higher revision
Check this blog post to find out how you can get free physics revision software for home use only.
You can read all my blog posts about Higher Physics by clicking here. Try this revision quiz I made for mobile phones -- it works like a photo slideshow.
Remember that you can also get all the worked answers to homework questions (as short videos) together with most of the homework questions themselves by subscribing to my iTunes podcast. You need to download and install the free iTunes program for this to work. When you have installed iTunes, then click on the iTunes button below to go to the podcast.
Now click on the subscribe button inside iTunes, this gives you a list of the available podcast episodes. You can click on the get button next to any episode in the list to download it or the get all button at the top of the list to download everything.
Download your own copy of the SQA Physics Data Booklet (pdf)
If you can’t open the powerpoint files at home, you can get a set of programs that work just like Microsoft Office for free. Go to OpenOffice.org to download your free wordprocessor, spreadsheet and presentation software -- it will open Word, Excel and Powerpoint files.
You can download summary notes for the whole Higher Physics course here. Thanks to the Physics Department at Hermitage Academy, Helensburgh, for making these available.
Unit 1 -- Mechanics and Properties of Matter
unit 1 summary (PowerPoint)
unit 1 revision notes (pdf)
notes on vectors (pdf)
Example of how to draw a scale diagram to find displacement
Vector Scale Diagrams from mr mackenzie on Vimeo.
equations of motion
I have some handwritten examples of how to apply the equations of motion to different scenarios. They are available as pdf files by clicking on the links below. There is a commentary in red pen alongside the solution as it progresses.
moving up & down in one problem
projectiles
projectile off a cliff (similar to equation of motion examples above)
example of projectile motion - shoot the monkey (video)
projectile motion (video)
momentum & impulse
simulation of collisions on an airtrack -- set mass/velocity and predict what happens after the collision
explosion simulator -- predict motion of the person and the cart after the jump
my blog post on Newton III in action (equal and opposite forces)
properties of matter
short video about bouyancy -- the same guy also has a video about density
buoyancy -- use your physics knowledge to analyse this animation
Air pressure -- you might need quicktime to view this video
Here is a short BBC Learning Zone clip about pressure and decompression.
Here are some youtube videos to demonstrate the gas laws
Pressure-Volume
Volume-Temperature
The professor from the brilliant periodic videos site has a clip about Lord Kelvin and the temperature scale named after him.
Kinetic Theory
Can you use the kinetic theory of gases to describe the pressure-temperature, pressure-volume or volume-temperature relationships? If you are having difficulties with this, try reading this blog post.
Then watch the video below about a party trick involving hot air and an egg.
Now go back and listen to the explanation in step 3 once more. Did you notice the “cause and effect” style of explaining what happens? This is the type of answer you need to give in a question where you are asked to describe gas behaviour using the kinetic theory. Also notice that the egg is never “sucked” -- suck is bad physics!
I found great online revision materials from St. Kentigern’s Academy. Their unit 1 materials are split into smaller sections covering sections 1.1 & 1.2, 1.3 & 1.4 and 1.5 & 1.6. There is also a revision test (maybe you could try this when you’re preparing for the prelim?) with a separate answers file.
Unit 2 -- Electricity & Electronics
Unit 2 summary (Powerpoint)
BBC Bitesize page about EMF and internal resistance -- good explanation.
TPD, EMF and internal resistance (pdf)
Here is a (quite old) film about Voltage and Potential Difference that someone has put on to Youtube. It’s about 10 minutes long and has a good analogy to electricity. I recommend that you take some time to watch and see if it improves your understanding of electricity.
Capacitors
Here is a youtube video about charging/discharging of capacitors -- ignore the short maths bit at the end.
St. Kentigern’s Academy Notes: unit 2.1, unit 2.2, unit 2.3, unit 2.4, revision questions, answers to revision questions
Unit 3 -- Radiation & Matter
There are summary notes for the whole of unit 3 here.
Young’s Slits
Here are 2 short videos showing an example of a Young’s slits problem involving microwaves
Youngs Slits example 1(a) from mr mackenzie on Vimeo.
Youngs Slits example 1(b) from mr mackenzie on Vimeo.
Diffraction gratings
This animation allows you to vary the number of lines per mm on a diffraction grating. Working through the questions on that page will give you a good grounding in this topic. There is a moveable protractor in the bottom left corner when the animation loads. Move this up to the grating and test the grating equation
for different diffracted orders (n), wavelengths(?) and line spacings (d).
Polychromatic light
Light containing more than one wavelength is called polychromatic light. White light is an example of polychromatic light as it contains all the colours in the visible spectrum. We can split polychromatic light into its constituent colours using a prism. Notice how red light is refracted least when a prism is used.
We could also use a grating to split the polychromatic light into the individual colours it contains, such as the white light from this candle.
Notice that there are several differences between the prism and the grating;
- the prism produces only one spectrum but the grating gives many spectra
- the zero order light (centre candle image) from the grating is not split up -- it is the same as the original incident light
- the long wavelengths (such as red light) that are refracted (bent) least by the prism are diffracted (bent) the most by the grating
- the grating spectra either side of the centre (zero order) are mirror images -- long wavelengths (e.g. red) are always diffracted to the outer side of the spectrum.
Photoelectric effect
Here are two animations.
In animation#1, the effect of frequency can be investigated. Find out which of the light sources shown produces the photoelectric effect. You should find that the effect only occurs when the high frequency light is used.
In animation#2, you can investigate how irradiance affects the photoelectric effect by changing the position of the uv lamp. Remember that irradiance is the power per unit area.
To explain the photoelectric effect, we have to think of the light behaving as particles rather than waves. We call these particles of light photons. Click here to see a short animation of photons freeing electrons from a surface.
Here is a video showing the photoelectric effect on an electroscope.
There is another animation that lets you change photon energy and irradiance here.
Absorption & Emission of Photons
Here is a website that lets you choose the energy of a photon and see whether or not it causes a change in the energy of an electron inside the hydrogen atom.
You can read more about line spectra and where they come from here and here.
Semiconductors
Here’s a youtube video about doped semiconductors
What is an atom?
Start by reading my blog post about Rutherford’s alpha particle scattering experiment. This has some video that helps to explain what Rutherford did and what we now know about the structure of the atom.
Learn about nuclear fission in this blog post.
Radiation doses are mentioned in this article in The Guardian newspaper.
Here are links to the Unit 3 notes from St Kentigern’s Academy:
Comments»
“no comments yet – be the first?”
I thought I’d be the first.
Nice site
Thanks for putting everything we need online!
yeah wat tht guy said ^66666
I don’t understand the equations of motion. I keep geting confused with how you apply them to questions. Could you maybe put up a few questions up on it and the answers with one example to start me off? Thank you.
Which type of examples would you like?
I could write some out by hand and scan them in (quickest way to get something online) or I can make video clips (takes longer).
Would scanned handwritten ones with notes in margin be enough to get you started?
I agree with what Stephanie C said, and yes scanned handwritten ones would be great.
Thank you so much
OK, some scanned handwritten examples are now in the links above. Also available in iTunes.
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Hi
I am doing Higher Physics this year and am actually do ok at it. I get a tutor once a week but I thought I’d just drop a wee thank you to say that this site has helped a massive amount and I am on course for an A so thank you for putting so much effort into it. At my school this would be unheard of. Thanks.
hi, i find that your higher notes very useful but i have noticed that the 3.3 Optoelectronics & Semiconductors pdf file is missing all the notes on semiconductors and i was wondering if there is a problem with the document or if you have missed them out
thanks
Callum,
you’re right! I just checked and there is nothing on semiconductors. Those notes are not mine, I only link to them. I will add something later in the year though, so please check back.
Hi mrmackenzie.
just tried St. Kentigern’s Academy revision questions for unit 2 and i think some of the answers are wrong? Qu1, qu10 and 22b)
Thank you very much my Exams are coming up in May and your help with electronics is much appreciated. Might possibly get an “A” in th Int 2 exam.