Physics

 

About the Curriculum

The AQA A Level Physics course follows naturally from the GCSE completed in Fifth Form. It is an exciting balance of practical and theoretical work, while computer techniques are used to bring alive many novel applications of the subject, ranging from medical physics to quantum behaviour; computer models are used widely to help students develop their understanding of new concepts.

During the Lower Sixth the topics studied build on the work covered at GCSE but also include many of the Physics related topics which gain attention in the press or are the subject of TV science documentaries, such as quantum theory, the nature of light, and the sort of electronics that leads to robotic control. Within the course students will have the opportunity to develop their practical and data handling skills and increase their understanding of the role that mathematics plays in Physics. They will also consider the historical and social issues that arise out of the development of the ideas of Physics.

The range of topics covered is enhanced by the opportunity of following one of two (or possibly three) optional modules; we are hoping to offer students the chance of studying either medical physics or engineering physics, with a possibility of astrophysics as well, depending on numbers and set distributions.


Enrichment

The Department organises trips and visits to lectures and scientific establishments on a regular basis. Last year visits were organised to CERN, the Diamond Light Source research facility at Harwell, the Euro Space Centre in Belgium, as well as regular IoP lectures at the University of Sussex.