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Northern IrelandPhysics

A2 2 Fields, Capacitors, Particles and Astronomy

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do we measure the universe, and what is the evidence for the Big Bang?

Stellar distances and luminosity, the Doppler effect and redshift, Hubble's law and the expanding universe, and the evidence for the Big Bang.
A CCEA A-Level Physics answer on measuring stellar distances and luminosity, the Doppler effect and redshift of galaxies, Hubble's law and the expanding universe, and the main lines of evidence for the Big Bang.
11 min answer →

How does a capacitor store charge and energy, and how does it charge and discharge?

Capacitance and the charge stored, the energy stored in a capacitor, capacitors in series and parallel, and the exponential charging and discharging through a resistor.
A CCEA A-Level Physics answer on capacitance and the charge stored, the energy stored in a capacitor, combining capacitors in series and parallel, and the exponential charging and discharging of a capacitor through a resistor with the time constant.
11 min answer →

How do electric charges interact through fields, and how do those fields compare with gravity?

Coulomb's law, electric field strength and electric potential, uniform and radial fields, and the parallels and differences between electric and gravitational fields.
A CCEA A-Level Physics answer on Coulomb's law, electric field strength and electric potential, uniform fields between parallel plates and radial fields around point charges, and the parallels with gravitational fields.
11 min answer →

How do magnetic fields exert forces, and how is electricity generated by induction?

The force on a current-carrying conductor and on a moving charge, magnetic flux density, and electromagnetic induction with Faraday's and Lenz's laws.
A CCEA A-Level Physics answer on the force on a current-carrying conductor and a moving charge, magnetic flux density and Fleming's left-hand rule, magnetic flux and flux linkage, and electromagnetic induction governed by Faraday's and Lenz's laws.
11 min answer →

What are the fundamental particles, and how does the standard model classify them?

Quarks, leptons and the standard model, hadrons as baryons and mesons, antiparticles and annihilation, and the conservation laws governing particle interactions.
A CCEA A-Level Physics answer on quarks and leptons and the standard model, the classification of hadrons into baryons and mesons, antiparticles and annihilation, and the conservation laws that govern particle interactions.
11 min answer →