AS Physics Revision Unit 1
Half the syllabus is easy, and half the syllabus is harder. You need to know all the easy stuff
(which will give you 50 % - D). If you know 50 % of the hard stuff, you will get 75 % which
will get you a Grade B.
Particles
Topic
Constituents of the atom
Stable and unstable nuclei
Particles, antiparticles, and
photons
Particle interaction
Classification
Quarks and antiquarks
Easy Stuff Hard Stuff
Protons, neutrons, electrons Charge and mass in SI units
and relative units.
Specific charge of particles Specific charge of nuclei and
of ions.
Proton number Z, nucleon
number A, isotope notation
Isotope
Alpha and Beta minus decay Beta plus decay
Strong force holds the
nucleus together.
Range of attraction and Force-distance graph
repulsion
Particles and their
antiparticles.
Same mass but opposite …and opposite baryon/lepton
charge… number.
Charge Rest energy in MeV
Photon energy E = hf Photon energy E = hc/
Planck’s constant, h
Annihilation Energy of gamma photons
Pair production Minimum photon energy.
Fundamental forces and
exchange particles
Virtual photons for
electromagnetic force, gluons
for strong force.
W bosons for the weak force W- and W+
Feynman diagrams
Conservation of Q, B, and L
Hadrons: meson, baryon
Baryon, B = +/- 1; Meson B
=0
Leptons and antileptons
Make up of baryon and
meson
Up and down quarks Strange quark
Change in quark character
Conservation of Q, B, and L Strangeness not conserved in
weak interaction
Radiation and Quantum Phenomena
Topic Easy Stuff Hard Stuff
Photoelectric effect. Work function, threshold hf =  + Ek
frequency
One photon = 1
photoelectron.
Collisions of electrons and Electron volt eV = 1.6 × 10-19
atoms J
Ionisation
Excited atoms Fluorescence
Energy Levels hf = E1 – E2 Line spectra
Discrete energy levels
De Broglie Particle can behave like a
wave.
De Broglie  = h/mv Calculating v from an
accelerating voltage

Electricity
Topic Easy Stuff Hard Stuff
Electrical quantities Definitions
V = IR; I = Q/t V = W/Q
VI Characteristics VI characteristic for resistor Explanation for shape for a
and bulb bulb.
VI for diode.
Resistivity R = l/A Measurement of area
Change in temperature and Superconductivity
resistivity
Circuits Resistors in series Derivation
Resistors in parallel Derivation
E = VIt; P = IV P = I2R
Voltages and currents Kirchhoff I and II
Potential Divider Vout = Vs (R2 ÷ (R1 + R2)
Resistive transducers
EMF E = I(R + r)
AC Peak to peak voltage; Peak
voltage; RMS voltage/current
VRMS = Vpk ÷ 2 Derivation
Recognition of AC waves Use of CRO – Voltage gain
and time-base.