Netherlands HAVO 5 (eindexamenjaar) Physics

Chapters: 5

1. Sound and image technology (part 2)

Medical imaging

Radioactivity: Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Half-Life – Some atomic nuclei are unstable. They give out radiation at random to become more stable. This is radioactive decay. Alpha (2 protons + 2 neutrons), beta (a fast electron) and gamma (a wave of energy) are the three main kinds. Half-life is the time for half of the unstable nuclei to decay.

Solar system and universe

Stars and Galaxies: From Starlight to the Big Bang – Everything we know about stars comes from their light. Splitting starlight into a spectrum shows dark lines that tell us which elements a star has; the colour tells us its temperature (blue = hot, red = cool) and stars are sorted into classes O B A F G K M. The H-R diagram plots true brightness against temperature: most stars, including the Sun, lie on the main sequence, with giants top right and white dwarfs bottom left. A star is born in a nebula and its mass decides its life: a Sun-like star becomes a red giant and then a white dwarf; a star of more than about 8 solar masses becomes a supergiant, explodes as a supernova and leaves a neutron star or black hole. Stars gather in galaxies, which are spiral, elliptical or irregular. Distances are huge, so we use the astronomical unit, the light-year and the parsec. Galaxies are moving apart, faster when farther (Hubble's law), which together with the cosmic microwave background supports the Big Bang about 13.8 billion years ago.

Using electricity

Resistors in Series and Parallel – In series, resistors form one path: the same current flows through each, voltages add up and R_s = R₁ + R₂ + R₃. In parallel, each resistor gets its own branch: the voltage across each is the same, currents add up and 1/R_p = 1/R₁ + 1/R₂ + 1/R₃, so R_p is smaller than the smallest resistor.

Physics and technology

Model Evaluation: How Good Is a Model? – A model is a simple copy of the real world that makes predictions. To evaluate it, we compare its predictions with the real answers. In machine learning we split data into a training set (to learn) and a test set (to check on new data). A confusion matrix counts true positives (TP), false positives (FP), false negatives (FN) and true negatives (TN). Accuracy = (TP + TN) ÷ total. Precision = TP ÷ (TP + FP). Recall = TP ÷ (TP + FN). F1 = 2PR ÷ (P + R). Science models (like the inverse-square law or the particle model) are judged the same way: do predictions match measurements, and where does the model stop working?

Experiment · Model study · Design

The Scientific Method – The scientific method is the careful way scientists find out how the world works. Observe something, ask a testable question, make a hypothesis (a clear, testable guess), test it with a fair experiment (change one variable, measure one, keep the rest the same), repeat and record data, analyse it, draw a conclusion and share it so others can check. Results that fail the test are useful too: they send you back to a new hypothesis.
Mathematical Modelling: Using Maths to Describe the Real World – A mathematical model is an equation, graph or table that describes a real situation in a simple way. The modelling cycle: understand the real problem → choose variables and make assumptions → build a model (for example linear, quadratic or exponential) → solve and predict → check the answer against real data → improve the model or state its limits. No model is perfect; a good one is simple and close enough to be useful.
The Design Process: From Problem to Product – The design process is a loop of steps designers use to solve a real problem for real people: investigate the need, define it in a brief and a measurable specification, generate many ideas, build a prototype, then test and evaluate it against the specification. Whatever fails sends you back round the loop. This repeating is called iteration, and it is how almost every product, app, building and artwork is improved.