Oxford International AQA Examinations: International A Level Physics

553 Pages·62.442 MB·English

by  Oxford University Press

Published for
OXFORD INTERNATIONAL
AQA EXAMINATIONS
International A Level
P H YS I C S
AS and
A LEVEL
Jim Breithaupt
2

Published for
OXFORD INTERNATIONAL
AQA EXAMINATIONS
International A Level
P H YS I C S
AS and
A LEVEL
1
Jim Breithaupt
3
Acknowledgements
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AS/A Level course structure
This book has been written to support students studying for the
Oxford International AQA Examinations A Level Physics. The sections
covered are shown in the Contents list, which also shows you the
page numbers for the main topics within each section. There is also
anIndex at the back to help you nd what you are looking for. If you
are studying for AS Level Physics, you will only need to know the
content in the blue box.
m
Year 1 content Year 2 content
a
x
e Skills for starting AS and A Level Section 3 Further mechanics, elds
S Physics and their consequences
A
Section 1 Mechanics, materials, Section 4 Energy and energy
and atoms resources
Section 2 Electricity, waves, and Section 5 Skills in A Level Year 2
particles Physics
Skills in AS Level Physics m
a
x
e

l
The A Level course is designed as a two-year course and covers all the e
v
content and skills in all the ve units above. Each unit counts for 20% e
L
of the A Level marks and is tested in a two-hour examination paper.

A
Units 1 and 2 are designed as the rst year of the full two-year
A Level course.
The AS Level course is designed as a one-year course and covers
Sections 1 and 2 only. Each section counts for 50% of the AS Level
marks and is assessed in a two-hour paper for each section. The AS
Level marks may be carried forward as part of the A Level mark. The
Section 1 paper includes the assessment of AS Level practical skills,
which are described in Chapter 14 of this book.
iii
Contents
How to use this book viii
Skills for starting AS and A Level Physics ix
Practical work in physics 1 3.3 Terminal speed 65
3.4 On the road 67
Moving on from GCSE 1
3.5 Vehicle safety 70
Making careful measurements 3
Practice questions: Chapter 3 73
Everyday physics instruments 5
Analysis and evaluation 7 4 Force and momentum 75
More about measurements 10 4.1 Momentum and impulse 75
About practical assessment 13 4.2 Impact forces 79
4.3 Conservation of momentum 82
Section 1
4.4 Elastic and inelastic collisions 85
4.5 Explosions 87
1 Forces in equilibrium 16
Practice questions: Chapter 4 89
1.1 Vectors and scalars 16
1.2 Balanced forces 21 5 Work, energy, and power 91
1.3 The principle of moments 24 5.1 Work and energy 91
1.4 More on moments 26 5.2 Kinetic energy and potential energy 94
1.5 Stability 28 5.3 Power 96
1.6 Equilibrium rules 31 5.4 Energy and eciency 98
1.7 Statics calculations 35 Practice questions: Chapter 5 101
Practice questions: Chapter 1 37 6 Materials 103
2 On the move 39 6.1 Density 103
2.1 Speed and velocity 39 6.2 Springs 105
2.2 Acceleration 41 6.3 Deformation of solids 108
2.3 Motion along a straight line at 6.4 More about stress and strain 111
constant acceleration 43 Practice questions: Chapter 6 113
2.4 Free fall 46
7 Matter and radiation 115
2.5 Motion graphs 49
7.1 Inside the atom 115
2.6 More calculations on motion along
7.2 Stable and unstable nuclei 117
a straight line 51
7.3 Photons 119
2.7 Projectile motion 1 53
7.4 Particles and antiparticles 121
2.8 Projectile motion 2 55
Practice questions: Chapter 7 124
Practice questions: Chapter 2 57
8 Radioactivity 126
3 Newton’s laws of motion 59 8.1 The discovery of the nucleus 126
3.1 Force and acceleration 59 8.2 The properties of α, β, and
3.2 Using F = ma 62 γ radiation 129
iv
8.3 More about α, β, and γ radiation 134 12 Optics 209
8.4 The dangers of radioactivity 137 12.1 Double slit interference 209
8.5 Radioactive decay 140 12.2 More about interference 212
8.6 Radioactive isotopes in use 142 12.3 Diraction 215
8.7 Nuclear energy levels 146 12.4 The diraction grating 218
Practice questions: Chapter 8 149 12.5 Refraction of light 221
12.6 More about refraction 223
Section 2
12.7 Total internal reection 226
Practice questions: Chapter 12 229
9 Electric current 151
9.1 Current and charge 151 13 Quantum phenomena 231
9.2 Potential dierence and power 153 13.1 Photoelectricity 231
9.3 Resistance 155 13.2 More about photoelectricity 233
9.4 Components and their characteristics 158 13.3 Collisions of electrons with atoms 235
Practice questions: Chapter 9 161 13.4 Energy levels in atoms 237
13.5 Energy levels and spectra 240
10 Direct current circuits 163
13.6 X-rays 242
10.1 Circuit rules 163
13.7 Wave–particle duality 246
10.2 More about resistance 166
Practice questions: Chapter 13 249
10.3 Electromotive force and
Further practice questions: 1
internal resistance 169
Multiple choice 251
10.4 More circuit calculations 172
Further practice questions 253
10.5 The potential divider 175
Practice questions: Chapter 10 177 14 More on mathematical skills in Year 1 259
14.1 Data handling 259
11 Oscillations and waves 179
14.2 Trigonometry 261
11.1 Oscillations 179
14.3 More about algebra 263
11.2 Energy and oscillations 182
14.4 Straight-line graphs 266
11.3 Forced vibrations and resonance 185
14.5 More on graphs 268
11.4 Waves and vibrations 188
14.6 Graphs, gradients, and areas 270
11.5 Measuring waves 190
11.6 Wave properties 1 192
Section 3
11.7 Wave properties 2 194
11.8 Stationary and progressive waves 196 15 Motion in a circle 273
11.9 More about stationary waves 15.1 Uniform circular motion 273
on strings 198 15.2 Centripetal acceleration 275
11.10 Using an oscilloscope 200 15.3 On the road 277
11.11 Ultrasound imaging 202 15.4 At the fairground 279
Practice questions: Chapter 11 207 Practice questions: Chapter 15 281
v
Contents
16 Simple harmonic motion 285 20.3 Charged particles in circular orbits 364
16.1 The principles of simple Practice questions: Chapter 20 367
harmonic motion 285
21 Electromagnetic induction 371
16.2 More about sine waves 287
21.1 Generating electricity 371
16.3 Applications of simple
21.2 The laws of electromagnetic induction 374
harmonic motion 289
21.3 The alternating current generator 378
Practice questions: Chapter 16 293
21.4 Alternating current and power 381
17 Gravitational elds 297
21.5 Transformers 384
17.1 Newton’s law of gravitation 297
Practice questions: Chapter 21 387
17.2 Gravitational eld strength 300
17.3 Gravitational potential 302 Section 4
17.4 Planetary elds 305
22 Thermal physics 391
17.5 Satellite motion 310
22.1 Internal energy and temperature 391
Practice questions: Chapter 17 313
22.2 Specic heat capacity 395
18 Electric elds 317 22.3 Change of state 398
18.1 Field patterns 317 22.4 Energy transfer by heating 401
18.2 Electric eld strength 321 Practice questions: Chapter 22 406
18.3 Electric potential 325
23 Gases 408
18.4 Coulomb’s law 328
23.1 The experimental gas laws 408
18.5 Point charges 331
23.2 The ideal gas law 410
18.6 Comparing electric elds and
23.3 The kinetic theory of gases 413
gravitational elds 334
Practice questions: Chapter 23 417
Practice questions: Chapter 18 335
24 Nuclear energy 420
19 Capacitors 339
24.1 Nuclear radius 420
19.1 Capacitance 339
24.2 Energy and mass 422
19.2 Energy stored in a charged capacitor 341
24.3 Binding energy 425
19.3 Dielectrics 343
24.4 Fission and fusion 428
19.4 Charging and discharging a
24.5 The thermal nuclear reactor 431
capacitor through a xed resistor 346
Practice questions: Chapter 24 435
19.5 The theory of radioactive decay 350
25 Rotational dynamics 439
Practice questions: Chapter 19 353
25.1 Angular acceleration 439
20 Magnetic elds 357
25.2 Moment of inertia 444
20.1 Current-carrying conductors
25.3 Rotational kinetic energy 449
in a magnetic eld 357
25.4 Angular momentum 453
20.2 Moving charges in a magnetic eld 361
Practice questions: Chapter 25 459
vi
26 Renewable energy 461
26.1 Wind power 461
26.2 Solar power 463
26.3 Hydroelectric power and pumped
storage 467
Practice questions: Chapter 26 470
Further practice questions: 2 472
Section 5
27 Mathematical skills at A2 Level 479
27.1 Trigonometry 479
27.2 Algebra 482
27.3 Logarithms 484
27.4 Exponential decrease 487
27.5 Areas and integration 490
27.6 Graphical and computational modelling 493
Useful data for A Level Physics 497
Glossary 500
Answers to summary questions 512
Index 530
Answers to the Practice Questions and Section
Questions are available at
www.oxfordsecondary.com/oxfordaqaexams-alevel-physics
vii
How to use this book
Learning objectives This book contains many different features. Each feature is designed to
foster and stimulate your interest in physics, as well as to support and
➔ At the beginning of each
develop the skills you will need for your examination.
topic, there is a list of
learning objectives. Terms that you will need to be able to dene and understand are
➔ These are matched to the highlighted in bold orange text. You can look these words up in
specication and allow you the glossary.
to monitor your progress.
Sometimes a word appears in bold. These are words that are useful
➔ A specication reference is
to know but are not used on the specication. They therefore do not
also included.
have to be learnt for examination purposes.
Specication reference: 3.1.1
Synoptic link
These features contain important and interesting applications of
These highlight how the sections
physics in order to emphasise how scientists and engineers
relate to each other. Linking
have used their scientic knowledge and understanding to develop
dierent areas of physics together
new applications and technologies. There are also application features to
is important, and you will need to
develop your maths skills, and to develop your practical skills.
be able to do this.
+
There are also links to the
maths section to support the
Extension features
development of these skills.
These features contain material that is beyond the specication,
designed to stretch and provide you with a broader knowledge and
understanding, and to lead the way into the types of thinking and areas
you might study in further education. As such, neither the detail nor
the depth of questioning will be required for the examinations. But
this book is about more than getting through the examinations.
Study tips
1 Extension and application features have questions that link the
Study tips contain prompts to material with concepts that are covered in the specication. Short
help you with your revision. answers are inverted at the bottom of the feature, whilst longer
They can also support the answers can be found in the answers section at the
development of your practical back of the book.
skills and your mathematical skills.
Hint Summary questions
Hint features give other
1 These are short questions that test your understanding of the
information or ways of thinking
topic and allow you to apply the knowledge and skills you have
about a concept to support your
acquired. The questions are ramped in order of diculty.
understanding. They can also relate
to practical or mathematical skills.
viii