Physics study guides

A deep-dive SQA National 5 Physics guide to Area 1 Dynamics. Covers vectors and scalars, velocity and acceleration with velocity-time graphs, Newton's laws and F equals ma, the difference between mass and weight, work, kinetic and potential energy with the conservation of energy, and projectile motion treated as separate horizontal and vertical components.

A deep-dive SQA National 5 Physics guide to Area 2 Space. Covers space exploration, including rocket thrust from Newton's third law, weight on different bodies, satellites as projectiles and the risks of space travel, and cosmology, including the use of the whole electromagnetic spectrum, line spectra as a fingerprint of elements and redshift as evidence for an expanding universe.

A deep-dive SQA National 5 Physics guide to Area 3 Electricity. Covers charge carriers and Q equals I times t, potential difference as energy per unit charge, Ohm's law with resistors in series and parallel, practical circuits with the LDR, thermistor and potential divider, and electrical power and the cost of running an appliance.

A deep-dive SQA National 5 Physics guide to Area 4 Properties of Matter. Covers specific heat capacity and E equals m c delta T, specific latent heat and E equals m L, the gas laws linking pressure, volume and temperature with the kinetic model and the kelvin scale, and pressure as force per unit area with p equals F over A.

A deep-dive SQA National 5 Physics guide to Area 5 Waves. Covers wave parameters and behaviours with v equals f times wavelength and frequency as one over period, transverse and longitudinal waves, the electromagnetic spectrum with its bands, uses and detectors all travelling at the speed of light, and the refraction of light with total internal reflection.

A deep-dive SQA National 5 Physics guide to Area 6 Radiation. Covers nuclear radiation with the nature and properties of alpha, beta and gamma and the activity of a source, dosimetry with absorbed dose, equivalent dose and dose rate, and half-life with radioactive decay, finding half-life from data, and uses such as dating and medical tracers.