GCE A-Level H2 Physics Full Syllabus Notes
Legend:
Those highlighted in yellow are official learning outcomes from syllabus document
Those in RED are important equations, examples, keywords & definitions
Blue* are things of importance/keywords to take note of
TIPS are tips/procedures for commonly asked questions
Those in PURPLE are derivations
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Content Page 1
1 Measurement 5
Concept 1: Base Units 5
Concept 2: Errors & Uncertainties 6
Concept 3: Vectors 8
2 Kinematics 10
Concept 1: Graph drawing & definitions 10
Concept 2: Kinematics equations 11
Concept 3: 2D Kinematics 13
3 Dynamics 15
Concept 1: Newton’s law of motion 15
Concept 2: Principle of conservation of linear momentum 17
4 Forces 19
Concept 1: Types of Forces 19
Concept 2: Turning effect of Forces(Moments ) 19
Concept 3: Equilibrium of forces 20
Concept 4: Upthrust 21
5 Work, Energy and Power 24
Concept 1: Work Done 24
Concept 2: Form of Energy & Principle of Conservation of Energy 25
2.1 Kinetic Energy 26
2.2 Gravitational Potential Energy 27
2.3 Elastic Potential Energy 27
Concept 3: Power 29
6 Motion in a Circle 30
Concept 1: Equations, terminologies & uniform circular motion explanation 30
Concept 2: Common question types & procedures 33
2.1 Horizontal Uniform Circular Motion 33
2.2 Vertical Circular Motion 34
2.3 Cars Banking 35
7 Gravitational Field 37
Concept 1: Gravitational force & Gravitational field strength 37
Concept 2: Gravitational potential energy & Gravitational potential 40
Concept 3: [Circular Motion] Satellites & Orbits & Apparent weight 41
Concept 4: [Conservation of Energy] Moving from point to point & Escape velocity 46
8 Oscillation 47
Concept 1: Simple harmonic motion 47
1
, Concept 2: Energy in SHM 52
2.1 Relationship between energy and displacement 52
2.2 Relationship between energy and time 54
Concept 3: Resonance, Damping & Forced oscillation 54
9 Waves 59
Concept 1: Mechanical, EM, Transverse, Longitudinal waves & Terminologies 59
Concept 2: Graphical representation of waves 62
2.1.1 Displacement - position graph for transverse waves 62
2.1.2 Displacement position graph for longitudinal waves 63
2.2 Displacement - time graph 65
Concept 3: Phase & Phase difference 66
3.1.1 Phase difference for a point on a wave at 2 time instances on a displacement - time graph 66
3.1.2 Phase difference between 2 points on a wave on a displacement - position graph 66
3.2.1 Phase difference between 2 points on the same wave on displacement - time graph 66
3.2.2 Phase difference between 2 different waves 66
Concept 4: Energy & Polarisation 67
10 Superposition 70
Concept 1: Principle of superposition, destructive & constructive interference 70
1.1 Principle of superposition 70
1.2 Interference 70
1.2.1 Destructive interference 70
1.2.2 Constructive interference 71
1.2.3 Destructive/Constructive interference when waves are from 2 sources in phase 71
1.2.4 Destructive/Constructive interference when waves are from 2 sources in antiphase 72
Concept 2: Young’s double slit 73
Concept 3: Diffraction grating 76
Concept 4: Single slit + Rayleigh’s criterion 78
Concept 5: Stationary waves 81
5.1 Stationary waves in strings(Transverse) 82
5.2 Stationary waves in air columns(Longitudinal) 83
5.2.1 Open Pipe 83
5.2.2 Closed Pipe 84
5.2.3 End Correction 84
5.2.4 Pressure 85
11 Thermal Physics 87
Concept 1: Temperature, Thermal Equilibrium & Temperature Scales 87
Concept 2: Heat Transfer & Internal Energy 88
2.1 Heat Transfer 88
2.2 Internal Energy 90
Concept 3: Ideal Gas 90
Concept 4: State of a System 93
4.1 Isothermal process(Constant temperature) 94
4.2 Isovolumetric process(Constant volume) 95
2
, 4.3 Adiabatic process(No heat transfer) 96
4.4 Isobaric process(Constant pressure) 97
4.5 Cyclic process 97
12 Electric Field 99
Concept 1: Electric Force & Electric Field 99
Concept 2: Electric Potential Energy & Electric Potential 101
Concept 3: Relationship between E-Force/Electric Potential Energy & E-Field/Electric Potential 103
Concept 4: Parallel Plate 108
13 Current of Electricity/Direct Current Circuits 110
Concept 1: Current of Electricity 110
Concept 2: Direct Current Circuits 115
14 Electromagnetism 120
Concept 1: Magnetic Fields due to Current 120
1.1 Long straight current-carrying conductor 120
1.2 Flat circular coil 121
1.3 Long solenoid 122
Concept 2: Force On/Between Current-Carrying Conductors 123
Concept 3: Magnetic Force on a Moving Electric Charge 127
Concept 4: Moving Electric Charge in a Magnetic & Electric Field Concurrently 129
15 Electromagnetic Induction 132
Concept 1: Magnetic flux 132
Concept 2: Laws of Electromagnetic Induction 133
Concept 3: Eddy Currents 135
Concept 4: Applications - AC Generator & Faraday’s Disc 136
16 Alternating Current 140
Concept 1: Alternating Current 140
1.1 Alternating current & root-mean-square values 140
1.2 Root-mean-square values for sinusoidal AC 141
Concept 2: Transformers & Rectification 142
2.1 Transformers 142
2.2 Half-wave Rectification 144
17 Quantum Physics 147
Concept 1: The Photoelectric Effect 147
Concept 2: Atomic Structure & Line Spectra 153
2.1 Atomic structure 153
2.2 Line spectra 154
2.2.1 Emission line spectra 156
2.2.2 Absorption line spectra 157
Concept 3: X-Ray Spectra 157
3.1 Bremsstrahlung process (The broad continuous spectrum) 158
3.2 Characteristic lines 158
Concept 4: Wave-Particle Duality & Uncertainty Principle 160
18 Nuclear Physics 163
3
, Concept 1: Basics of Nuclear Physics 163
1.1 Rutherford’s Alpha-Particle Scattering Experiment 163
1.2 Properties of the Nucleus + Nuclear Reactions and Conservation Laws 163
1.3 Nuclear Force and Nuclear Binding Energy 164
Concept 2: Radioactive Decay 167
2.1 Types of Radioactive Decay 167
2.1.1 Alpha Decay 168
2.1.2 Beta Decay 169
2.1.3 Gamma Decay 170
2.1.4 Properties of the Radioactive Emissions 170
2.2 Laws of Radioactive Decay 170
2.3 Radiation Hazard 173
Definitions Summary 175
4
, 1 Measurement
Concept 1: Base Units
(a) recall the following 7 base quantities and their SI units:
Base Quantities SI Units
Mass kg
Length m
Time s
Current A
Temperature K
Amount of substance mol
Luminous intensity(not in syllabus) cd
(b) express derived units as products or quotients of the base units and use the named units listed in
‘Summary of Key Quantities, Symbols and Units’ as appropriate
An example would be Area, which is = length ×breadth. Both length and breadth are defined in terms of
base quantity, length(m). Hence the unit for area would be m2
−2
Another example is F=m[kg] ×a[ms-2], hence the SI base units for force would be 𝑘𝑔𝑚𝑠
(c) use SI base units to check the homogeneity of physical equations
For an equation to be physically possible, terms on both sides of the equation MUST have the same units
when expressed in SI base units
Note* A homogeneous equation need not be physically correct since coefficients are not taken into
2
account when looking at SI base units eg. 𝐸 = 3𝑚𝑣 has same SI base units as KE but the equation is
1 2
incorrect as 𝐾𝐸 = 2
𝑚𝑣
(e) use the following prefixes and their symbols to indicate decimal sub-multiples or multiples of both
base and derived units: pico (p), nano (n), micro (μ), milli (m), centi (c), deci (d), kilo (k), mega (M), giga
(G), tera (T)
5
Legend:
Those highlighted in yellow are official learning outcomes from syllabus document
Those in RED are important equations, examples, keywords & definitions
Blue* are things of importance/keywords to take note of
TIPS are tips/procedures for commonly asked questions
Those in PURPLE are derivations
, Content Page
(Click to get there)
Content Page 1
1 Measurement 5
Concept 1: Base Units 5
Concept 2: Errors & Uncertainties 6
Concept 3: Vectors 8
2 Kinematics 10
Concept 1: Graph drawing & definitions 10
Concept 2: Kinematics equations 11
Concept 3: 2D Kinematics 13
3 Dynamics 15
Concept 1: Newton’s law of motion 15
Concept 2: Principle of conservation of linear momentum 17
4 Forces 19
Concept 1: Types of Forces 19
Concept 2: Turning effect of Forces(Moments ) 19
Concept 3: Equilibrium of forces 20
Concept 4: Upthrust 21
5 Work, Energy and Power 24
Concept 1: Work Done 24
Concept 2: Form of Energy & Principle of Conservation of Energy 25
2.1 Kinetic Energy 26
2.2 Gravitational Potential Energy 27
2.3 Elastic Potential Energy 27
Concept 3: Power 29
6 Motion in a Circle 30
Concept 1: Equations, terminologies & uniform circular motion explanation 30
Concept 2: Common question types & procedures 33
2.1 Horizontal Uniform Circular Motion 33
2.2 Vertical Circular Motion 34
2.3 Cars Banking 35
7 Gravitational Field 37
Concept 1: Gravitational force & Gravitational field strength 37
Concept 2: Gravitational potential energy & Gravitational potential 40
Concept 3: [Circular Motion] Satellites & Orbits & Apparent weight 41
Concept 4: [Conservation of Energy] Moving from point to point & Escape velocity 46
8 Oscillation 47
Concept 1: Simple harmonic motion 47
1
, Concept 2: Energy in SHM 52
2.1 Relationship between energy and displacement 52
2.2 Relationship between energy and time 54
Concept 3: Resonance, Damping & Forced oscillation 54
9 Waves 59
Concept 1: Mechanical, EM, Transverse, Longitudinal waves & Terminologies 59
Concept 2: Graphical representation of waves 62
2.1.1 Displacement - position graph for transverse waves 62
2.1.2 Displacement position graph for longitudinal waves 63
2.2 Displacement - time graph 65
Concept 3: Phase & Phase difference 66
3.1.1 Phase difference for a point on a wave at 2 time instances on a displacement - time graph 66
3.1.2 Phase difference between 2 points on a wave on a displacement - position graph 66
3.2.1 Phase difference between 2 points on the same wave on displacement - time graph 66
3.2.2 Phase difference between 2 different waves 66
Concept 4: Energy & Polarisation 67
10 Superposition 70
Concept 1: Principle of superposition, destructive & constructive interference 70
1.1 Principle of superposition 70
1.2 Interference 70
1.2.1 Destructive interference 70
1.2.2 Constructive interference 71
1.2.3 Destructive/Constructive interference when waves are from 2 sources in phase 71
1.2.4 Destructive/Constructive interference when waves are from 2 sources in antiphase 72
Concept 2: Young’s double slit 73
Concept 3: Diffraction grating 76
Concept 4: Single slit + Rayleigh’s criterion 78
Concept 5: Stationary waves 81
5.1 Stationary waves in strings(Transverse) 82
5.2 Stationary waves in air columns(Longitudinal) 83
5.2.1 Open Pipe 83
5.2.2 Closed Pipe 84
5.2.3 End Correction 84
5.2.4 Pressure 85
11 Thermal Physics 87
Concept 1: Temperature, Thermal Equilibrium & Temperature Scales 87
Concept 2: Heat Transfer & Internal Energy 88
2.1 Heat Transfer 88
2.2 Internal Energy 90
Concept 3: Ideal Gas 90
Concept 4: State of a System 93
4.1 Isothermal process(Constant temperature) 94
4.2 Isovolumetric process(Constant volume) 95
2
, 4.3 Adiabatic process(No heat transfer) 96
4.4 Isobaric process(Constant pressure) 97
4.5 Cyclic process 97
12 Electric Field 99
Concept 1: Electric Force & Electric Field 99
Concept 2: Electric Potential Energy & Electric Potential 101
Concept 3: Relationship between E-Force/Electric Potential Energy & E-Field/Electric Potential 103
Concept 4: Parallel Plate 108
13 Current of Electricity/Direct Current Circuits 110
Concept 1: Current of Electricity 110
Concept 2: Direct Current Circuits 115
14 Electromagnetism 120
Concept 1: Magnetic Fields due to Current 120
1.1 Long straight current-carrying conductor 120
1.2 Flat circular coil 121
1.3 Long solenoid 122
Concept 2: Force On/Between Current-Carrying Conductors 123
Concept 3: Magnetic Force on a Moving Electric Charge 127
Concept 4: Moving Electric Charge in a Magnetic & Electric Field Concurrently 129
15 Electromagnetic Induction 132
Concept 1: Magnetic flux 132
Concept 2: Laws of Electromagnetic Induction 133
Concept 3: Eddy Currents 135
Concept 4: Applications - AC Generator & Faraday’s Disc 136
16 Alternating Current 140
Concept 1: Alternating Current 140
1.1 Alternating current & root-mean-square values 140
1.2 Root-mean-square values for sinusoidal AC 141
Concept 2: Transformers & Rectification 142
2.1 Transformers 142
2.2 Half-wave Rectification 144
17 Quantum Physics 147
Concept 1: The Photoelectric Effect 147
Concept 2: Atomic Structure & Line Spectra 153
2.1 Atomic structure 153
2.2 Line spectra 154
2.2.1 Emission line spectra 156
2.2.2 Absorption line spectra 157
Concept 3: X-Ray Spectra 157
3.1 Bremsstrahlung process (The broad continuous spectrum) 158
3.2 Characteristic lines 158
Concept 4: Wave-Particle Duality & Uncertainty Principle 160
18 Nuclear Physics 163
3
, Concept 1: Basics of Nuclear Physics 163
1.1 Rutherford’s Alpha-Particle Scattering Experiment 163
1.2 Properties of the Nucleus + Nuclear Reactions and Conservation Laws 163
1.3 Nuclear Force and Nuclear Binding Energy 164
Concept 2: Radioactive Decay 167
2.1 Types of Radioactive Decay 167
2.1.1 Alpha Decay 168
2.1.2 Beta Decay 169
2.1.3 Gamma Decay 170
2.1.4 Properties of the Radioactive Emissions 170
2.2 Laws of Radioactive Decay 170
2.3 Radiation Hazard 173
Definitions Summary 175
4
, 1 Measurement
Concept 1: Base Units
(a) recall the following 7 base quantities and their SI units:
Base Quantities SI Units
Mass kg
Length m
Time s
Current A
Temperature K
Amount of substance mol
Luminous intensity(not in syllabus) cd
(b) express derived units as products or quotients of the base units and use the named units listed in
‘Summary of Key Quantities, Symbols and Units’ as appropriate
An example would be Area, which is = length ×breadth. Both length and breadth are defined in terms of
base quantity, length(m). Hence the unit for area would be m2
−2
Another example is F=m[kg] ×a[ms-2], hence the SI base units for force would be 𝑘𝑔𝑚𝑠
(c) use SI base units to check the homogeneity of physical equations
For an equation to be physically possible, terms on both sides of the equation MUST have the same units
when expressed in SI base units
Note* A homogeneous equation need not be physically correct since coefficients are not taken into
2
account when looking at SI base units eg. 𝐸 = 3𝑚𝑣 has same SI base units as KE but the equation is
1 2
incorrect as 𝐾𝐸 = 2
𝑚𝑣
(e) use the following prefixes and their symbols to indicate decimal sub-multiples or multiples of both
base and derived units: pico (p), nano (n), micro (μ), milli (m), centi (c), deci (d), kilo (k), mega (M), giga
(G), tera (T)
5
