H2 Physics (Syllabus 9749)

H2 Physics - Introduction

The syllabus has been designed to build on and extend the content coverage at O-Level. Candidates will be assumed to have knowledge and understanding of Physics at O-Level, either as a single subject or as part of a balanced science course.

Aims

The aims of a course based on this H2 Physics syllabus should be to:

provide students with an experience that develops their interest in Physics and builds the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for further studies in related fields.
enable students to become scientifically literate citizens who are well-prepared for the challenges of the 21st century
develop in students the understanding, skills, ethics and attitudes relevant to the Practices of Science, including the following:
1. understanding the nature of scientific knowledge
2. demonstrating science inquiry skills
3. relating science and society
develop in students an understanding that a small number of basic principles and core ideas can be applied to explain, analyse and solve problems in various systems in the physical world.

Core Ideas in Physics

Physics encompasses the study of systems spanning a wide range of distances and times: from 10–15 m (e.g. sub-atomic particles) to larger than 1030 m (e.g. galaxies); from near-instantaneous events, such as the current flow with a flick of a switch, to slow-evolving phenomenon, such as the birth and death of a star.
A small number of basic principles and laws can be applied in the study and interpretation of this wide variety of simple and complex systems. Similarly, a few core ideas that cut across traditional content boundaries can be introduced in the curriculum to provide students with a broader way of thinking about the physical world.
These Core Ideas are fundamental in the study of Physics and help students integrate knowledge and link concepts across different topics. They provide powerful analytical tools which can explain phenomena and solve problems.

Systems and Interactions
1. Defining the systems under study (by specifying their boundaries and making explicit models of the systems) provides tools for understanding and testing ideas that are applicable throughout physics.
2. Objects can be treated as having no internal structure or an internal structure that can be ignored. A system, on the other hand, is a collection of objects with an internal structure which may need to be taken into account.
3. Physical events and phenomena can be understood by studying the interactions between objects in a system and with the environment.
4. Students should be able to identify causal relationships when analysing interactions and changes in a system.
5. Interactions between objects in a system can be modelled using forces (e.g. a system of forces applied to move a mass; a system of two masses colliding; a system of the moon orbiting around the Earth; a system of electrical charges; a system of current in a straight wire placed in a magnetic field).
6. Fields existing in space are used to explain interactions between objects that are not in contact. Forces at a distance are explained by fields that can transfer energy and can be described in terms of the arrangement and properties of the interacting objects. These forces can be used to describe the relationship between electrical and magnetic fields.
7. Equilibrium is a unique state where the relevant physical properties of a system are balanced (e.g. the attainment of constant temperature at thermal equilibrium when objects of different temperatures interact, or an object returning to its equilibrium position after undergoing damped oscillatory motion).
8. Simplified microscopic models can be used to explain macroscopic properties observed in systems with complex and random interactions between a large number of objects:
  1. Microscopic models are applied in the study of electricity, thermodynamics and waves. Macroscopic properties (e.g. current, temperature and wave speed) are used to investigate interactions and changes in these systems.
  2. These macroscopic properties can be linked to complex interactions at the microscopic level, for example: the motion of electrons giving rise to current in a circuit, the random motion of atoms and molecules of an object giving rise to its thermal energy and the oscillatory motion of many particles giving rise to a wave motion.
  3. Such complex systems may also be better characterised by statistical averages (e.g. drift velocity, temperature) as these quantities may be more meaningful than the properties and behaviours of individual components (e.g. electron movement in a wire resulting in current).
Models and Representations
1. Models use reasonable approximations to simplify real-world phenomena in order to arrive at useful ways to explain or analyse systems.
2. The awareness of the approximations used in a proposed model allows one to estimate the validity and reliability of that model.
3. Models are tested through observations and experiments and should be consistent with available evidence. Models can evolve and be refined in the light of new evidence.
4. The assumptions made in defining a system will determine how interactions are described and analysed. Understanding the limits of these assumptions is a fundamental aspect of modelling.
5. The use of representations is inherent in the process of constructing a model. Examples of representations are pictures, motion diagrams, graphs, energy bar charts and mathematical equations.
6. Mathematics is an important tool in Physics. It is used as a language to describe the relationships between different physical quantities and to solve numerical problems.
7. Representations and models help in analysing phenomena, solving problems, making predictions and
  communicating ideas..
Conservation Laws
1. Conservation laws are fundamental among the principles in physics used to understand the physical world.
2. When analysing physical events or phenomena, the choice of system and associated conservation laws provides a powerful set of tools to use to predict the possible outcome of an interaction.
3. Conservation laws constrain the possible behaviours of objects in a system, or the outcome of an interaction or process.
4. Associated with every conservation law in classical physics is a physical quantity, a scalar or a vector, which characterises a system.
5. In a closed system, the associated physical quantity has a constant value independent of interactions between objects in the system. In an open system, the changes of the associated physical quantity are always equal to the transfer of that quantity to or from the system by interactions with other systems.
6. In Physics, charge, momentum, mass-energy and angular momentum are conserved.
7. Examples of how conservation laws are used in our syllabus:
  1. Conservation of momentum in collisions and explosions allowing the prediction of subsequent motion of the objects or particles.
  2. Conservation of energy to calculate the change in total energy in systems that are open to energy transfer due to external forces (work is done), thermal contact processes (heating occurs), or the emission or absorption of photons (radiative processes).
  3. Conservation of mass-energy, charge and nucleon number in nuclear reactions to enable the calculation of relevant binding energies and identification of the resulting nuclides.

Curriculum Framework of H2 Physics

The Practices of Science, Core Ideas in physics and Learning Experiences are put together in a framework to guide the development of the H2 Physics curriculum.

The Practices of Science are common to the natural sciences of Physics, Chemistry and Biology. These practices highlight the ways of thinking and doing that are inherent in the scientific approach, with the aim of equipping students with the understanding, skills, and attitudes shared by the scientific disciplines, including an appropriate approach to ethical issues.

The Core Ideas help students to integrate knowledge and link concepts across different topics, and highlight important themes that recur throughout the curriculum. The syllabus content is organised into sections according to the main branches and knowledge areas of Physics, i.e. Newtonian Mechanics, Thermal Physics, Oscillations and Waves, Electricity and Magnetism and Modern Physics. This allows for a focused, systematic and in-depth treatment of topics within each section.

The Learning Experiences2 refer to a range of learning opportunities selected by teachers to link the Physics content with the Core Ideas and the Practices of Science to enhance students’ learning of the concepts. Rather than being mandatory, teachers are encouraged to incorporate Learning Experiences that match the interests and abilities of their students and provide opportunities to illustrate and exemplify the Practices of Science, where appropriate. Real-world contexts can help illustrate the concepts in Physics and their applications. Experimental activities and ICT tools can also be used to build students’ understanding.

Assessment of Objectives of H2 Physics

The assessment objectives listed below reflect those parts of the aims and Practices of Science that will be
assessed.

A. Knowledge with understanding

Candidates should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding in relation to:

scientific phenomena, facts, laws, definitions, concepts, theories
scientific vocabulary, terminology, conventions (including symbols, quantities and units)
scientific instruments and apparatus, including techniques of operation and aspects of safety
scientific quantities and their determination
scientific and technological applications with their social, economic and environmental implications.

The syllabus content defines the factual knowledge that candidates may be required to recall and explain. Questions testing these objectives will often begin with one of the following words: define, state, describe, or explain.

B. Handling, applying and evaluating information
Candidates should be able (in words or by using symbolic, graphical and numerical forms of presentation) to:

locate, select, organise and present information from a variety of sources
handle information, distinguishing the relevant from the extraneous
manipulate numerical and other data and translate information from one form to another
use information to identify patterns, report trends, draw inferences and report conclusions
present reasoned explanations for phenomena, patterns and relationships
make predictions and put forward hypotheses
apply knowledge, including principles, to novel situations
bring together knowledge, principles and concepts from different areas of physics, and apply them in a particular context
evaluate information and hypotheses
demonstrate an awareness of the limitations of physical theories and models.

These assessment objectives cannot be precisely specified in the syllabus content because questions testing such skills may be based on information that is unfamiliar to the candidate. In answering such questions, candidates are required to use principles and concepts that are within the syllabus and apply them in a logical, reasoned or deductive manner to a novel situation. Questions testing these objectives will often begin with one of the following words: predict, suggest, deduce, calculate or determine.

C. Experimental skills and investigations
Candidates should be able to:

follow a detailed set or sequence of instructions and use techniques, apparatus and materials safely and effectively
make, record and present observations and measurements with due regard for precision and accuracy
interpret and evaluate observations and experimental data
identify a problem, design and plan investigations
evaluate methods and techniques, and suggest possible improvements.

Scheme of Assessment

All candidates are required to enter for Papers 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Paper	Type of Paper	Duration	Weighting %	Marks
1	Multiple Choice	1 h	15	30
2	Structured Questions	2 h	30	80
3	Free Response Questions	2 h	35	80
4	Practical	2 h 30 min	20	55

Paper 1 (1 h, 30 marks)

This paper consists of 30 compulsory multiple-choice questions. All questions will be of the direct choice type
with 4 options.

Paper 2 (2 h, 80 marks)

This paper will consist of a variable number of structured questions plus one or two data-based questions and will include questions which require candidates to integrate knowledge and understanding from different areas of the syllabus. All questions are compulsory and answers will be written in spaces provided on the Question Paper. The data-based question(s) will constitute 20–25 marks.

Paper 3 (2 h, 80 marks)
This paper will consist of 2 sections and will include questions which require candidates to integrate knowledge and understanding from different areas of the syllabus. All answers will be written in spaces provided on the Question Paper.

Section A worth 60 marks consisting of a variable number of structured questions, all compulsory.
Section B worth 20 marks consisting of a choice of one from two 20-mark questions.

Paper 4 (2 h 30 min, 55 marks)

This paper will assess appropriate aspects of objectives C1 to C5 in the following skill areas:

Planning (P)
Manipulation, measurement and observation (MMO)
Presentation of data and observations (PDO)
Analysis, conclusions and evaluation (ACE)

The assessment of Planning (P) will have a weighting of 5%. The assessment of skill areas MMO, PDO and ACE will have a weighting of 15%.
The assessment of PDO and ACE may also include questions on data-analysis which do not require practical equipment and apparatus. Candidates would be allocated a specified time for access to apparatus and materials of specific questions.

Candidates will not be permitted to refer to books and laboratory notebooks during the assessment.

Weighting of Assessment Objectives

	Assessment Objective	Weighting (%)	Assessment Components
A	Knowledge with understanding	32	Papers 1, 2, 3
B	Handling, applying and evaluating information	48	Papers 1, 2, 3
C	Experimental skills and investigations	20	Papers 4

Full H2 Physics syllabus details can be read in the H2 Physics Syllabus 9749.