Key term
Edexcel GCSE Physics 1PH0
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 strengthReaction time, stopping distance and large decelerationsFactors affecting stopping distance and reaction timeBraking distance, speed and work done
Conservation of Energy
Waves
Topic overviewWhat waves transfer, and the evidence for itFrequency, wavelength, amplitude and periodLongitudinal and transverse wavesThe wave equationMeasuring wave speed, and what happens at a boundaryMeasuring waves in ripple tanks, strings and solidsReflection, refraction, transmission and absorption at a boundary
Light and the Electromagnetic Spectrum
Topic overviewReflection, refraction and total internal reflectionWhy objects appear colouredLenses, ray diagrams and imagesProperties of electromagnetic wavesInvestigating refraction in glass blocksThe groups of the electromagnetic spectrumThe continuous spectrum, and what our eyes can detectEmitting and absorbing thermal radiationHow 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 calculationsUses of radioactivity, and how danger depends on half-lifeThe dangers of ionising radiationSafety precautions, contamination and irradiationRadiotherapy, medical tracers and PET scannersNuclear power and where nuclear energy comes fromFission of uranium-235 and the chain reactionControlling a reactor and generating electricityNuclear fusion and how it differs from fissionWhy fusion needs extreme conditions
Astronomy
Topic overviewWeight and gravitational field strength on other bodiesThe Solar System and the order of the planetsHow ideas about the Solar System and ways of observing it have changedOrbits of moons, planets, comets and satellitesGravity, orbital speed and stable orbitsThe Steady State and Big Bang theoriesEvidence for an expanding UniverseThe Doppler effect and red-shift in galaxiesThe life cycle of a star like the SunThe life cycle of stars more massive than the Sun
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
Static Electricity
Magnetism and the Motor Effect
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 scaleCompressing gases, and the force a gas exertsPressure and volume of a fixed mass of gas
Forces and Their Effects
- 4 subtopics
- 12 things to know
- Paper 2
What Forces and Their Effects covers
Forces and Their Effects is examined in Paper 2, Physics 2. It covers contact and non-contact forces, vectors and scalars, and reducing friction, turning forces and the moment of a force and the principle of moments, levers and gears.
Where it is assessed
Paper 2
Physics 2: 1 hour 45 minutes, 100 marks, 50% of the GCSE.
Check the Pearson Edexcel specification ↗The 4 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Contact and non-contact forcesNon-contact forces acting through gravitational, electrostatic and magnetic fields with an example of each, contact forces such as the normal contact force and friction, interaction pairs, and why a force is drawn as an arrow.Open →
- Vectors and scalars, and reducing frictionVector and scalar quantities with examples, speed and velocity, mass and weight, distance and displacement, and how lubricants reduce friction in door hinges, engines, bicycle chains and machines.Open →
- Turning forces and the moment of a forceThe turning effect of a force about a pivot on doors, taps and spanners, the moment of a force as force × distance normal to the direction of the force, its unit N m, and calculating moments, forces and distances.Open →
- The principle of moments, levers and gearsThe principle of moments with seesaw and beam calculations, how levers make tasks easier and their effort, load and pivot, and how meshed gears transmit a turning effect, including a small gear driving a larger one and low gears on hills.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Key term
How do moments explain balancing a seesaw and the way a lever makes a task easier, and what are the three parts of a lever?
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Give examples of contact forces, explain why forces are drawn as arrows, and describe the force pair between a book and a table.
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Explain why pushing a door close to its hinge makes the door harder to open than pushing near the handle.
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Name the three types of field through which objects can interact at a distance.
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Explain the difference between a vector quantity and a scalar quantity.
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Explain why a spanner is used to loosen a tight nut rather than turning the nut by hand.
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A force of 12 N acts at right angles 0.25 m from a pivot. State the moment that must act the other way for equilibrium.
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Give an example of two objects interacting through a gravitational field.
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Give three examples of vector quantities.
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State the equation for the moment of a force.
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Explain how a heavy person can be balanced by a lighter person on a seesaw.
Take Forces and Their Effects further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Contact force vs Non-contact force
Contact force: a push or pull between objects that are touching, such as friction. Non-contact force: a push or pull acting through a field between objects that are not touching.
Normal contact force vs Friction
Normal contact force: the push from a surface on an object resting on it, at right angles to the surface. Friction: the push along a surface opposing the motion of an object across it.
Moment vs Principle of moments
Moment: the turning effect of a force, force times perpendicular distance from the pivot. Principle of moments: in equilibrium the turning effects one way about a pivot equal those the other way.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
Explain what is meant by a non-contact force.
Model answer
It acts between objects that are not touching, through a field around them.
- 2
Name the three types of field through which objects can interact at a distance.
Model answer
Gravitational, electrostatic and magnetic fields.
- 3
Give an example of two objects interacting through a gravitational field.
Model answer
The Earth and the Moon attract each other across empty space.
- 4
Give an example of two objects interacting through an electrostatic field.
Model answer
A charged plastic rod attracts small polystyrene balls without touching them.
- 5
Give an example of two objects interacting through a magnetic field.
Model answer
Two magnets repel each other when like poles are brought close together.
- 6
Explain what is meant by the normal contact force.
Model answer
It is the push that a surface exerts on an object resting on it, acting at right angles to the surface.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Forces and Their Effects revision questions
- What does Forces and Their Effects cover in Edexcel GCSE Physics?
- 4 subtopics: contact and non-contact forces, vectors and scalars, and reducing friction, turning forces and the moment of a force and the principle of moments, levers and gears. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Forces and Their Effects organised?
- By the Edexcel 1PH0 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Forces and Their Effects, 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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