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Subject Intent: Why Physics?
Physics develops key transferrable skills through the study of the universe from the smallest to the largest scales. Some of the highest skills shortages in Yorkshire are in STEM and our curriculum is designed to develop scientific methodology, awareness of the advances of technology and recognition of the value of Physics in society so that students can go on to enjoy careers in fields such as engineering (mechanical, structural and civil), geophysics and radiation protection.


Why should I study this subject?
The study of Physics is ‘the study of matter, energy, and the interaction between them’, but more than this, it is understanding how things work. No other subject covers the sheer scope that Physics does. From the impossibly small to the amazingly big, you’ll go from analysing the forces that keep nuclei together to calculating the time to orbit stars and planets. From the unbelievably slow to the incredibly fast, you’ll deal with events that range from taking billions of years to taking billionths of a second. As well as developing your problem solving skills you’ll develop an understanding of the subject that has revolutionised so many of industries that make up our day-to-day life such as transport, communication, medicine, energy, climate change and technology to name a few.

What will I study?
Year 12
• Waves, including the strange things that happen when waves meet.
• Particles and radiation, including antiparticles, quarks and quantum phenomena.
• Mechanics and materials, including projectile motion and collisions.
• Electricity, including resistivity and superconductivity.
• Practical skills

Year 13
• Further mechanics, including oscillations and circular motion.
• Thermal physics, including gas laws.
• Fields and their consequences, including electrical fields, capacitors, gravitational fields, orbits, magnetic fields and electromagnetic induction.
• Nuclear physics, our knowledge of the nucleus and its application.
• An optional unit, ‘Turning points in Physics’, which builds on a range of the physics studied in earlier sections.
• Practical skills

What are the entry requirements?
