AH Physics Project

I’ve also had the same problems with the weird equation text formatting XD
To be honest, I also have 0 idea whether it is gonna be printed out or sent online. I am pretty sure it is going to be sent online as the projects on the understanding standards websites are all word documents/pdfs for both advanced higher physics and chemistry. Hope that project is coming along well though! :>

Hi all,
So I am currently doing my physics project on Simple Harmonic Motion and it's going alright. I do hate how the web version of Word keeps overlapping the equations with my text, but I've fixed that (mostly).
Also, I forgot to enable autosave on the Word app on my laptop, so it hadn't saved the work I did over the weekend :,).
Anyway, I wanted to ask whether anyone (those who are currently doing theirs or have previously done theirs) knows how the project reports will be sent away, like will they be printed out or just send online?
Wondering because I am having issues with formatting the text and I want it to be eligible for the marker.
Many thanks!!

Hi, I am also doing AH physics, and my teachers mentioned the projects being physically sent to the sqa by courier like they did with nat5 and higher assignments, plus I remember last year AH physics students sending printed documents, so I am fairly certain it is a printed copy

My project is going pretty well, I just have so much other work to do that it’s stressing me out lmao 💀Have you managed to fix the issue? Anyway, I asked my teacher and she said that if it becomes an issue, then she will print out my project and I will need to write the equations by hand

Bruh, I thought that: “since the Higher and N5 assignments are handwritten while AH project is as a pdf (in the understanding standards websites), the project should just be sent via a document.” Anyway, how’s your project coming along?

haha yea idk i think they must scan the printed documents for understanding standards or something, im like 90% sure they print them off though
mine has just recently turned into an absolute nightmare, im meant to be doing a bending bar experiment but the bar is already bent (its really really not meant to be bent) so all my results are totally wrong. ive just given up for now, il go over it again after prelims. how is yours going?

Hello, former AH student here - you will print your project and the physical copy will be sent to SQA.
In terms of equations, I know word formatting is crazy - I normally just started a new line and did insert maths equation - it takes a bit more space but looks nicer and avoids formatting issues.
Let me know if you have any other questions as well because I did my project on SHM as well! I did the simple pendulum, bifilar pendulum, and the compound pendulum

Hiya! How did deriving the equations work out? Like, I know it is meant to be “advanced higher” and all, but sometimes, it legit looks like something from university. Does deriving the equations usually get complicated or should they just stick to advanced higher level stuff?

So I'm not sure what they *expect* us to do but yeah I pretty much was using university resources, textbooks and things and it was very confusing and difficult lol. I would ask you teachers for help if you know the equations they can make sense of some of the derivations as well and use diagrams in you underlying that's always good. I could maybe try and find some of the links for good explanations for some of the equations I used if you think that would help - but there are different equations you can use of course.
Main advice would be look at a variety of links and resources inclusing trying to find textbooks online, videos and other websites and have conversations with your teachers as well.
I think AI is also useful here, if you are confused on a particular step it is usually good at breaking the derivation down so you can see for yourself where it comes from. Obviously, don't use it as a reference or anything, but in place of a good teacher explanation when you're doing last minute late night work (if you're anything like me lol) it can help.
Let me know if it that makes sense or if you have any more questions x

Yeah, it makes sense :>
I’d be lucky to get any help for a teacher tbh, literally none of the teachers at my school teach advanced highers so I’m here having to study everything by myself, my AH physics prelim is next Monday and this is the ONLY chance I get to prove that I’m ready to actually sit Advanced Higher :/

Aww that's a shame, support across Scotland is abysmal for AHs since it's not required for uni a lot of students are left to fend for themselves.
I'll see if I can dig up my bibliography if that might help get some references for how to do derivations.
Best of luck for your prelim! Don't know if you've already discovered it but there are some great explanations on YT by a channel called The Physics Academy, it basically covers the entire course top to bottom and I used it to cram for my final lol, but it's also great for if you feel like your notes have gaps or sometimes hearing a verbal explanation helps a lot.
They also have past paper examples and seeing someone work through them can be quite good.
Best of luck!

Thanks for the references and the YT channel! I think I’ve seen some of their vids but then I’ve just been trying to answer as many past papers as I physically can, the exam paper makes up the majority of the marks anyway :P
I know it isn’t exactly related to this but, how’s university life coming along?

No problem, past papers are definitely your best bet for practice as well.
I'm actually on a gap year at the moment! I'm working full time at a call centre and tutoring bit on the side so it's really crazy lol. I am enjoying getting a new experience but it is exhausting. It's really solidified my desire to go to uni to study because I don't think we realise how many hours of your life a full time job is. I definitely need to enjoy what I do otherwise I think I would literally be so depressed.
It's given me a new appreciation for what a privilege studying is as well. Like, I know all students complain abt the workload and stuff at times but really I would take the stress of work and school any day over stress of work and commuting and shifts and all that. I can't imagine starting work when I was like 17/18 and then just never stopping my whole life but some ppl have to, like I had a week off for Christmas and I was so happy - to think I regularly used to have multiple week holidays when I was in school is crazy.
So yeah maybe a bit more than you asked for lol but that's what's been happening. I've got an unconditional for Cambridge med for 2026 so hopefully I will just be working till October and then back to student life!

I feel very similar to this! Like, I don’t have a job (too underaged for that) but I am definitely appreciating the student life I’m currently living before it disappears. I especially dislike when people say, “this is so stressful!” I understand them but I don’t think they actually know what stress actually feels like, especially later in life. I’m looking forward to continuing in education and I’m still hoping I ACTUALLY RECEIVE A BLOODY OFFER!!!

Yeah definitely make the most of S6 while it lasts, it is stressful definitely but it's also a great year especially in hindsight if you play it right.
A lot of my friends in uni r complaining as well about how hard it is which is kind of annoying because I gettt it like obviously uni is hard but I would give anything to be studying rn, so it's a bit frustrating like why are you complaining so much about this degree that you chose and worked so hard to get into 😭.
And best of luck with your offers! Hopefully you hear back soon as I think the main UCAS deadline has passed or will pass soon so a lot of unis send out offers after that. Can I ask where you applied and what course?

I applied to aero-mechanical/aerospace engineering (all MEng) for Strathclyde, Glasgow and Imperial, that’s it :P
Also, I’m *technically* in S4 but the school now treats me as S5 (S5 timetable).