AS and A Level

Physics

SCHEME OF WORK
AS Physics
Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE Physics

Scheme of Work – 1 Year (AS)

This is an example and may be adapted.

Specification points 1 – 8 need to be considered and incorporated into the course as they apply to all topics

Spec Relevant
Week Prior Learning Content of Lessons
Teaching Suggestions Reference Support
1 GCSE wave Mechanical progressive wave properties. Expectation of more 59, 60, 61,
properties and Introduce wave types: transverse, longitudinal precise definitions for 62, 63, 64
wave equation, transverse and longitudinal
Graphs representing transverse and longitudinal waves. waves.
v = fλ
● CORE PRACTICAL 6: Determine the speed of sound All students should carry
in air using a 2-beam oscilloscope, signal generator, out this experiment.
speaker and microphone.
2 Wavefronts, coherence, path difference and phase Demonstrate interference 65, 66, 67
Principle of superposition and interference of sound waves with
loudspeakers and signal
Stationary wave demonstrations. generator.
Ripple tank demonstration.
3 Patterns of nodes and antinodes for stretched strings Demonstrate standing 67, 68, 69

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 and open and closed air columns waves on strings.

T Mathematical requirement:
Speed of a transverse wave on a string: v  manipulation of an
 equation with a square
● CORE PRACTICAL 7: Investigate the effects of root in it.
length, tension and mass per unit length on the
frequency of a vibrating string or wire. All students should carry
out this experiment.
4 GCSE mechanics – SI base and derived units. The work on SI base and 1,
describing motion Measurement & techniques. derived units, Sig. figs., Introduce 2,
graphically standard form and prefixes 3, 4
Sig. figs., scientific notation, standard form and is required for all topics
prefixes. and needs to be revisited
Distance, displacement, speed, velocity and regularly. 10, 11
acceleration.
Displacement/time and velocity/time graphs and their Displacement/time graph
interpretation, for motion with uniform and non-uniform for a trolley on a runway
acceleration. with a motion sensor.
Mathematical requirement:
graph plotting and
measuring gradients
5 GCSE mechanics – Derive equations of motion: Examples to include 9, 19
equations for positive and negative
speed and values of the variables.
acceleration Mathematical requirement:
manipulate of equations.

Investigate the motion of a

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 bouncing ball.

All students should carry

out this experiment.
(u  v)t
s
2
v  u  at
s  ut  12 at 2
v 2  u 2  2as
Practise problems in one dimension.
Measurement of the acceleration of free fall.
● CORE PRACTICAL 1: Determine the acceleration of a
freely falling object.

6 GCSE mechanics – Free-body force diagrams Use of light gates to 16, 17, 18,
Newton’s second Newton’s second law of motion investigate the effect of 20
law as F = ma force and mass on the
Acceleration, mass and force. acceleration of an object.
mass and weight Mass and weight. Motion on a linear air track
∑F = ma to demonstrate N1.
W = mg
2 students on roller skates

Newton’s third law and Newton’s first law of motion. to demonstrate N3.

Examples of free-body
force diagrams for N3.
7 Introduce vectors and vector addition Practise calculations using 12, 13, 14
Practise calculations scale drawing scale drawing.

Parallelogram law equivalence to ’nose to tail‘ – shown Investigate the equilibrium

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 using drawings. of three vertical forces
Bodies in equilibrium: vector forces on body sum to using two pulley wheels.
zero, triangle of forces Mathematical requirement:
Resolution of vectors into two components at right use of trig. functions.
angles to each other by calculation and scale drawing.
8 Resolution of Work done and energy transfer Investigate the transfer of 25, 26, 27,
vectors (Week 7) K.E. & G.P.E. GPE to KE for a trolley 28
rolling down a ramp.
Derivation of Ek  12 mv 2 and ∆Egrav = mg∆h
∆W = F∆s and ∆W = F∆s.cosθ Include examples where
Principle of conservation of energy. the direction of the force is
different to the direction of
Application to mechanical situations, e.g. ’frictionless‘ motion.
rollercoaster: Ep + Ek = constant.

9 GCSE – equations W Measure the output power 29, 30

for power and P of an electric motor.
t
efficiency
W Fs
Derive P  Fv using  Efficiency of HEP stations
t t
W E Mathematical requirement:
P and P  dealing with percentages
t t
Discuss useful work done → efficiency.
Efficiency = [useful power output]/[total power) input.
10 GCSE mechanics – Discuss and calculate 21, 22
Linear momentum, p = mv.
momentum = values for, eg car and
Discuss and calculate values for, e.g. car and truck with
mass  velocity truck with different
different speeds.
speeds.

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 Examples of conservation
of momentum could
include: Newton’s cradle,
stepping off a boat, trolley
‘explosions’.
Principle of conservation of linear momentum as a
consequence of Newton’s laws of motion.
Collision problems in one dimension.
11 Equations of Projectiles. Use of strobe light to 15
motion (Week 5) Independence of vertical and horizontal motion illuminate objects falling
vertically and projected
‘Monkey and hunter‘ demonstration. horizontally.
‘Monkey and Hunter‘
demonstration
12 Free-body force Centre of gravity ‘Lorry on a bridge’ model, 16, 23, 24
diagrams (Week Moment of a force; the principle of moments. using spring balances to
6) support a metre ruler with
weights (lorry) that move
along the ruler.
Include examples where
the forces are not all
parallel to each other.
13 GCSE materials - m Measure the density of air 49, 50, 51,
density = mass/ Density   52
V Demonstration of floating
volume objects sinking further as
Flotation: upthrust = weight of fluid displaced
their weight increases.
Laminar and turbulent flow, viscosity and Stokes’ law,
F = 6πηrv.
All students should carry
● CORE PRACTICAL 4: Use a falling-ball method to out this experiment.
determine the viscosity of a liquid.

14 GCSE materials – Loading and unloading of 53, 54, 55

Hooke’s law, ΔF = kΔx

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 Hooke’s law,
F = kx

springs and rubber bands.

Force-extension and force-compression graphs. Measuring the effect of
Idea of limit of proportionality, elastic limit, yield point, compression on a range of
elastic deformation and plastic deformation (including materials.
relation to graphs)
Stress, strain, the Young modulus Measurement of Young
modulus for different
materials.

15 Tensile/compressive stress-strain graphs and 56, 57, 58

understanding the term breaking stress.
Elastic strain energy in a deformed material sample
from the area under the force/extension graph and
Eel  12 Fx All students should carry
● CORE PRACTICAL 5: Determine the Young modulus out this experiment.
of a material.
16 GCSE current Current as rate of flow of charge: Use of ammeters and 31, 32,
electricity Q voltmeters to measure 33,38
I  current and potential
t difference. I-V graph for
Standard prefixes P.d. as work done per unit charge: an ohmic conductor.
(Week 4)
W
V  .
Q
V
Define resistance, R 
I
Ohm’s law.

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17 Experiments to investigate 34, 35, 36
series and parallel circuits.
Mathematical requirement:
derivation of formulae for
GCSE electricity – Series and parallel circuits series and parallel
series and parallel resistors.
Kirchhoff’s laws.
circuits
Resistor combinations:
R = R1+R2+R3 (series resistors)
1 1 1 1
   (parallel resistors).
R R1 R2 R3
18 Power (Week 10) I-V characteristics of: ohmic conductors, filament bulbs, Plot I-V graphs for a range 37, 38
thermistors and diodes of components.
Electrical working ∆W = IV∆t
W Plot P-V graphs.
Electrical power, P   IV
t
V2
P = I2R and P  .
R
19 Potential divider Demonstration of a 42, 43, 44
Demonstration of variation of resistance of thermistor potential divider circuit.
with change of temperature and LDR with change of Demonstration of variation
light level. of resistance of thermistor
with change of
VR1
V1  . temperature and LDR with
( R1  R2 ) change of light level.
20 e.m.f as work done per unit charge: Demonstrate the effect on 45, 46
W the terminal potential
V  . difference of a cell of
Q
altering the load across the
e.m.f. and internal resistance. cell.

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 Mathematical requirement:
CORE PRACTICAL 3: Determine the e.m.f. and internal dealing with a negative
resistance of an electrical cell. gradient.
All students should carry
out this experiment.

21 I Investigate the effect of 39, 40, 41,

Resistivity, R  temperature on the 47, 48
A
résistance of a thermistor.
Conduction mechanisms, distinction between metals,
semiconductors and insulators.
All students should carry
I = nqvA.
out this experiment.
● CORE PRACTICAL 2: Measure the electrical
resistivity of a material.
22 GCSE light – P Ripple tank to demonstrate 70, 71, 72,
reflection and Intensity, I  refraction of wavefronts. 73, 74, 88, 89
A
refraction Ray tracing through a
Waves meeting an interface between two media, pulse
echo techniques glass block.

Refraction, refractive index and Snell’s law Use of semi-circular block

to demonstrate critical
Critical angle and total internal reflection. angle.
Fibre optics as an
example.
23 GCSE light – An understanding that image formation in lenses is due Demonstration of image 75, 76, 79, 80
simple ray to refraction. formation by converging
diagrams Definition of focal length of a lens and diverging lenses.

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 Ray diagrams to locate the
image position

Experimental verification
Ray diagrams for converging and diverging lenses. of lens formula
Real and virtual images and their properties
1 1 1
Simple lens equation,   .
u v f

24 1 Measure the focal length of 77, 78, 81, 82

Focal length and power of a lens, P  a lens.
f
P = P1 + P2 + P3 + … for thin lenses in combination
Experimental verification
hi v
linear magnification, m   that m = v/u
ho u
Use of polaroid filters
Understand what is meant by plane polarisation. Effect of concentration of
sugar solution on the plane
of polarisation
25 Diffraction: single slit water wave diffraction Ripple tank demonstration 83, 84, 85
demonstration. Width of central maximum linked to for water wave diffraction.
relative sizes of wavelength and slit. Diffraction grating and
the diffraction grating, nλ = dsinθ. laser for light diffraction.
Mathematical requirement:
use of trig functions.
● CORE PRACTICAL 8: Determine the wavelength of
light from a laser or other light source using a All students should carry
diffraction grating. out this experiment.

26 GCSE light - Flame tests with diffraction 90, 91, 94, 96

Photon model: E = hf
photons gratings.
Small energy unit, 1eV = 1.6 x 10-19J.

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 Atomicline spectra.
Energy level ‘ladder’ diagrams. Ground & ‘excited’
states, choice of routes back → photons emitted,
hf = E1 – E2.
27 The photoelectric effect Demonstration using UV 92, 93
Work function and the photoelectric equation and a zinc plate on a
coulombmeter.
hf    12 mvmax
2
. Use of a phototube to
investigate how max KE of
photoelectrons varies with
frequency of incident
radiation.
28 Diffraction (Week Wave-particle duality 86, 87, 95
25) Wave properties of free electrons
Electron diffraction demonstration.

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