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
Static Electricity: Uses and Dangers
It is important that you can describe and explain how static electricity is used, or avoided, in some real-life situations. A good way to recall example uses and dangers is to start from what they have in common; The uses all exploit electrostatic forces, which may either attract or repel objects.The dangers all involve sparks. … Continue reading Static Electricity: Uses and Dangers
Equation Skills
One of the most important sets of skills you must have to succeed in GCSE Physics examinations is the ability to learn, understand and use equations. With that in mind, I am creating a series of study booklets that you can use to improve your expertise in these areas. The first installment, covering the equation … Continue reading Equation Skills
Levers and Gears
We have covered the theory of work done so now it’s time to look at some simple machines that trade force against distance to make tasks easier than they would otherwise be. In this post we will look at levers and gears, which "magnify" forces by moving a smaller force through a larger distance. This … Continue reading Levers and Gears
Energy is not Power!
Suppose that two identical twins decide to go upstairs in their house: one twin runs up the stairs whereas the other twin walks up the stairs. Which twin transfers the greatest amount of energy? Almost everybody says the twin who runs transfers more energy because she goes faster. This is a common misconception. In fact, … Continue reading Energy is not Power!
Work Done and GPE
The basics of energy stores and transfers are covered in a separate post (click here to refresh your memory if necessary). We now need to think specifically about ways in which energy can be transferred by the action of forces. For the purposes of GCSE Physics, we will restrict our thoughts to mechanical forces but … Continue reading Work Done and GPE
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