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 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 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, and calculating depth from wave velocityReflection, refraction, transmission and absorption at a boundarySound waves, ultrasound and infrasoundUses of ultrasound and infrasound
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 detectAbsorption, transmission and the velocity of electromagnetic wavesEmitting and absorbing thermal radiationConstant temperature and the temperature of the EarthHow 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
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, and how a motor turns
Electromagnetic Induction
Topic overviewInducing a current by moving a magnetFactors affecting an induced potential differenceAlternators and microphonesHow a transformer worksThe transformer turns-ratio equationThe national grid, and step-up and step-down transformersTransformer power calculationsWhy high-voltage transmission reduces energy loss
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 Matter
Topic overviewElastic and inelastic distortionSpring constant, and linear and non-linear behaviourWork done in stretching a springAtmospheric pressure and pressure in a fluidForce, area and pressureCalculating pressure, and how pressure varies with depthPressure in liquids: density and depthUpthrust, floating and sinking
Waves
- 9 subtopics
- 27 things to know
- Paper 1
What Waves covers
Waves is examined in Paper 1, Physics 1. It covers what waves transfer, and the evidence for it, frequency, wavelength, amplitude and period, longitudinal and transverse waves, the wave equation, measuring wave speed, and what happens at a boundary, measuring waves, and calculating depth from wave velocity, reflection, refraction, transmission and absorption at a boundary, sound waves, ultrasound and infrasound and uses of ultrasound and infrasound.
Where it is assessed
Paper 1
Physics 1: 1 hour 45 minutes, 100 marks, 50% of the GCSE.
Check the Pearson Edexcel specification ↗The 9 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- What waves transfer, and the evidence for itWaves transferring energy and information but not matter, particles vibrating about fixed positions, and evidence from corks, leaves, ducks, dust, a slinky ribbon and a candle flame that the medium is not carried along.Open →
- Frequency, wavelength, amplitude and periodFrequency and the hertz, wavelength, its symbol λ and its measurement on a longitudinal wave, amplitude and loudness, period and its link to frequency, wave velocity, and wavefronts and their spacing.Open →
- Longitudinal and transverse wavesHow the vibration lies relative to travel in transverse and longitudinal waves, sound, compressions and rarefactions, electromagnetic and seismic waves, and why sound needs a medium.Open →
- The wave equationThe equations v = f × λ and v = x ÷ t, calculating the speed, wavelength and frequency of water, sound, radio and light waves, and how wavelength changes when frequency doubles at a fixed speed.Open →
- Measuring wave speed, and what happens at a boundaryFinding the speed of sound by echoes or two microphones, ripple speeds in a tank, the normal and how light bends in glass, refraction explained by changes in speed and wavelength, why wavelength decides what a material absorbs or transmits, and refraction models.Open →
- Measuring waves, and calculating depth from wave velocityDepth and distance from echo times for sonar, ultrasound, thunder and radar, ripple tank and stretched string measurements of wavelength, frequency and speed, and the speed of a wave in a solid from the note of a struck metal rod.Open →
- Reflection, refraction, transmission and absorption at a boundaryReflection, refraction, transmission and absorption of waves at a boundary, windows, microwave ovens and a black jumper in sunlight, and why frequency stays fixed while the speed and wavelength of sound change between air and water.Open →
- Sound waves, ultrasound and infrasoundHow sound makes solids vibrate and vibrating solids make sound, the 20 Hz to 20 000 Hz range of human hearing, the eardrum, ear bones and cochlea, and ultrasound and infrasound with their frequencies, sources and wavelengths.Open →
- Uses of ultrasound and infrasoundSonar depth finding, ultrasound imaging of a foetus and of cracks in castings, and how earthquake waves reveal the layers and the liquid core of the Earth.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
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Explain how wavelength changes for light entering glass, and why a wall lets bass through but blocks higher notes.
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Describe methods for measuring the speed of sound in air and the speed of ripples on water.
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For a sound wave crossing into a faster medium, explain the change in wavelength, the unchanged pitch, and the rule linking velocity and wavelength.
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What do all waves transfer from one place to another?
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Define the frequency of a wave.
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In a transverse wave, how is the vibration directed compared with the direction of travel?
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State the equation linking wave speed, frequency and wavelength.
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Explain why the time for an echo must be halved before a distance is worked out from it.
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Describe what happens when a sound wave in air reaches a solid surface such as a drum skin.
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Explain how ultrasound is used to produce an image of a foetus.
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State what waves do not transfer as they travel.
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State the unit of frequency and its symbol.
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In a longitudinal wave, how is the vibration directed compared with the direction of travel?
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State the equation linking wave speed, distance and time.
Numbers
Thunder is heard 6.0 s after the lightning flash is seen, with sound travelling at 340 m/s. Calculate the distance to the storm.
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Describe how a vibrating solid surface produces a sound wave in air.
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Give one reason why ultrasound rather than X-rays is used to scan a foetus.
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Give an example of a wave transferring information rather than an obvious amount of energy.
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State what a frequency of 50 Hz tells you about a wave.
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State which type of wave sound in air is, and give the reason.
Numbers
A water wave has a frequency of 5 Hz and a wavelength of 0.04 m. Calculate its speed.
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Explain why twice the distance to the wall is used when finding the speed of sound by timing an echo.
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Name the apparatus used to produce and observe water waves in the laboratory when wave speed is investigated.
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Describe what happens to a wave that is reflected at the boundary between two materials.
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Describe the part played by the eardrum in hearing.
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Explain how very low frequency waves are used to study the structure of the Earth's core.
Take Waves further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Transverse wave vs Longitudinal wave
Transverse wave: a vibration at right angles to the direction of travel. Longitudinal wave: a vibration along the same line as the direction of travel.
Frequency vs Period
Frequency: the number of complete waves passing a point each second. Period: the time taken for one complete wave to pass a point.
Wavelength vs Amplitude
Wavelength: the distance from one point on a wave to the same point on the next. Amplitude: the maximum displacement of a point on a wave from its undisturbed position.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What do all waves transfer from one place to another?
Model answer
All waves transfer energy, and they can also carry information.
- 2
State what waves do not transfer as they travel.
Model answer
Waves do not transfer matter, so the material they pass through is not carried along with them.
- 3
Describe what the particles of a medium do as a wave passes through it.
Model answer
They vibrate about fixed positions and return to them, rather than travelling along with the wave.
- 4
Give an example of a wave transferring information rather than an obvious amount of energy.
Model answer
A radio wave carries a broadcast signal from a transmitter to a receiver.
- 5
A loudspeaker fills a room with sound. Explain why the listener feels no wind coming from it.
Model answer
The air particles only vibrate to and fro about fixed positions, so energy crosses the room but the air itself does not.
- 6
Explain how energy can be carried across the sea by waves without water flowing from one shore to the other.
Model answer
The wave carries energy through the water while each water particle moves in a small circle and returns to where it started.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Waves revision questions
- What does Waves cover in Edexcel GCSE Physics?
- 9 subtopics: what waves transfer, and the evidence for it, frequency, wavelength, amplitude and period, longitudinal and transverse waves, the wave equation, measuring wave speed, and what happens at a boundary, measuring waves, and calculating depth from wave velocity, reflection, refraction, transmission and absorption at a boundary, sound waves, ultrasound and infrasound and uses of ultrasound and infrasound. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Waves organised?
- By the Edexcel 1PH0 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Waves, 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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