Physics

1. What are the seven base units of Physics, 
   their names, symbols and units?
    

1. What is the difference between a base unit 
   and a derived unit?
    

1. Convert the following derived units into base units: 

1. Density 

1. Force 

1. Momentum 

1. Potential Difference 

1. Electric Charge 

1. Frequency 

1. Power 

1. Prefixes in Physics 

1. What are the standard prefixes between 
   Terra and femto, and what do they mean in 
   terms of powers of ten?
    

1. Convert the following prefix values into 
   standard form values with standard units 
   (e.g. 45cm = 4.5 x 10-1 m): 

1. 540 cm 

1. 35 nm 

1. 37 km 

1. 4.5 fs 

1. 2345 GHz 

1. 100 μF
    

1. Write the following using an appropriate prefix and unit symbol:  

1. 3 600 000 joules 

1. 31 536 000 seconds 

1. 10 millionths of an ampere  

1. 105 000 hertz. 

1. Significant Figures 

The Rules  

1. All non-zero digits are significant.   

1. In a number with a decimal point, all zeros to the right of the 
   right-most non-zero digit are significant.  

1. In a number without a decimal point, trailing zeros may or 
   may not be significant, you can only tell from the context.  

1. Write the following lengths to the stated number of significant figures:  

1. 5.0319 m to 3 s.f.  

1. 500.00 m to 2 s.f.  

1. 0.9567892159 m to 2 s.f.  

1. 0.000568 m to 1 s.f.
    

1. Write the following lengths to the stated number of significant figures: 

1. 5.0319 m to 3 s.f.  

1. 500.00 m to 2 s.f.  

1. 0.9567892159 m to 2 s.f.  

1. 0.000568 m to 1 s.f.  

1. How many significant figures are the following numbers quoted to? 

1. 224.4343  

1. 0.000000000003244654  

1. 344012.34  

1. 456  

1. 4315.0002  

1. 200000  stars in a small galaxy  

1. 4.0 

1. Extra Research – Pick any two of the following tasks: 

Task A – To Read: Pick one of the following books and loan it out from your local library to read through:  

• Quantum: a guide for the perplex,  

• Jim Al-Khalili  

• Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin Abbott Abbott  

• 13 Things That Don’t Make Sense: The Most Intriguing Scientific Mysteries of Our Time by Michael Brooks  

• A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson  

• The Particle at the End of the Universe by Sean Carroll  

• Particle Physics: A very short introduction, Frank Close  

• Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut’s Journeys by Michael Collins (the Apollo 11 astronaut).  

• Surely you’re joking Mr Feynman by Richard P Feynman and Ralph Leighton.  

• Six Easy Pieces: Fundamentals of Physics Explained by Richard P Feynman (or any other book by the same author)  

• Why does E=mc2 – Brian Cox & Jeff Forshaw  

• Big Bang: The Most Important Scientific Discovery of All Time and Why You Need to Know About It by Simon Singh 

Write a short (100 word) review of the book – What it was about and what you particularly found fascinating about the topics discussed? 

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Task B – To Do: Pick one (tick the box) of the following to engage in research with 

Schools Observatory: Sign up for free to an online worldwide telescope network that allows you to book a time slot on a professional online telescope and be able to take images of distant celestial objects. Your request might take several weeks to perform, so this is best done at the start of the holidays, and your images are delivered via your sign-up email (use your school’s email address). The site provides online help for you to make the most of your allocated timeslot: Registration | The Schools’ Observatory 

Galaxy zoo: To understand how galaxies, and our own, formed we need your help to classify them according to their shapes — a task at which your brain is better than even the most advanced computer. If you’re quick, you may even be the first person in history to see each of the galaxies you’re asked to classify. http://www.galaxyzoo.org/ 

Zooniverse: Many other projects similar to galaxy zoo: solar stormwatch, planet hunters, the Milky Way project. https://www.zooniverse.org/ 

Attach any results of your research from these sites 

_________________________________________ 

Task C – To Listen to: Pick two (tick the boxes) of the following podcasts to subscribe to and listen to a couple of episodes of each: 

Startalk Radio – Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson’s podcast where pop culture and comedy collide. With guest celebrities and scientific experts. 

The Quark Side – a quantum physics podcast that explores the strange foundation of reality – from quarks and fields to spacetime, uncertainty and the limits of knowledge. 

The Astrophysics Podcast – Purdue University’s Professor Paul Duffell discusses astronomy and astrophysics with experts from around the world. Discussions include topics such as supernovae, galaxies, planets, black holes and the nature of space time. 

Write down the episode names you listened to and one thing you learned from each: 

Podcast Name & Episode Name : ________________________________________ 

What I learned:  

Podcast Name & Episode Name : ________________________________________ 

What I learned:  

Podcast Name & Episode Name : ________________________________________ 

What I learned:  

Podcast Name & Episode Name : ________________________________________ 

What I learned:  

• 2x A4 Lever Arch Files (1 for Y12, 1 for Y13 work) 

• 1x A4 ring binder – for the module you’re working on, which should be transferred to the relevant lever arch file when the module is completed 

• Scientific Calculator 

• 30cm ruler 

• Protractor 

• Printed Specification Sheets (RAG rated) for each module 

• Y12 (and next year, Y13) Course Textbooks – You will retain the Y12 book for the duration of the Y12/13 course. 

Email address: arnold.m@allsaints.notts.sch.uk 

For the best chance of a quick reply, please do this before the summer break. Emails during the summer break will get replies but may take longer.