Physics
Aims and philosophy
The Department is committed to making Physics interesting, relevant and accessible to the boys and to promoting active learning in the classroom.
Curriculum by year-group
Shell: During the Shell year the boys cover a wide range of topics namely: Units and Measurement; Electricity; Forces and Motion; Waves; Astronomy; The Atom and Energy. This course devotes a large proportion of time to practical work and encourages boys to question the natural world around them.
GCSE: The two-year GCSE course covers a range of ideas from The Classical Theories of Newton and Maxwell through to Modern Physics. The topics covered are: Electricity and Magnetism; Forces and Motion; Waves; The Universe; Energy resources and energy transfer; Radioactivity; Telecommunications and Particle Physics.
AS and A-level: The following are compulsory topics: Forces and Motion; Electrons and Photons; Wave Properties; Forces, Fields and Energy. The boys then choose one from: Cosmology, Health Physics, Materials, Nuclear and Particle Physics and Telecommunications.
Outside the classroom
We have been involved in national initiatives to promote Science, Engineering and Technology. The Engineering Education Scheme has allowed us to make links with local companies and has given boys the opportunity to work on real engineering projects with Kodak. Teams of Harrow boys entering the Engineering Education Scheme win Gold or Platinum medals for their work on a regular basis. Sixth Form boys also attend the Frontiers of Science Conference.
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