Key term
OCR A-Level Physics B H557
Planning
Implementing
Analysis
Evaluation
Practical Skills
Use of Apparatus and Techniques
Fundamental Data Analysis
Imaging and Signalling
Topic overviewReal images and the curvature of wave-frontsLens power and focal lengthThe thin lens equation and the Cartesian conventionLinear magnificationMeasuring the power and focal length of a converging lensImages as arrays of numbersBits, bytes and the information in an imageEnhancing a digital imageWave-forms, frequency and wave speedSampling and digitising an analogue signalNoise, resolution and digital transmissionPolarisation of electromagnetic waves
Sensing
Topic overviewCurrent and the flow of chargePotential difference, e.m.f. and energy transferResistance, conductance and Ohm's lawSeries and parallel combinationsPower and energy in electric circuitsInternal resistance and e.m.f.Kirchhoff's laws and conservation in circuitsResistivity and conductivityCharge carrier number density in metals, semiconductors and insulatorsCurrent-potential difference characteristics and circuit componentsThe potential dividerSensing circuits and calibration
Mechanical Properties of Materials
Topic overviewElastic and plastic deformation and fractureHooke's law and force-extension graphsElastic strain energyStress, strain and the Young modulusMeasuring the Young modulus and fracture stress of a metalDescribing and comparing materialsMetals, ceramics and polymersDirect evidence for the size and spacing of particles
Waves and Quantum Behaviour
Topic overviewWaves, phase and superpositionStanding waves on stringsStanding waves in air columns and the speed of soundRefraction, refractive index and Snell's lawTwo-slit interferenceDiffraction at a narrow apertureThe diffraction gratingMeasuring the wavelength of lightPhotons and the quantum E = hfEvidence that photons exchange energy in quantaQuantum behaviour: phasors and probability of arrivalElectron diffraction and the de Broglie wavelength
Space, Time and Motion
Topic overviewScalars, vectors and their representationResolving and adding vectorsDescribing motion: displacement, velocity and accelerationMotion graphsThe kinematic equations for constant accelerationProjectiles and motion in two dimensionsMeasuring motion in the laboratoryDetermining the acceleration of free fallNewton's laws of motionTerminal velocity and resistive forcesMomentum and impulseConservation of momentum and collisionsWork, energy and its conservationPower and modelling motion in small time steps
Creating Models
Topic overviewCapacitance and charge storageEnergy stored on a capacitorCapacitor discharge and the exponential modelThe time constant of an RC circuitCharging a capacitorInvestigating capacitor charge and dischargeRadioactive decay as a random processActivity, decay constant and half-lifeDetermining the half-life of an isotopeIterative numerical models of exponential changeExponential curves on linear and logarithmic scalesSimple harmonic motion: the defining relationshipSolutions and graphs of simple harmonic motionModelling oscillations step by stepEnergy in simple harmonic motionPeriod of a mass–spring system and a simple pendulumFree and forced vibrations, damping and resonance
Out Into Space
Topic overviewGravitational and kinetic energy changesMotion in a uniform gravitational fieldGravitational force and the radial fieldGravitational field strengthGravitational potential energy in a radial fieldGravitational potential and equipotentialsGraphs and diagrams of gravitational fieldsAngular velocity and motion in a horizontal circleCircular gravitational orbits
Our Place in the Universe
Matter: Very Simple
Topic overviewEnergy transfer and specific thermal capacityFinding specific thermal capacity by an electrical methodIdeal gases and the gas lawsInvestigating the gas laws and absolute zeroMoles, the Avogadro constant and the Boltzmann constantThe equation of state for an ideal gasImpulse and force–time graphsThe kinetic theory of ideal gasesTemperature, average energy per particle and internal energyRandom walk of molecules in a gas
Matter: Hot or Cold
Electromagnetism
Topic overviewMagnetic flux, B-fields and flux linkageElectromagnetic induction: Faraday's and Lenz's lawsGraphs of current, flux and induced e.m.f.The dynamoThe transformerEddy currents and real transformersForces on current-carrying conductorsMagnetic circuits, permeance and machine designInvestigating induction, flux density and transformers
Charge and Field
Topic overviewThe uniform electric fieldRadial fields and the inverse square lawElectric potential and potential energyField and potential graphsField lines and equipotential surfacesThe electronvolt and accelerating chargesMillikan's experiment and the discreteness of chargeMoving charges in magnetic fieldsComparing electric and gravitational fields
Probing Deep Into Matter
Topic overviewParticle accelerators and high-energy beamsScattering and the nuclear atomPaths of scattered particles and closest approachDiscrete energy levels in atomsElectron standing waves and the confined electronQuarks, hadrons and leptonsConservation laws and nuclear equationsCharged particles in detectors and magnetic fieldsRelativistic energy and the relativistic factor
Ionising Radiation and Risk
Topic overviewThe nature of ionising radiationsEffects on living tissue and radiation safetyAbsorbed dose, effective dose and riskBinding energy and nuclear stabilityThe Nuclear Valley and modes of decayFission, fusion and nuclear powerActivity, half-life and the decay constantInvestigating absorption and half-life
Matter: Very Simple
- 10 subtopics
- 30 things to know
- Components 01, 02 and 03
What Matter: Very Simple covers
Matter: Very Simple is examined in all three written papers — the specification states that Components 01, 02 and 03 each assess content from across all the teaching modules, so nothing is confined to one paper. It covers energy transfer and specific thermal capacity, finding specific thermal capacity by an electrical method, ideal gases and the gas laws, investigating the gas laws and absolute zero, moles, the Avogadro constant and the Boltzmann constant, the equation of state for an ideal gas, impulse and force–time graphs, the kinetic theory of ideal gases, temperature, average energy per particle and internal energy and random walk of molecules in a gas.
Where it is assessed
Components 01, 02 and 03
Every module can be assessed on any of the three papers.
Check the OCR specification ↗The 10 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Energy transfer and specific thermal capacityRecall questions on specific thermal capacity and its unit, ΔE = mcΔθ and why kelvin or degrees Celsius both work, heating water and aluminium, water against copper, coastal climates and coolants, what supplied energy does in a solid and a boiling liquid, estimating c from a kettle, why heating overestimates c, and temperature against internal energy.Open →
- Finding specific thermal capacity by an electrical methodRecall questions on the readings that give the energy supplied, oil in the holes and lagging, whether heat loss is random or systematic, cooling corrections, and adapting the method to a liquid.Open →
- Ideal gases and the gas lawsRecall questions on ideal gases, the pressure–volume and volume–temperature relationships and their graphs, p against 1/V, compression and heating calculations, pressure explained by particle collisions, absolute temperature and converting to kelvin, when real gases depart from ideal behaviour and why they condense, and pV against p and p against T graphs.Open →
- Investigating the gas laws and absolute zeroRecall questions on estimating absolute zero from constant-volume pressure readings and why it needs extrapolation, control variables, thermal equilibrium and stirring, the trapped-air experiment and column length as volume, plotting p against 1/V, pressure monitors with data loggers, changing pressure slowly, the main systematic error, gauge pressure, rising and falling readings, and the effect of a leak.Open →
- Moles, the Avogadro constant and the Boltzmann constantRecall questions on the values, units and relation of the three constants, counting molecules and moles, the mass of one molecule, molar volume, and why gas laws count particles.Open →
- The equation of state for an ideal gasRecall questions on what each symbol means, converting between particle and molar forms, calculating moles, particles and a new pressure, why kelvin is required, and what pressure times volume represents.Open →
- Impulse and force–time graphsRecall questions on impulse and its unit, the area under a force–time graph, average force from it, two collisions of equal area, and a gas particle rebounding from a wall.Open →
- The kinetic theory of ideal gasesRecall questions on the assumptions of kinetic theory, perfectly elastic collisions and steady pressure, pV = ⅓Nm⟨c²⟩ and its one third, root mean square speed and why it is used, calculating it for three particles, nitrogen and a gas of known density, ½m⟨c²⟩ = 3/2 kT, helium against nitrogen, p = ⅓ρ⟨c²⟩, and real gases at high pressure.Open →
- Temperature, average energy per particle and internal energyRecall questions on a particle's mean kinetic energy, kT as a rough measure, its value in joules and electronvolts, the internal energy of an ideal gas, and root mean square speeds.Open →
- Random walk of molecules in a gasRecall questions on how net displacement grows with step number, the average distance between collisions, why perfume crosses a room slowly, evidence for random molecular motion, and net flow where concentration differs.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Key term
Explain in terms of particles why compressing a gas at constant temperature raises its pressure.
Key term
Describe how the relationship between the volume and the pressure of a gas is investigated in the laboratory.
Key term
In pV = ⅓Nm⟨c²⟩, what does each symbol represent?
Key term
Explain how random walks produce a net flow when one region is more concentrated than another.
Key term
In the relationship ΔE = mcΔθ, what does each quantity represent?
Key term
Define the mole.
Key term
In pV = NkT, what does each symbol stand for?
Key term
Give the SI unit of impulse and an equivalent form of it.
Key term
How is the absolute temperature of a gas related to the energy of its particles?
Key term
Why may the temperature change in ΔE = mcΔθ be given in kelvin or in degrees Celsius without altering the answer?
Key term
Which three electrical measurements give the energy delivered by an immersion heater?
Key term
State the relationship between the pressure and volume of a fixed mass of gas held at constant temperature.
Key term
Describe how a fixed mass of gas can be used to estimate the value of absolute zero.
Key term
How are the Boltzmann constant, the Avogadro constant and the molar gas constant related?
Numbers
A cylinder of volume 0.020 m³ holds gas at 2.5 × 10⁵ Pa and 300 K. Calculate the number of moles present.
Key term
How is the impulse found when the force is not constant?
Key term
Why must collisions be elastic if a gas is to exert a steady pressure?
Key term
Why is kT often used as a rough measure of the energy per particle?
Process
How is the net displacement of a random walk after N steps related to N?
Numbers
An aluminium block of mass 1.0 kg and specific thermal capacity 900 J kg⁻¹ K⁻¹ absorbs 14 400 J. Calculate its temperature rise.
Key term
Why is a little oil put into the thermometer and heater holes of the block?
Key term
Which graph turns pressure and volume data into a straight line, and what does its gradient equal?
Key term
What temperature-axis intercept confirms a successful determination of absolute zero?
Key term
Show by calculation that the Boltzmann constant and the Avogadro constant together give the molar gas constant.
Numbers
A sealed flask of volume 5.0 × 10⁻⁴ m³ contains gas at 1.0 × 10⁵ Pa and 290 K. Calculate the number of particles.
Key term
How is the average force obtained from a force–time graph?
Key term
Explain how the random motion of particles gives a steady pressure on a container wall.
Numbers
Calculate the value of kT at 300 K.
Process
A molecule takes 10 000 steps of 5.0 × 10⁻⁷ m each. Estimate its net displacement.
Take Matter: Very Simple further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Temperature vs Internal energy
Temperature: a measure in kelvin, proportional to the mean random ½mv² per particle and unchanged by how many particles are present. Internal energy: The sum of the random ½mv² of every particle in a body, together with any potential contributions, so it grows with the number of particles as well as with how hot the body is.
Boltzmann constant k vs Molar gas constant R
Boltzmann constant k: 1.38 × 10⁻²³ joules per kelvin, the energy tied to each kelvin for one single particle, used together with the number of particles N. Molar gas constant R: 8.31 joules per kelvin for every 6.02 × 10²³ particles taken together, used with the amount of substance n rather than with a particle count.
Gauge pressure vs Absolute pressure
Gauge pressure: the reading a dial gives as the excess above atmospheric pressure, so it shows nothing when the vessel is open to the air. Absolute pressure: The true total pressure measured up from a perfect vacuum, which the equation of state requires; atmospheric pressure must be added to a dial reading to obtain it.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What is meant by the specific thermal capacity of a substance?
Model answer
It is the energy needed to raise the temperature of one kilogram of the substance by one kelvin.
- 2
Give the SI unit of specific thermal capacity.
Model answer
It is J kg⁻¹ K⁻¹.
- 3
In the relationship ΔE = mcΔθ, what does each quantity represent?
Model answer
ΔE is the energy transferred, m the mass of the sample, c its specific thermal capacity and Δθ the temperature change.
- 4
Why may the temperature change in ΔE = mcΔθ be given in kelvin or in degrees Celsius without altering the answer?
Model answer
A change of one kelvin is the same size as a change of one degree Celsius, so only the zero of the scale differs and a difference is unaffected.
- 5
A mass of 0.50 kg of water is heated from 20 °C to 100 °C. Taking c as 4200 J kg⁻¹ K⁻¹, calculate the energy transferred.
Model answer
The energy transferred is 0.50 × 4200 × 80 = 1.7 × 10⁵ J.
- 6
An aluminium block of mass 1.0 kg and specific thermal capacity 900 J kg⁻¹ K⁻¹ absorbs 14 400 J. Calculate its temperature rise.
Model answer
The rise is 14 400 ÷ (1.0 × 900) = 16 K.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Matter: Very Simple revision questions
- What does Matter: Very Simple cover in OCR A-Level Physics B?
- 10 subtopics: energy transfer and specific thermal capacity, finding specific thermal capacity by an electrical method, ideal gases and the gas laws, investigating the gas laws and absolute zero, moles, the avogadro constant and the boltzmann constant, the equation of state for an ideal gas, impulse and force–time graphs, the kinetic theory of ideal gases, temperature, average energy per particle and internal energy and random walk of molecules in a gas. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Matter: Very Simple organised?
- By the OCR H557 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Matter: Very Simple, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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