Physics Key Stage 4

Main Page - Science Subject - Science Key Stage 4 - Physics Key Stage 4

GCSE Physics Exam Papers

GCSE Physics Required Practicals

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

GCSE Physics Required Practical: Investigating Thermal Insulators

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 Power
  • Oil Power
  • Gas Power
  • Nuclear Power
• 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

GCSE Physics Required Practical: Investigating Hooke's Law

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

GCSE Physics Required Practical: Investigating Newton's Second Law

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

GCSE Physics Required Practical: Investigating Mechanical Waves

Waves at material interfaces: applications in exploring structures

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

GCSE Physics Required Practical: Investigating Reflection and Refraction of Light

• 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
• Refraction

• Making Radiowaves
• Absorption Spectra
• 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
  • Concave Lens
  • Focal Length
• Image
  • Real Image
  • Virtual Image

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

• Colour
• Specular Reflection
• Diffuse Reflection

Black Body Radiation

• Leslie Cube
• Temperature Constancy
• Albedo
• Greenhouse Effect

GCSE Physics Required Practical: Investigating Infra-red Radiation

Electricity

Current, potential difference and resistance

Electrical Current

• Charge
• Coulomb
• Ammeter
• Amp

Potential Difference

• Voltmeter
• Volts

Resistance

• Conductor
  • Ohmic Conductor
  • Ohm's Law
• Insulator
• Ohm
• Resistor
  • Resistors in Series
  • Resistors in Parallel

GCSE Physics Required Practical: Investigating Resistance

Electrical Components

• Cell
  • Battery
• Variable Power Supply
• Alternating Current Supply
• Wires
• Electrical Bulb
• Switch
• Buzzer
• Motor
• Voltmeter
• Ammeter
• Resistors
  • Variable Resistor
  • Light Dependent Resistor
  • Thermistor
• Diode
• Light Emitting Diode
• Electrical Fuse
• Electrical Heater

IV Graph

• Resistor IV Graph
• Bulb IV Graph
• Diode IV Graph
• Thermistor IV Graph
• Light Dependent Resistor IV Graph

GCSE Physics Required Practical: Investigating Electrical Components

Series and Parallel Circuits

• Circuit Components
• Circuit Diagram
• Circuit
• Series Circuit
  • Resistors in Series
• Parallel Circuit
  • Resistors in Parallel

Domestic uses and safety

• Mains Electricity
• Direct Current
• Alternating Current
• 3-Core
• Electrical Plug
  • Earth Wire
  • Live Wire
  • Fuse
  • Neutral Wire

Energy transfers

• Electrical Power
  • Watts
• Energy Transfers in a Motor
• Energy Transfers in an Electrical Heater
• National Grid

Static electricity – forces and electric fields

Higher

• Static Electricity
  • Charge
  • Electrons
  • Electrostatic Field
  • Electrostatic Potential
  • Electrostatic Induction

Magnetism and Electromagnetism

Permanent and induced magnetism, magnetic forces and fields

Magnetism

• Magnets
  • Poles
• Permanent Magnet
• Induced Magnet
• Magnetic Field
  • Magnetic Flux Density
  • Tesla
• Compass
• Earth's Magnetic Field

Magnetic effects of currents and the motor effect

• Wire
• Solenoid
• Electromagnets

Higher

• Motor Effect
• Fleming's Left Hand Rule
• D.C. Motor

Induced potential, transformers and the national grid

• Generator Effect
• Lenz's Law
• Alternator
• Dynamo
• Transformers

Microphones and speakers; oscillating currents in detection and generation of radiation

• Microphone
• Speaker

Particle Model of Matter

Changes of state and the particle model

• Density

GCSE Physics Required Practical: Calculating Densities

• Particle Model
  • Solid
  • Liquid
  • Gas
• State Change
• Melting
  • Melting Point
• Freezing
• Evaporating
• Boiling
  • Boiling Point
• Condensing
• Subliming
• Depositing

Internal energy, energy transfers and particle motions

• Internal Energy
• Thermal Energy Store
• Specific Heat Capacity

GCSE Physics Required Practical: Determining Specific Heat Capacity

• Specific Latent Heat
  • Specific Latent Heat of Vaporisation
  • Specific Latent Heat of Fusion

Particle model and pressure

• Kinetic Theory
• Gas Pressure

Atomic Structure

Nuclear atom and isotopes

• The Dalton Model of the Atom
• The Plum Pudding Model of the Atom
• The Nuclear Model of the Atom
  • Rutherford's Alpha Scattering Experiment
• The Bohr Model of the Atom
  • Energy Level
• The Atom
• Nucleus
  • Nucleon
  • Protons
  • Neutrons
• Electrons
  • Electron Shells
• Atomic Number
  • Relative Atomic Charge
• Relative Atomic Mass
  • Isotopes
• Calculating the Numbers of Protons, Neutrons and Electrons

Absorption and emission of ionizing radiations and of electrons and nuclear particles

• The Bohr Model of the Atom
  • Energy Level
  • Outer Shell
  • Ions

• Unstable Isotopes
• Radioactive Decay
  • Ionising Radiation
    • Alpha Radiation
    • Beta Radiation
    • Gamma Radiation
    • Neutron Radiation
• Penetration Depth
• Ionising Potential
• Contamination
• Irradiation
• Nuclear Equations
• Half Life

Hazards and uses of radioactive emissions and of background radiation

• Radioactivity
• Count Rate
  • Becquerel
• Radiation Dose
  • Sievert
• Ionising Radiation
• Half Life
• Nuclear Waste
  • High Level Nuclear Waste
  • Intermediate Level Nuclear Waste
  • Low Level Nuclear Waste
• Background Radiation - jobs
• Geiger Counter

• Medical Uses of Ionising Radiation
  • Radioactive Tracer
  • Irradiating Tumours

Nuclear fission and fusion

• Unstable Isotope
• Nuclear Fission
  • Nuclear Chain Reaction
  • Nuclear Fission Reactor
    • Fuel Rod
    • Control Rod
    • Moderator
• Nuclear Fusion
• Mass-Energy Equivalence

Space Physics

Solar system; stability of orbital motions; satellites

• Gravity
  • Weight
  • Gravitational Field Strength
  • Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation
  • Orbit
• Solar System
  • The Solar System
  • The Sun
  • Planet
  • Dwarf Planet
  • Satellite
    • Artificial Satellite
  • Moon
    • The Moon
  • Earth

• Lifecycle of a Star
• Stars
  • Low Mass Star
    • Nebula
    • Protostar
    • Main Sequence Star
    • Red Giant
    • White Dwarf
    • Black Dwarf
  • High Mass Star
    • Nebula
    • Protostar
    • Main Sequence Star
    • Red Super Giant
    • Supernova
    • Neutron Star
    • Black Hole

Red-shift as sources move away; the ‘big bang’ and universal expansion

• Galaxy
• Universe
• Light Year
• Doppler Effect
  • Red Shift
  • Blue Shift
• Big Bang Theory
  • Cosmic Microwave Background
• Steady State Theory