Physics Key Stage 4

Contents

Energy

Energy changes in a system, and in the ways energy is stored before and after such changes

Systems

• Open System
• Closed System
• Closed Isolated System

Energy Store

• Thermal Energy Store
• Elastic Potential Energy Store
• Chemical Potential Energy Store
• Kinetic Energy Store
• Magnetic Potential Energy Store
• Electrostatic Potential Energy Store
• Nuclear Potential Energy Store
• Gravitational Potential Energy Store
• Internal Energy Store
• Vibrational Energy Store

Calculating Energy Stores

• Calculating Kinetic Energy
• Calculating Gravitational Potential Energy
• Calculating Elastic Potential Energy
• Calculating Thermal Energy

Energy Transfers

• Mechanical
  • Work Done by a Force
• Electrical Energy Transfer
  • Work Done by Electrical Current
• Energy Transfer by Radiation
• Energy Transfer by Heating

Power Ratings of Electrical Appliances

• Power
• Energy Transfers in Electrical Appliances

Conservation, dissipation and national and global energy sources

• Conservation of Energy
  • Closed Isolated System
• Total Energy
• Useful Energy
• Wasted Energy
• Dissipated Energy

Improving Energy Transfers

• Lubrication
• Thermal Insulator
• Energy Efficiency
• Power Efficiency

Energy Resources

• Non-renewable Energy Resource
  • Coal
  • Crude Oil
  • Natural Gas
  • Nuclear Fuel
• Renewable Energy Resource
  • Biofuel
  • Geothermal
  • Hydroelectric
  • Solar
  • Tidal
  • Wave
  • Wind

Forces

Forces and their Interactions

Representing Forces

• Vectors
• Forces as Vectors
• Free Body Diagram
• Scale Diagram
• Resolving Forces
• Resultant Force

Contact Forces

• Normal Contact Force
• Friction
• Drag
  • Air Resistance
  • Water Resistance
• Upthrust
• Driving Force
• Thrust
• Lift
• Tension

Non-contact Forces

• Magnetic Force
• Electrostatic Force
• Gravitational Force
  • Weight
  • Gravitational Field Strength

Interactions

• Balanced Forces
• Unbalanced Forces
  • Resultant Force
  • Newton's First Law
• Newton's Third Law
  • Force Pair
• Equilibrium Forces
  • Deformation
    • Elastic Deformation
    • Inelastic Deformation
    • Hooke's Law
    • Spring Constant
    • Work Done by Deformation

Work Done as force x distance, energy transfer

• Work Done
• Mechanical Energy Transfer

Pressure and pressure differences in fluids

• Pressure
  • Normal
• Fluid Pressure
• Atmospheric Pressure
• Upthrust

Moments, Levers and gears

• Moments
  • Centre of Mass
• Levers
• Gears

Forces and Motion

Speed and velocity, speed as distance over time; acceleration; distance-time and velocity-time graphs

Motion

• Vector
• Scalar
• Displacement
• Distance
• Velocity
• Speed

• Acceleration
  • Free Fall
  • Terminal Velocity
• Circular Motion

• SUVAT

Graphing Motion

• Distance-Time Graphs
• Velocity-Time Graphs

Forces, accelerations and Newton’s laws of motion

• Newton's First Law
• Newton's Second Law
  • Inertial Mass
• Newton's Third Law

Higher

• Momentum
• Conservation of Momentum
  • Explosions
  • Elastic Collisions
  • Inelastic Collisions
  • Impact Forces

Safety in public transport

• Reaction Time
• Stopping Distance
  • Thinking Distance
  • Braking Distance
• Rapid Deceleration

Waves in matter

Waves in air, fluids and solids

Wave Properties

• Amplitude
• Frequency
• Period
• Wavelength
• Wave Speed

• Transverse Wave
• Longitudinal Wave

Mechanical Waves

• Water Wave
• Sound Wave
• Waves on a String
• Seismic Waves

Waves at material interfaces: applications in exploring structures

• Interface
  • Medium
• Reflection
  • Specular Reflection
  • Diffuse Reflection
  • Law of Reflection
• Refraction
• Transmission
• Absorption

Higher

• Sound Waves
  • Ear
    • Infrasound
    • Ultrasound
  • Echolocation
  • Ultrasound Imaging
• Seismic Waves
  • P-waves
  • S-waves
    • Structure of Earth

Light and Electromagnetic Waves

Frequency range of the spectrum

Electromagnetic Waves

• Radiowaves
• Microwaves
• Infra-red
• Visible Light
• Ultra-violet
• X-rays
• Gamma-rays

Interactions of electromagnetic radiation with matter and their applications

• Transmission
• Absorption
• Reflection - TIR due to high to low medium
• Refraction

• Making Radiowaves
• Absorption Spectra - bohr model energy levels
• Emission Spectra

Applications of Electromagnetic Waves

• Applications of Radiowaves
• Applications of Microwaves
• Applications of Infra-red
• Applications of Visible Light
• Applications of Ultra-violet
• Applications of X-rays
• Applications of Gamma-rays

Dangers of Electromagnetic Waves

• Dangers of Radiowaves
• Dangers of Microwaves
• Dangers of Infra-red
• Dangers of Visible Light
• Dangers of Ultra-violet
• Dangers of X-rays
• Dangers of Gamma-rays

Lenses

• Refraction
• Lens
  • Convex Lens - qualitative only
  • Concave Lens

Colour and frequency; differential effects in transmission, absorption and diffuse reflection

• Colour - by absorption, transmission (filter) and scattering
• Specular Reflection
• Diffuse Reflection

Black Body Radiation

• Thermal Equilibrium
• Leslie Cube
• Albedo - planets incoming and outgoing