AQA A Level Physics
Paper 1 2026 | Study
Guide, Practice Questions,
Answers, Rationales &
Exam Review | Complete
Ethics Study Guide
Updated 2026 Questions and Answers
100% Verified Exam Prep and Comprehensive
Rationales
Included
, What is meant by work function (2) Minimum energy required by an electron to escape from (1) a metal surface (1)
What is meant by ionisation energy? (2) Minimum energy required to remove an electron from an atom (1) from the ground
state (1)
Why do emitted electrons have a kinetic energy that varies Energy of a photon is fixed/constant (1)
up to a maximum value? (4) Energy is required for electrons to overcome work function ø (1)
Electrons deeper into/below the surface of the metal require more energy to
overcome work function and therefore have less KE(1)
Maximum KE = Energy of photon - work function ø (1)
Explain how (bright ring) diagram is evidence of the wave- Diffraction pattern maxima/minima (bright and dark areas) (1)
particle duality of electrons? Diffraction is a property of waves- proves wave-behaviour of electrons (1)
What is meant by the ground state? The lowest energy state of an atom
Explain the difference between excitation and ionisation (2) An electron receives a discrete amount of energy for BOTH (1)
Excitation promotes an electron to a higher energy level
Ionisation is when an electron receives enough energy to leave the atom
Explain why only photons of certain frequencies cause discrete energy levels (1)
excitation (4) Electrons need to absorb a DISCRETE amount of energy to move to a higher
energy level (1)
Photons need to have a certain frequency to provide this energy, because E=hf (1)
interaction is a 1:1 reaction all of the photon's energy is absorbed (1)
Explain how excitation takes place in a fluorescent tube Electrons flow through the tube to the applied PD causing a current to flow (1)
Electrons collide with mercury atoms in the tube (1)
This raises electrons in the mercury atom to a higher energy level (1)
What is the purpose of coating in a fluorescent tube? UV/ High energy photons emitted from mercury atoms when the electrons in the
atom de-excite (1)
High energy photons absorbed by the coating (1)
Coating emits photons in the visible spectrum (1)
What happens when annihilation occurs? (2) particle and an anti-particle collide and cease to exist (1)
Their mass is released as energy in the form of a pair of gamma photons (1)
How does the strong nuclear force between two nucleons repulsive at < 0.5 fm (1)
vary with the separation of the nucleons? (3) attractive from 0.5 to 3 fm (1)
above 3 fm, force 0 (1)
What is meant by monochromatic light light of a single frequency
Paper 1 2026 | Study
Guide, Practice Questions,
Answers, Rationales &
Exam Review | Complete
Ethics Study Guide
Updated 2026 Questions and Answers
100% Verified Exam Prep and Comprehensive
Rationales
Included
, What is meant by work function (2) Minimum energy required by an electron to escape from (1) a metal surface (1)
What is meant by ionisation energy? (2) Minimum energy required to remove an electron from an atom (1) from the ground
state (1)
Why do emitted electrons have a kinetic energy that varies Energy of a photon is fixed/constant (1)
up to a maximum value? (4) Energy is required for electrons to overcome work function ø (1)
Electrons deeper into/below the surface of the metal require more energy to
overcome work function and therefore have less KE(1)
Maximum KE = Energy of photon - work function ø (1)
Explain how (bright ring) diagram is evidence of the wave- Diffraction pattern maxima/minima (bright and dark areas) (1)
particle duality of electrons? Diffraction is a property of waves- proves wave-behaviour of electrons (1)
What is meant by the ground state? The lowest energy state of an atom
Explain the difference between excitation and ionisation (2) An electron receives a discrete amount of energy for BOTH (1)
Excitation promotes an electron to a higher energy level
Ionisation is when an electron receives enough energy to leave the atom
Explain why only photons of certain frequencies cause discrete energy levels (1)
excitation (4) Electrons need to absorb a DISCRETE amount of energy to move to a higher
energy level (1)
Photons need to have a certain frequency to provide this energy, because E=hf (1)
interaction is a 1:1 reaction all of the photon's energy is absorbed (1)
Explain how excitation takes place in a fluorescent tube Electrons flow through the tube to the applied PD causing a current to flow (1)
Electrons collide with mercury atoms in the tube (1)
This raises electrons in the mercury atom to a higher energy level (1)
What is the purpose of coating in a fluorescent tube? UV/ High energy photons emitted from mercury atoms when the electrons in the
atom de-excite (1)
High energy photons absorbed by the coating (1)
Coating emits photons in the visible spectrum (1)
What happens when annihilation occurs? (2) particle and an anti-particle collide and cease to exist (1)
Their mass is released as energy in the form of a pair of gamma photons (1)
How does the strong nuclear force between two nucleons repulsive at < 0.5 fm (1)
vary with the separation of the nucleons? (3) attractive from 0.5 to 3 fm (1)
above 3 fm, force 0 (1)
What is meant by monochromatic light light of a single frequency
