In a previous article, I recapped the key facts you need to know about atoms. Here we will look at the numerical information you need to remember and the concept of isotopes. The table below lists the essental information you need to know about the three sub-atomic particles; protons, neutrons and electrons. There is an … Continue reading Atoms: Vital Statistics
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Atoms: Key Facts
There's an old science joke: "you should never trust atoms because they make up everything". And that's true. Atoms aren't liars (as far as I know) but they are the smallest parts of all substances. But what else are you expected to know? Firstly, atoms are really small. The diameter of a typical atom is … Continue reading Atoms: Key Facts
Specific Heat Capacity and Energy Stores
Two ways are suggested in GCSE Physics for measuring the specific heat capacity of a material. I have already explained the electrical method (see here) but it looks likely, from the advanced information supplied by AQA, that the other method will feature in this summer's Trilogy physics examination. So here's what you need to know … Continue reading Specific Heat Capacity and Energy Stores
Physics Paper 1: physbang revision Index
I previously provided an index of BBC Bitesize links for content that is most likely to appear in this year's AQA Trilogy Physics Paper 1 exam: I have now created a similar list for content posted on physbang, which you can access via this link. For convenience, you can swap from one index to the … Continue reading Physics Paper 1: physbang revision Index
Web of Confusion
A bit of light reading today, given that some of you sat a GCSE Chemistry paper this morning... I'm very proud to report that a short article I wrote for Physics World has been moved outside the magazine's pay-wall so it is now available for everyone to read. It concerns confusing information on the Internet … Continue reading Web of Confusion
Investigating I-V Characteristics
Many GCSE Physics courses, including AQA Trilogy, include a compulsory practical to investigate the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of various electrical components. This experiment links back to the work done by Georg Ohm, whose results have previously been summarised as; "the current flowing through a conductor is directly proportional to the potential difference (voltage) across the … Continue reading Investigating I-V Characteristics
Ohm’s Law
Potential difference (voltage) and current are fundamental measurements for electric circuits. Multiply the potential difference across a device by the current flowing through it to get the power rating for that device.Multiply the power rating by the time for which the device is used to get the energy that the device has transferred. All of … Continue reading Ohm’s Law
Resources for Electricity Generation
In school we talk about different ways to generate electricity as a potential exam topic but it's much, much more important than that. Russia's war with Ukraine has brought this fact sharply into focus as people start talking about a boycott of Russian oil and gas. At the same time, the UK is phasing-out its … Continue reading Resources for Electricity Generation
Changes of State
Despite having previously examined a phase-change diagram in detail (here) I haven't yet covered the particle model and how it links to different states of matter. So that topic, which is relevant for both chemistry and physics, is the focus of this article. First let's clarify the terminology... we will be confining ourselves to the … Continue reading Changes of State
Revising Atomic Structure
Tucked away inside a website of astronomy resources I have just found a brilliant little tool for revising atomic structure, which is required knowledge for AQA Trilogy (and other) GCSE examinations in both physics and chemistry. You can find it at https://astro.unl.edu/newRTs/nuclei/. The assessment is a two-part, drag-and-drop ranking exercise where you have to rearrange … Continue reading Revising Atomic Structure
Mr Tarrant's physbang 'blog 