some general rules (only use a capital letter for a unit-symbol when it's someone's name, eg Newton, Hertz). The Revision book didn't contain this because it assumes you're just using it to revise for AS exams.

I also bought a big CGP AS Maths; OCR - Practice/Revision guide (I'm taking Maths and Further Maths too) that contained Core 1, 2 and M1, S1 and D1.

It cost me around £30.

The topics in my CGP AS Physics Guide for Unit 1 - Mechanics/Materials;

Scalars and Vectors, Motion with Constant Acceleration, Free fall and Projectile motion, Displacement-Time Graphs, Velocity-Time Graphs, Mass/Weight and Centre of Gravity, Forces, Newtons Laws of Motion, Mechanics in the Real World, Work and Power, Conservation of Energy, Hooke's Law, Stress and Strain, The Young Modulus, Behaviour of Solids, Streamlines and Flow, Viscosity.

I hope i've helped.

Reply 2

dknt

12

Original post by Harietcress

HI,

I’m due to start Edexcel A level physics in September and I was wondering if anyone could provide me with a list of topics covered. I have looked at the specification and it doesn’t state this clearly.

I am wanting to prepare and start looking at some work so any suggestions for websites/resources would also be appreciated, especially text book recommendations.

Thank you for your time

From what I can remember:

Unit 1

Material Science: This introduces you to Hookes Law, Stress, Strain, Elastics and general properties of materials as well as some general experimental techniques.

Mechanics: This will introduce you to constant acceleration equations (SUVAT), displacement-time, velocity-time etc graphs. You will also look at projectile motion, which follows on from that. You will look at vectors and forces and the resolution of forces on a simple system and various techniques for doing that and using F=ma. You also learn about Newton's other laws of motion. It also introduces you to ideas about energy and problems involving them. If you do Mechanics in maths, this will help.

Flow: This kind of links into mechanics I guess. You will look at fluid flows around objects in motion, drag and viscocity of fluids.

Unit 2

Pretty much 2 main topics here.

Electricity: Circuits, resistors, power series, parallel, V=IR and many of the stuff you'll have learnt in GCSE. Also teaches you new ideas such as charge, the flow of electrons in the circuite, electromotive force, resistivity (not resistance) and more types of resistors and components.

Waves: Again builds on your GCSE knowledge. Introduces you standing waves, air waves in pipes, sound waves, nodes, antinodes, the wave and particle theory of light and the wave-particle duality, ultrasound and the use of Doppler shifting and a bit of quantumn mechanics with the photoelectric effect.

Unit 3 is coursework.

Your A2 year is structured similarly. They are also synoptic, so anything that was in AS can come up in exams in A2.

Unit 4

Particle Physics: Here you'll learn about the Standard model, baryons, mesons, quarks, leptons, mesons. You also learn about the main particle accelerators and the chambers where collisions occur. You learn a "new" unit for Mass when talking about particles.

Further Mechanics: The main topic in this is circular motion, both horizontal and vertical. Also includes momentum, both in a single line and oblique impacts, as well as an extension on F=ma.

Capacitors: A component in electric circuits. You'll learn about their properties and various equations and how they affect circuits.

Electric and Magnetic fields: Here you learn about magnetism, electromagnetic induction and Flemming's hand rules. you learn how fields affect particles travelling in themas well as bring in knowledge of electricity in electromaginetic induction and transformers.

Unit 5

Oscillations: You learn about simple harmonic motion, resonance. This brings together ideas about material science and waves.

Astrophysics: The largest topic. Includes the life of stars, the fate of the Universe, Gravitation, orbits, standard candles and Hubble's parameter and red shifting.

Gases: You learn about the ideal gas, kinetic energy of particles in relation to their temperature and the gas laws.

Unit 6 is coursework.

I've most likely missed out a lot here in the various topics, but that's the main gist.