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Degree Margins

Subjects · Mathematical and physical sciences

ℏ Physics

Derivations, problems and labs, with uncertainties handled properly.

Start a free Physics trial BSc/MPhys Physics · https://physics.degreemargins.com/

The toolkit

  • Uncertainty calculatorAvailable

    Propagate uncertainties through any formula with a contribution budget and a Monte Carlo check, analyse repeated readings, weighted means and whether two results agree.

  • Graphs and model fittingAvailable

    Weighted least-squares lines with gradient and intercept uncertainties, χ² and residuals; linearise power laws and exponentials or choose your own axes.

  • Units, constants and dimensionsAvailable

    Convert across sixteen quantities, check the dimensions of an equation, prefixes and significant figures, and CODATA 2022 constants.

  • MechanicsAvailable

    Constant-acceleration solver, projectiles with and without air resistance, collisions with restitution, circular motion and banking, and inclined planes.

  • Gravitation and orbitsAvailable

    Circular and elliptical orbits around any Solar System body, escape speed, Kepler’s third law and Hohmann transfers.

  • OscillationsAvailable

    Simple harmonic motion, the exact large-angle pendulum, damping regimes, resonance curves with phase, and coupled oscillators.

  • Waves and opticsAvailable

    String and pipe modes, Doppler shifts for sound and light, lenses and mirrors with a ray diagram, diffraction patterns and Fresnel reflection.

  • CircuitsAvailable

    Equivalent resistance of any network, a Kirchhoff solver, RC and RL transients, AC impedance and resonance, capacitors and wires.

  • Electric and magnetic fieldsAvailable

    Field-line maps of point charges you place, charged particles in fields, fields of wires and coils, and induction.

  • Thermal physicsAvailable

    Gas processes on a pV diagram, heat and phase changes, engine efficiencies, Maxwell–Boltzmann speeds, blackbody spectra and entropy.

  • Quantum, nuclear and relativityAvailable

    Photons and the photoelectric effect, matter waves, Compton scattering, hydrogen spectra, particle in a box, special relativity, decay and binding energy.

  • AstrophysicsAvailable

    Parallax, magnitudes and luminosity, stellar radii, black holes and a ΛCDM cosmology calculator.

  • Derivation notebookAvailable

    Write derivations line by line in LaTeX with a reason for each step, typeset as you type, saved and printable.

  • Lab and problem plannersAvailable

    Templates for experiment plans, lab reports, physics risk assessments and problem solving, saved and printable.

Skills you build

  • Mathematical modelling
  • Experimental design and error analysis
  • Computing
  • Scientific writing

How you are assessed

  • Problem sheets
  • Exams
  • Lab reports
  • Computational projects
  • Final-year project

Referencing: usually Numbered (IOP/AIP). Your department's handbook has the final word.

Learn: 214 teaching pages

Physics has 214 teaching pages, a full course, topic by topic. Each page has a plain-English explanation with the key idea in a box, figures and worked examples where they help, check-your-understanding questions with model answers, and a reference list.

and 202 more.

Subject guide

214 teaching pages with figures and self-test questions, plus a starter map of 119 topics in 18 areas, with 50 key terms, 41 physicists and 23 key experiments and papers that students can add to their notes in one click. Written for Degree Margins and checked against current sources.

Classical mechanics

Newton's laws of motion · Energy, work and power · Momentum and collisions · Rotational motion · Gravitation and orbits · Oscillations · Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics

Electromagnetism, waves and optics

Electric fields and potential · Magnetic fields · Electromagnetic induction · Maxwell's equations · Electromagnetic waves · Interference and diffraction · Geometric optics

Thermodynamics and statistical physics

Temperature and heat · The laws of thermodynamics · Entropy · Kinetic theory of gases · Statistical mechanics · Phase transitions

Quantum physics

Wave-particle duality · The Schrödinger equation · The uncertainty principle · The hydrogen atom · Spin · Quantum field theory (introduction)

Mathematical methods and lab skills

Vectors and calculus · Differential equations · Fourier analysis · Linear algebra · Error analysis and uncertainty · Data analysis and computing

Discovering the universe

Early cosmologies: Babylon, India, Greece · Star catalogues from Hipparchus to Ptolemy · The Copernican revolution and Kepler's laws · Galileo's telescope · The scale of the Solar System

Stars and astrophysics

Spectroscopy and the composition of stars · Classifying stars · The Doppler effect and redshift · Measuring distances to the stars · The Shapley-Curtis debate and other galaxies · Galaxy clusters and superclusters · Stellar evolution and star death

Relativity and gravity

Newtonian gravitation · Olbers' paradox · Special relativity · Spacetime · General relativity and curved space · Gravitational lensing · Tests of relativity · Gravitational waves

Relativistic cosmology

The expanding universe · Friedmann models · Hubble's law · The hot Big Bang · The cosmic microwave background · Cosmic horizons and the horizon problem · The initial singularity · Inflation · The far future of the universe

The dark universe

Evidence for dark matter · Galaxy rotation curves · Dark matter candidates · Dark energy and the accelerating universe · Modified gravity

Particle physics

Fermions and bosons · Leptons and quarks · The four fundamental interactions · The Standard Model · Symmetry breaking and the Higgs boson · Antimatter and matter-antimatter asymmetry · Grand unification and supersymmetry

Galaxies and black holes

Types of galaxy · Radio galaxies and quasars · Black holes and accretion discs · Supermassive black holes · Radio astronomy · The first stars and galaxies · Large-scale structure

The early universe

Primordial element abundances · Nucleosynthesis, lepton, quark and electroweak eras · The Planck era · Quantum gravity: strings and loops · Multiverse ideas and the anthropic principle · Time and its arrow

Computational physics

Programming in Python for physics · Arrays and numerical data · Plotting and visualising data · Numerical integration and root finding · Numerical solution of differential equations · Monte Carlo methods · Simulation and model validation

Experimental and laboratory physics

Laboratory safety and risk assessment · Measurement standards and calibration · Uncertainty propagation · Graphing and model fitting · Record keeping and reproducibility · Experimental design · Radiation detection and instrumentation

Nuclear physics

Nuclear structure and binding energy · Radioactive decay · Nuclear models: liquid drop and shell · Fission and fusion · Interactions of radiation with matter · Nuclear astrophysics

Professional skills and the physics profession

Scientific writing and citation · Academic integrity · Teamwork and presentations · Literature searching and critical reading · Research ethics · Careers, enterprise and innovation

Condensed matter physics

Crystal structure and the reciprocal lattice · Lattice vibrations and phonons · The free electron model · Band theory · Semiconductors · Magnetism in solids · Superconductivity

Accreditation and professional routes

Our teaching pages and tools are a study guide to support your degree, not a replacement for your lectures, seminars, reading or university materials. We take great care over accuracy, but where anything differs from what your course teaches, follow your course.