Author: advanced

HSDU / ES Materials to help you through your course

There was some amazing material produced for the previous revision of AH (when it changed from SYS to AH). Some of this material is out of date, but most is not. It is a shame not to share it, especially as the previous host Education Scotland has removed the materials from their site. These materials should not be sold and should only be used for educational purposes.

further AH questions  These ought to be named, good simple starter questions for each part of the course.

Guide to excel 5795 This is a little out of date but still contains some cracking materials.

student material for AH check_uncert_mech_5959

student material for AH elec_wave_6581

student material for AH mechcorr_elec_wave 6581

Tutorial solutions

Mech Q (further) and solutions

AH (Wave Phenomena)

Uncertainties Norman Fancey Gemmell Millar This is a great document and essential reading for all those who want an excellent introduction to Uncertainties at this level. Ignore the parallelogram plot though.

AH Physics staff guide N Fancey G Millar J Woolsey

quantity symbol sheet Again the document is not totally up-to-date, but it contains some really important information.

Revised AH Materials

Revised AH is is very similar to the current CfE AH course, so materials should be compatible.

AH Space and Time TeachersNotes_tcm4-726395

Rotational Motion and Astrophysics_tcm4-726390

TeachersNotes_Properties_of_Stars_and_Stellar_Evolution

StellarPhysicsAH_tcm4-726400

AH Physics SpaceandTimeTeachersNotes Mary Webster

AH Physics QuantumTheoryTeachersNotes Mary Webster

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Project Information

2017 Group

Below is a list of the titles for potential projects that we can offer. If you think of something else do discuss it with your teacher. A good project is something where the data can be used to generate a graph, from which information can be obtained. This then gives plenty of opportunities for analysis, and collecting marks!

Topic Comments
g Good one
Focal length Good one
Young’s Modulus Can be good but watch the numbers
Refractive Index But you’d need to find a method to generate graphs
Sheep Difficult, but interesting
Sound Lots of potential but work needed
LCR Circuits If you like circuits this can be a good one
Planck’s Constant If that is what you like!
Wavelength of Sodium Light If that is what you like!
SHM If that is what you like!
Moment of Inertia  Of Bike Wheels, fly wheels, spinners???
Viscocity If you can find a way to generate graphs
Surface Tension If you can find a way to generate graphs

Also LASERs, Strings,
Here is the mark scheme for the project. It is worth 30 marks, so please ensure that you check off each part. Further details can be found in the Investigation Booklet, attached.

        

SQA mark scheme  Mark scheme 2017 a pdf version of the mark scheme with space for marking.

Mark scheme 2017 a word version of the mark scheme with space for marking.

Project Mark Scheme 2 page marking scheme with room for comments.

Mark-Scheme 2 page marking scheme with room for comments on page 1. The pdf file of the above document.

Project Mark Scheme pdf file single page marking scheme, no room for comments.

Investigating unit day book

UPDATED VERSION 2:  AH Physics Project Advice for Teachers

Here is the information from Tom B, former PA for AH Physics, it is more for teachers than students, but it can’t do harm to read it and you might get some great tips.

AH Physics Project Advice for Teachers pdf version

AH Physics Project Advice for Teachers word version February 2017

Here is an excellent information sheet to using MS Excel for your project write ups including how to create error bars. (Thanks Tom B)

Use of Excel in AH 2010 this is the word version, below is the same document as a pdf file.

Use of Excel in AH 2010

I am not allowed to give you a template to use for your project write-up, however, I think that you ought to be aware of the usefulness of WORD and how it can do many of the things that you need for your project write-up. I see this as similar to the Excel help that is given below.

If you’re lucky enough to have excel 2013- here is a document from Mr Taylor from Strathhaven on plotting graphs in excel with error bars etc.

AH Sciences Graphs in Excel 2013

AH Sciences Graphs in Excel 2013

AH Science Project write up word

AH Science Project write up pdf file

word set up AH Science Project word file

Initial word set up AH Science Project pdf document

I’ll keep adding more as it arrives!

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Quantum Mechanics

  • I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics.

But here is a great video to help you understand what is happening

Quantum Theory Full Documentary

The link below is to the brilliant video with Brian Greene- this should get you thinking.

https://youtu.be/CBrsWPCp_rs?t=207 

this link is set up so you miss the blurb at the beginning.

Or closer to home check out this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egsdQWzxtU0

Here is a link to brief notes on the important discoveries leading to the Quantum Mechanics ideas we know today.

The Sectrets of Quantum Physics

  • We have always had a great deal of difficulty understanding the world view that quantum mechanics represents. At least I do, because I’m an old enough man that I haven’t got to the point that this stuff is obvious to me. Okay, I still get nervous with it…. You know how it always is, every new idea, it takes a generation or two until it becomes obvious that there’s no real problem. I cannot define the real problem, therefore I suspect there’s no real problem, but I’m not sure there’s no real problem.
    • Richard Feynman, in Simulating Physics with Computers appearing in International Journal of Theoretical Physics (1982) p. 471.
  • We choose to examine a phenomenon [Double-slit experiment] which is impossible, absolutely impossible, to explain in any classical way, and which has in it the heart of quantum mechanics. In reality, it contains the only mystery. We cannot make the mystery go away by “explaining” how it works. We will just tell you how it works. In telling you how it works we will have told you about the basic peculiarities of all quantum mechanics.
    • Richard Feynman, The Feynman Lectures on Physics: Commemorative Issue, Vol. 3 Quantum Mechanics (1989) 1-1, “Quantum Behavior.”

Notes for this RM&A

You’re bound to find some notes here that you like. I’ll upload my material when I’ve put it into one booklet. Meanwhile, you can’t go wrong with these.

ah rotational motion summary notes and problems 2013 

I think these are great and will be the ones I’ll be using. They are Robert Gordon’s College.

ah astrophysics summary notes and problems 2013

I think these are great and will be the ones I’ll be using. They are Robert Gordon’s College.

STELLAR PHYSICS NOTES

PhysicsApparentBrightnessExperimentAH_tcm4-726397Download
AH-Physics-StellarPhysicsTeachersNotes-Nat-BensonDownload
STELLAR-PHYSICS3Download

Rotational Motion and Astrophysics Questions

RotationalMotionandAstrophysics_tcm4-726390 

word document

RotationalMotionandAstrophysics_tcm4-726390 pdf

ah rotational motion summary notes and problems 2013

Unit 1 – Part 1 – Rotational Motion Notes

Unit 1 – Part 2 – Astrophysics Notes

AH (Circular Motion) Sorry I am not sure where these notes have come from, but thanks.

Stellar Physics- try these inspiring videos

General Relativity

This post has been copied and protected (usual password) so that the Youtube videos have been embedded as MP4 files, so you can watch in school.

Spacetime lattice analogy

By Mysid (Own work. Self -made in Blender & Inkscape.) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

There are some great videos that can explain General Relativity much better than I can. A few are given below:
Youtube
Remember at Advanced Higher you are expected to have a BASIC knowledge, not a deep knowledge of General Relativity. The purpose is to introduce you to some of the more modern (110 years!) Physics.

 

 

 

How does he make it sound just so simple and intuitive?

What’s the difference between Special and General Relativity?- Sixty Symbols, University of Nottingham.

 

Here is a playlist for all 11 videos by Dr PhysicsA. These are lovely clearly explained videos, that are easy to understand and digest.

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Units, Prefixes, Scientific Notation and Uncertainties

Here is a link to a presentation that I gave for the IoP on AH Uncertainties.

The slides are 1GB, so you might want to ask me to share those some other way. Here is a pdf of the slides, including example SQA Uncertainty questions

Uncertainties-at-AH-IoP pdfDownload
AH Uncertainties

Below is attached various useful documents to assist you in this vital part of the course. It is when you begin to use this material when going through your own experiments that it will become clear. Take time to read and understand it.

AH uncertainties summary notes 2013 These are a great set of notes produced by SSERC.

Here is a pdf of the talk I did for Physics teachers on Uncertainties in AH Physics. If you want the powerpoint you’ll need to get in touch as it is 1GB!

AH-Uncertainties-2021.pptxDownload

Below is the presentation. It was made for teachers, but there are quite a few bits suitable for students. Maybe I should edit it for students. Let me know..

20210909-AH-Intro-2021.pptxDownload

UPSN Uncerts These are the content statements covering this topic from the May 2016 Course Support Notes.

ppp graph uncertsAH physics graphical uncertainties

AH Uncert N Fancey G Millar AH Uncerts

Uncertainties notes Mrs Physics’ AH Uncertainty Notes based on the pdf file by N Fancey and G Millar.

AH uncertainties experiments 2013  Experiment sheets produced by SSERC.

AH uncertainties tutorial 2013  Questions from Robert Gordon College.

AH uncertainties tutorial solutions 2013 The solutions from Robert Gordon College. Q1 updated. I’ll need to check through the rest.

Measure gd practice

Measurung gd practice

Use this document very sparingly, it is not compatible with some of the AH mark scheme, especially in that it recommends you always round UP in an uncertainty. This is NOT what you should do at AH.- You’ve been warned! Contact me if you have concerns.

OHIO_uncertainty_notes Ohio

SigFigsUS SigfigUS

reading a micrometer   micrometer

Reading the Vernier Scale on the Travelling Microscope

vernier
Use of Linest

Linest

Hope these help you through your course. I suggest you read them through several times and quite carefully.

Here is a link to a presentation I gave for the IoP on AH Uncertainties. It is worth AH students checking it out.

AH-uncertainties/

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December 2020

Background documents- a handy place to find them

CfE AH traffic light sheets Traffic Light document in excel to monitor your progress.

AH Physics Data Sheet The data sheet that you’ll find in the exam papers. Make sure you keep a copy for SQA practice questions.

CfE AH relationship sheet The relationship sheet, containing formulae for AH, H, a few maths equations and a periodic table.

Course Support Notes May 2016 Published by the SQA the latest Course Support Notes. Check the landscape pages for the content and context of the AH Physics Course.

Physics Course Adv Higher

Physics Resource Guide AdvH

Physics AH Open Ended Questions

need a piece of graph paper? Print some off here! multiwidth graph grey

AH Physics Project Advice for Teachers Here is another place to find Tom B’s document on completing projects. Dated January 2017.

 

Here is a useful document, but beware, the symbols included are non standard for AH Physics! You’ve been warned.

lc_physics_teachers_guide

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