As was the case when we considered models of how the Universe is structured, when it comes to explaining the beginning of the Universe you again need to know about two competing ideas. You also need to know about the evidence that either supports or questions each theory. One theory is the Steady State Theory. … Continue reading How did the Universe begin?
Online Astronomy Resources
There are many great resources available online to support your learning in the astronomy module of the course. In this post, which I'll update as we go along, I'm going to list a few of my personal favourites, some of which link directly to the required course content but others are included as a way … Continue reading Online Astronomy Resources
Energy Sources
You must be able to describe and compare the Earth's major energy sources that are used for generating electricity. To help you structure clear answers to exam questions of this type I suggest that you use the SLAP! approach. SLAP! is my acronym to help you to remember the things you should think about when … Continue reading Energy Sources
Calculating KE & GPE
By the end of your GCSE Physics course you will be able to calculate four different types of energy; kinetic, gravitational, electrical and strain. At this stage, however, we will limit ourselves to the first two. Kinetic energy (KE) is the energy that is stored by moving objects. We are only interested in objects that … Continue reading Calculating KE & GPE
Circuit Simulation
The excellent circuit simulation that we explored in our lessons is freely available for you to use as part of your independent learning. It was created by the University of Colorado and can be accessed here (or just search for PhET DC simulation). There are, however, a couple of points that you must remember when … Continue reading Circuit Simulation
Voltage and Current
When you first started learning about circuits, either in primary school or in Y7, you should have been told about voltage and current. These two measurements were probably presented as separate ideas but in fact they both relate to one thing; electrical charge. Voltage relates to the amount of energy given to the charge that … Continue reading Voltage and Current
Stopping Distance
The exam board appears to be very keen on aspects of physics that relate to real life - and vehicle stopping distance is an excellent example. You should therefore ensure that you are confident about this topic as there are standard "right" answers that you need to know. Stopping distances are divided into two parts. … Continue reading Stopping Distance
Newton’s Third Law
Newton's Third Law is all about situations where two objects are interacting with each other. A common way of stating Newton's Third Law is to say that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This means different things in different situations. If the two objects are stationary, such as a person sitting … Continue reading Newton’s Third Law
Newton’s Second Law
We already know, from Newton's First Law, that everything has a natural tendency to maintain the same motion when all the forces acting on an object are balanced. But what happens when the forces are not balanced? That is where Newton's Second Law comes in. Newton's Second Law tells us that an object will accelerate … Continue reading Newton’s Second Law
Newton’s First Law
One of the most common misconceptions in GCSE Physics is that a force is needed to keep an object moving. In fact, a force is only needed to produce a change an object’s movement. This fact is Newton’s First Law of Motion, which is sometimes known as the Law of Inertia. Inertia is the tendency … Continue reading Newton’s First Law
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