Key term
Edexcel GCSE Combined Science Physics 1SC0
Key Concepts of Physics
Motion and Forces
Topic overviewScalar and vector quantitiesExamples of vectors and scalars, and velocitySpeed, distance, time and distance-time graphsAcceleration and the equation v squared minus u squaredVelocity-time graphs and free fallMeasuring speed in the laboratory, and typical everyday speedsNewton's first law, and investigating force, mass and accelerationNewton's second and third lawsWeight, mass and gravitational field strengthCircular motion and centripetal forceInertial mass and momentumCollisions, and force as the rate of change of momentumReaction time, stopping distance and large decelerationsFactors affecting stopping distance and reaction time
Conservation of Energy
Waves
Light and the Electromagnetic Spectrum
Topic overviewProperties of electromagnetic wavesInvestigating refraction in glass blocksThe groups of the electromagnetic spectrumThe continuous spectrum, and what our eyes can detectAbsorption, transmission and the velocity of electromagnetic wavesHow radiation is generated, and why danger rises with frequencyHarmful effects of excessive exposure to radiationUses of electromagnetic radiation
Radioactivity
Topic overviewThe atom and the size of atomsIsotopes, atomic number and mass numberRelative masses and charges of subatomic particlesElectron orbits and energy levelsForming ions, and how the atomic model changedTypes of ionising radiationBackground radiation and detecting radioactivityAlpha, beta and gamma, and their penetrating powerBeta-minus and beta-plus decayEffects of decay on atomic number and mass numberBalancing nuclear equationsActivity and the becquerelHalf-life and the randomness of decayHalf-life calculationsThe dangers of ionising radiationSafety precautions, contamination and irradiation
Energy – Forces Doing Work
Topic overviewEnergy stores and energy transfer diagramsChanging a system's energy, and measuring work doneWork done and the energy changes it causesGravitational potential and kinetic energy calculationsDissipation and wasted energyPower as the rate of energy transferThe watt, and calculating efficiency
Forces and Their Effects
Electricity and Circuits
Topic overviewThe atom, and drawing circuit diagramsSeries and parallel circuitsPotential difference and the voltmeterEnergy transferred by moving chargeCurrent, charge and measuring currentResistance and the equation V = IRResistors in series and in parallelDesigning circuits to test componentsInvestigating resistance in circuitsCurrent-potential difference graphs for componentsLight-dependent resistors and thermistorsThe heating effect of an electric currentUses of the heating effect, and the equation E = IVtPower as energy transferred per secondCalculating electrical powerEnergy transfer in domestic devices, and power ratingsDirect and alternating currentAlternating current and the UK mains supplyLive and neutral wires, earthing and fusesFuses in the live wire, mains voltages and electrical dangers
Magnetism and the Motor Effect
Topic overviewMagnetic poles, permanent and induced magnetsUses of magnetic materialsThe magnetic field around a bar magnetPlotting compasses and the Earth's magnetic fieldThe magnetic effect of an electric currentSolenoids and electromagnetsThe motor effect and Fleming's left-hand ruleThe force on a conductor in a magnetic field
Electromagnetic Induction
Particle Model
Topic overviewKinetic theory and differences in densityCalculating density, and investigating itChanges of state and internal energySpecific heat capacitySpecific latent heat and thermal insulationInvestigating the specific heat capacity of waterGas pressure and the motion of particlesAbsolute zero and the kelvin scale
Motion and Forces
- 14 subtopics
- 42 things to know
- Paper 5
What Motion and Forces covers
Motion and Forces is examined in Paper 5, Physics 1. It covers scalar and vector quantities, examples of vectors and scalars, and velocity, speed, distance, time and distance-time graphs, acceleration and the equation v squared minus u squared, velocity-time graphs and free fall, measuring speed in the laboratory, and typical everyday speeds, Newton's first law, and investigating force, mass and acceleration, Newton's second and third laws, weight, mass and gravitational field strength, circular motion and centripetal force, inertial mass and momentum, collisions, and force as the rate of change of momentum, reaction time, stopping distance and large decelerations and factors affecting stopping distance and reaction time.
Where it is assessed
Paper 5
Physics 1: Physics in Combined Science: 1 hour 10 minutes, 60 marks, 16.67% of the qualification.
Check the Pearson Edexcel specification ↗The 14 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Scalar and vector quantitiesScalar and vector quantities, why mass, temperature and time are scalars, drawing a vector as an arrow, equal forces that cancel, distance versus displacement, speed versus velocity, and negative vector values.Open →
- Examples of vectors and scalars, and velocityWhich of distance, displacement, speed, velocity, acceleration, force, mass, weight, momentum and energy are scalars and which are vectors, then velocity as speed in a stated direction.Open →
- Speed, distance, time and distance-time graphsThe average speed equation and calculations with it, why a journey speed is an average, and what gradients, horizontal lines, curves and tangents on a distance–time graph show.Open →
- Acceleration and the equation v squared minus u squaredThe acceleration equation and its unit, calculating acceleration, deceleration, final velocity and time, and using (final velocity)² − (initial velocity)² = 2 × acceleration × distance to find speeds, decelerations and distances.Open →
- Velocity-time graphs and free fallWhat the gradient and the area under a velocity–time graph give, reading acceleration and deceleration from the line, the 10 m/s² acceleration of free fall, and straight-line graphs of the form y = mx + c, with v = u + at as an example.Open →
- Measuring speed in the laboratory, and typical everyday speedsMeasuring speed with light gates or a metre rule and stopwatch, typical speeds for walking, running, cycling, cars, wind and sound, then accuracy, precision, repeatable and reproducible results, and random, systematic and zero errors.Open →
- Newton's first law, and investigating force, mass and accelerationNewton's first law and resultant force, forces on objects at rest or at constant velocity, the trolley investigation into force, mass and acceleration with its variables, errors and safety, and writing hypotheses, plotting graphs and drawing conclusions.Open →
- Newton's second and third lawsForce = mass × acceleration and calculations with it, how acceleration depends on force and mass, Newton's third law and its equal and opposite force pairs, conservation of momentum in collisions between trolleys and balls, and the proportionality symbol ∝.Open →
- Weight, mass and gravitational field strengthWeight as a gravitational force, weight = mass × gravitational field strength with calculations on Earth, the Moon and Mars, the difference between mass and weight, measuring weight with a newtonmeter, and what 10 N/kg means.Open →
- Circular motion and centripetal forceWhy velocity changes in circular motion at constant speed, what a centripetal force is and where it acts, and gravity, friction and tension as the forces providing it.Open →
- Inertial mass and momentumInertial mass as a measure of how hard it is to change velocity and as force divided by acceleration, then momentum as mass × velocity, its unit kg m/s, calculations with it and why it is a vector.Open →
- Collisions, and force as the rate of change of momentumMomentum in coupling trucks, snooker balls, skaters and a recoiling rifle, force as change in momentum over time, and how crumple zones and air bags lengthen that time.Open →
- Reaction time, stopping distance and large decelerationsMeasuring reaction time with a ruler drop or a computer, thinking, braking and stopping distance, why large decelerations injure, seat belts, skidding and hot brakes, estimating braking forces, then mean, range, uncertainty, anomalies, median and mode.Open →
- Factors affecting stopping distance and reaction timeHow speed, mass, road conditions and worn brakes or tyres affect stopping distance, how tiredness, alcohol, drugs and distractions lengthen reaction time, and showing reaction times in frequency tables, histograms, bar charts and scatter diagrams, with correlation and causation.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Key term
What is a scalar quantity, and why are mass and temperature classed as scalars?
Key term
Classify distance, displacement, speed, velocity, acceleration and force as scalars or vectors.
Key term
State Newton's first law, applied to a car at steady velocity and a box under opposing forces of 12 N and 5 N.
Key term
State the equation linking average speed, distance and time.
Numbers
State in words the equation used to calculate acceleration.
Key term
What does the gradient of a velocity–time graph represent?
Key term
Describe how a single light gate can be used to measure the speed of a trolley.
Key term
Define the weight of an object.
Key term
A car drives around a roundabout at a steady 8 m/s. Compare its speed and its velocity during the turn.
Key term
What is meant by the inertial mass of an object?
Key term
Two railway trucks collide and couple together. Describe what happens to the total momentum.
Key term
Describe a simple laboratory method for measuring a person's reaction time.
Key term
Explain how increasing the speed of a vehicle affects its thinking distance.
Key term
What is meant by a scalar quantity?
Key term
Classify distance and displacement as scalar or vector.
Key term
State the equation used to find the distance travelled from an average speed and a time.
Key term
State the unit of acceleration.
Key term
Two straight lines on the same velocity–time graph have different gradients. Which line shows the greater acceleration?
Key term
Why does a light gate give a more accurate speed than timing a trolley with a stopwatch?
Key term
State the first of Newton's laws of motion.
Key term
State in words the equation that links resultant force, mass and acceleration.
Evaluation
State in words the equation linking weight, mass and gravitational field strength.
Key term
A ball on a string is whirled in a horizontal circle at a steady rate. Describe how its velocity changes.
Key term
State how inertial mass is defined in terms of force and acceleration.
Key term
A moving snooker ball strikes a stationary one and slows down. Describe the momentum change in this collision.
Key term
State a typical value for a person's reaction time.
Key term
Explain how the mass of a vehicle affects its braking distance.
Key term
A student writes that a mass of 3 kg acts to the left. Explain why the direction is meaningless here.
Key term
Classify speed and velocity as scalar or vector.
Numbers
A runner covers 400 m in 50 s. Calculate the average speed.
Numbers
A car speeds up from 4 m/s to 24 m/s in 5 s. Calculate its acceleration.
Numbers
A velocity–time graph line rises steadily from 0 m/s to 18 m/s in 6 s. Calculate the acceleration.
Key term
Describe how a metre rule and a stopwatch can be used to find the average speed of a person walking along a corridor.
Key term
A car travels at a steady 20 m/s along a straight road. State the resultant force on the car.
Numbers
A resultant force of 60 N acts on a mass of 12 kg. Calculate the acceleration.
Numbers
Calculate the weight of a 6 kg bag where the gravitational field strength is 10 N/kg.
Key term
Explain why an object cannot move along a circular path unless a resultant force acts on it.
Numbers
Calculate the inertial mass of an object that accelerates at 4 m/s² when a resultant force of 30 N acts on it.
Key term
Explain why a rifle recoils backwards when a bullet is fired forwards.
Key term
Describe how a computer can be used to measure a person's reaction time.
Key term
Explain how worn brakes affect the stopping distance of a vehicle.
Take Motion and Forces further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Scalar vs Vector
Scalar: a quantity with magnitude only and no direction. Vector: a quantity with both a magnitude and a specific direction.
Distance vs Displacement
Distance: the total path length travelled. Displacement: the straight-line separation from start to finish in a stated direction.
Speed vs Velocity
Speed: how fast an object moves, with no direction given. Velocity: how fast an object moves in a stated direction.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What is meant by a scalar quantity?
Model answer
A scalar quantity has magnitude only and no specific direction.
- 2
A student writes that a mass of 3 kg acts to the left. Explain why the direction is meaningless here.
Model answer
Mass is a scalar, so it has size only and cannot act in a direction.
- 3
How much information is needed to state a scalar quantity fully?
Model answer
Only a number and its unit are needed, because no direction is involved.
- 4
Explain why temperature is classed as a scalar.
Model answer
A temperature has a size but does not point anywhere, so it has no direction.
- 5
Is the time taken for a race a scalar or a vector? Give a reason.
Model answer
Time is a scalar, because it has magnitude only and no direction.
- 6
What is meant by a vector quantity?
Model answer
A vector quantity has both a magnitude and a specific direction.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Motion and Forces revision questions
- What does Motion and Forces cover in Edexcel GCSE Combined Science Physics?
- 14 subtopics: scalar and vector quantities, examples of vectors and scalars, and velocity, speed, distance, time and distance-time graphs, acceleration and the equation v squared minus u squared, velocity-time graphs and free fall, measuring speed in the laboratory, and typical everyday speeds, newton's first law, and investigating force, mass and acceleration, newton's second and third laws, weight, mass and gravitational field strength, circular motion and centripetal force, inertial mass and momentum, collisions, and force as the rate of change of momentum, reaction time, stopping distance and large decelerations and factors affecting stopping distance and reaction time. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Motion and Forces organised?
- By the Edexcel 1SC0 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Motion and Forces, 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.
Or £46 a year, about £3.83 a month. Cancel anytime.