AQA A-Level Physics Active Recall Guide (7408)
AQA · A-Level
AQA A-Level Physics Active Recall Guide
Every topic of specification 7408 written as exam-style questions with the answers printed after them. 3,682 questions across 13 topics and 146 subtopics, including all five Paper 3 options so the guide fits whichever one your school teaches.
- AQA
- A-Level
- Specification 7408
- 3,682 questions
Guide overview All 13 topics Sample questions Papers and weighting Look inside Questions and answers
What the exam asks of you
AQA A-Level Physics is three written papers of two hours. Paper 1 covers the first five topics plus periodic motion at 85 marks and 34 per cent. Paper 2 covers thermal physics, fields and nuclear physics at 85 marks and 34 per cent, with a section that assumes the earlier content. Paper 3 is 80 marks and 32 per cent: practical skills and data analysis, then one option.
The option is chosen by your school from five. All five are here, so the four you do not sit are simply skipped.
| Paper | Covers | Length | Marks | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Paper 1 Sections 1 to 5 and periodic motion |
Measurements and their errors Particles and radiation Waves Mechanics and materials Electricity Periodic motion |
2 hours | 85 marks | 34% |
|
Paper 2 Sections 6.2, 7 and 8 |
Thermal physics Fields and their consequences Nuclear physics Assumed knowledge from sections 1 to 6.1 |
2 hours | 85 marks | 34% |
|
Paper 3 Practical skills and one optional topic |
Section A: practical skills and data analysis Section B: one option from Astrophysics, Medical physics, Engineering physics, Turning points in physics and Electronics |
2 hours | 80 marks | 32% |
What is in the guide
All 13 topics
Every topic has its own page with its subtopics, what it covers and sample questions.
Sample questions
Taken from the guide. Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
-
Use of SI units and their prefixes
What power of ten does the SI prefix centi (c) represent?
Show the answer
10⁻². -
Constituents of the atom
What is the relative mass of a proton?
Show the answer
1. -
Progressive waves
State the wave equation that relates wave speed, frequency and wavelength.
Show the answer
c = fλ, where c is wave speed, f is frequency and λ is wavelength. -
Scalars and vectors
State the mathematical relationship used to find the magnitude of the resultant of two perpendicular vectors A and B.
Show the answer
R = √(A² + B²), using Pythagoras' theorem. -
Basics of electricity
Define potential difference.
Show the answer
Potential difference is the work done per unit charge. -
Circular motion
State the formula for centripetal acceleration in terms of linear speed and radius.
Show the answer
a = v²/r, where a is centripetal acceleration, v is linear speed, and r is radius. -
Fields
What type of interaction gives rise to gravitational force fields?
Show the answer
The interaction of mass. -
Rutherford scattering
What observation in Rutherford's experiment indicated the presence of a concentrated positive charge within the atom?
Show the answer
A small fraction of alpha particles were deflected through large angles
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
-
Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
-
Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
-
Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Look inside
Questions for a subtopic print together and the answers for that section print after them.
- Measurements and Their Errors87
- Particles and Radiation314
- Waves191
- Mechanics and Materials285
- Electricity157
- Further Mechanics and Thermal Physics254
- Fields and Their Consequences422
- Nuclear Physics263
- Astrophysics333
- Medical Physics462
- Engineering Physics290
- Turning Points in Physics262
- and 1 more
- In the simple atomic model, what particles are found inside the nucleus?
- Where are electrons located in the simple model of the atom?
- What is the charge of a proton in coulombs?
- What is the charge of a neutron?
- State the charge of an electron in coulombs.
- What is the mass of a proton in kilograms?
- State the mass of a neutron in kilograms.
- What is the mass of an electron in kilograms?
- What is the relative charge of a proton?
- Protons and neutrons.
- Electrons orbit the nucleus.
- +1.60 × 10⁻¹⁹ C.
- Zero (the neutron has no charge).
- −1.60 × 10⁻¹⁹ C.
- 1.67 × 10⁻²⁷ kg.
- 1.67 × 10⁻²⁷ kg.
- 9.11 × 10⁻³¹ kg.
- +1.
questions
Scroll sideways to turn through the pages.
Questions students ask first
Which option do I do on Paper 3?
Your school chooses one of Astrophysics, Medical Physics, Engineering Physics, Turning Points in Physics or Electronics. It is Section B of Paper 3.
All five are in the guide because schools choose differently. Work yours and skip the other four. Each is a separate page.
Which topics are on which paper?
Paper 1 is measurements and errors, particles and radiation, waves, mechanics and materials, electricity, and periodic motion. Paper 2 is thermal physics, fields and nuclear physics, and assumes the Paper 1 content.
Paper 3 is practical skills and data analysis plus your option. The full breakdown is here.
Do I need to memorise the equations?
Some of them. AQA supplies a formulae booklet in the exam but it does not carry everything, and an equation you have to hunt for costs time. More to the point, the booklet never tells you what each symbol means or the conditions under which a relationship holds, and those are examined.
What is on Paper 3 Section A?
Practical skills and data analysis, drawing on the required practicals and on unfamiliar experimental data: apparatus, technique, uncertainty, graphs and the evaluation of results.
AQA A-Level Physics Active Recall Guide
Every question paired with its answer, grouped by topic and subtopic, ready to work in three passes.