DrG-Physics · Nuclear Reactions · SQA Higher Physics revision

Higher Physics revision on fission, fusion, mass defect, and binding energy. Five SQA-style questions fully worked. EXAM + STUDY editions included.

A focused single-topic revision companion on Nuclear Reactions for SQA Higher ‘Particles & Waves’. Covers fission, fusion, the mass defect, and Einstein’s E = Δmc² in the depth and form the SQA examines.

The DrG-Physics revision companion is not a worksheet. It is a structured exam-thinking guide — built around the way an SQA marker reads your script. Each worked solution leads with the relationship the examiner is looking for, substitutes cleanly, and evaluates with units. Every question carries a marker-aligned command-word tag (CALCULATE · 2 marks · STATE + JUSTIFY) so students learn what kind of answer earns each mark.

WHAT’S INSIDE
• Theory chapter on nuclear reactions — induced fission, fusion, the Coulomb barrier, the chain reaction
• Five SQA-style questions covering U-235 fission balancing, mass-defect calculations to 4 sig fig, deuterium-deuterium fusion energy, fission vs fusion contrasts, and the Lithium-7 reaction
• Each question fully worked with the four-line mass-defect layout the marker rewards
• Examiner’s Note after every question naming the typical pitfall (rounding too early in subtraction is the canonical loss-of-marks)
• Do/Don’t pair to reinforce SQA marking conventions

TWO EDITIONS · ONE DOWNLOAD
• EXAM Edition — clean, concise solutions for printing and exam-style practice
• STUDY Edition — same content plus ‘Why’ reasoning panels before each part

PART OF THE SERIES
This is one of eight focused topics in the DrG-Physics ‘Particles & Waves’ series. Try PW01 — Standard Model FREE to experience the approach. The complete series is also available as Volume I (Matter) and Volume II (Light) bundles.

Written and produced by Dr Godoy, GTCS-registered Physics teacher, Edinburgh.