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A course in relevant physics for school laboratory technicians.

Relevant to 'A' and 'AS' level  AQA Physics syllabus.

Click Here for the crib notes:

Topic Details Reference book.
(To supplement the setting up of this years Practical exams)

Elementary Electrical Circuits
  • Understanding elementary electrical diagrams.
  • Using the multimeter as an ammeter in series and as a voltmeter in parallel.
  • Potentiometers, variable resistors of various types found in the store room.
  • Wiring lamps/resistors in parallel and series.
Elementary electricity books.
Electricity Theory (Part 1)
  •  What is current and Voltage.
  • Ohms law.
  • Studying how current splits through different arms of the circuit.
  • What are Diodes?
 Elementary electricity books.
Electromagnetism
  • Electromagnets - how they work
  • N and S poles of electromagnets 
  • Lenz's law.
  
Momentum
  • Setting up a trolley ramp and ticker tape machine.
  • What is momentum.
  • Understanding what the ticker tape does..
  • Discussing conservation of energy  PE, KE and energy conversion.
 Elementary electricity books.
Transformers
  • What transformers do and a bit about how they work... relating to Electromagnets.
  • Making simple step up / step down transformers and measuring I and V.
 Elementary electricity books.
(Projectiles)
Homemade Rockets
  • Angle of maximum range. 
  • Mechanics of projectiles.
  
Moments
  • What is a moment?
  • Simple experiments to demonstrate with seesaws.
 AQA Physics A2
Equilibrium
  • What is equilibrium physics?
  • Simple experiments to demonstrate:
 AQA Physics A2
Newtons Laws of Motion
  • Brief discussion on Newtons Laws.
  • Experiments showing Newtons Laws
  • Terminal velocity.
 AQA Physics A2
Work and Energy
  • What is work?
  • How it relates to force
  • Experiments demonstrating principles of:

 

 AQA Physics A2
Materials
  • Measuring density
  • Experiment:  Volume of pennies/microscope slides using micrometers and vernier calipers.

 

  
Elasticity & Hookes Law
  • Practice using verniers and micrometers
  • Microscope slides/pennies.
  • what is stress and strain?
  • Hookes Law - rubber band
  • Experiments for Hookes Law - stretching a wire/ springs/masses
 AQA Physics A2
Circular Motion
  •  Angular velocity and speed
  •  Conservation of angular momentum ??
 AQA Physics A2
Oscillations
(Simple Harmonic Motion)
  • The period of an oscillation and what it depends upon.
  • Experiments in Oscillations.
  • Conservation of energy.
  • Forced and damped oscillations.
 AQA Physics A2
What are Waves?
  • Experiments to demonstrate waves:
  • Demonstrating wave nature..
  • Slinky
  • Ripple Tank
  • 3cm Microwave kit
  • Polarizing filters
  • Strobe
  • Guitar.
  • simulation
  
Optics
  • The Laser
  • Using lightboxes to demonstrate wave properties passing through glass prisms, blocks and lenses
  
Standing Waves
  • Vibrator, string, masses, pulley and oscilloscope.
  
Gravitation
  • Main theory of.
  • Measuring gravity in the laboratory.
AQA Physics AS
Electric Fields (Static)
  • How they are similar to Gravitational fields.
  • Experiments to measure them.