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Unit 0 Uncertainties
Learning outcomes, Notes, Tutorials and answers

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GHS 22-23 Uncertainties_Summary LOC'sNotes and Problems v1-0 (2)

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In Advanced Higher Physics you will build on your previous knowledge built up during Higher Physics. Many topics are expanded upon and further explored while many new concepts are introduced. It will test your understand and application of knowledge to real world situations and give you a well rounded knowledge of how physics applies to everything around you

Higher Physics is an excellent course for progressing into a career in science. It develops problem solving skills and analytical skills that many careers/university courses are looking for. Many AH physics follow careers in science, engineering and many areas of STEM.

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CfE AH Physics Q&W Summary Notes & Learning Outcomes GHS.doc

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Advanced Higher Specification

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Pupil notes, Learning Outcomes and Definitions

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2002 Unit 1 - Part 1 - Rotational Motion Notes

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By converting our sims to HTML5, we make them seamlessly available across platforms and devices. Whether you have laptops, iPads, chromebooks, or BYOD, your favorite PhET sims are always right at your fingertips.Become part of our mission today, and transform the learning experiences of students everywhere!

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Unit 0 (June ) Uncertainties)
Through a pendulum investigation we will study all uncertainties to be considered in experimental work.

We will also become experts at using Excel!

Unit 1 Rotational motion and astrophysics

Unit 2 Quanta and waves

Unit 3 Electromagnetism

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Pages 6 to 23 Gives you all the Advanced Higher Physics course content

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Using John Sharkey’s Flash Learning this video covers the required Virtual CfE Advanced Higher Physics Equations. NB there are some updates to equations since this material was produced.

Click on the image to open the Relationships Sheet.

Here is a little video to remind you of the relationships required at AH. See below for updates

Please note

December 2020

With the great Professor Jim Al-Khalili

Part 2 of 2 with Professor Jim Al-Khalili, he really is as nice in real life! Eat your heart out Brian Cox, Jim is MILES, I mean M-I-L-E-S better!

Resources: Notes and video (flash learning AH CfE Virtual Physics)

Read the notes, watch the video and answer the questions below, in a way that makes them form a good note about the subject.

1. What three pieces of key evidence didn’t fit with classical physics?

2. In 1911 Rutherford put forward his model of the atom, a) State the important features of this model b) What provides the centripetal force for the electrons in this model?

3. Describe black body radiation.

4. State two changes with the black body radiation curve as temperature increases.

5. Describe the UV catastrophe.

6. Who helped solve the UV catastrophe and in what ways?

7. Which piece of the photoelectric effect experiment demonstrates that energy is not transferred as waves?

8. From the photoelectric effect state the link between the energy of the photon and a) the frequency of the radiation, b) the wavelength

9. What did Bohr postulate about angular momentum?

10. State the formula for angular momentum in Bohr’s model of the atom, (define each term)

11. State the limits for the Bohr model of the atom

12. Explain the observation made by GP Thomson in 1920 which led to further debate on the issue.

13. What did de Broglie imply was the link between electrons as waves and particles?

14. Explain the confusion caused when looking at the double slit experiment with single particles.

15. What happens when you observe an electron passing through the slit?

16. What two quantities cannot be measured together with much certainty and why?

John Sharkey’s Virtual Physics CfE AH Particles from Space

John Sharkey’ SHMs Virtual Physics CfE AH

John Sharkey’s Waves Virtual Physics CfE AH

This is additional support for travelling waves

Here is a nice little video on Standing Waves. Standing waves are formed when a wave interferes with its reflection to produce nodes and antinodes.

…..and here is the explanation for the standing wave video

John Sharkey’s Interference Virtual Physics CfE AH

John Sharkey’s CfE AH Polarisation

Below are some cracking resources from Sally Weatherly, find her here!

Resources

Below are some accumulated resources. Thanks to all of those who produced them.

ah-quanta-summary notes problems-2015 Thanks to RGC for these notes

quanta-and-waves-student-booklet-i-ror Thanks to Mr Orr for these.

Quanta and Waves Student booklet I ROR pdf version of the above

4.2 Energy changes during simple harmonic motion

ah waves summary notes and problems 2013 RGC notes thanks for these

PhysicsQuantaandWaves_tcm4-726389 Andrew McGuigan Numerical Questions

ah quanta summary notes and problems 2015 LA

ah quanta tutorial solutions 2015

ah uncertainties experiments 2013

ah waves summary notes and problems 2013

ah waves tutorial solutions 2013

Quanta

glossary-of-terms-table2

stellar  physics pdf       stellar physics.doc

Properties_of_stars_and_stellar_evolution

electrons-exhibit-both-wave

cosmic-rays A quick research task on cosmic rays.

cosmic-rays-answers The answers to the sheet above.

solar-wind-magnetosphere

solar-wind-magnetosphere-answers

Scientist think that the Earth is due a “Magnetic Flip” Research this starting at the link below and then answer the AH Revised question on this from the 2015 Paper Q11

Here is a Radio 4 programme talking about the consequences of a polar flip. If you want to view further programmes click on the link below.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/curious case of Rutherford and Fry

https://www.physics.org/facts/frog-magnetic-field.asp

soho_fact_sheet

The number of sunspots is an indication of solar activity. Research this and then complete the AH Revised 2013 paper Q6.

quantum-mechanics

unit-2-part-1-quanta-notes

Quantum Tunnelling – strange but true

Background

What is the Uncertainty Principle? Minute Physics

Quantum Tunnelling is the process by which a particle gets across a barrier that it cannot classically pass.

It is related to wave-particle duality in that it is a result of the wave nature of a particle.

The probability of the particles getting through the barrier drops exponentially with the thickness of the barrier.

“>What is Quantum Tunnelling? Minute Physics

How to walk through walls- Quantum Tunnelling

Is Quantum Tunnelling faster than the speed of light?

Quantum Entanglement

Waves

shm-intro

unit-2-part-2-waves-notes

shm INTRO

PhysicsQuantaandWaves_tcm4-726389

Tutorial AH Revised Booklet v2

AH (SHM)

December 2020

An adaptation of Tom Balanowski’s notes by Mr Bailey. This is a useful guide to teachers preparing students for their AH Physics Project. PLANNING is the KEY.

If you are not familiar with Excel can I recommend you spending a bit of time looking over the post in the BGE section (link below). I’ll add a further advanced part for you below.

Other packages are available and some are more robust such as R but I am not sure whether I will introduce that to you now.

https://www.mrsphysics.co.uk/advanced/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Hookes-Law-Table-in-Excel.mp4

June 2020

Plotting graphs in Excel is coming this way soon!

Firstly from me

check out the prefixes you need. Notice anything different?

Yep, know your femto from you nano, and your Peta from your Tera!

I am grateful to Ms K Ward from George Heriot’s School for trawling through the new and old curriculum and recording the changes. Thanks also for allowing me to reproduce it here.

Assessment

Old assessment: 100 mark question paper, 30 mark project, plus pass all the units

New assessment: 155 mark question paper, scaled to 120, 40 mark project (hence project is 25%)

Changes to content:

The content is no longer divided into ‘mandatory course key areas’, ‘suggested learning activities’, and ‘exemplification of key areas’.  There is simply a list of the course contents.

Where the wording has changed but I don’t see any real difference, I have said ‘no change’.

RMA

Kinematic relationships – no change

Angular motion – derivation of centripetal acceleration equation is gone

Rotational dynamics – no change

Gravitation

–       ‘Conversion between astronomical units (AU) and metres and between light-years (ly) and metres’ – is new

–       ‘Consideration of the energy required by a satellite to move from one orbit to another’ – is gone

General Relativity

–       ‘Knowledge that the escape velocity from the event horizon of a black hole is equal to the speed of light’ – is new

Stellar physics

has changed to

Specific example of  a p-p chain is now given

Hertzprung-Russell section is rewritten more clearly.

Quanta and Waves

Introduction to quantum theory – no change

Particles from space

–       ‘Knowledge of the interaction of the solar wind with Earth’s magnetic field’ – is gone.  New document only mentions composition of solar wind.  Helical motion of charged particles is still there though, so it might not really matter.

Simple harmonic motion (SHM)– no change

Waves – no change

Interference

Relationship for interference due to division of amplitude is now specified,
opd=mλ or (m+1/2) λ where m=0,1,2…

Polarisation – no change

Electromagnetism

Fields

–       ‘Knowledge of Millikan’s experimental method for determining the charge on an electron’ – this was in ‘exemplification’ before but is now specifically required knowledge

–       ‘Comparison of gravitational, electrostatic, magnetic, and nuclear forces in terms of their relative strength and range’ – the words in bold are new

Circuits

–       ‘Knowledge that, in an RC circuit, an uncharged capacitor can be considered to be fully

charged after a time approximately equal to 5τ.  Knowledge that, in an RC circuit, a fully charged capacitor can be considered to be fully discharged after a time approximately equal to 5τ.’ – is new

Electromagnetic radiation– no change

Uncertainties

Knowledge and use of appropriate units, prefixes and scientific notation

Data analysis

–       ‘Absolute uncertainty should normally be rounded to one significant figure. In some instances, a second significant figure may be retained.’ – the words in bold are new.  It does not specify the instances in which a second figure may be retained.

–       ‘Knowledge that, when uncertainties in a single measurement are combined, an uncertainty can be ignored if it is less than one third of one of the other uncertainties in the measurement’ – is new

–       ‘Knowledge that, when uncertainties in measured values are combined, a fractional/percentage uncertainty in a measured value can be ignored if it is less than one third of the fractional/percentage uncertainty in another measured value’ – is new

–       The equation for the uncertainty in a value raised to a power is now given:

Evaluation and significance of experimental uncertainties

–       This short section is new

The AH today were working in 3 groups to research via practicals and notes about SHM. The task is given below. Well done to Morford and Hodgson who created the following from their practical, with very little assistance. Their results were so good I thought I’d share them.

Mr Morford wrote
“These graphs are from our recent experiment to determine the effect of damping on an oscillating mass. A mass was hung from a spring over an Alba Ranger ultrasound device. We then analysed our measurements using excel and graphed our results to find the decay due to damping.”
Morford & Hodgson (2019)

Check out the great phase lag and the obvious proof of SHM showing a is proportional to -ky

The period isn’t constant because the spring started moving with horizontal motion but the amplitude certainly deteriorated

I’ll need to check this….but it looks good!

This was the task for the class and my thanks to the IoP for their Practical Physics lessons and to the other places referenced for some great practical techniques. I will neaten this post later, but I promised Morford and Hodgson that I would post tonight!

Hopefully I can collate the rest of the groups information soon.

By the end of the lesson you should……

You to have the spring constant for two of the springs by two different methods.

A graph of d against t, v against t, and a against t

A value of the period of spring for various masses

Discovered the effect of amplitude on the period Found the effect of damping (so find out what that is)

https://www.webassign.net/question_assets/ncsucalcphysmechl3/lab_7_1/manual.html

https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/undergraduate/preparing-for-university/stem/Physics/stem-legacy-SHM.aspx

https://www.cyberphysics.co.uk/topics/shm/springs.htm

http://practicalphysics.org/investigating-mass-spring-oscillator.html

2020

Despite Covid-19 the intrepid AH students have been showing damping with a pendulum bob and tracker. The original movie has still to be analysed by our friends from Annan

This is Courault and Douglas with bob skimming the water and you can see some damping on the graph. Note the period remains constant but the amplitude, and hence energy is reduced. Well done Courault and Douglas, imortalised in your tracker movie!

This is Patterson and Pritchards attempt with bob fully immersed as it goes through its swing. You can see bob is far more damped! I think Pritchard was a little lazy with his identification of the edge of bob as that period is definitely changing! Compare this damping with the previous one. Well done to both of you!

Now if we can add Atwal, Burns, Carson and Morrin’s tracker we can have a full set for 2020 and you can look back with fondness at your time in AH, despite all the distancing.

Investigating a mass-on-spring oscillator

Demonstration

A mass suspended on a spring will oscillate after being displaced. The period of oscillation is affected by the amount of mass and the stiffness of the spring. This experiment allows the period, displacement, velocity and acceleration to be investigated by datalogging the output from a motion sensor. It is an example of simple harmonic motion.

Analysis
Measurement of period
Period and Amplitude Observe that the period appears to be independent of amplitude.

Effect of mass
A straight line is the usual result, showing that the period squared is proportional to the mass.

Velocity and acceleration
A plot of the resulting data shows a ‘velocity vs. time’ graph. Note that the new graph is also sinusoidal. However, compared with the ‘distance vs. time’ graph, there is a phase difference – the velocity is a maximum when the displacement is zero, and vice versa.

A similar gradient calculation based on the ‘velocity vs. time’ graph yields an ‘acceleration vs. time’ graph. Comparing this with the original ‘distance vs. time’ graph shows a phase difference of 180°. This indicates that the acceleration is always opposite in direction to the displacement. Teaching notes

Aim: To find the force constant of a helical spring by plotting a graph between load and extension.

Aim: To find the effect of damping on an oscillating spring

Aim: To find the effect of mass on an oscillating spring

Aim: To use the formula for an oscillating spring to find m or k etc

December 2020

Here is a little document to start you on some revision. The answers are given at the end, but don’t cheat.

definitions RM&A pdf   definitions RM&A word

I’ll add some more on other topics later.

Thanks to H Stark for her 10 week Revision Plan, you’ve just enough time if you start NOW!

John Sharkey’s CfE AH Virtual Physics

John Sharkey’s Virtual CfE AH Physics-Magnetic Fields and Induction

John Sharkey’s Virtual CfE AH Physics-Capacitors

John Sharkey’s Virtual CfE AH Physics-Inductors

Far more than detail required but a great little video.

Far more than detail required but a great little video

John Sharkey’s Virtual CfE AH Physics- Unification of Electricity and Magnetism

PhysicsElectromagnetismAH_tcm4-726384 Questions on the electromagnetism topic

ah electromagnetism summary notes 2013 Robert Gordon’s College brilliant notes

ah electromagnetism problems 2013

AH (Electrical Phenomena)

Unit 3 – 1 Fields

CircuitsNotes4

These are great little notes by F Kastelein on Unit 3 Electromagnetism. A lovely summary

More video clips from John Sharkey’s Collections

Here is a great little video on Lenz’ Law called Michael’s Toys

March 2022

Complete

1. NAH 2016 pp Q1, 2

2. NAH 2017 pp Q1, 2, 3

3. NAH 2018 pp Q1, 2, 3

4. Complete all tutorials, mark them and hand them in for checking

5. Complete the SCHOLAR tests for the first 4 parts of Unit 1

6. Revise for an Assessment on Rotational Motion on 10th Sept.

SQA Physics Exam. This is what you’re working towards!

Afternoon in the Assembly Hall

Today is what you’ve worked for. Give it your best shot.

Don’t be late

Bring your

pen

pencil

ruler (30 cm)

eraser

calculator

protractor

…..and go to the loo before hand!

Hi Folks! I had planned to finish these before the October hols! Sorry too much on. This is as far as I’ve got and I’ll update it a.s.a.p.
If you update it let me know. I’ll put the answers into a table of 2 columns so that if you fold down the middle they can be cue cards.

Learny statements RM&A

AH definitions more

AH definitions

Going through past paper questions here is a list of the SQA recommended perfect answers

Type

Yr

Q No.

Answer

Trad

2001

4 b

a (OR F) is directly proportional to -x
Usual now to use -y rather than -x

Trad | 2001 | 5 aii | (Electrostatic potential at a point) is the work done per unit charge moveing the charge from infinity to the point

Trad

2001

11 a

electric field
vibrates in all directions in unpolarised light
vibrates in one plane only in polaried light

Trad | 2002 | 3 ci | velocity required by a body to escape earth gravitational field by reaching infinity
Trad | 2002 | 5 ai | diffraction pattern produced by electon beam
Trad | 2002 | 10 cii | wavelength has incerased therfore the source is moving away from the observer
Trad | 2006 | 3 ai | Force exerted on 1 kg (of mass) placed in the field
Trad | 2006 | 11 c | (Path length) in oil depends on angle of incidence or thickness ∴different colours are seen due to interference
Trad | 2009 | 8 b | One tesla is the magnetic induction of a magnetic field in which a conductor of length one metre, carrying a current of one ampere (perpendicular) to the field is acted on by a force of one newton.
Trad | 2009 | 9 ai | Division of amplitude is when some of the light reflects from the top of the air wedge and some is transmitted/refracted into the air. OR Some of the light is reflected from a surface of a new material/medium and some of the light is transmitted/refracted into the new material/medium.
Trad | 2009 | 10 a | A stationary wave is caused by interference effects between the incident and reflected sound.
Trad | 2009 | 10 b | The antinodes of the pattern are areas of maximum displacement/amplitude/disturbance The nodes of the pattern are areas of minimum/zero displacement/amplitude/disturbance
Trad | 2010 | 4 a | Total angular momentum before (an event) = total angular momentum after (an event) in the absence of external torques
Trad | 2010 | 6 bii | E-field is zero inside a hollow conductor. E-field has inverse square dependence outside the conductor.
Trad | 2010 | 11 a | unpolarised light => Electric field vector oscillates or vibrates in all planes polarised light => Electric field vector oscillates or vibrates in one plane
Trad | 2014 | 3 ai | The (minimum) velocity/speed that a mass must have to escape the gravitational field (of a planet).
Trad | 2014 | 4 ai | The unbalanced force/ acceleration is proportional to the displacement of the object and act in the opposite direction.
Rev | 2014 | 4 aii | The distance from the centre of a black hole at which not even light can escape. or The distance from the centre of a black hole to the event horizon.
Trad | 2014 | 5 di | Electron orbits a nucleus / proton , Angular momentum quantised or Certain allowed orbits / discrete energy level
Rev | 2014 | 6 aii | Photoelectric effect or Compton scattering Collision and transfer of energy
Rev | 2014 | 6 di | Electron orbits a nucleus / proton (1) Angular momentum quantised (1) or Certain allowed orbits / discrete energy level
Rev | 2014 | 8 a | The unbalanced force/ acceleration is proportional to the displacement of the object and act in the opposite direction.
Trad | 2014 | 11c | Wavelengths in the middle of the visible spectrum not reflected or destructively interfere. Red and blue reflected / combined to (form purple).
Trad | 2014 | 13 aii | The brightness would gradually reduce from a maximum at 0 degrees to no intensity at 90 degrees. It would then gradually increase in intensity from 90 degrees to 180 where it would again be at a maximum
Rev | 2015 | 1 c | The speed of the mass will be less. Second mark for correct justification. eg: Flywheel has greater moment of inertia  Flywheel will be more difficult to start moving  Smaller acceleration of flywheel  More energy required to achieve same angular velocity.
Rev | 2015 | 2 a | Massive objects curve spacetime Other objects follow a curved path through this (distorted) spacetime

Rev

2015

2 c

Time passes more slowly at lower altitudes (in a gravitational field).
or
Lower gravitational field strength at higher altitude.

Trad | 2015 | 3 biii | Potential is work done (per unit mass) moving from infinity to that point. or Infinity defined as zero potential. Work will be done by the field on the mass. or A negative amount of work will be done to move an object from infinity to any point. or WD by gravity in moving to that point or Force acts in opposite direction to r.
Rev | 2015 | 5 aiii | Difficult scale to read/information from diagram can only be read to 1 s.f.
Rev | 2015 | 6 ai | Force acting on (acceleration of) object is directly proportional to and in the opposite direction to its displacement. (from equilibrium)

Rev

2015

7 aii

l reduced (or f increased) for X-rays or >E transferred
D x reduced for X-rays
since D x D p ³ h/4 p
D p increases

Rev

2015

7 b

since DEDt³ h/4 p
Borrowing energy for a short period of time allows particles to escape

Rev | 2015 | 8 ai | Two sets of coherent waves are necessary (for an interference pattern) or (Interference patterns can be produced by) Division of wavefront.
Rev | 2015 | 9 ai | Force acts on particle at right angles to the direction of its velocity/motion or a central force on particle.
Rev | 2015 | 9 b | (Component of) velocity at right angles to field/ v sin θ, results in circular motion/central force. (Component of) velocity parallel to field/ v cosθ is constant/no unbalance force (in this direction).
Trad | 2015 | 9 bi | Magnetic fields/induction are equal in magnitude (½) and opposite in direction
Rev | 2015 | 10 ai | Force exerted per (unit) charge is constant at any point in the field
Rev | 2015 | 10 aiv | Any suitable answer eg  Systematic uncertainty in measuring d or V  Alignment of metre stick  The flame has a finite thickness so cannot get exactly to the zero point.  Factors causing field to be non-uniform.  A p.d. across the resistor for all readings.  Poor calibration of instruments measuring V or d.
Rev | 2015 | 10 b | Deflection is less. E is less. Force/acceleration is less
Rev | 2015 | 12 biii | Rate of change of current/magnetic field is at its maximum
Trad | 2016 | 5 ai | Frames of reference that are accelerating (with respect to an inertial frame)
Trad | 2016 | 5 aii | It is impossible to tell the difference between the effects of gravity and acceleration.

Trad

2016

8 aii

The precise position of a particle/ system and its momentum cannot both be known at the same instant. OR If the uncertainty in the energy of the
particle is reduced, the minimum
uncertainty in the lifetime of the
particle will increase (or vice-versa).

Trad | 2016 | 10 ai | displacement is proportional to and in the opposite direction to the acceleration

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Using John Sharkey’s Flash Learning this video covers the required Virtual CfE Advanced Higher Physics Equations. NB there are some updates to equations since this material was produced.

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At the end of each Unit there will be an assessment to give you an indication of where you are at. This will also help us give you any support that you need to achieve your best in Advanced Higher Physics.

Like in Higher, there is a prelim that gives us a much deeper understanding of how you are doing. This will mimic the Advanced Higher exam and give you some practice of sitting in an exam situation for an extended period of time.

This year the infamous 'Project' returns as part of the course. In June pupils will carry out an experiment that will allow these skills to develop.

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Each unit has its own Pupils notes which contains summary notes, Learning Outcomes and definitions. There is also a tutorial booklet.

You will also get a homework booklet that contains many homework exercises that you will be asked to complete on a regular basis.

You will also get an  Advanced Higher relationship sheet which should be brought to class at all times.

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AW Gryffe AH  Pendulum Acceleration due to Gravity Write up

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Set of sample data and also examples of suitable use of excel to carry out all calculations.

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Tutorial Questions

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Quanta and Waves Questions Tutorilals GHS

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GHS unit 3 ver 2 Electromagetism Summary notes

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Tutorials

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GHS 2022 Electromagnetism Tutorial Q ES (2)

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0sQElPXeHk

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Advanced Higher Physics | Rotational Motion | Displacement, Velocity & Acceleration | THEORY

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

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Advanced Higher Physics | Rotational Motion | Deriving the Equations of Motion | THEORY

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGTqTousdL8

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Advanced Higher Physics | Rotational Motion | Graphs of Motion | THEORY

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWkL6Rne8Qk

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Advanced Higher Physics | Rotational Motion | Angular Displacement, Velocity & Acceleration | THEORY

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfwUY9QFYd4

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Advanced Higher Physics | Rotational Motion | Equations of Angular Motion | THEORY

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z9_WYRpuJk

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Advanced Higher Physics | Rotational Motion | Linear vs. Angular Motion | THEORY

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v45KIjVEHmI

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Advanced Higher Physics | Rotational Motion | Uniform Motion in a Circle | THEORY

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fIJPFjuyZc

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Advanced Higher Physics | Rotational Motion | Centripetal Acceleration & Force | THEORY

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qzbEgU5Z5g

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Advanced Higher Physics | Rotational Motion | Moment of Inertia | THEORY

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

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Advanced Higher Physics | Rotational Motion | Torque | THEORY

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe7eToCdoik

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Advanced Higher Physics | Rotational Motion | Torque & Angular Acceleration | THEORY

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhq_8W7mRRs

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Advanced Higher Physics | Rotational Motion | Angular Momentum | THEORY

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF761g7YpiQ&feature=youtu.be

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Advanced Higher Physics | Rotational Motion | Conservation of Angular Momentum | THEORY

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvAofWWKY0g

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Advanced Higher Physics | Rotational Motion | Rotational Kinetic Energy | THEORY

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Quanta and Waves Tutorial Answers

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Advanced Higher Physics | Deriving the First Equation of Motion | DERIVATIONS

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Uncertainties in a single measurement calculated using a spreadsheet

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Uncertainties in a single measurement calculated using a spreadsheet

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

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Uncertainties in a single measurement calculated using a spreadsheet

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AH Uncertainties and Data Handling (useful videos)

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AH Uncertainties and Data Handling (useful videos)

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AH Data Handling and Uncertainties: session 1

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Download your own copy of;

This table contains links to past papers from the SQA Advanced Higher Physics exam. These papers and solutions are reproduced to support SQA qualifications on a non-commercial basis according to SQA conditions of use.
Uncertainty notes and questions Solutions to uncertainty questions
I wrote a series of posts with pdf booklets about uncertainty

Information sheet on using Excel to process uncertainties and create graphs with error bars and a line of best fit.

Rotational Motion and Astrophysics

Rotational motion & Gravitation notes (thanks Mr Orr!)
More rotational motion and gravitation notes
Here is a clip from the BBC's Beautiful Equations programme, where Newton's law of universal gravitation is discussed.

Without Tycho Brahe's detailed observations of the night sky, we would not have had Kepler's Laws. Here is a bit of background on Tycho.

Here, Carl Sagan introduces Kepler's laws of planetary motion.

If you watch this video on Youtube, you will see a huge number of alternative videos on Kepler's work in the right sidebar.

Kepler's 1st law:

Click on the picture below to try the simulator.

Kepler's 2nd law:

Another simulation by the same guy.

General Relativity

Newtonian mechanics was unable to give an accurate prediction for the orbit of Mercury. It turns out Mercury is just a bit too close to the Sun for classical physics to work well and this provides evidence in support of general relativity.

In this video, astronomers and theoretical physicists explain their ideas about black holes and discuss observations of potential black holes. There are some nice animations to explain general relativity and, in the last section, those calculations of super massive black hole mass are using Kepler's 3rd law.

Black holes and the Schwarzchild radius

Stellar Physics

Our Sun is a typical yellow star, so its emission would be represented by the middle star in this image.

image courtesy of kstars, kde.org - colour is exaggerated

The colour of a star also tells us something about the expected behaviour of a star, it's lifetime, and destiny. This is achieved by plotting stars on a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. More about HR diagrams here.

This video clip looks at how the stars are arranged on the HR diagram.

While some HR diagrams use temperature along the x-axis, others use star classification. You can learn more about star classification in this Sixty Symbols video.

Now test your understanding of the HR diagram.

Stars are born in the clouds of dust and hydrogen gas in space. This video shows how a protostar can form and go on to become a main sequence star.

Once fusion is initiated in the star's core, the hydrogen in the core is slowly converted into helium. While Hans Bethe solved the problem of pp chain fusion process in stars (see below), it was Hoyle who identified the pathway for producing heavier nuclei.

When there is no hydrogen left in a star's core, the star becomes a red giant and leaves the main sequence.

Red giants appear as one group on the HR diagram. These stars are much larger than our Sun, click on the image below and zoom in to compare sizes.

scale of our Sun and several red giant stars: image from Osservatorio Astronomico Di Cagliari

Here is a video clip to explain internal processes in red giants.

Once a red giant has run out of fuel for nuclear fusion, the outer layer is shed as a planetary nebula, leaving a small hot core behind. The core is very hot but has low luminosity due to its small surface area. We call this a white dwarf star.

White dwarf stars appear as a cluster in the bottom left of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. This video discusses the mechanism that prevents a white dwarf star from collapsing.

The precise lifecycle of a star depends on its mass. The route described above relates to an average star such as our Sun. If the star is heavier, it follows a different path as shown in the diagram below.

So what is a supernova? This video from Sixty Symbols explains...

And neutron stars...

supernovae from mr mackenzie on Vimeo.Black holes are covered in the gravitation & general relativity sections above.

Fusion in stars

Where does the Sun get its energy? A straightforward question but physicists struggled to find an answer until the 1920s, when Eddington suggested that nuclear fusion might be responsible.

A star is drawing on some vast reservoir of energy by means unknown to us. This reservoir can scarcely be other than the subatomic energy which, it is known exists abundantly in all matter; we sometimes dream that man will one day learn how to release it and use it for his service. The store is well nigh inexhaustible, if only it could be tapped. There is sufficient in the Sun to maintain its output of heat for 15 billion years. - Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington

The German/American astrophysicist Hans Bethe developed the solar fusion model we still use today. There are different branches to the model. Each has its own slightly different route to create helium from protons, releasing different quantities of energy in the process. Bethe won the 1967 Nobel Prize for Physics; here is a summary of his work and a copy of the Nobel Prize award ceremony speech.

Hans Bethe's security pass for the Los Alamos facility. image: wikipedia

Bethe worked on the Manhatten Project at Los Alamos during World War II. He later campaigned for an end to nuclear weapons alongside Albert Einstein.

The fusion process is our Sun is called proton-proton fusion and the steps you need to know are outlined in the diagram below. Click on the diagram for a larger version.

image: wikipedia

This video shows the full pp chain process.

This video from Sixty Symbols is about solar neutrinos. The first half has a nice series of animations about the full pp chain fusion process.

Quanta & Waves

This stuff can hurt your head. Take the de Broglie equation, who would want to find the wavelength of an electron?

Black body radiation

Planck's constant

Particles from Space
Victor Hess discovered cosmic rays during a hot air balloon flight
The charged particles in cosmic rays interact with the Earth's magnetic field to produce the Aurora Borealis. More information here and here.
Simple Harmonic Motion
Here is a video introduction to Simple Harmonic Motion. Some of the maths used during the video, for example the addition of the

term in the brackets, is not required for the AH course.
describing waves
Here is a video on polarisation from the people at sixty symbols.

Here is a video showing wave behaviour. The superposition (addition) of two waves travelling in opposite directions is particularly clear.

Electricity
electrical phenomena magnetic phenomena
We use permanent magnets and electromagnets in class, but to create a really strong magnetic field requires a superconducting magnet like the one in this video.

Disclaimer: I used to work for the company that built that magnet.

Inductors.

This article looks at different types of commercially available inductors.

Here are some examples of electromagnetic induction:

This clip from Sixty Symbols is really more about transformers than inductors but the explanation is good and you get to see the back-emf lighting in action.

Mr Smith has a video where he works through a past paper question on inductors in ac and dc circuits.

RC Circuits

Watch Mr Smith work through a past paper question on capacitors and time constants.

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Download your own copy of; This table contains links to past papers from the SQA Advanced Higher Physics exam. These papers and solutions are reproduced to support SQA qualifications on a non-commercial basis according to SQA conditions of use.