Edexcel A Level Physics revision notes

Runs through every topic — not taught on its own

Quantities and measurement

1, 3 SI base and derived units, and estimation 2, 4 Practical skills, measurement and uncertainty

Science in society

5–8 Communicating science, risk and the scientific community

Motion

9–11 SUVAT equations and motion graphs 12–15 Scalars, vectors and projectiles

Forces

16–18 Free-body diagrams, ΣF = ma and weight 19 Core Practical 1: g by free fall 20 Newton’s third law

Momentum and moments

21–22 Momentum and its conservation 23–24 Moments and centre of gravity

Work, energy and power

25–28 Work done, kinetic and gravitational potential energy 29–30 Power and efficiency

Electrical quantities

31–33 Current, potential difference and resistance 34–37 Series and parallel circuits, and electrical power 38 I–V characteristics

Resistivity

39–40 Resistivity, with Core Practical 2 41 I = nqvA and conduction

Potential dividers

42–44 Potential dividers 47–48 Thermistors and LDRs

E.m.f. and internal resistance

45–46 E.m.f. and internal resistance, with Core Practical 3

Fluids

49–50 Density and upthrust 51–52 Viscous drag and Stokes’ law, with Core Practical 4

Solid materials

53–55 Hooke’s law and force–extension graphs 56–57 Stress, strain and the Young modulus, with Core Practical 5 58 Elastic strain energy

Wave basics

59–63 Wave properties, transverse and longitudinal waves 64 Core Practical 6: speed of sound

Superposition

65–66 Coherence, path difference and phase difference 67–69 Stationary waves, with Core Practical 7 70 Intensity

Refraction and lenses

71–74 Refraction, critical angle and total internal reflection 75–81 Lenses, power and magnification

Polarisation and diffraction

82 Polarisation 83–86 Diffraction and diffraction gratings, with Core Practical 8 87 Electron diffraction and the de Broglie wavelength 88–89 Reflection at interfaces and pulse-echo

The particle nature of light

90–94 Photons, the photoelectric effect and the electronvolt 95–96 Wave–particle duality and line spectra

Further momentum

97–98 Impulse, with Core Practical 9 99–100 Momentum in two dimensions, with Core Practical 10 101–102 Elastic and inelastic collisions

Circular motion

103–104 Radians and angular velocity 105–107 Centripetal acceleration and force

Electric fields

108–111 Electric field strength and Coulomb’s law 112–115 Electric potential, uniform and radial fields

Capacitors

116–117 Capacitance and energy stored 118–120 Charging and discharging, with Core Practical 11

Magnetic fields

121–123 Flux density, F = Bqv and F = BIl

Electromagnetic induction

124–127 Faraday’s law and Lenz’s law 128–129 Alternating current

The nucleus

130–131 Nucleon number and alpha particle scattering

Particle accelerators and detectors

132–134 Thermionic emission, accelerators and detectors 135–139 E = c²Δm, MeV/c² and relativistic lifetimes

The particle zoo

140–141 Quarks, leptons and antiparticles 142–143 Conservation laws and particle equations

Heating

144–146 Specific heat capacity and latent heat, with Core Practicals 12 and 13 147–148 Internal energy and absolute zero

Gases

149–152 Kinetic theory and the ideal gas equation, with Core Practical 14

Black body radiation

153–155 Black bodies, Stefan–Boltzmann and Wien’s law

Stars

156–158 Luminosity, parallax and standard candles 159–160 The Hertzsprung–Russell diagram and stellar evolution

Cosmology

161–162 Doppler shift, redshift and Hubble’s law 163 The age and fate of the universe

Binding energy

164–165 Binding energy and the atomic mass unit 166–167 Fission and fusion

Radioactivity

168–171 Alpha, beta, gamma and background radiation, with Core Practical 15 172–173 Random decay and half-life

Gravitational fields

174–177 Gravitational field strength and Newton’s law of gravitation 178–179 Gravitational potential, and comparing it with electric fields 180 Orbits of planets and satellites

Simple harmonic motion

181–185 SHM: conditions, equations and graphs 187 Core Practical 16: an unknown mass using SHM

Energy, damping and resonance

188 Energy in SHM 186, 189–191 Free and forced oscillations, resonance and damping