AS Physics
Taught in this order — Physics-Syllabus-short.tex — Syllabus Overview in Teaching Order (2026–2027)
1Physical quantities and units weeks 1–2
1.1 Physical quantities all covered 9/9 sheet questions
- Magnitude and unit of a physical quantity
- Reasonable estimates of physical quantities
1.2 SI units 0/11 sheet questions
- SI base quantities and units: mass, length, time, current, temperature
- Derived units as products and quotients of base units
- Homogeneity of physical equations
- Prefixes and their symbols, pico to tera
Coming soon
1.3 Errors and uncertainties 0/12 sheet questions
- Systematic errors, including zero errors, and random errors
- Precision and accuracy
- Uncertainty in a derived quantity by addition of absolute or percentage uncertainties
Coming soon
1.4 Scalars and vectors 0/12 sheet questions
- Scalar and vector quantities
- Addition and subtraction of coplanar vectors
- Representing a vector as two perpendicular components
Coming soon
2Kinematics weeks 3–5
2.1 Equations of motion 0/11 sheet questions
- Distance, displacement, speed, velocity and acceleration
- Graphical representation of motion
- Displacement from the area under a velocity–time graph
- Velocity and acceleration from the gradients of graphs
- Derivation of the equations of uniformly accelerated motion
- Problems on uniformly accelerated motion, including free fall
- Experiment to determine the acceleration of free fall
- Projectile motion
Coming soon
3Dynamics weeks 6–8
3.1 Momentum and Newton’s laws of motion 0/10 sheet questions
- Mass as the property that resists change in motion
- F = ma, with resultant force and acceleration in the same direction
- Linear momentum p = mv
- Force as rate of change of momentum
- Newton's three laws of motion
- Weight as the effect of a gravitational field, W = mg
Coming soon
3.2 Non-uniform motion 0/10 sheet questions
- Frictional and viscous or drag forces, including air resistance
- Motion in a uniform gravitational field with air resistance
- Terminal velocity
Coming soon
3.3 Linear momentum and its conservation 0/10 sheet questions
- The principle of conservation of momentum
- Elastic and inelastic interactions in one and two dimensions
- Relative speed of approach and of separation in an elastic collision
- Conservation of momentum where kinetic energy changes
Coming soon