Aqa Particle Physics

Particle physics is the newest area of physics on the A level spec. Unlike Newton`s ideas, we don`t have 300 years of wisdom on the best way to teach it. Many of the textbooks follow a chronological approach. However, the unhelpful names and circuitous development mean students really struggle to get a handle on the concepts, lost in a mire of gibberish sounding words: pions, kaons and muons sound like a group, but a muon could not be more different from the other two!

I find a better approach is to start with the standard model - a symmetrical and comprehensible model of all known particles, starting from 12 building blocks. Once an idea of the whole is in place, we then zoom in to the key parts - 3 quarks and 4 leptons, from which all A level physics stems. It is easier to fit the ideas onto a complete model than try to follow the discoveries not knowing what comes next or how it relates.

This approach, tied closely with reference to the spec and past paper questions has allowed me to achieve amazing results with tutees and pupils on this topic.