The Why

Why study physics at A-Level, you may be wondering to yourself? Physics aims to answer the almost childlike, but deeply profound question… why is everything the way it is? Take pretty much any statement and ask yourself “why?” just a few times, and you will quickly find yourself in the realm of physics.  

The table is white. Why? Because the paint is white. Why? 

Because the atoms that make up the pigment in the paint reflect all colour frequencies of the visible light spectrum, and the human brain perceives this mixture of all colours as white… physics! 

 Aunt Betty fell over. Why? Because she slipped on the ice. Why? Because ice is slippery. Why? 

Due to the atomic structure of solid water, applied pressure to the surface can momentarily cause a nano-thin layer of ultra-viscous liquid water to be formed between the ice and Aunt Betty’s shoes, and this strange layer has many of the physical properties of oil – Including its slipperiness! Physics again! 

Problem Solving

In addition to enjoying the pleasure of simply finding things out, physicists are fanatical problem solvers – people who enjoy using their skills to answer the great problems of our time. These could be conundrums such as why the universe appears to be expanding at an ever-faster rate, or something closer to home such as tackling the problem of energy consumption and food production in a rapidly growing population. 

For all of these reasons and many more, you should study an A Level in Physics. It is at A Level that you will begin to learn the methods and techniques that these amazing men and women use in their everyday lives to answer all these infinitely interesting problems. 

Come and join us at the New Hall Physics Department and ask yourself “why?”.

The What

At A level, students follow the OCR Physics A course (H556). This is a traditional course, which gives an excellent basis for studying Physics or Engineering at degree level. 

The content is split into six teaching modules and examined as below: 

The With

With whom will you be enjoying your time in physics?  We have several fun and engaging clubs and activities that students enjoy at New Hall.   

Astronomy Club 

This is a popular club, which allows students to develop their interests beyond the Physics curriculum and can enable them to take GCSE Astronomy as an additional subject. 

Physics Olympiad Problem Solving Club 

This is an academic club, which encourages students to develop their problem-solving skills with the opportunity to sit the Physics Olympiad. 

Drop in Support Club 

This is a lunchtime club, which enables students to access support from teachers during lunchtime. 

Institute of Physics 

We also have close links with The Institute of Physics, Chelmsford Branch, which runs regular lectures and events, such as Physics Fest, an outreach event, which our students support each year. 

The Isaac Physics Senior Physics Challenge 

The 50 available places on the SPC each year, held at Cambridge University, are awarded as prizes for commitment to problem-solving on isaacphysics.org.  

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Co-Curricular Opportunities

There are a variety of opportunities for students through their studies:

• Year 12 A Level Physics Live London lectures
• Year 13 Particle Physics Masterclass at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory or Cambridge University

Achievements

We encourage students to take part in many competitions and have had many successes.

• Physics Olympiad – a gold award in the Year 11 Challenge and bronze and silver awards in the Olympiad.
• Talent 2030 Competition
• I Love Science Competition – A national competition run by the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, where we had seven finalists.
• In addition, many CREST awards at various levels.

To keep up to date with all of the latest news and activities of the New Hall Physics department please follow @NewHallScience on Twitter

Head of Physics: Mr T Britton [email protected]