Mandatory Course key area	Suggested learning activities	Exemplification of key areas
Knowledge and use of appropriate units, prefixes and scientific notation, eg electronvolt, light year. Use of an appropriate number of significant figures in final answers . Knowledge and use, where appropriate, of uncertainties, including systematic uncertainties, scale reading uncertainties, random uncertainties, and calibration uncertainties. Calculations involving absolute uncertainties and fractional/percentage uncertainties Appropriate use of significant figures in absolute uncertainties.	SI units used for all standard physical quantities. Use of electronvolt (eV) as an alternative unit of energy in appropriate contexts. Light year (ly) as a measure of distance in appropriate contexts. Appropriate use of significant figures when carrying out calculations using mathematical and physics relationships. Appropriate use of scientific notation for large and small numbers in calculations. Systematic uncertainty associated with measurement techniques or experimental design. Reading uncertainty associated with instrument scales. Calculation of random uncertainty associated with repeated measurements. Calibration uncertainty associated with manufacturer’s claim for the accuracy of an instrument.	The final answer should have no more significant figures than the data with the least number of significant figures given in the question. Systematic uncertainties occur when readings taken are either all too small or all too large. They can arise due to measurement techniques or experimental design. Calibration uncertainty is a manufacturer’s claim for the accuracy of an instrument compared with an approved standard.