Specification points

Cambridge Cambridge International AS & A Level Physics 9702

402 points in 26 topics, with Cambridge's codes and titles.

Grade boundaries·Cambridge command words

Codes and titles are read by a script from Cambridge's published specification and have not been checked by a person. What each point covers is in the specification itself: Cambridge’s specification.

1 Physical quantities and units

1.1 Physical quantities
1.1.1 Magnitude and unit of quantities
1.1.2 Estimating physical quantities
1.2 SI units
1.2.1 SI base quantities and units
1.2.2 Derived units
1.2.3 Homogeneity of equations
1.2.4 Unit prefixes
1.3 Errors and uncertainties
1.3.1 Systematic and random errors
1.3.2 Precision and accuracy
1.3.3 Combining uncertainties
1.4 Scalars and vectors
1.4.1 Scalars and vectors
1.4.2 Adding and subtracting vectors
1.4.3 Resolving vectors into components

2 Kinematics

2.1 Equations of motion
2.1.1 Distance, displacement, speed, velocity and acceleration
2.1.2 Graphs of motion
2.1.3 Displacement from velocity–time graphs
2.1.4 Velocity from displacement–time graphs
2.1.5 Acceleration from velocity–time graphs
2.1.6 Deriving equations of motion
2.1.7 Solving problems with equations of motion
2.1.8 Measuring acceleration of free fall
2.1.9 Projectile motion

3 Dynamics

3.1 Momentum and Newton’s laws of motion
3.1.1 Mass and inertia
3.1.2 Force equals mass times acceleration
3.1.3 Linear momentum
3.1.4 Force as rate of change of momentum
3.1.5 Newton's laws of motion
3.1.6 Weight
3.2 Non-uniform motion
3.2.1 Friction and drag
3.2.2 Falling with air resistance
3.2.3 Terminal velocity
3.3 Linear momentum and its conservation
3.3.1 Conservation of momentum
3.3.2 Momentum problems in one and two dimensions
3.3.3 Elastic collisions
3.3.4 Kinetic energy changes in collisions

4 Forces, density and pressure

4.1 Turning effects of forces
4.1.1 Centre of gravity
4.1.2 Moment of a force
4.1.3 Couples
4.1.4 Torque of a couple
4.2 Equilibrium of forces
4.2.1 Principle of moments
4.2.2 Equilibrium
4.2.3 Vector triangle of forces
4.3 Density and pressure
4.3.1 Density
4.3.2 Pressure
4.3.3 Deriving hydrostatic pressure
4.3.4 Hydrostatic pressure equation
4.3.5 Origin of upthrust
4.3.6 Archimedes' principle

5 Work, energy and power

5.1 Energy conservation
5.1.1 Work done
5.1.2 Conservation of energy
5.1.3 Efficiency
5.1.4 Efficiency problems
5.1.5 Power
5.1.6 Power, work and time
5.1.7 Power, force and velocity
5.2 Gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy
5.2.1 Deriving gravitational potential energy
5.2.2 Gravitational potential energy
5.2.3 Deriving kinetic energy
5.2.4 Kinetic energy

6 Deformation of solids

6.1 Stress and strain
6.1.1 Tensile and compressive deformation
6.1.2 Load, extension, compression and proportionality
6.1.3 Hooke's law
6.1.4 Spring constant
6.1.5 Stress, strain and the Young modulus
6.1.6 Measuring the Young modulus
6.2 Elastic and plastic behaviour
6.2.1 Elastic and plastic deformation
6.2.2 Work done from force–extension graphs
6.2.3 Elastic potential energy from graphs
6.2.4 Elastic potential energy equation

8 Superposition

8.1 Stationary waves
8.1.1 Principle of superposition
8.1.2 Experiments on stationary waves
8.1.3 Formation of stationary waves
8.1.4 Wavelength from nodes and antinodes
8.2 Diffraction
8.2.1 Diffraction
8.2.2 Experiments on diffraction
8.3 Interference
8.3.1 Interference and coherence
8.3.2 Experiments on two-source interference
8.3.3 Conditions for interference fringes
8.3.4 Double-slit equation
8.4 The diffraction grating
8.4.1 Diffraction grating equation
8.4.2 Measuring wavelength with a grating

9 Electricity

9.1 Electric current
9.1.1 Current as flow of charge carriers
9.1.2 Quantised charge
9.1.3 Charge, current and time
9.1.4 Current and charge carrier density
9.2 Potential difference and power
9.2.1 Potential difference
9.2.2 P.d., work and charge
9.2.3 Electrical power equations
9.3 Resistance and resistivity
9.3.1 Resistance
9.3.2 Resistance, p.d. and current
9.3.3 I–V characteristics
9.3.4 Filament lamp resistance
9.3.5 Ohm's law
9.3.6 Resistivity
9.3.7 Light-dependent resistors
9.3.8 Thermistors

12 Motion in a circle

12.1 Kinematics of uniform circular motion
12.1.1 Radians
12.1.2 Angular speed
12.1.3 Angular speed equations
12.2 Centripetal acceleration
12.2.1 Centripetal acceleration
12.2.2 Circular motion at constant angular speed
12.2.3 Centripetal acceleration equations
12.2.4 Centripetal force equations

13 Gravitational fields

13.1 Gravitational field
13.1.1 Gravitational field
13.1.2 Gravitational field lines
13.2 Gravitational force between point masses
13.2.1 Uniform sphere as point mass
13.2.2 Newton's law of gravitation
13.2.3 Circular orbits
13.2.4 Geostationary orbits
13.3 Gravitational field of a point mass
13.3.1 Deriving gravitational field strength
13.3.2 Gravitational field strength of a point mass
13.3.3 Near-constant g near Earth's surface
13.4 Gravitational potential
13.4.1 Gravitational potential
13.4.2 Gravitational potential of a point mass
13.4.3 Gravitational potential energy of two masses

14 Temperature

14.1 Thermal equilibrium
14.1.1 Thermal energy transfer
14.1.2 Thermal equilibrium
14.2 Temperature scales
14.2.1 Temperature-dependent properties
14.2.2 Thermodynamic temperature scale
14.2.3 Kelvin and Celsius
14.2.4 Absolute zero
14.3 Specific heat capacity and specific latent heat
14.3.1 Specific heat capacity
14.3.2 Specific latent heat

15 Ideal gases

15.1 The mole
15.1.1 Amount of substance
15.1.2 Molar quantities
15.2 Equation of state
15.2.1 Ideal gases
15.2.2 Ideal gas equation
15.2.3 Boltzmann constant
15.3 Kinetic theory of gases
15.3.1 Assumptions of kinetic theory
15.3.2 Molecular movement and gas pressure
15.3.3 Root-mean-square speed
15.3.4 Mean kinetic energy of a molecule

16 Thermodynamics

16.1 Internal energy
16.1.1 Internal energy
16.1.2 Temperature and internal energy
16.2 The first law of thermodynamics
16.2.1 Work done by a gas
16.2.2 First law of thermodynamics

17 Oscillations

17.1 Simple harmonic oscillations
17.1.1 Terms for oscillations
17.1.2 Simple harmonic motion
17.1.3 SHM displacement equation
17.1.4 SHM velocity equations
17.1.5 Graphs of simple harmonic motion
17.2 Energy in simple harmonic motion
17.2.1 Energy interchange in SHM
17.2.2 Total energy in SHM
17.3 Damped and forced oscillations, resonance
17.3.1 Damping
17.3.2 Light, critical and heavy damping
17.3.3 Resonance

18 Electric fields

18.1 Electric fields and field lines
18.1.1 Electric field
18.1.2 Force on a charge in a field
18.1.3 Electric field lines
18.2 Uniform electric fields
18.2.1 Uniform field between plates
18.2.2 Charged particles in a uniform field
18.3 Electric force between point charges
18.3.1 Spherical conductor as point charge
18.3.2 Coulomb's law
18.4 Electric field of a point charge
18.4.1 Field strength of a point charge
18.5 Electric potential
18.5.1 Electric potential
18.5.2 Field as potential gradient
18.5.3 Potential of a point charge
18.5.4 Electric potential energy of two charges

19 Capacitance

19.1 Capacitors and capacitance
19.1.1 Capacitance
19.1.2 Capacitance equation
19.1.3 Deriving combined capacitance
19.1.4 Capacitors in series and parallel
19.2 Energy stored in a capacitor
19.2.1 Energy from potential–charge graph
19.2.2 Energy stored in a capacitor
19.3 Discharging a capacitor
19.3.1 Graphs of capacitor discharge
19.3.2 Time constant
19.3.3 Exponential discharge equations

21 Alternating currents

21.1 Characteristics of alternating currents
21.1.1 Alternating current terms
21.1.2 Sinusoidal alternating current
21.1.3 Mean power in a resistive load
21.1.4 R.m.s. and peak values
21.2 Rectification and smoothing
21.2.1 Half-wave and full-wave rectification
21.2.2 Half-wave rectification with a diode
21.2.3 Bridge rectifier
21.2.4 Smoothing with a capacitor

23 Nuclear physics

23.1 Mass defect and nuclear binding energy
23.1.1 Mass–energy equivalence
23.1.2 Nuclear equations
23.1.3 Mass defect and binding energy
23.1.4 Binding energy per nucleon curve
23.1.5 Nuclear fusion and fission
23.1.6 Binding energy and nuclear reactions
23.1.7 Energy released in nuclear reactions
23.2 Radioactive decay
23.2.1 Count rate fluctuations as evidence of randomness
23.2.2 Spontaneous and random decay
23.2.3 Activity and decay constant
23.2.4 Half-life
23.2.5 Decay constant and half-life
23.2.6 Exponential decay

25 Astronomy and cosmology

25.1 Standard candles
25.1.1 Luminosity
25.1.2 Inverse square law for radiant flux
25.1.3 Standard candles
25.1.4 Distances to galaxies with standard candles
25.2 Stellar radii
25.2.1 Wien's displacement law
25.2.2 Stefan–Boltzmann law
25.2.3 Estimating the radius of a star
25.3 Hubble’s law and the Big Bang theory
25.3.1 Shifted spectral lines
25.3.2 Redshift equation
25.3.3 Redshift and the expanding Universe
25.3.4 Hubble's law and the Big Bang