physbang.com started life in 2018 to support students studying GCSE Physics, whether as a separate subject (Edexcel syllabus) or as part of a combined-sciences, double-award course (AQA Trilogy syllabus). A few items have also been posted for the benefit of keen Y9 students and others have been published "just for fun". With effect from Summer … Continue reading About physbang
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Key Facts: (Electro)Magnetism
With only the final Physics paper left to be sat in the this year's AQA Trilogy exams, you should now be giving your revision a final push. Magnetism and electromagnetism is a fairly compact stand-alone topic and is the ideal candidate for a quick refresher. The knowledge you need can be divided into six areas … Continue reading Key Facts: (Electro)Magnetism
Key Facts: Electromagnetic Waves
Having previously covered waves in general (https://physbang.com/2023/04/13/key-facts-waves/) it is now time to look at electromagnetic waves in particular as this is a topic in its own right. Electromagnetic waves are created by the movement of electrons in different situations. The electrons can be moving in an electric circuit, to produce or receive radio waves, or … Continue reading Key Facts: Electromagnetic Waves
Half-term Revision: Forces and Paper 2
Last year (2022) I created two sets of questions that are designed to test your knowledge of the Forces and their Interactions topic for Paper 2 of AQA Trilogy Physics. One test is for Higher Tier and can be accessed by clicking here; the other is for Foundation Tier and can be accessed here. Both … Continue reading Half-term Revision: Forces and Paper 2
Key Facts: Electric circuits
Electricity is one of the forms of energy transfer so it is not surprising that the definition of the volt (the unit for measuring potential difference) is the energy carried per unit charge. In symbols, where Q is the symbol for charge, this relationship is written as; V = E / Q It is important … Continue reading Key Facts: Electric circuits
Key Facts: Renewable Energy
Examination boards are very keen on asking students to apply their knowledge to real-world situations. One of the most important issues in the world today is climate change and one of the most important ways to address this is by switching from non-renewable energy sources to renewables. BP, which has long been thought of as … Continue reading Key Facts: Renewable Energy
Common Mistakes (part 2)
This is the second set of tips for avoiding some of the mistakes made by students sitting AQA GCSE Trilogy science papers. It is based on the exam board's advice, which can be downloaded from https://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/science/AQA-GCSE-SCI-TG-MISUNDERSTANDINGS.PDF, together with observations and explanations of my own. To read the first part of this summary, see https://physbang.com/2023/05/01/common-mistakes-part-1/. 7. … Continue reading Common Mistakes (part 2)
Common Mistakes (part 1)
There is a very useful guide from the AQA exam board highlighting common misconceptions that cause students to lose marks in Trilogy papers: the full document is available here. The advice given below is based on the exam board's document combined with my own observations of ways in which students often lose marks carelessly. I … Continue reading Common Mistakes (part 1)
Key Facts: Waves
We can define a wave as something that carries energy from one place to another without the transfer of physical matter. To understand this definition it is useful to think about two different ways of feeling heat. In a shower, heat is created by an energy exchange inside the storage tank or shower unit and … Continue reading Key Facts: Waves
Balloon on the Moon
Imagine that you could take a helium-filled balloon to the moon. If you stood on the lunar surface, holding the ribbon tied to the bottom of the balloon, what would you expect to happen when it was released? We'll assume that the balloon doesn't burst and I'll give you four possible outcomes; The balloon rises … Continue reading Balloon on the Moon
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