Setting up a Physics Lab at Home for Integrated Programme (IP), A Levels

Download printable cheat-sheet (CC-BY 4.0)

12 Jul 2025, 00:00 Z

TL;DR
For under $300, you can assemble a compact home lab that trains every examinable skill 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.

1 | Why a Home Lab Still Matters

Practical is 10-20 % of the Physics grade from Sec 3 to JC 2, yet most schools limit students to < 15 h of apparatus time per year.
Smartphone sensors - accelerometer, gyroscope, light, mic - and $5 micro-controllers now rival school bench gear in resolution.
Early lab fluency shrinks the theory-to-practice gap, so students hit JC Paper 4 knowing $R = \frac{\Delta V}{\Delta I}$ and how to =LINEST() it.

2 | Tier-by-Tier Equipment List

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 $\frac1f = \frac1u + \frac1v$

Tip Scour Carousell / eBay for retired school multimeters; $20 buys a 0.01 V $3\frac12$-digit unit that lasts years.

Inline example: calculating lens focal length
\[ \frac1f = \frac1u + \frac1v \;\Rightarrow\; f = \frac{uv}{u+v} \]

3 | Smartphone-Sensor Hacks

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 $B \propto NI$	$B = \mu_0 NI$

Export as CSV, import to Sheets, run =LINEST() for gradient ± SE.

4 Safety & PPE Quick-Check

Eye - wrap-around goggles for lasers / springs.
Heat - gloves if using soldering iron for Arduino leads.
Electric - keep < 12 V DC; use battery packs, not wall adapters.
Laser - class 2 or lower; never eye-level.
Ventilation - solder in airy space; flux fumes irritate lungs.

Print the PPE poster from OSHA's PPE overview and stick it above the bench.

5 12-Week Lab-Skills Sprint

Week	Mini-task (≤ 45 min)	Skill
1	Time \d+ pendulum oscillations, calc $g$	Timing, % 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

Green-tick rows on completion; revisit red rows next month.

6 Linking to Your Existing Content Hub

SUVAT & FBD basics - Forces, Dynamics & Free-Body Diagrams
Spreadsheet-grade analysis - Measurement & Uncertainty for IP Physics
Problem-solving heuristics - Developing IP-Level Problem-Solving Habits
Careless-error traps - Are careless mistakes in math inevitable?

7 FAQ

"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.