This is an intensive module, requiring good mathematical skills, including algebra, trigonometry and a knowledge of vectors and of differential and integral calculus. To make the most of the Physics Summer School, we recommend getting your maths up to speed by visiting the Maths Readiness page.

EXCEL

The laboratory analysis will use Excel 365 and you may find it helpful to prepare by developing the skills shown in these videos.

The 4-week modules are intensive physics courses, at UK University level 4. They are equivalent to 15 credits each corresponding to 150 notional hours of learning per modules You will need to do about 100 hours of self-study over and above the scheduled contact hours.

Contact time per 4-week module is 6 x 3.5 hour labs, 6 x 2 hour workshops and 13 x 2 hour lectures. Your self-study should take up at least an additional 25 hours per week. Lectures, labs and workshops run Monday to Thursday, and some assessments are held on Fridays.  Each Physics module has the same structure in terms of contact hours and assessment.

A textbook is provided for you that covers all the material in both modules. A calculator is provided for all workshops, class-tests, mid-term quizzes and final exams. Due to the intensive nature of the course, it is not possible to make changes to timetables or reschedule assessments. 

If you’d like to view the Physics Undergraduate Summer School Syllabus or find out more about the assessment weighting, please contact summer@sussex.ac.uk

The mid-term quiz occurs on Friday of Week 2. It is 1 hour long and consists of 10 multiple-choice questions.  It contributes 15% of the overall mark for each module.

The final exam occurs on the Thursday of Week 4. It is two hours long and consists of 20 multiple-choice questions. It contributes 50% of the overall mark for each module.

All the multiple-choice questions receive one mark for a correct answer, and zero for a wrong answer. Therefore, the mid-term quiz is marked out of 10 and the final is marked out of 20. Please note there are no negative marks nor partial credit.

In line with the policy of the Physics and Astronomy Department we do not arrange viewings of quizzes or exam papers following the exams.

Your lab work will develop your laboratory and analysis skills and help you understand the physical concepts in Introductory Physics 1 and Introductory Physics 2.

The labs contribute 25% of the credit for each module. You will take 6 labs per module, handing in a report before the end of each 3.5-hour lab. The best 5 marks of these reports will be used to make up your lab credit. 

At the start of Session 1 you will be given a Laboratory Script that covers all the material you need for Session 1 and Session 2 modules.

Your first lab will not require you to carry out a full experiment; rather you will focus on graphing, excel and uncertainties. The work you carry out in this first lab will be fundamental to the analysis of all other labs.

In labs you will be working in groups of up to 8 students with one Associate Tutor. You will most likely collect data in pairs, although you may be collecting data individually. There are four experiment set-ups for each Associate Tutor and you will carry out a different experiment each time.

The topics covered match the contents of each Session, but may anticipate or follow lectures depending on the circuit arrangement for each group.

For Session 1 labs cover: oscillations, waves, heat equivalence, interference, phase-shift, resonance and the gas-laws. 

For Session 2 labs cover: interference of lasers, photo-electric effect, charge to mass ratio of electrons, measurement of fundamental electric charge, capacitance, behaviour of electric fields and potentials.

All labs must start on time, and health and safety advice followed at all times. For this reason if you are more than 15 minutes late to a lab your will not be allowed to carry out the experiment and will receive zero marks for that report.

Your workshop work will help you understand concepts covered in lectures and prepare you for the quizzes and exams.

Your workshop in-class quizzes will contribute 10% credit to your module. There will be 6 workshops, but you will only have 5 in-class quizzes, and your first workshop will not have a quiz.

At the start of Session 1 you will be given a Problem Set book that has practice problems for all of Session 1 and Session 2. 

There are between 8 and 12 students per workshop with one Associate Tutor. You will prepare by working on problems and your Associate Tutor will answer questions and guide you through the concepts of these questions.

Each workshop is 2 hours long and the test occurs at the start of the workshop and takes 15 minutes. You must be on time for your quiz in order to receive credit.

These Introductory Physics modules are intensive and we advise that you take advantage of support available throughout the course.

If you find you are struggling we advise that you talk to the Summer School team (summer@sussex.ac.uk) as soon as possible, while continuing to focus on the new material. Because of the intensive nature of the course it is important that you keep up with the new material.

There are 4 members of faculty lecturing on the modules. In addition to 30 physics Associate Tutors, there are 4 Lab and Workshop Supervisors on hand to answer questions.

There will be Office Hours with the lecturers and Help Desks with Associate Tutors to go over problem sets. In addition, there is a dedicated email physics.summerschool@sussex.ac.uk where you can ask for help or advice regarding any aspect of your studies.

Physics Summer School students with a disability or diagnosed long-term condition may have academic adjustments (sometimes called accommodations) in place at their home institution. For any Physics Summer School student any academic adjustment request will need to be made three weeks prior to the start of the Physics Undergraduate Summer School.

Please contact: Summer School team on summer@sussex.ac.uk

Deadline for requests is 31 May for the 2025 Summer School.