advanced higher
Download your own copy of the SQA Physics data booklet (pdf).
Here are some additional study notes, starting with Whole course summary and problems
Unit 1
What is the difference betweeen G and g?
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.
Here is a clip from the BBC’s Beautiful Equations programme, where Newton’s law of universal gravitation is discussed.
Quantum Physics
This stuff can hurt your head. Take the de Broglie equation, who would want to find the wavelength of an electron?
and, of course, Planck’s constant.
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.
IBPH Episode #7 – Simple Harmonic Motion (Part 1) from Horatiu Pop on Vimeo.
Unit 2
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.
MAKE presents: The Inductor from make magazine on Vimeo.
This article looks at different types of commercially available inductors.
Here are some examples of electromagnetic induction:
Applications of electromagnetic induction from Horatiu Pop on Vimeo.
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.
Fundamental Forces
The physicists at Sixty Symbols put together a video on attraction for Valentine’s Day. Who thought there could be so much physics packed into a single rose?
You might find more interesting details in the out-takes from that rose video.
In the Standard Model, we find that all matter is composed of particles from the quark and lepton families. Here is a video from Sixty Symbols to introduce you to quarks.
The Lepton family includes the electron and the elusive neutrinos.
Unit 3
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.
Themocracy
thanks for these
Not to argue with Mr Donn’s marking instructions (it has been pointed out to me that the laws of physics do in fact change depending on what he writes as his answer), but SQA advanced higher physics answers (and many other subject answers) go as far back as 2003 on their website, even thought the past papers don’t:
http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/controller?p_service=Content.show&p_applic=CCC&pContentID=3212
James,
you’re right. I forgot that the marking solutions go back for more years than the questions papers. Feel free to use the SQA versions, but they are not perfect either, e.g. 2005 Q6(e).
Posting this reply from CERN btw
Good luck to you all on Friday.
the whole unit 1 summary is not working for me?
Thanks, Alan.
I upgraded the site software over the summer and all the AH Physics links must have broken. They should be working now.
The SHM notes lifesafers! thanks.
By the way the waves note links to electrical phenomena.
Do you cover newton’s universal law of gravitation?
I’ve fixed that link, thanks for letting me know about it.
I don’t have anything on gravitation but I am sure Scholar does.
thanks to you i got an A in advanced higher physics