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Preparing to Start A-Level Physics

Physics explains the world around us and beyond using forces and energy. You will investigate the very smallest building blocks of matter – quarks and leptons – through to the very largest objects – black holes, galaxies and even the evolution of our Universe. You will learn how Einstein’s E = mc² equation lead to the development of nuclear bombs. You'll think about the nature of light - is it a wave, a particle or both?  You will also cover applications of physics in society such as medical imaging and nuclear energy production.
Along the way you may have other interesting things you want to explore such as, “Is it possible to cook a chicken just by slapping it?”, or, “Is time travel possible?”.
Recommended activites to do before you start the course

Get a taste of the kinds of problems you’ll start solving with this video on vectors ➝

← Start brushing up your graph skills by learning how to choose a good scale for your axes.

Make sure you know the main concepts in GCSE physics with these Memrise courses (free digital flashcards to learn and revise with):

  1. 
Radiation and Waves

  2. Electric Circuits

  3. Explaining Motion

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Learn the technical vocabulary that we use in physics with this course on Memrise

Physics Technical Vocabulary - Tinycards

Familiarise yourself with the units in the Système International (SI) system of units which we use throughout physics with this course:

SI Units - Tinycards.001.png
Preparation Tasks

Once you've done some preparation put yourself to the test with these quizzes to check you understood it.

  1. When you feel confident with the words and concepts in Technical Vocabulary test yourself with this Technical Vocabulary Quiz

  2. When you feel confident with SI unit symbols, names and definitions test yourself with this short SI Units Course on Seneca

  3. Rearranging equations is really important in physics, take this Rearranging Equations Quiz to see if you need to develop your skills.

Research Task

Measurement is a fundamental concept in physics and SI units is going to be one of the first things you encounter in A-Level physics, it will also be something you encounter throughout the A-Level.  So a research task about the Système International (SI) is a really good starting point.

Watch this video of Michael de Podesta explaining systems of units for measurement.

Task: Write about what the SI units are and why they are important.  
Or alternatively, you could argue why you think the SI units are not important.

You will need to do some additional research to back up your writing. 
Here are some starting points:

  1. BIPM History of the SI

  2. NIST Reference on the International System of Units

  3. The Physics Hypertextbook: International System of Units

References

You may be new to referencing articles, so here are some example Harvard references for the three web articles I have listed above:

  1. Bureau International des poids et Mesures (2019), 'History of the SI', [Online], Available: bipm.org/en/measurement-units/history-si [5 May 2020]

  2. National Institute of Standards and Technology (2020), 'International System of Units (SI)', [Online], Available: physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/bibliography.html [5 May 2020]

  3. Elert, G. (2020), International System of Units, [Online], Available: physics.info/system-international [5 May 2020]

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