It is tempting to regard the equations for electric fields and electric potentials as being separate things but they are so closely related that they are best viewed as different sides of the same coin. This is because electric field strength is the same as potential gradient. Or to put it another way, the electric … Continue reading Electric Field & Electric Potential
Energy: the biggest “big idea”
Physics, let alone all the sciences put together, covers such a vast range of knowledge that it's useful to identify a small number of "big ideas" that link across a greater number of concepts. And energy is undoubtedly the biggest of these "big ideas". When it comes to revising energy, the breadth of its impact … Continue reading Energy: the biggest “big idea”
What is Static Electricity?
When work is done on an object, by moving a force through a distance, the object gains energy. As a result, the object might get hotter (gain thermal energy) or accelerate (gain kinetic energy) or be lifted upwards (gain gravitational energy). There is also another possibility; the object could gain electrical energy in the form … Continue reading What is Static Electricity?
SP8-9 Forces Doing Work (mini-test)
The first module of Y11 is now complete and to help you prepare for the assessment I have created a mini-test, complete with mark scheme and explanation. You can access the test by clicking here and the mark scheme is here. Work through the questions then check your answers to spot any errors or misconceptions … Continue reading SP8-9 Forces Doing Work (mini-test)
Forces moving forces
The idea of work done can be extremely useful when designing machines that make life easier and sometimes even enable us to do things that are "impossible". For example, it is fair to say that most humans are not capable of lifting masses of a tonne (1000 kg) or more. And yet that is indeed … Continue reading Forces moving forces
All about Springs
The facts and understanding that you need to have about springs is less detailed than it is for some other GCSE Physics courses. It is therefore important to use learning resources that are matched to this particular course. If you start reading about ultimate tensile stress, for example, then you are learning too much! The … Continue reading All about Springs
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
Mr Tarrant's physbang 'blog 