"Is \$300 mandatory?"

No. The Starter tier already hits pendulum, speed-of-sound, basic circuits and uncertainty - enough for Y3 WA1.

"Do I need coding experience for Arduino?"

No; copy-paste the 25-line CSV logger sketch from Arduino IDE > File > Examples > SD > Datalogger.

"Can I submit home-lab data for school WAs?"

Check with teacher - many schools allow supplementary evidence in RE or Fusion projects if safety rules are documented. ---

Setting up a Physics Lab at Home for IP, A Levels

Study guide30 Nov 2025, 00:00 ZUpdated 17 Jul 2026

Reviewed by

Chee Wei Jie·Academic Advisor (Physics)

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Q: What does Setting up a Physics Lab at Home for IP, A Levels cover?
A: A step-by-step handbook for parents and IP / JC students who want a safe, low-cost but A-Level-ready physics lab at home.

TL;DR
You can assemble a compact home lab that trains examinable skills in IP WAs and H2 Paper 4: measuring $g$ with a phone accelerometer, logging $V-I$ data with an Arduino, and analysing gradients with a spreadsheet. Follow the three build tiers below, respect the PPE checklist, and slot the 12-week lab-skills sprint before the next practical WA.

Keep this guide with the rest of your practical drills in our H2 Physics Experiments hub.

1 | Why a Home Lab Still Matters

A-Level H2 Physics includes a practical paper (Paper 4) in SEAB’s scheme of assessment; confirm the latest syllabus and weightings for your year.
Apparatus time in school varies; many students want more repeated practice than they get in standard lab sessions.

Sources

Want supervised lab practice?

Explore practical lessons, with timings, fees, and locations on the programme page.

View H2 Physics Practicals (Labs & Experiments)

Add Eclat Institute as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tier	Budget	Core tools	Skills unlocked
Starter	~$50	Phyphox-ready smartphone, cheap tripod, 2 m tape, stop-watch app	SUVAT timing, pendulum $g$ , sound-speed with mic + ruler
Core	~$120	Add Arduino Nano + USB cable, breadboard kit, $15 multimeter, jumper wires, resistor pack, laser pointer	$V-I$ graphs, potential-divider design, LINEST gradient ± SE
Plus	~$300	Add mini air-track substitute (PVC rail + low-friction gliders), IR gate pair, 600 mm optical bench, lens set	Momentum conservation, lens $f$ via $\frac1f = \frac1u + \frac1v$

Sensor (app)	One-liner experiment	Equation checked
Accelerometer (Phyphox)	Drop-test: phone in padded box -> average $g$ from $a_y$ plot	$g = 9.81 \space \pu{m.s-2}$
Gyroscope (Sensor Kinetics)	Measure angular SHM of a half-filled Coke can pendulum	$T = 2 \pi \sqrt{\frac{I}{mgr}}$
Magnetometer	Map field around a coil -> verify $B \propto NI$	$B = \mu_0 NI$

Week	Mini-task $≤ 45 min$	Skill
1	Time 20 pendulum oscillations, calc $g$	Timing, percent uncertainty
2	Plot $I-V$ of 120 Ω resistor (10 points)	Multimeter, LINEST
3	Use phone mic + ruler to find speed of sound	Waves, data fit
4	Design potential-divider to power LED at 2 V	Circuit, algebra
5	Air-track PVC glide, test $\sum p = 0$ elastic	Momentum
6	Lens bench: measure $f$ three u-v pairs	Ray optics
7	Measure fridge-magnet field vs distance	Log-log plotting
8	Arduino thermistor, calibrate $R(T)$ curve	Sensor linearisation
9	RC discharge, log $V(t)$ every 0.5 s	Exponential fit
10	Build ripple tank with phone torch & tray	Wave interference
11	Evaluate any two experiments: source, improvement	ACE paragraph
12	Full practical mock under 1 h 50 m	Stamina

Setting up a Physics Lab at Home for IP, A Levels

1 | Why a Home Lab Still Matters

Sources

Want supervised lab practice?

2 | Tier-by-Tier Equipment List

3 | Smartphone-Sensor Hacks

4 Safety & PPE Quick-Check

5 12-Week Lab-Skills Sprint

6 Linking to Your Existing Content Hub

7 FAQ

8 Take-Action Box