Advancing Physics AS2000 Student Checklist
1: Imaging
I can show my understanding of effects, ideas and relationships by describing and explaining:
 how a thin converging (positive) lens produces a real image by changing the curvature of a wavefront
 that images are stored in a computer as an array of numbers which may be manipulated to alter the image
 that computerised (digitised) images may be improved by smoothing and reducing 'noise'
I can show my understanding of the physics involved by using the following words and phrases accurately:
in the context of computerised images:
 pixel
 byte
 resolution
 bit
 amount of information
for lenses
 focus
 power (dioptre)
 focal length
 magnification
I can show my understanding of the physics involved by sketching and interpreting:
 how light passes through a lens using either ray diagrams or wave fronts
 plots (graphs) using a logarithmic ('times') scale of distances and sizes
I can calculate:
 the amount of information (in bits) in an image by using the relationship
 amount of information = number of pixels x bits per pixel
 the power or focal length of a lens using the relationship
 power = 1/(focal length)
 the third quantity given any two using the formula
 the magnification of an image, e.g. as the ratio of image and object size, using the relationship m = v/u
I can show understanding of sensor devices and their applications by giving and explaining my own examples of:
 the way an image is produced in physics or an application of physics
 this should include the basic physical processes involved in making the image, and the advantages and disadvantages of the processes for
their purpose (e.g. using film, video, ultrasound scans, charge-coupled devices, tunnelling microscopes, etc)
2: Sensing
I can show my understanding of effects, ideas and relationships by describing and explaining:
 how electric currents are a flow of charged particles e.g. an electron beam in a TV tube, electrons in a metal, electrons and holes in a
semiconductor
 the idea of potential difference in an electric circuit and across components in a circuit
 what resistance and conductance mean
 what happens to potential difference and current in circuits with components connected in series and in parallel using the ideas of
resistance and conductance as appropriate
 what electromotive force (emf) means
 what is meant by internal resistance and the effect of internal resistance in a circuit
 the idea of power in electric circuits as energy dissipated or transferred per second
 the relation between current and potential difference in ohmic resistors i.e. resistors which follow Ohm's law so that the ratio V / I stays the
same when external conditions (such as temperature) stay the same.
 the action of a potential divider e.g. in sensor applications such as to sense position or angle, reduce a potential difference, produce a
potential difference from a change in resistance
I can use the following words and phrases accurately:
with reference to electric circuits:
 emf
 resistance
 potential difference
 conductance
 current
 series
 charge
 parallel
with reference to instrumentation:
 resolution
 response time
 sensitivity
 systematic error
I can sketch and interpret:
 simple circuit diagrams
 graphs of current against potential difference: graphs of resistance or conductance against temperature


internal resistance
load

'random' variability
I can calculate:
 the conductance G of a circuit or a component using the formula G = I / V and rearrange the formula to calculate other quantities
 the resistance R of a circuit or a component using the formula R = V / I and rearrange the formula to calculate other quantities
 charge flow in a circuit or component using the formulae Q = I t, Q = W / V and rearrange the formulae to calculate other quantities
 current, circuit resistance and potential differences in series circuits using the resistances of components e.g. total resistance = sum of
component resistances
 currents, circuit resistance and potential differences in parallel circuits using the conductances of components e.g. total conductance = sum
of component conductances
 the power dissipated in a circuit using the formula P = I V and rearrange the formula to calculate other quantities
 power, current, resistance and potential difference in circuits and components using the formulae P = I 2 R, P = V2/ R and rearrange the
formulae to calculate other quantities
 energy dissipated in a circuit W = V I t
 current, potential difference and resistance in circuits with internal resistance, e.g. using the formulae V = e – I rinternal and V = I Rload and
rearrange the formulae to calculate other quantities
 the effects produced by potential dividers in a circuit e.g. when a photocell or thermistor is used in a sensing application
I can show understanding of sensor devices and their applications by giving and explaining my own example of:
 choosing an appropriate sensor for a particular application for example: an active sensors which produce an electrical signal e.g.
piezoelectric, thermoelectric and photovoltaic devices
or
 a passive sensors which depend on a change of resistance e.g. photoresistors, thermistors
I have done experiments and investigations in which I have shown that I can:
 make and test a sensor or test and measure the qualities of a sensor or use a sensor and appropriate circuitry to make a measurement or
detect a signal
3: Signalling
I can show my understanding of effects, ideas and relationships by describing and explaining:
 how a complex signal (waveform) can be constructed of or broken down into a set of simpler signals (waves ) of single, different
frequencies
 how a complex signal (waveform) can be described in terms of the spectrum of frequencies it contains
 how a continuous signal can be digitised
 how a digitised signal has an important advantage in its ability to reduce the noise in the signal
 that there may be some loss of detail in a digitised signal if sampling is not frequent enough
 the evidence for electromagnetic waves being transverse waves, and how this feature allows them to be polarised
I can use the following words and phrases accurately when describing effects and observations:
 analogue signal
 amplitude
 polarisation
 digital sampling
 spectrum
 sampling frequency
 bandwidth
(sampling rate)
 superposition
I can interpret:
 waveform diagrams i.e. wave amplitude plotted against distance or time
 diagrams of the spectra of waves
I can calculate:
 wavelengths, wave speeds and frequencies by using (and remembering) the formula v = fl
 the quantity of information (data) in a signal
 the rate of transmitting information (data) i.e. in bits per second
I can give and explain an example of:
 an application of signal transmission and the demand it makes on the transmission system used
4: Testing Materials
I can show my understanding of effects, ideas and relationships by describing and explaining:
 how the optical, electrical and mechanical properties of materials are linked to how they are used
 what refraction is
 what total internal reflection is, and why it occurs
 the differences between metals, semiconductors and insulators
I can use the following words and phrases accurately when describing the properties of materials:
Mechanical:
 stiff
 hard
 strain
 elastic
 brittle
 Young modulus
 plastic
 tough
 fracture stress
 ductile
 stress
 yield stress
Optical:
 reflection
 refraction
 refractive index
Electrical:
 resistivity
 conductivity
I can sketch and interpret:
 stress–strain graphs to identify the quantities yield stress, fracture stress, Young modulus, and relate them to how materials are used
 tables and diagrams comparing materials by properties and related them to how materials are used, e.g. strength–density and stiffness–
density diagrams
 plots on a logarithmic ('times') scale of quantities such as resistivity and conductivity
I can calculate:
 the refractive index of a material using the formula
 and rearrange the formula to calculate the other quantities
 the resistance of a conductor using the formula
 and rearrange the formula to calculate the other quantities
 the conductance of a conductor using the formulae
and
 and rearrange the formulae to calculate the other quantities
 tensile stress using the relationship stress = force / area
 tensile strain using the relationship strain = extension (or compression) / original length
 the Young modulus E using the relationship E = stress / strain, and rearrange the relationship to calculate the other quantities
I can show understanding of and their applications by giving and explaining my own examples of:
 how the properties of a material determine how it is used
5: Looking Inside Materials
I can show my understanding of effects, ideas and relationships by describing and explaining:
 the evidence we have for the sizes of atoms and molecules
 the evidence we have for the spacing and arrangement of atoms and molecules in solids and liquids
I can interpret:
 images produced by SEM (scanning electron microscopy), STM (scanning tunnelling microscopy), AFM (atomic force microscopy) and
other images to obtain information about the structure of materials
I can calculate or make justified estimates of:
 interatomic forces using the value of the Young modulus (e.g. in steel)
 the energy stored in a stretched elastic material
 the size of a molecule from experimental data or given data such as density and the Avogadro number
I can show understanding of and their applications by giving and explaining my own examples of:
 how the properties of a material are linked to its structure and so affect its use
I have carried out a case study in which I have shown that I can:
 use resources to gather, analyse and communicate information about the properties and uses of a material e.g. textile fibres, building
materials, designed materials, semiconductor materials, optical fibres
6: Wave Behaviour
I can show my understanding of effects, ideas and relationships by describing and explaining:
 how standing waves are formed by sets of wave travelling in opposite directions e.g. by drawing diagrams to show what happens
 how waves passing through two slits combine and interfere to produce a wave / no-wave pattern
 what happens when waves pass through a single narrow gap (diffraction)
 how a diffraction grating works in producing a spectrum
 the meaning of phase and phasor
I can use the following words and phrases accurately when describing effects and observations:
 wave
 amplitude
 interference
 standing wave
 phase
 diffraction
 frequency
 phasor
 superposition
 wavelength
 path difference
 coherence
I can sketch and interpret diagrams:
 illustrating the propagation of waves (a) along a string and (b) in two dimensions
 showing how waves propagate in two dimensions using Huygens' wavelets
 showing how waves that have travelled to a point by different paths combine to produce the wave amplitude at that point, i.e. by adding
together the different phases of the waves, using phasors
I can calculate:
 Wavelengths, wave speeds and frequencies by using (and remembering) the formula v = f l
 calculating the wavelengths of standing waves e.g. in a string or a column of air
 path differences for waves passing through double slits and diffraction gratings
 the unknown quantity when given other relevant data in using the formula n l = d sin q
I can give and explain an example of:
 a phenomenon or application involving the superposition (addition) of waves, e.g. standing waves, interference, diffraction
7: Quantum Behaviour
I can show my understanding of effects, ideas and relationships by describing and explaining:
 how phasor arrows come to line up for paths near the path that takes the least time
 how phasor arrows 'lining up' and 'curling up' accounts for reflection, propagation, refraction, focusing, diffraction and interference
 that the probability of arrival of a quantum is determined by graphical addition of arrows representing the phase and the amplitude of the
quantum for selected possible paths
 evidence for random arrival of photons
 evidence for the relationship E = hf
 evidence from electron diffraction that electrons show quantum behaviour
I can use the following words and phrases accurately when describing effects and observations:
 frequency
 superposition
 interference
 energy
 intensity
 diffraction
 amplitude
 probability
 refraction
 phase
 path difference
 reflection
I can interpret:
 diagrams illustrating how paths contribute to an amplitude
I can calculate:
 the energy of a photon using the relationship E = hf
 The rate of rotation of the phasor for free electrons using the relationship f = Ekinetic / h
I can give and explain an example of:
 a phenomenon or application where quantum effects are important e.g. the photoelectric effect; the production of line spectra; the quantum
interference of photons; electron diffraction
8: Mapping Space and Time
I can show my understanding of effects, ideas and relationships by describing and explaining:
 that a vector has both size and direction, while a scalar just has size
 how to use vectors to represent displacement, velocity and acceleration
 that vectors can be broken down into components acting in different directions, and that the effect of the original vector isn't changed by
doing this
 that vectors can be added to find a resultant vector
 how graphs of speed–time and distance–time can describe the movement of an object
 that
o speed is distance / time:
o velocity is displacement / time:
 the meaning of average and instantaneous speed
 the meaning of the area under a speed–time graph
I can use the following words and phrases accurately when describing the motion of objects:
 vector
 acceleration as vectors
 instantaneous speed
 scalar
 distance and speed as scalars
 gradient
 displacement
 component of a vector
 slope
 velocity
 average speed
 tangent (with respect to graphs)
I can interpret:
 vector diagrams showing components and the addition (and subtraction) of vectors
 graphs of speed–time and distance–time for the movement of an object
I can calculate:
 the components of a vector acting at right angles to each other by (i) making scale drawings and (ii) using geometry or trigonometry
 the resultant vector produced by adding two vectors
 the resultant vector produced by subtracting one vector from another
 the unknown quantity given any two in the formula
 speed from the gradient (slope) of a distance–time graph
 distance from the area under a speed–time graph
9: Computing the Next Move
I can show my understanding of effects, ideas and relationships by describing and explaining:
 how to use vectors to represent displacement, velocity, acceleration and force
 how graphs of speed–time and distance–time can describe the movement of an object
 the meaning of the area under a speed–time graph
 the meaning of the slope (gradient, tangent) of a graph, e.g. with respect to distance–time and speed–time graphs
 the meaning of trajectory, parabola
 the meaning of relative velocity
 that when the components of a force are at right angles they do not affect each other
 that the horizontal and vertical components of the velocity of a projectile are independent e.g. the horizontal velocity of an object is not
affected by the force of gravity
 the difference between the mass and the weight of a body
 why bodies of different mass have the same acceleration in free fall
 that work done = force × displacement in the direction of the force
 power as the rate of transfer of energy (energy transferred per second)
I can use the following words and phrases accurately when describing the motion of objects:
 displacement
 relative velocity
 kinetic energy
 as vectors
 gradient
 potential energy
o velocity
 slope
 work done
o acceleration
 tangent
 power
o force
(i.e. with respect to graphs)
 gravitational force
 mass as a scalar quantity
 acceleration of free fall
 weight
 component of a vector
 trajectory (path)
 resultant of two vectors
 parabola
I can interpret:
 vector diagrams showing components and the addition (and subtraction) of vectors
 graphs of speed–time and distance–time for the movement of an object
I can calculate:
 the resultant vector produced by subtracting one vector from another
 speed from the gradient (slope) of a distance–time graph
 distance from the area under a speed–time graph
 the unknown variable, when given other relevant data, using the kinematic equations:
 the unknown quantity, given other relevant data, using the equation F = m a
 the path of a moving body acted upon by the force of gravity when the body is (a) moving vertically and (b) moving both vertically and
horizontally e.g. by using the kinematic equations or by making drawings based on distances moved during short time intervals
 the kinetic energy of a moving body using KE = ½ m v2
 the change in potential energy when a massive body changes height in a gravitational field using D PE = m g h
 the work done (energy transferred) D E = F D s
 force, energy and power: power = D E / t = F v
I can give and explain an example of:
 a method of measuring the distance of a remote object (i.e. by methods involving timing a signal)