A-level Physics (Advancing Physics)

From Wikibooks, the open-content textbooks collection

Welcome to the Wikibooks textbook on Physics, designed to contain everything you need to know for the OCR Physics B (Advancing Physics) specification at http://www.ocr.org.uk/Data/publications/key_documents/AS_ALevel_GCE_Physics_B_Advancing_Physics_Specification.pdf. All sorts of useful documents for this specification are available at http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/asa_levelgceforfirstteachingin2008/physics_b/documents.html .

The old specification (for normal A2 exams until June 2009) is at http://www.ocr.org.uk/Data/publications/key_documents/cquartetOCRTempFileuzyy4kbLM6.pdf, with documents at http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/as_alevelgce/physics_b_advancing_physics/documents.html.

All units are assumed to be SI units, unless stated otherwise. Diagrams can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Chapters are probably marked as 75% complete () because they are complete, but the author is not entirely happy with the correctness of the contents. Please look at these and check them!

Contents 1 Contents 1.1 AS Exams 1.1.1 Physics in Action 1.1.1.1 Optics 1.1.1.2 Communication 1.1.1.3 Electricity 1.1.1.4 Material Structure 1.1.2 Understanding Processes 1.1.2.1 Waves 1.1.2.2 Quantum Physics 1.1.2.3 Mechanics 1.2 A2 Exams 1.2.1 Rise and Fall of the Clockwork Universe 1.2.2 Field and Particle Pictures 1.2.3 Advances in Physics

[edit] Contents

[edit] AS Exams

[edit] Physics in Action

[edit] Optics

• Lenses
• Refraction

[edit] Communication

• Digital Storage
• Digital Processing
• Digitisation
• Signal Frequencies
• Bandwidth

[edit] Electricity

• Charge
• Current
• Voltage
• Power
• Resistance and Conductance
• Internal Resistance
• Potential Dividers
• Sensors
• Resistivity and Conductivity
• Semiconductors

[edit] Material Structure

• Stress, Strain & the Young Modulus
• Metals
• Polymers

[edit] Understanding Processes

[edit] Waves

• What is a wave?
• Phasors
• Standing Waves
• Young's Slits
• Diffraction
• Finding the Distance of a Remote Object

[edit] Quantum Physics

• Light as a Quantum Phenomenon
• Quantum Behaviour
• Electron Behaviour as a Quantum Phenomenon

[edit] Mechanics

• Vectors
• Graphs
• Kinematics
• Forces and Power (incorporating Energy and Work Done)

[edit] A2 Exams

[edit] Rise and Fall of the Clockwork Universe

[edit] Field and Particle Pictures

[edit] Advances in Physics