164746 cambridge learner guide for o level physics

Learner GuideCambridge O LevelPhysics

5054

Cambridge Secondary 2

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© Cambridge International Examinations 2015

Version 2

Contents

How to use this guide ....................................................................................................... 3Section 1: How will you be tested?Section 2: Examination adviceSection 3: What will be tested?Section 4: What you need to knowSection 5: Useful websitesSection 6: Appendices

Section 1: How will you be tested? ..................................................................................... 5About the papersAbout the theory papersAbout the practical papers

Section 2: Examination advice ............................................................................................. 9General advice

Section 3: What will be tested? ......................................................................................... 13

Section 4: What you need to know ................................................................................... 15How to use the table

Section 5: Useful websites ...............................................................................................43

Section 6: Appendices .....................................................................................................45Symbols, units and defi nitions of physical quantitiesCommand words and phrases

2 Cambridge O Level Physics 5054

How to use this guide



The guide describes what you need to know about your Cambridge O Level Physics examination.

It will help you to plan your revision programme for the written examinations and will explain what we are looking for in the answers you write. It can also be used to help you to revise by using the tick boxes in Section 4 ‘What you need to know’, to check what you know and which topic areas of physics you have covered.

The guide contains the following sections:

Section 1: How will you be tested?This section will give you information about the theory and practical examination papers.

Section 2: Examination adviceThis section gives you advice to help you do as well as you can. Some of the ideas are general advice and some are based on the common mistakes that candidates make in exams.

Section 3: What will be tested?This section describes the areas of knowledge, understanding and skills that we will test you on. It is particularly important to realise that most marks are awarded for understanding and skills and only approximately 30% of the total mark is for simple recall.

Section 4: What you need to knowThis shows the syllabus content so that you can check:

• which topics you need to know about

• details about each topic area in the syllabus

• how much of the syllabus you have covered.

Section 5: Useful websites• some useful websites that you might use.

Section 6: AppendicesThis section covers other things you need to know, such as:

• symbols, units and defi nitions of physical quantities

• the importance of the command words we use in examination papers.



Before you start:Check with your teacher which practical paper you will be taking (Paper 3 or Paper 4).

Both of these papers are described in Section 1 and Section 3. You only need to read about one of them.

The theory papers are the same for everyone and the theory is detailed in Section 2.

Section 1: How will you be tested?



About the papersYou will be entered for three examination papers: two theory papers and one practical paper. You will take Paper 1 Multiple Choice, Paper 2 Theory and either Paper 3 Practical Test or Paper 4 Alternative to Practical.

You need to ask your teacher which practical paper you are taking.

About the theory papersThe table gives you information about the theory papers.

Paper number and type

How long and how many marks?

What’s in the paper? What’s the % of the total

examination?

Paper 1Multiple Choice

1 hour(40 marks)

40 multiple-choice questions 27.6

Paper 2Theory

1¾ hours(75 marks)

Short answer and structured questions 51.7

Here is some more information about each paper.

Paper 1 Multiple ChoiceYou have to choose one of the four possible answers in each question.

The multiple-choice questions cover the entire syllabus, apart from Section 25 on Electronic Systems.

Paper 2 TheoryAll answers are written in the spaces provided on the actual question paper.

There are two sections.

Section A contains short structured questions where you may have to write a few words or sentences or make a calculation. You must answer all the questions.

Section B has three longer questions. Each question is worth 15 marks. You must answer two of the three questions, so take your time to read them carefully before choosing which questions to answer.

Questions on Section 25 (Electronic Systems) will always be optional.



About the practical papersJust over 20 per cent of the marks for Cambridge O Level Physics are for practical work.

You will do one of the practical papers shown in the table, either Paper 3 or Paper 4. Your teacher will tell you which practical paper you will do.

Paper number and type How long and how many marks?

What’s invovled?

Paper 3Practical Test

2 hours(30 marks)

You do a practical exam which is supervised by a teacher

Paper 4Alternative to Practical

1 hour(30 marks)

You answer a written paper about practical work.

Here is some more detail about the practical papers. If you are unsure of anything, ask your teacher.

EITHER

Paper 3 Practical TestYou do a practical exam, which is supervised by a teacher. You will carry out four short experiments.

Section A contains three short questions and lasts 1 hour. Section B contains one question that takes 1 hour.

You are given instructions, which enable you to carry out the experiments. You will take readings and record them in a table. You need to use a sensible number of fi gures and give the unit in the heading. You will usually draw a graph and make some conclusions, commenting upon accuracy and on how to improve the experiment.

You may be asked to use the following techniques, amongst others:

• recording current and potential difference and drawing circuit diagrams

• ray tracing and drawing ray diagrams

• measuring temperature

• balancing (centre of mass and moments)

• stretching of springs

• timing of oscillations.

Your experience of practical work during the course should enable you to handle the apparatus. Your teacher will be able to give you more examples and explain how to take readings and analyse the data.

OR



Paper 4 Alternative to PracticalThis is a written paper, testing the same skills as Paper 3. There are usually four questions which test practical procedures in the physics laboratory.

You may be asked to:

• record readings from diagrams of apparatus, e.g. reading current from an ammeter

• answer questions on the arrangement of apparatus

• complete tables of data

• draw conclusions from information

• answer questions about experimental data

• plot a graph from a table of readings

• interpret information from graphs

• draw ray diagrams

• identify sources of error and suggest improvements in the experiment

• suggest suitable apparatus for investigations.

You will need to do plenty of practical work during the course in order to score a good mark on this paper in the examination.

Section 2: Examination advice



This section highlights some common mistakes made by candidates. They are collected under various subheadings to help you when you revise a particular topic.

General advice• Thorough and careful revision is the best way to prepare for a physics examination.

• Make your revision productive by making it interesting and fun. Make notes, revision cards or mind maps. Revision should be an active process, i.e. you should be ‘doing things’, not just sitting and reading a book.

• Don’t try to learn it all in one go! Take regular breaks and review what you have learnt regularly.

• Learning equations is essential; put them on small pieces of paper and stick them somewhere you will see them every morning.

• Revise with a friend so you can test each other or try explaining the physics of a topic to a friend – as if you were a teacher!

• Working through past paper questions is the best way to complete your revision. This helps you to know the type and style of questions to expect in the examination.

• Try timed questions so you can learn to answer quickly.

• Get your answers checked so you know you are correct!

• In Cambridge O Level Physics examinations you have to be able to complete a variety of tasks; always read the question carefully to make sure you have understood what you are expected to do.

Spelling• The spelling of technical terms is important, so make sure your writing is legible as well as spelt

correctly.

• Some words are very similar, such as refl ection and refraction, fi ssion and fusion. If we cannot tell which one you have written, then you will lose the mark. Make a list of technical terms and defi nitions in each section of the syllabus, checking the spellings carefully.

Descriptive answersIn descriptive answers, you should:

• Check the number of marks available and make sure you give suffi cient points.

• Plan your answer fi rst so that you don’t repeat yourself or contradict yourself.

• Read your answer through carefully afterwards to check you have not missed out important words.

• Read the question again to check you have answered the question asked.

• Use sketches and diagrams wherever you can to help your explanation.

• Add labels when referring to a diagram, e.g. point X, so that you can refer to it easily in your explanation. This can save many words and much confusion.



Numerical answersIn numerical answers, you should:

• Quote any formulae you are going to use and show clearly all the steps in your working. It may be tempting to use your calculator and just write down the answer, but if you write down one fi gure wrongly then you may lose all the marks for the calculation. If we can see the formula and the numbers you have used then you will lose only a little credit. Some questions ask for a formula to be quoted; even if you get the right answer, failure to quote the formula will lose you a mark.

• Check the units are consistent, e.g. if the distance is given in km and the speed in m/s, then you must convert the km to m.

• Be careful when you are converting minutes and seconds: 1 minute 30 seconds is not 1.3 minutes and 150 seconds is not 1.5 minutes. These are common mistakes, so always double check any conversion of units of time.

• State the answer clearly at the end.

• Give your answer as a decimal to an appropriate number of signifi cant fi gures. Don’t leave your answer as a fraction unless specifi cally asked to do so.

• Check that you have given the unit of your fi nal answer.

• Look at your fi nal answer and see that it is reasonable. If you have calculated the cost of using an electrical appliance such as a kettle for a few minutes and found it to be hundreds of dollars, then check the powers of ten in your calculation.

GraphsPlotting graphs can be tested in Papers 2, 3 or 4.

When drawing graphs, you should:

• Remember to label the axes with both quantity (e.g. distance or d) and unit (e.g. metres or m). Then write it as distance/metres or even just d/m.

• Make sure the axes are the correct way round. You are usually told, for example, to plot distance on the x-axis, so make sure you know that x is the horizontal axis!

• Make the scales go up in sensible amounts, i.e. 0, 5, 10… or 0, 2, 4… but not 0, 3, 6… or 0, 7, 14…

• Make sure that the plotted points fi ll at least half the graph paper. This means if you can double the scale and still plot all the points then you should double the scale.

• Check if you have been told to start the scales from the origin. If not, then think carefully about where to start the axes.

• When you are told to start the axes from a certain point (e.g. x = 1, y = 20) you must do so. You will lose a mark if you use a different point (e.g. the origin).

• Use a sharp pencil to plot the points and draw the line.

• Plot the points carefully. It is best to use small neat crosses. Every point will be checked by the examiner, and you will lose the mark if any are wrongly plotted.

• Draw either a straight line or a smooth curve. In physics we never join the dots!

• Your line may not go through all the points – especially in the practical papers.

• Remember that a best fi t line (curve or straight) should have some points above and some points below the line.



When taking readings from a graph, you should:

• Draw a large triangle when measuring the gradient of a line. It must be at least half the length of the line. Top tip: draw a triangle the full size of the graph! It is best to show the numbers on the sides of the triangle when fi nding the gradient.

• Always use points on the line, not your plotted points, when calculating the gradient.

• Draw a tangent to fi nd the gradient of a curve. Make sure it is at the right place on the curve. Again, use a large triangle.

• Make sure you read the scales correctly when reading a value from a graph. It may be that they are in mA rather than A or km rather than m.

When describing the shape of a graph, remember that:

• directly proportional means a straight line through the origin. There are two ways to check if quantities are directly proportional:

– doubling one quantity will cause the other to double

– dividing one by the other will give the same result

i.e. if two quantities F and L are directly proportional then if you fi nd several values of F/L they should be the same

• if the straight line does not go through the origin, then it is just called a linear graph

• inverse relationship means increasing one quantity will cause the other to decrease

• if doubling one quantity causes the other to halve, then they are inversely proportional.This can also be checked by:

– multiplying the two quantities together will give the same result

i.e. if two quantities F and L are inversely proportional then if you fi nd several values of F × L they should be the same.

Section 3: What will be tested?



We test you on three assessment objectives:

AO1 your knowledge (what you remember) and understanding (how you use what you know and apply it to unfamiliar situations)

AO2 how you handle information and solve problems

AO3 your experimental skills

The theory papers test AO1 and AO2.

You should note that approximately 65% of the marks are for AO1 and of these only about half of these are for simple recall.

The practical papers test AO3.

The table shows you the range of skills you should try to develop.

Assessment objective

What this means Whatyou need to be able to do

AO1Knowledge with understanding

remembering facts and applying these facts to new situations

• Use scientifi c ideas, facts and laws

• Know the meaning of scientifi c terms, e.g. centre of mass

• Know equations and defi nitions

• Use simple equations, e.g. speed = distance/time

• Know about apparatus and how it works

• Know about symbols, quantities (e.g. mass and weight) and units (e.g. kg and N)

AO2Handling information and solving problems

how you extract information and rearrange it in a sensible pattern and how you carry out calculations and make predictions

• Select and organise information from graphs,

• tables and written text

• Change information from one form to another, e.g. draw graphs

• Arrange data and carry out calculations

• Identify patterns from information given and draw conclusions

• Explain scientifi c relationships, e.g. use the moving (kinetic) particle theory to explain ideas about solids, liquids and gases

• Make predictions and develop scientifi c ideas

• Solve problems



AO3Experimental skills and investigations

planning and carrying out experiments, recording and analysing information

• Follow instructions to set up and use apparatus safely

• Make observations and measurements and record them with regard to precision, accuracy and units

• Analyse experimental results

• Plan and carry out an experiment describing any problems and suggesting improvements

Section 4: What you need to know



The following table describes the things you may be tested on in the examination.

The main headings in the topic areas are usually followed by the details of what you need to know.

How to use the tableYou can use the table throughout your course to check the topic areas you have covered.

There is no need to start at the beginning. Use it when you fi nish a section of your course to make sure that you understand what you should be able to do.

When you think you have a good knowledge of a topic, you can tick the appropriate box in the checklist column.

Test yourself as follows:

• cover up the details with a piece of paper

• try to remember the details

• when you have remembered the details correctly, put a tick in the appropriate box.

You can also use it as a revision aid at the end of the course to fi nd out any weaknesses or areas you need to do some work on or ask your teacher about.

If you use a pencil to tick the boxes, you can retest yourself whenever you want by simply rubbing out the ticks. If you are using the table to check which topics you have covered, you can put a tick in the topic column, next to the appropriate bullet point.

The column headed ‘Comments’ can be used:

• to add further information about the details for each bullet point

• to add learning aids, e.g. simple equations set out in a triangle to help in rearranging the equation

• to show areas of diffi culty/things you need to ask your teacher about.

There are six major themes in the table:

General Physics

Newtonian Mechanics

Energy and Thermal Physics

Waves

Electricity and Magnetism

Atomic Physics.

Each theme contains a number of sections. The 27 sections cover the whole syllabus. Each section contains a number of topics and the table lists what you should be able to do in each topic.



You should note that questions on Section 25, Electronic Systems, only appear in Paper 2 and are always set as an alternative within a question.

Your teacher may have chosen not to cover this section in your course. In that case you should not need to learn that topic.

Do, however, make sure that you understand Section 24, Introductory Electronics.




17

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18

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19

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20

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of

mas

s on

the

sta

bilit

y of

sim

ple

obje

cts

6. D

efo

rmat

ion

Elas

tic d

efor

mat

ion

• st

ate

that

a fo

rce

may

pro

duce

a c

hang

e in

siz

e an

d sh

ape

of a

bod

y•

plot

and

use

ext

ensi

on-lo

ad g

raph

s fo

r an

ela

stic

sol

id•

desc

ribe

an e

xper

imen

t to

mea

sure

the

ext

ensi

on

prod

uced

by

diff

eren

t lo

ads

for

an e

last

ic s

olid

• kn

ow w

hat

is m

eant

by

the

‘lim

it of

pro

port

iona

lity’

for

an e

last

ic s

olid

• ca

lcul

ate

exte

nsio

ns fo

r an

ela

stic

sol

id u

sing

ex

tens

ion

is d

irect

ly p

ropo

rtio

nal t

o lo

ad




21

Top

icY

ou

sh

ou

ld b

e ab

le t

o:

Ch

eckl

ist

Co

mm

ents

7. P

ress

ure

Pre

ssur

e•

defi n

e th

e te

rm p

ress

ure

in te

rms

of fo

rce

and

area

• do

cal

cula

tions

usi

ng t

he e

quat

ion

pr

essu

re =

forc

e/ar

ea•

expl

ain

how

pre

ssur

e va

ries

with

forc

e an

d ar

ea in

a

rang

e of

eve

ryda

y ex

ampl

es

Pre

ssur

e ch

ange

s•

desc

ribe

how

the

hei

ght

of a

liqu

id c

olum

n m

ay b

e us

ed

to m

easu

re t

he a

tmos

pher

ic p

ress

ure

• ex

plai

n in

wor

ds h

ow t

he p

ress

ure

bene

ath

a liq

uid

surf

ace

chan

ges

with

dep

th a

nd d

ensi

ty o

f th

e liq

uid

in

sim

ple

ever

yday

exa

mpl

es•

do c

alcu

latio

ns u

sing

the

equ

atio

n

pres

sure

= hρg

• de

scrib

e ho

w a

man

omet

er is

use

d to

mea

sure

pre

ssur

e di

ffer

ence

s•

desc

ribe

and

expl

ain

the

tran

smis

sion

of

pres

sure

in

hydr

aulic

sys

tem

s•

desc

ribe

the

wor

king

s of

:th

e hy

drau

lic p

ress

, hy

drau

lic b

rake

s on

veh

icle

s•

desc

ribe

how

cha

ngin

g th

e pr

essu

re a

pplie

d to

a g

as a

t co

nsta

nt te

mpe

ratu

re c

ause

s a

chan

ge in

vol

ume

• do

cal

cula

tions

usi

ng p

1V1 =

p2V

2




22

Top

icY

ou

sh

ou

ld b

e ab

le t

o:

Ch

eckl

ist

Co

mm

ents

TH

EM

E 3

En

erg

y an

d T

her

mal

Ph

ysic

s

8. E

ner

gy

sou

rces

an

d t

ran

sfer

of

ener

gy

Ener

gy fo

rms

• lis

t th

e di

ffer

ent

form

s of

ene

rgy

• gi

ve e

xam

ples

in w

hich

eac

h fo

rm o

ccur

s•

stat

e th

e pr

inci

ple

of t

he c

onse

rvat

ion

of e

nerg

y•

appl

y th

is p

rinci

ple

to t

he c

onve

rsio

n of

ene

rgy

from

one

fo

rm to

ano

ther

• st

ate

that

kin

etic

ene

rgy

Ek =

½ m

v2

• st

ate

that

pot

entia

l ene

rgy

EP =

mgh

• do

cal

cula

tions

usi

ng t

hese

equ

atio

ns

Maj

or s

ourc

es o

f en

ergy

• lis

t re

new

able

and

non

-ren

ewab

le e

nerg

y so

urce

s•

desc

ribe

the

ener

gy c

onve

rsio

ns t

akin

g pl

ace

whe

n us

ing

the

follo

win

g en

ergy

sou

rces

:–

chem

ical

/fue

l ene

rgy

(re-g

roup

ing

of a

tom

s)–

hydr

oele

ctric

gen

erat

ion

(em

phas

isin

g th

e m

echa

nica

l

ene

rgie

s in

volv

ed)

– so

lar

ener

gy (n

ucle

i of

atom

s in

the

Sun

)–

nucl

ear

ener

gy–

geot

herm

al e

nerg

y–

win

d en

ergy

• ex

plai

n ho

w n

ucle

ar f

usio

n re

leas

es e

nerg

y•

expl

ain

how

nuc

lear

fi ss

ion

rele

ases

ene

rgy

• de

scrib

e th

e ge

nera

tion

of e

lect

ricity

and

dra

w a

blo

ck

diag

ram

of

the

proc

ess

from

fue

l inp

ut to

ele

ctric

ity

outp

ut•

disc

uss

the

envi

ronm

enta

l iss

ues

asso

ciat

ed w

ith p

ower

ge

nera

tion

Wor

k•

calc

ulat

e w

ork

done

fro

m t

he e

quat

ion

w

ork

= fo

rce

× d

ista

nce

mov

ed in

dire

ctio

n of

the

forc

e




23

Top

icY

ou

sh

ou

ld b

e ab

le t

o:

Ch

eckl

ist

Co

mm

ents

Effi c

ienc

y•

calc

ulat

e th

e ef

fi cie

ncy

of a

n en

ergy

con

vers

ion

usin

g th

e eq

uatio

n

effi

cien

cy =

ener

gy c

onve

rted

to th

e re

quire

d fo

rmto

tal e

nerg

y in

put

• di

scus

s th

e ef

fi cie

ncy

of e

nerg

y co

nver

sion

s in

com

mon

us

e, p

artic

ular

ly t

hose

giv

ing

elec

tric

al o

utpu

t•

disc

uss

the

usef

ulne

ss o

f en

ergy

out

put

from

a n

umbe

r of

ene

rgy

conv

ersi

ons

Pow

er•

calc

ulat

e po

wer

fro

m t

he e

quat

ion

po

wer

= w

ork

done

/tim

e ta

ken

9. T

ran

sfer

of

ther

mal

en

erg

y

Con

duct

ion

• de

scrib

e ho

w to

dis

tingu

ish

betw

een

good

and

bad

co

nduc

tors

of

heat

• de

scrib

e he

at t

rans

fer

in s

olid

s by

the

mov

emen

t of

m

olec

ules

• de

scrib

e he

at t

rans

fer

in s

olid

s by

the

mov

emen

t of

fre

e el

ectr

ons

Con

vect

ion

• de

scrib

e co

nvec

tion

in f

uids

usi

ng d

ensi

ty c

hang

es

Rad

iatio

n•

desc

ribe

how

hea

t is

tra

nsfe

rred

by

radi

atio

n•

desc

ribe

how

to d

istin

guis

h be

twee

n go

od a

nd b

ad

emitt

ers

of in

fra-

red

radi

atio

n•

desc

ribe

how

to d

istin

guis

h be

twee

n go

od a

nd b

ad

abso

rber

s of

infr

a-re

d ra

diat

ion

Tota

l tra

nsfe

r•

desc

ribe

how

hea

t is

tra

nsfe

rred

to o

r fr

om b

uild

ings

and

ro

oms

• st

ate

the

impo

rtan

t m

etho

ds o

f th

erm

al in

sula

tion

of

build

ings

• de

scrib

e ho

w t

hese

impo

rtan

t m

etho

ds in

sula

te t

he

build

ings




24

Top

icY

ou

sh

ou

ld b

e ab

le t

o:

Ch

eckl

ist

Co

mm

ents

10.

Tem

per

atu

re

Prin

cipl

es o

f th

erm

omet

ry•

expl

ain

how

a p

hysi

cal p

rope

rty

whi

ch v

arie

s w

ith

tem

pera

ture

may

be

used

for

the

mea

sure

men

t of

te

mpe

ratu

re•

stat

e ex

ampl

es o

f su

ch p

rope

rtie

s•

expl

ain

the

need

for

fi xed

poi

nts

• st

ate

wha

t is

mea

nt b

y th

e ic

e po

int

and

stea

m p

oint

• di

scus

s th

e fe

atur

es:

sens

itivi

tyra

nge

linea

rity

of t

herm

omet

ers

Pra

ctic

al t

herm

omet

ers

• de

scrib

e th

e st

ruct

ure

and

actio

n of

liqu

id-in

-gla

ss

ther

mom

eter

s (in

clud

ing

clin

ical

)•

desc

ribe

the

stru

ctur

e an

d ac

tion

of a

the

rmoc

oupl

e th

erm

omet

er•

expl

ain

the

use

of a

the

rmoc

oupl

e th

erm

omet

er fo

r m

easu

ring

high

tem

pera

ture

s an

d th

ose

whi

ch v

ary

rapi

dly

11.

Th

erm

al p

rop

erti

es o

f m

atte

r

Spe

cifi c

hea

t ca

paci

ty•

desc

ribe

a ris

e in

tem

pera

ture

of

a bo

dy a

s an

incr

ease

in

its in

tern

al e

nerg

y (r

ando

m t

herm

al e

nerg

y)•

defi n

e th

e te

rms

heat

cap

acity

•

defi n

e th

e te

rm s

peci

fi c h

eat

capa

city

• ca

lcul

ate

heat

tra

nsfe

rred

usi

ng t

he e

quat

ion

th

erm

al e

nerg

y =

mas

s ×

spe

cifi c

hea

t cap

acity

× c

hang

e in

tem

pera

ture




25

Top

icY

ou

sh

ou

ld b

e ab

le t

o:

Ch

eckl

ist

Co

mm

ents

Mel

ting

and

boili

ng•

desc

ribe

mel

ting/

solid

ifi ca

tion

and

boili

ng/c

onde

nsat

ion

as a

tra

nsfe

r of

ene

rgy

with

out

a ch

ange

in te

mpe

ratu

re•

stat

e th

e m

eani

ng o

f m

eltin

g po

int

• st

ate

the

mea

ning

of

boili

ng p

oint

• ex

plai

n th

e di

ffer

ence

bet

wee

n bo

iling

and

eva

pora

tion

• de

fi ne

the

term

late

nt h

eat

• de

fi ne

the

term

spe

cifi c

late

nt h

eat

• ex

plai

n la

tent

hea

t by

writ

ing

abou

t m

olec

ules

• ca

lcul

ate

heat

tra

nsfe

rred

in a

cha

nge

of s

tate

usi

ng t

he

equa

tion

th

erm

al e

nerg

y =

mas

s ×

spe

cifi c

late

nt h

eat

Ther

mal

exp

ansi

on o

f so

lids,

liqu

ids

and

gase

s•

desc

ribe

in w

ords

the

the

rmal

exp

ansi

on o

f so

lids,

liqu

ids

and

gase

s•

desc

ribe

the

rela

tive

orde

r of

mag

nitu

de o

f th

e ex

pans

ion

of s

olid

s, li

quid

s an

d ga

ses

• lis

t an

d ex

plai

n so

me

of t

he e

very

day

appl

icat

ions

and

co

nseq

uenc

es o

f th

erm

al e

xpan

sion

• de

scrib

e in

wor

ds h

ow a

cha

nge

of te

mpe

ratu

re a

ffec

ts

the

volu

me

of a

gas

at

cons

tant

pre

ssur

e

12.

Kin

etic

mo

del

of

mat

ter

Sta

tes

of m

atte

r•

stat

e th

e pr

oper

ties

of s

olid

s, li

quid

s an

d ga

ses

Mol

ecul

ar m

odel

• de

scrib

e in

wor

ds t

he m

olec

ular

str

uctu

re o

f so

lids,

liq

uids

and

gas

es•

link

the

prop

ertie

s of

sol

ids,

liqu

ids

and

gase

s to

:th

e fo

rces

bet

wee

n th

e m

olec

ules

the

dist

ance

s be

twee

n m

olec

ules

the

mot

ion

of t

he m

olec

ules

• de

scrib

e ho

w c

hang

ing

the

tem

pera

ture

aff

ects

the

m

otio

n of

mol

ecul

es

• ex

plai

n th

e pr

essu

re o

f a

gas

in te

rms

of t

he m

otio

n of

its

mol

ecul

es




26

Top

icY

ou

sh

ou

ld b

e ab

le t

o:

Ch

eckl

ist

Co

mm

ents

Eva

pora

tion

• de

scrib

e ev

apor

atio

n in

term

s of

the

esc

ape

of m

ore

ener

getic

mol

ecul

es f

rom

the

sur

face

of

a liq

uid

• de

scrib

e ho

w e

vapo

ratio

n is

aff

ecte

d by

:te

mpe

ratu

resu

rfac

e ar

eadr

augh

t ov

er t

he s

urfa

ce

• ex

plai

n th

at e

vapo

ratio

n ca

uses

coo

ling

TH

EM

E 4

Wav

es

13.

Gen

eral

wav

e p

rop

erti

es

Des

crib

ing

wav

e m

otio

n•

desc

ribe

wha

t is

mea

nt b

y a

wav

e m

otio

n•

desc

ribe

the

use

of:

rope

ssp

rings

rippl

e ta

nks

to d

emon

stra

te w

ave

mot

ions

Wav

e te

rms

• st

ate

wha

t is

mea

nt b

y a

wav

efro

nt•

defi n

e th

e te

rms:

spee

dfre

quen

cyw

avel

engt

h am

plitu

de

• do

cal

cula

tions

usi

ng

velo

city

= fr

eque

ncy

× w

avel

engt

h•

desc

ribe

a tr

ansv

erse

wav

e•

desc

ribe

a lo

ngitu

dina

l wav

e•

expl

ain

the

diff

eren

ces

betw

een

tran

sver

se a

nd

long

itudi

nal w

aves




27

Top

icY

ou

sh

ou

ld b

e ab

le t

o:

Ch

eckl

ist

Co

mm

ents

Wav

e be

havi

our

• de

scrib

e ho

w a

rip

ple

tank

is u

sed

to s

how

:

–

refl e

ctio

n at

a p

lane

sur

face

– re

frac

tion

due

to a

cha

nge

of s

peed

• de

scrib

e si

mpl

e ex

perim

ents

to s

how

the

refl e

ctio

n of

so

und

wav

es•

desc

ribe

a si

mpl

e ex

perim

ent

to s

how

the

refr

actio

n of

so

und

wav

e

14.

Lig

ht

Refl

ect

ion

of li

ght

• de

fi ne

the

follo

win

g te

rms:

no

rmal

angl

e of

inci

denc

e an

gle

of re

fl ect

ion

• de

scrib

e an

exp

erim

ent

to il

lust

rate

the

law

of

refl e

ctio

n•

desc

ribe

an e

xper

imen

t to

fi nd

the

pos

ition

of

an im

age

form

ed b

y a

plan

e m

irror

• de

scrib

e th

e pr

oper

ties

of t

he im

age

prod

uced

by

a pl

ane

mirr

or•

know

tha

t th

e an

gle

of in

cide

nce

is e

qual

to t

he a

ngle

of

refl e

ctio

n an

d•

use

this

in d

raw

ing

diag

ram

s an

d ca

lcul

atio

ns

Ref

ract

ion

of li

ght

• de

fi ne

the

follo

win

g:an

gle

of in

cide

nce

angl

e of

refr

actio

nre

frac

tive

inde

x•

desc

ribe

expe

rimen

ts to

sho

w re

frac

tion

of li

ght

thro

ugh

glas

s bl

ocks

• do

cal

cula

tions

usi

ng t

he e

quat

ion

si

n i /

sin

r =

n•

defi n

e th

e te

rms:

cr

itica

l ang

leto

tal i

nter

nal r

efl e

ctio

n•

do c

alcu

latio

ns u

sing

the

equ

atio

n si

n c

= 1

/n•

desc

ribe

expe

rimen

ts to

sho

w to

tal i

nter

nal r

efl e

ctio

n•

desc

ribe

how

opt

ical

fi br

es a

re u

sed

in

tele

com

mun

icat

ions

and

• st

ate

the

adva

ntag

es o

f th

eir

use




28

Top

icY

ou

sh

ou

ld b

e ab

le t

o:

Ch

eckl

ist

Co

mm

ents

Thin

con

verg

ing

and

dive

rgin

g le

nses

• de

scrib

e th

e ac

tion

of t

hin

conv

ergi

ng le

nses

on

a be

am

of li

ght

• de

scrib

e th

e ac

tion

of t

hin

dive

rgin

g le

nses

on

a be

am o

f lig

ht•

defi n

e th

e te

rm fo

cal l

engt

h•

draw

ray

dia

gram

s to

sho

w t

he fo

rmat

ion

of re

al a

nd

virt

ual i

mag

es o

f an

obj

ect

by a

con

verg

ing

lens

• dr

aw r

ay d

iagr

ams

to s

how

the

form

atio

n of

a v

irtua

l im

age

by a

div

ergi

ng le

ns•

defi n

e th

e te

rm li

near

mag

nifi c

atio

n•

draw

sca

le d

iagr

ams

to d

eter

min

e th

e fo

cal l

engt

h of

a c

onve

rgin

g le

ns n

eede

d fo

r pa

rtic

ular

val

ues

of

mag

nifi c

atio

n•

desc

ribe

the

use

of a

sin

gle

lens

:as

a m

agni

fyin

g gl

ass

in a

cam

era

n a

proj

ecto

rin

a p

hoto

grap

hic

enla

rger

• dr

aw r

ay d

iagr

ams

to s

how

how

the

imag

e is

form

ed

by a

mag

nify

ing

glas

s:in

a c

amer

ain

a p

roje

ctor

in a

pho

togr

aphi

c en

larg

er•

draw

ray

dia

gram

s to

sho

w t

he fo

rmat

ion

of im

ages

inth

e no

rmal

eye

:a

shor

t-si

ghte

d ey

ea

long

-sig

hted

eye

• de

scrib

e th

e co

rrec

tion

of s

hort

-sig

ht

• de

scrib

e th

e co

rrec

tion

of lo

ng-s

ight

15.

Ele

ctro

mag

net

ic s

pec

tru

m

Dis

pers

ion

of li

ght

• de

scrib

e th

e di

sper

sion

of

light

by

a gl

ass

pris

m.

• st

ate

the

colo

urs

of t

he s

pect

rum

•

expl

ain

how

the

col

ours

are

rela

ted

to f

requ

ency

and

w

avel

engt

h




29

Top

icY

ou

sh

ou

ld b

e ab

le t

o:

Ch

eckl

ist

Co

mm

ents

Pro

pert

ies

of

elec

trom

agne

tic w

aves

• st

ate

that

all

elec

trom

agne

tic w

aves

tra

vel w

ith t

he s

ame

high

spe

ed in

air

• kn

ow t

hat

the

spee

d is

3 ×

108 m

/s•

list

the

com

pone

nts

of t

he e

lect

rom

agne

tic s

pect

rum

• de

scrib

e th

e im

port

ant

feat

ures

of

each

com

pone

nt o

f th

e el

ectr

omag

netic

spe

ctru

m

App

licat

ions

of

elec

trom

agne

tic w

aves

• di

scus

s ho

w e

ach

com

pone

nt is

use

d:–

radi

owav

es in

rad

io a

nd te

levi

sion

com

mun

icat

ions

– m

icro

wav

es in

sat

ellit

e te

levi

sion

and

in te

leph

ones

– in

fra-

red

in h

ouse

hold

ele

ctric

al a

pplia

nces

:

in te

levi

sion

con

trol

lers

in

intr

uder

ala

rms

– lig

ht in

opt

ical

fi br

es:

in

med

ical

use

s

in te

leph

one

cabl

es–

ultr

a-vi

olet

in s

unbe

ds

in fl

uore

scen

t tu

bes

in

ste

rilis

atio

n–

X-r

ays

in h

ospi

tals

for

med

ical

imag

ing

in

hos

pita

ls fo

r ki

lling

can

cero

us c

ells

in

eng

inee

ring

for

dete

ctin

g cr

acks

in m

etal

obj

ects

– ga

mm

a ra

ys in

hos

pita

ls fo

r ki

lling

can

cero

us c

ells

,

in e

ngin

eerin

g fo

r de

tect

ing

crac

ks in

met

al o

bjec

ts




30

Top

icY

ou

sh

ou

ld b

e ab

le t

o:

Ch

eckl

ist

Co

mm

ents

16.

So

un

d

Sou

nd w

aves

• de

scrib

e th

e pr

oduc

tion

of s

ound

by

vibr

atin

g so

urce

s•

expl

ain

why

sou

nd w

aves

are

long

itudi

nal

• ex

plai

n w

hat

is m

eant

by

com

pres

sion

s an

d ra

refa

ctio

ns•

stat

e th

e ap

prox

imat

e ra

nge

of a

udib

le f

requ

enci

es•

expl

ain

soun

d w

aves

nee

d a

med

ium

, and

• de

scrib

e an

exp

erim

ent

to d

emon

stra

te t

his

• ex

plai

n ho

w t

he lo

udne

ss o

f a

soun

d w

ave

depe

nds

on

its a

mpl

itude

• ex

plai

n ho

w t

he p

itch

of s

ound

wav

es d

epen

ds o

n its

fr

eque

ncy

• de

scrib

e ho

w t

he re

fl ect

ion

of s

ound

may

pro

duce

an

echo

• ex

plai

n w

hat

is m

eant

by

the

qual

ity (t

imbr

e) o

f a

soun

d w

ave

• de

scrib

e w

hat

affe

cts

the

qual

ity (t

imbr

e) o

f so

und

wav

es, a

nd•

desc

ribe

how

the

se c

an b

e sh

own

on a

cat

hode

ray

os

cillo

scop

e (c

.r.o.

)

Spe

ed o

f so

und

• de

scrib

e a

sim

ple

met

hod

of m

easu

ring

the

spee

d of

so

und

in a

ir, a

nd•

expl

ain

how

the

spe

ed is

cal

cula

ted

from

the

m

easu

rem

ents

• st

ate

appr

oxim

ate

mag

nitu

de o

f th

e sp

eeds

of

soun

din

air

in li

quid

sin

sol

ids

Ultr

asou

nd•

defi n

e ul

tras

ound

• de

scrib

e th

e us

es o

f ul

tras

ound

:in

cle

anin

gin

det

ectin

g fl a

ws

(qua

lity

cont

rol)

in p

re-n

atal

sca

nnin

g




31

Top

icY

ou

sh

ou

ld b

e ab

le t

o:

Ch

eckl

ist

Co

mm

ents

TH

EM

E 5

Ele

ctri

city

an

d M

agn

etis

m

17.

Mag

net

ism

an

d e

lect

rom

agn

etis

m

Law

s of

mag

netis

m•

know

tha

t m

agne

ts h

ave

N (n

orth

) and

S (s

outh

) pol

es•

stat

e th

at u

nlik

e po

les

attr

act

and

like

pole

s re

pel

Mag

netic

pro

pert

ies

of

mat

ter

• st

ate

the

diff

eren

ces

betw

een

mag

netic

, non

-mag

netic

an

d m

agne

tised

mat

eria

ls•

desc

ribe

an e

lect

rical

met

hod

of m

agne

tisat

ion

• de

scrib

e an

ele

ctric

al m

etho

d of

dem

agne

tisat

ion

• ex

plai

n w

hat

is m

eant

by

a pe

rman

ent

mag

net

• kn

ow t

hat

stee

l beh

aves

as

a pe

rman

ent

mag

net

• de

scrib

e us

es o

f pe

rman

ent

mag

nets

• ex

plai

n w

hat

is m

eant

by

a te

mpo

rary

mag

net

• kn

ow t

hat

iron

beha

ves

as a

tem

pora

ry m

agne

t•

desc

ribe

uses

of

tem

pora

ry m

agne

ts•

expl

ain

wha

t is

mea

nt b

y in

duce

d m

agne

tism

• de

scrib

e ho

w to

plo

t m

agne

tic fi

eld

lines

with

a p

lott

ing

com

pass

• ex

plai

n w

hat

is m

eant

by

mag

netic

scr

eeni

ng•

expl

ain

the

choi

ce o

f m

ater

ial f

or m

agne

tic s

cree

ning

• de

scrib

e th

e us

e of

mag

netic

mat

eria

ls in

a c

ompu

ter

hard

dis

k dr

ive

Elec

trom

agne

tism

• de

scrib

e th

e pa

tter

n of

the

mag

netic

fi el

d du

e to

:cu

rren

ts in

str

aigh

t w

ires

curr

ents

in s

olen

oids

• st

ate

the

effe

ct o

n th

e m

agne

tic fi

eld

of c

hang

ing:

th

e m

agni

tude

of

the

curr

ent

the

dire

ctio

n of

the

cur

rent

• de

scrib

e us

es o

f el

ectr

omag

nets

in:

rela

ysci

rcui

t-br

eake

rslo

udsp

eake

rs




32

Top

icY

ou

sh

ou

ld b

e ab

le t

o:

Ch

eckl

ist

Co

mm

ents

18.

Sta

tic

elec

tric

ity

Law

s of

ele

ctro

stat

ics

• kn

ow t

hat

ther

e ar

e po

sitiv

e an

d ne

gativ

e ch

arge

s•

stat

e th

at u

nlik

e ch

arge

s at

trac

t an

d lik

e ch

arge

s re

pel

Prin

cipl

es o

f el

ectr

osta

tics

• de

scrib

e ex

perim

ents

to s

how

ele

ctro

stat

ic c

harg

ing

by

fric

tion

• ex

plai

n th

at c

harg

ing

of s

olid

s in

volv

es a

mov

emen

t of

el

ectr

ons

• kn

ow t

hat

char

ge is

mea

sure

d in

cou

lom

bs•

desc

ribe

an e

lect

ric fi

eld

as a

regi

on in

whi

ch a

n el

ectr

ic

char

ge e

xper

ienc

es a

forc

e•

stat

e th

e di

rect

ion

of li

nes

of fo

rce

(ele

ctric

fi el

d lin

es)

• de

scrib

e si

mpl

e el

ectr

ic fi

eld

patt

erns

• de

scrib

e th

e se

para

tion

of c

harg

es b

y in

duct

ion

• ex

plai

n th

e di

ffer

ence

s be

twee

n el

ectr

ical

con

duct

ors

and

insu

lato

rs

• gi

ve e

xam

ples

of

elec

tric

al c

ondu

ctor

s•

give

exa

mpl

es o

f el

ectr

ical

insu

lato

rs•

expl

ain

wha

t is

mea

nt b

y ‘e

arth

ing’

a c

harg

ed o

bjec

t

App

licat

ions

of

elec

tros

tatic

s•

desc

ribe

exam

ples

whe

re c

harg

ing

coul

d be

a p

robl

em,

e.g.

ligh

tnin

g•

desc

ribe

exam

ples

whe

re c

harg

ing

is h

elpf

ul, e

.g.

phot

ocop

ier,

elec

tros

tatic

pre

cipi

tato

r

19.

Cu

rren

t el

ectr

icit

y

Cur

rent

• st

ate

that

a c

urre

nt is

a fl

ow o

f ch

arge

•

know

tha

t cu

rren

t is

mea

sure

d in

am

pere

s•

do c

alcu

latio

ns u

sing

the

equ

atio

n

char

ge =

cur

rent

× ti

me

• de

scrib

e th

e us

e of

an

amm

eter

with

diff

eren

t ra

nges




33

Top

icY

ou

sh

ou

ld b

e ab

le t

o:

Ch

eckl

ist

Co

mm

ents

Elec

trom

otiv

e fo

rce

(e.m

.f.)

• ex

plai

n th

at e

.m.f.

is t

he e

nerg

y co

nver

ted

by a

pow

er

supp

ly (e

.g. c

ell)

in m

ovin

g a

unit

char

ge a

roun

d a

circ

uit

• st

ate

that

e.m

.f. is

wor

k do

ne/c

harg

e•

calc

ulat

e th

e to

tal e

.m.f.

whe

n se

vera

l pow

er s

uppl

ies

are

arra

nged

in s

erie

s, a

nd

• de

scrib

e ho

w t

his

is u

sed

in t

he d

esig

n of

bat

terie

s•

expl

ain

the

adva

ntag

e of

mak

ing

a ba

tter

y fr

om s

ever

al

pow

er s

uppl

ies

arra

nged

in p

aral

lel

Pot

entia

l diff

eren

ce (p

.d.)

• kn

ow t

hat

p.d.

is m

easu

red

in v

olts

• ex

plai

n th

at t

he p

.d. i

s m

easu

red

acro

ss a

circ

uit

com

pone

nt

• ex

plai

n th

at t

he p

.d. a

cros

s a

com

pone

nt is

the

wor

k do

ne w

hen

a un

it ch

arge

pas

ses

thro

ugh

the

com

pone

nt•

stat

e th

at t

he v

olt

is g

iven

by

J/C

• de

scrib

e th

e us

e of

a v

oltm

eter

with

diff

eren

t ra

nges




34

Top

icY

ou

sh

ou

ld b

e ab

le t

o:

Ch

eckl

ist

Co

mm

ents

Res

ista

nce

• kn

ow t

hat

resi

stan

ce =

p.d

./cur

rent

• do

cal

cula

tions

usi

ng t

he e

quat

ion

re

sist

ance

= v

olta

ge/c

urre

nt•

desc

ribe

an e

xper

imen

t to

mea

sure

the

resi

stan

ce o

f a

met

allic

con

duct

or u

sing

a v

oltm

eter

and

an

amm

eter

• st

ate

Ohm

’s L

aw•

expl

ain

that

Ohm

’s L

aw is

onl

y ob

eyed

by

a re

sist

or a

t co

nsta

nt te

mpe

ratu

re•

do c

alcu

latio

ns w

ith t

he re

latio

nshi

ps fo

r a

wire

:

resi

stan

ce is

dire

ctly

pro

port

iona

l to

leng

th

resi

stan

ce is

inve

rsel

y pr

opor

tiona

l to

cros

s-se

ctio

nal

area

• ca

lcul

ate

the

tota

l res

ista

nce

of s

ever

al re

sist

ors:

in s

erie

sin

par

alle

l•

sket

ch c

urre

nt/v

olta

ge g

raph

s fo

r:re

sist

orfi l

amen

t la

mp

• de

scrib

e th

e ef

fect

of

tem

pera

ture

incr

ease

on

the

resi

stan

ce o

f:a

resi

stor

a fi l

amen

t la

mp

• de

scrib

e ho

w t

he re

sist

ance

of

a lig

ht-d

epen

dent

resi

stor

va

ries

with

the

inte

nsity

of

light




35

Top

icY

ou

sh

ou

ld b

e ab

le t

o:

Ch

eckl

ist

Co

mm

ents

20.

D.C

. cir

cuit

s

Cur

rent

and

pot

entia

l di

ffer

ence

in c

ircui

ts•

know

the

circ

uit

sym

bols

for:

pow

er s

ourc

es (c

ell,

batt

ery

or a

.c. m

ains

)sw

itche

s (c

lose

d an

d op

en)

esis

tors

(fi x

ed a

nd v

aria

ble)

light

dep

ende

nt re

sist

ors

ther

mis

tors

.la

mps

amm

eter

svo

ltmet

ers

mag

netis

ing

coils

bells

fuse

sre

lays

light

-em

ittin

g di

odes

rect

ifyin

g di

odes

.•

draw

circ

uits

con

tain

ing

thes

e co

mpo

nent

s

Ser

ies

and

para

llel

circ

uits

• st

ate

that

the

cur

rent

at

ever

y po

int

in a

ser

ies

circ

uit

is

the

sam

e•

stat

e th

at t

he s

um o

f th

e p.

d.s

in a

ser

ies

circ

uit

is e

qual

to

the

p.d

. acr

oss

the

who

le c

ircui

t •

stat

e th

at t

he c

urre

nt f

rom

the

sou

rce

is t

he s

um o

f th

e cu

rren

ts in

the

sep

arat

e br

anch

es o

f a

para

llel c

ircui

t•

do c

alcu

latio

ns o

n th

e w

hole

circ

uit,

reca

lling

and

usi

ng

form

ulae

incl

udin

g R

= V

/I a

nd t

hese

for

pote

ntia

l di

ffer

ence

s in

ser

ies,

resi

stor

s in

ser

ies

and

resi

stor

s in

pa

ralle

l




36

Top

icY

ou

sh

ou

ld b

e ab

le t

o:

Ch

eckl

ist

Co

mm

ents

21. P

ract

ical

ele

ctri

city

Use

s of

ele

ctric

ity•

desc

ribe

the

use

of e

lect

ricity

in:

heat

ing

light

ing

mot

ors

• do

cal

cula

tions

usi

ng t

he e

quat

ions

po

wer

= v

olta

ge ×

cur

rent

en

ergy

= v

olta

ge ×

cur

rent

× ti

me

• ca

lcul

ate

the

cost

of

usin

g el

ectr

ical

app

lianc

es w

here

th

e en

ergy

uni

t is

the

kW

h

Dan

gers

of

elec

tric

ity•

stat

e th

e ha

zard

s of

:da

mag

ed in

sula

tion

over

heat

ing

of c

able

sda

mp

cond

ition

s

Saf

e us

e of

ele

ctric

ity in

th

e ho

me

• de

scrib

e th

e us

e of

:fu

ses

circ

uit

brea

kers

• ex

plai

n w

hat

is m

eant

by:

fuse

rat

ings

circ

uit

brea

ker

sett

ings

• ex

plai

n th

e ne

ed fo

r:ea

rthi

ng m

etal

cas

esdo

uble

insu

latio

n•

stat

e th

e m

eani

ng o

f th

e te

rms:

live

neut

ral

eart

h•

desc

ribe

how

to w

ire a

mai

ns p

lug

• ex

plai

n w

hy s

witc

hes,

fus

es a

nd c

ircui

t br

eake

rs a

re

alw

ays

plac

ed in

the

live

con

duct

or




37

Top

icY

ou

sh

ou

ld b

e ab

le t

o:

Ch

eckl

ist

Co

mm

ents

22.

Ele

ctro

mag

net

ism

Forc

e on

a c

urre

nt-

carr

ying

con

duct

or•

desc

ribe

expe

rimen

ts to

sho

w t

he fo

rce

on:

a cu

rren

t-ca

rryi

ng c

ondu

ctor

in a

mag

netic

fi el

da

beam

of

char

ged

part

icle

s in

a m

agne

tic fi

eld

• de

scrib

e th

e ef

fect

on

the

forc

e of

:re

vers

ing

the

curr

ent

reve

rsin

g th

e di

rect

ion

of t

he fi

eld

• st

ate

the

rela

tive

dire

ctio

ns o

f fo

rce,

fi el

d an

d cu

rren

t:(u

se o

f Fl

emin

g’s

left

han

d ru

le)

• de

scrib

e th

e m

agne

tic fi

eld

patt

erns

bet

wee

n cu

rren

ts in

pa

ralle

l con

duct

ors

• us

e th

e m

agne

tic fi

eld

patt

erns

to fi

nd t

he d

irect

ion

of

the

forc

es o

n th

e w

ires

The

d.c.

mot

or•

expl

ain

how

a c

urre

nt-c

arry

ing

coil

in a

mag

netic

fi el

d ex

perie

nces

a t

urni

ng e

ffec

t•

desc

ribe

the

effe

ct o

f:in

crea

sing

the

num

ber

of t

urns

on

the

coil

incr

easi

ng t

he c

urre

nt•

desc

ribe

how

thi

s tu

rnin

g ef

fect

is u

sed

in a

n el

ectr

ic

mot

or•

expl

ain

why

a s

plit-

ring

com

mut

ator

is u

sed

in a

sim

ple

mot

or•

desc

ribe

the

effe

ct o

f w

indi

ng t

he c

oil o

nto

a so

ft-ir

on

cylin

der

23. E

lect

rom

agn

etic

ind

uct

ion

Prin

cipl

es o

f el

ectr

omag

netic

in

duct

ion

• de

scrib

e an

exp

erim

ent

whi

ch s

how

s th

at a

cha

ngin

g m

agne

tic fi

eld

can

indu

ce a

n e.

m.f.

in a

circ

uit

• st

ate

the

fact

ors

affe

ctin

g th

e m

agni

tude

of

the

indu

ced

e.m

.f.•

know

tha

t th

e di

rect

ion

of a

cur

rent

pro

duce

d by

an

indu

ced

e.m

.f. o

ppos

es t

he c

hang

e pr

oduc

ing

it (L

enz’

s La

w)

• de

scrib

e a

sim

ple

dem

onst

ratio

n of

Len

z’s

Law




38

Top

icY

ou

sh

ou

ld b

e ab

le t

o:

Ch

eckl

ist

Co

mm

ents

The

a.c.

gen

erat

or•

desc

ribe

a si

mpl

e fo

rm o

f a.

c. g

ener

ator

(rot

atin

g co

il or

ro

tatin

g m

agne

t)•

expl

ain

the

purp

ose

of s

lip r

ings

(whe

re n

eede

d)•

sket

ch a

gra

ph o

f vo

ltage

out

put

agai

nst

time

for

a si

mpl

e a.

c. g

ener

ator

The

tran

sfor

mer

• de

scrib

e th

e st

ruct

ure

of a

sim

ple

iron-

core

d tr

ansf

orm

er•

desc

ribe

the

oper

atio

n of

a s

impl

e iro

n-co

red

tran

sfor

mer

• st

ate

the

adva

ntag

es o

f hi

gh v

olta

ge t

rans

mis

sion

• co

mpa

re u

nder

grou

nd p

ower

tra

nsm

issi

on w

ith o

verh

ead

lines

in te

rms

of:

envi

ronm

enta

l im

pact

cost

24.

Intr

od

uct

ory

ele

ctro

nic

s

Ther

mio

nic

emis

sion

• st

ate

that

ele

ctro

ns a

re e

mitt

ed b

y a

hot

met

al fi

lam

ent

• ex

plai

n th

at to

allo

w t

he e

lect

rons

to fl

ow re

quire

s bo

th:

high

pos

itive

pot

entia

lve

ry lo

w g

as p

ress

ure

• de

scrib

e th

e de

fl ect

ion

of a

n el

ectr

on b

eam

by:

elec

tric

fi el

dsm

agne

tic fi

elds

• st

ate

that

the

fl ow

of

elec

tron

s (e

lect

ron

curr

ent)

is f

rom

ne

gativ

e to

pos

itive

• kn

ow t

hat

the

fl ow

of

elec

tron

s is

in t

he o

ppos

ite

dire

ctio

n to

con

vent

iona

l cur

rent

Sim

ple

trea

tmen

t of

ca

thod

e-ra

y os

cillo

scop

e (c

.r.o.

)

• de

scrib

e in

out

line

the

basi

c st

ruct

ure

of a

c.r.

o.•

desc

ribe

in o

utlin

e th

e ac

tion

of a

c.r.

o.•

desc

ribe

the

use

of a

c.r.

o.:

to d

ispl

ay w

avef

orm

sto

mea

sure

p.d

.s.

to m

easu

re s

hort

inte

rval

s of

tim

e




39

Top

icY

ou

sh

ou

ld b

e ab

le t

o:

Ch

eckl

ist

Co

mm

ents

Act

ion

and

use

of c

ircui

t co

mpo

nent

s•

desc

ribe

the

resi

stor

col

our

code

• ex

plai

n ho

w t

he re

sist

or c

olou

r co

de c

an e

asily

be

used

to

labe

l ver

y la

rge

and

very

sm

all r

esis

tanc

es•

expl

ain

why

wid

ely

diff

eren

t va

lues

of

resi

stan

ce a

re

need

ed in

diff

eren

t ty

pes

of c

ircui

t•

expl

ain

why

we

need

to u

se re

sist

ors

with

ver

y di

ffer

ent

pow

er r

atin

gs

• de

scrib

e th

e ac

tion

of a

the

rmis

tor

• ex

plai

n th

e us

e of

a t

herm

isto

r as

an

inpu

t se

nsor

• de

scrib

e th

e ac

tion

of a

ligh

t-de

pend

ent

resi

stor

• ex

plai

n th

e us

e of

a li

ght-

depe

nden

t re

sist

or a

s an

inpu

t se

nsor

• de

scrib

e th

e ac

tion

of a

var

iabl

e po

tent

ial d

ivid

er

(pot

entio

met

er)

• de

scrib

e th

e ac

tion

of a

dio

de in

pas

sing

cur

rent

in o

ne

dire

ctio

n on

ly•

desc

ribe

the

actio

n of

a li

ght-

emitt

ing

diod

e in

pas

sing

cu

rren

t in

one

dire

ctio

n on

ly a

nd e

mitt

ing

light

• de

scrib

e th

e ac

tion

of a

cap

acito

r as

a c

harg

e st

ore

• ex

plai

n ho

w a

cap

acito

r is

use

d in

tim

e de

lay

circ

uits

• de

scrib

e th

e ac

tion

of a

rela

y•

expl

ain

how

rela

ys a

re u

sed

in s

witc

hing

circ

uits

• de

scrib

e ci

rcui

ts o

pera

ting

as:

light

-sen

sitiv

e sw

itche

ste

mpe

ratu

re o

pera

ted

alar

ms

(usi

ng a

rela

y or

oth

er c

ircui

ts)




40

Top

icY

ou

sh

ou

ld b

e ab

le t

o:

Ch

eckl

ist

Co

mm

ents

25.

Ele

ctro

nic

sys

tem

s (N

ote

th

is t

op

ic is

op

tio

nal

. Qu

esti

on

s ar

e al

way

s se

t as

alt

ern

ativ

es.)

Sw

itchi

ng a

nd lo

gic

circ

uits

• de

scrib

e th

e ac

tion

of a

n np

n tr

ansi

stor

as

an e

lect

rical

ly

oper

ated

sw

itch

• ex

plai

n th

e us

e of

an

npn

tran

sist

or in

sw

itchi

ng c

ircui

ts.

• st

ate

in w

ords

and

in t

ruth

tab

le fo

rm, t

he a

ctio

n of

the

fo

llow

ing

logi

c ga

tes:

AN

DO

RN

AN

DN

OR

NO

T (in

vert

er).

• st

ate

the

sym

bols

for

the

logi

c ga

tes

liste

d ab

ove

Bis

tabl

e an

d as

tabl

e ci

rcui

ts•

desc

ribe

the

use

of a

bis

tabl

e ci

rcui

t•

know

tha

t bi

stab

le c

ircui

ts e

xhib

it th

e pr

oper

ty o

f m

emor

y•

desc

ribe

the

use

of a

n as

tabl

e ci

rcui

t (p

ulse

gen

erat

or)

• de

scrib

e ho

w t

he f

requ

ency

of

an a

stab

le c

ircui

t is

re

late

d to

the

val

ues

of t

he re

sist

ive

and

capa

cita

tive

com

pone

nts

TH

EM

E 6

Ato

mic

Ph

ysic

s

26. R

adio

acti

vity

Det

ectio

n of

rad

ioac

tivity

• de

scrib

e th

e de

tect

ion

of:

alph

a-pa

rtic

les

beta

-par

ticle

sga

mm

a-ra

ys

Cha

ract

eris

tics

of t

he

thre

e ty

pes

of e

mis

sion

• ex

plai

n w

hat

is m

eant

by

radi

oact

ive

deca

y•

for

each

rad

ioac

tive

emis

sion

, sta

te:

the

natu

reth

eir

rela

tive

ioni

sing

eff

ect

thei

r re

lativ

e pe

netr

atin

g po

wer

•

stat

e an

d ex

plai

n th

e ra

ndom

em

issi

on o

f ra

dioa

ctiv

ity in

di

rect

ion

and

time

• de

scrib

e th

e de

fl ect

ion

of r

adio

activ

e em

issi

ons

in:

elec

tric

fi el

dsm

agne

tic fi

elds




41

Top

icY

ou

sh

ou

ld b

e ab

le t

o:

Ch

eckl

ist

Co

mm

ents

Nuc

lear

reac

tions

• ex

plai

n w

hat

is m

eant

by

fusi

on•

expl

ain

wha

t is

mea

nt b

y fi s

sion

• de

scrib

e w

ith t

he a

id o

f a

bloc

k di

agra

m o

ne t

ype

of

fi ssi

on re

acto

r fo

r us

e in

a p

ower

sta

tion

• de

scrib

e st

ar fo

rmat

ion

and

expl

ain

how

ene

rgy

is

prod

uced

by

fusi

on

Hal

f-lif

e•

expl

ain

wha

t is

mea

nt b

y ha

lf-lif

e•

do c

alcu

latio

ns b

ased

on

half-

life

usin

g:in

form

atio

n in

tab

les

deca

y cu

rves

Use

s of

rad

ioac

tive

isot

opes

incl

udin

g sa

fety

pr

ecau

tions

• de

scrib

e ho

w r

adio

activ

e m

ater

ials

are

:ha

ndle

dus

edst

ored

in a

saf

e w

ay•

expl

ain

how

the

cho

ice

of a

rad

ioac

tive

mat

eria

l for

a

part

icul

ar u

se d

epen

ds o

n:th

e ty

pe o

f ra

diat

ion

emitt

edth

e ha

lf-lif

e•

desc

ribe

the

orig

ins

and

effe

ct o

f ba

ckgr

ound

rad

iatio

n•

desc

ribe

the

datin

g of

obj

ects

by

the

use

of 14

C

27.

Th

e n

ucl

ear

ato

m

Ato

mic

mod

el•

desc

ribe

the

stru

ctur

e of

the

ato

m in

term

s of

nuc

leus

an

d el

ectr

ons

• de

scrib

e ho

w t

he G

eige

r–M

arsd

en a

lpha

-par

ticle

sc

atte

ring

expe

rimen

t pr

ovid

es e

vide

nce

for

the

nucl

ear

atom




42

Top

icY

ou

sh

ou

ld b

e ab

le t

o:

Ch

eckl

ist

Co

mm

ents

Nuc

leus

• de

scrib

e th

e co

mpo

sitio

n of

the

nuc

leus

in te

rms

of

prot

ons

and

neut

rons

• de

fi ne

the

term

s:

prot

on n

umbe

r (at

omic

num

ber),

Znu

cleo

n nu

mbe

r (m

ass

num

ber),

A•

expl

ain

the

term

nuc

lide

• us

e th

e nu

clid

e no

tatio

n A Z X

in e

quat

ions

whe

re

radi

oact

ive

deca

y ca

uses

the

nuc

leus

to c

hang

e•

defi n

e th

e te

rm is

otop

e•

expl

ain,

usi

ng n

uclid

e no

tatio

n, h

ow o

ne e

lem

ent

may

ha

ve a

num

ber

of is

otop

es

Section 5: Useful websites


Section 5: Useful websites

You may fi nd the websites below useful in your revision or if you want extra help. The syllabus covered in the website does not always match the Cambridge O Level syllabus, so choose carefully.

www.physics.org An Institute of Physics site. If you have a burning question, you will be directed to other relevant websites.

www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/physics A BBC website dedicated to revision and simple testing.

www.gcse.com/physics.htm A useful site that deals with many topics in an interesting way.

www.colpus.me.uk/vplabd/?q=node/1 A group of simulations. Try the free sample and play with an oscilloscope, transformer, lenses etc. if you do not want to buy all of the simulations.

www.s-cool.co.uk/gcse/physicsBasic theory and online testing.

www.gcsescience.com Basic theory and online testing that might help revision.

Useful websites


Section 6: Appendices



Symbols, units and defi nitions of physical quantitiesYou should be able to state the symbols for the following physical quantities and, where indicated, state the units in which they are measured.

You should be familiar with the following multipliers: M mega, k kilo, c centi, m milli.

Quantity Symbol Unit

length l, h … km, m, cm, mm

area A m2, cm2

volume V m3, cm3

weight W N

mass m, M kg, g, mg

time t h, min, s, ms

density ρ g/cm3, kg/m3

speed u, v, km/h, m/s, cm/s

acceleration a m/s2

acceration of free fall g m/s2

force F, P … N

gravitational fi eld strength g N/kg

moment of force Nm

work done W, E J

energy E J, kWh

power P W

pressure p, P Pa, N/m2

temperature θ, t, T oC

heat capacity C J/oC

specifi c heat capacity c /(kgoC), J/(goC)

latent heat L J

specifi c latent heat l J/kg, J/g

frequency f Hz

wavelength λ m, cm

focal length f m, cm

angle of incidence i degree (o)

angles of refl ection, refraction r degree (o)



Quantity Symbol Unit

critical angle c degree (o)

refractive index n

potential difference / voltage V V, mV

current I A, mA

charge Q C

e.m.f. E V

resistance R Ω

Command words and phrasesWe use command words to help you to write down the answer examiners are looking for. This table explains what each of these words or phrases means and will help you to understand the kind of answer you should write. The list is in alphabetical order. You should bear in mind that the meaning of a term may vary slightly according to how the question is worded.

Command word/phrase

Meaning

Calculate A numerical answer is needed. Show your working, especially when there are two or more steps in a calculation.

Deduce This may be used in two ways:• You fi nd the answer by working out the patterns in the information given to you

and drawing logical conclusions from them. You may need to use information from tables and graphs and do calculations, e.g. deduce what will happen to the velocity of the vehicle if …

• You have to refer to a Law or scientifi c theory or give a reason for your answer,e.g. use your knowledge of the kinetic theory to deduce what will happen when …

Defi ne A formal statement of a quantity is required. You can sometimes give a defi ning equation, e.g. speed = d/t, as long as you state what the symbols are that you use in your equation, in the example given d = distance, t = time.

Describe Try to set out a logical sequence that allows the reader to follow the main points about something. You may use labelled diagrams if you fi nd it easier, e.g. describe a rotating-coil generatorYou may also be asked to describe:• observations, e.g. describe the ways in which a force may change the motion of

a body• how to do particular experiments, e.g. describe an experiment to determine

resistance using a voltmeter and an ammeter.

Determine You are expected to use a formula or method that you know to calculate a quantity,e.g. determine graphically the resultant of two vectors.

Discuss You must write down points for and against an argument, e.g. discuss the supply of energy with a nuclear power station.



Command word/phrase

Meaning

Estimate Give an approximate value for a quantity based on reasons and data. You may need to make some approximations, e.g. estimate the volume of a test tube.

Explain You must give reasons for your answer or refer to a particular theory.

List Write down a number of separate points. Where the number of points is stated in the question, you should not write more than this number.

Measure You are expected to fi nd a quantity by using a measuring instrument, e.g. length by using a ruler, or angle by using a protractor.

Outline State the main points briefl y, e.g. outline a method of magnetising an iron bar.

Predict This can be used in two ways:• You fi nd the answer by working out the patterns in the information provided

and drawing logical conclusions from this. You may need to use information from tables and graphs and do calculations, e.g. predict what will happen to the direction of the resultant force if …

• It may also mean stating what might happen next e.g. predict what effect an increase in temperature will have on the resistance.

Sketch When drawing graphs, this means that you draw the approximate shape and/or position of the graph. You need to make sure that important details, such as the line passing through the origin or fi nishing at a certain point, are drawn accurately.

When drawing apparatus or other diagrams, a simple line drawing is all that is needed, but make sure that the proportions are correct and the most important details are shown. Always label diagrams.

State You should give a short answer without going into any detail or explanation.

Suggest This may be used in two ways:• There may be more than one correct answer, e.g. suggest a precaution to

improve the accuracy of the experiment.• You are being asked to apply your general knowledge of physics or reasoning

skills to a topic area that is not directly on the syllabus, e.g. applying ideas about moments to the stability of a vehicle.

What is meant by/What do you understand by

You should defi ne something and also make a more detailed comment about it, e.g. what do you understand by the term total internal refl ection.

Cambridge International Examinations1 Hills Road, Cambridge, CB1 2EU, United KingdomTel: +44 (0)1223 553554 Fax: +44 (0)1223 553558Email: [email protected] www.cie.org.uk

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164746 cambridge learner guide for o level physics

Documents

appendicesthis section

examination advicethis

internal use

examination advicesection

practical examination

topic areas of physics

useful websitessection

theory papersabout