Key term
OCR A-Level Physics A H556
Practical Skills in the Written Papers
The Practical Endorsement
Topic overviewAnalogue and digital measuring instrumentsImproving accuracy with repeat timing, fiducial markers and plumb linesTiming, calipers and micrometersConstructing and testing circuitsSignal generators and oscilloscopesGenerating and measuring wavesData loggers, modelling software and ionising radiation
Physical Quantities and Units
Making Measurements and Analysing Data
Nature of Quantities
Motion
Forces in Action
Work, Energy and Power
Materials
Newton’s Laws of Motion and Momentum
Charge and Current
Energy, Power and Resistance
Electrical Circuits
Waves
Topic overviewProgressive waves and their propertiesThe wave equationReflection, refraction and diffractionWave graphs and intensityThe electromagnetic spectrumPolarisationRefraction and refractive indexCritical angle and total internal reflectionThe principle of superpositionInterference, coherence and path differenceTwo-source interference, Young's double-slit experiment and the diffraction gratingForming stationary wavesStationary waves on strings and in air columnsMeasuring the speed of soundNode spacing, amplitude and phase in stationary wavesHarmonics and the fundamental mode
Quantum Physics
Thermal Physics
Topic overviewThermal equilibrium and absolute temperatureThe kinetic model of solids, liquids and gasesBrownian motion and internal energySpecific heat capacityMeasuring specific heat capacitySpecific latent heatMeasuring specific latent heatMoles, the Avogadro constant and kinetic theoryGas laws, the ideal gas equation and r.m.s. speedMaxwell-Boltzmann distribution, Boltzmann constant and internal energy
Oscillations
Gravitational Fields
Astrophysics and Cosmology
Topic overviewThe solar system and the birth of a starThe death of a low-mass starSupernovae, neutron stars and black holesThe Hertzsprung-Russell diagramEnergy levels and emission spectraAbsorption spectra and spectral linesPhoton energy and the diffraction gratingWien's law and Stefan's lawAstronomical distances, parallax and the cosmological principleDoppler shift and Hubble's lawThe expanding universe and the Big BangEvidence for the Big Bang and dark energy
Capacitors
Topic overviewCapacitance and charging a capacitorCapacitors in seriesCapacitors in parallel and combined circuitsEnergy stored by a capacitorCharging and discharging through a resistorInvestigating capacitor dischargeThe time constantIterative modelling, exponential decay and the constant-ratio property
Electric Fields
Electromagnetism
Nuclear and Particle Physics
Topic overviewAlpha-particle scattering and the nuclear modelProton number, nucleon number and isotopesThe strong nuclear force and nuclear radiusParticles, antiparticles and hadronsLeptons and the quark modelQuark composition and chargesBeta decay in the quark modelRadioactive decay and the three radiationsNuclear decay equationsActivity, decay constant and half-lifeExponential decay and radioactive datingMass-energy equivalenceAnnihilation, mass defect and binding energyBinding energy per nucleon and induced fissionThe fission reactor and nuclear wasteNuclear fusion and balancing nuclear equations
Astrophysics and Cosmology
Supernovae, neutron stars and black holes
- 4 things to know
- Papers 1, 2 and 3
Overview
Recall questions on red supergiants and fusion in massive stars, the iron core and supernovae, and the formation and properties of neutron stars and black holes.
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Process
Why does a massive star become a red supergiant after leaving the main sequence?
Key term
Why does fusion cease when an iron core forms in a massive star?
Key term
What happens when fusion stops in the iron core of a massive star?
Questions from this subtopic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
Why does a massive star become a red supergiant after leaving the main sequence?
Model answer
When hydrogen in its core is exhausted, shell burning causes the outer layers to expand, forming a red supergiant.
- 2
What nuclear processes occur in a red supergiant's interior?
Model answer
Successive stages of nuclear fusion occur in shells, producing heavier elements up to iron in the core.
- 3
Why does fusion cease when an iron core forms in a massive star?
Model answer
Iron fusion is endothermic, so it absorbs energy rather than releasing it, causing fusion to cease.
- 4
What happens when fusion stops in the iron core of a massive star?
Model answer
The core collapses rapidly, triggering a supernova explosion.
- 5
Define a supernova.
Model answer
A supernova is a catastrophic explosion of a massive star that ejects outer layers into space and can outshine an entire galaxy temporarily.
- 6
What stellar remnant forms after a supernova if the core mass is below about three solar masses?
Model answer
A neutron star forms.
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