GCSE Physics Full Spec Points (single only)

1.01 use the following units: kilogram (kg), metre (m), metre/second (m/s), metre/second^2(m/s^2), newton (N), second (s) and newton/kilogram(N/kg)

1.19 know that the stopping distance of a vehicle is made up of the sum of the thinking distance and the breaking distance

1.20 describe the factors affecting vehicle stopping distance, including speed, mass, road condition and reaction time

2.01 use the following units: ampere (A), coulomb (C), joule (J), ohm (Ω), second (s), volt (V) and watt (W)

2.04 know and use the relationship between power, current and voltage: and apply the relationship to the selection of appropriate fuses

2.06 know the difference between mains electricity being alternating current (a.c.) and direct current (d.c.) being supplied by a cell or battery

2.08 understand how the current in a series circuit depends on the applied voltage and the number and nature of other components

2.09 describe how current varies with voltage in wires, resistors, metal filament lamps and diodes, and how to investigate this experimentally

2.10 describe the qualitative effect of changing resistance on the current in a circuit

2.12 know that lamps and LEDs can be used to indicate the presence of a current in a circuit

2.13 know and use the relationship between voltage, current and resistance: V = I × R

2.14 know that current is the rate of flow of charge

2.16 know that electric current in solid metallic conductors is a flow of negatively charged electrons

2.19 calculate the currents, voltages and resistances of two resistive components connected in a series circuit

3.01 use the following units: degree (°), hertz (Hz), metre (m), metre/second (m/s) and second (s)

3.03 know the definitions of amplitude, wavefront, frequency, wavelength and period of a wave

3.04 know that waves transfer energy and information without transferring matter

3.05 know and use the relationship between the speed, frequency and wavelength of a wave: v = f × λ

3.07 use the above relationships in different contexts including sound waves and electromagnetic waves

3.09 explain that all waves can be reflected and refracted

3.10 know that light is part of a continuous electromagnetic spectrum that includes radio, microwave, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, x-ray and gamma ray radiations and that all these waves travel at the same speed in free space

3.11 know the order of the electromagnetic spectrum in terms of decreasing wavelength and increasing frequency, including the colours of the visible spectrum

3.12 Explain some of the uses of electromagnetic radiations, including: radio waves: broadcasting and communications, microwaves: cooking and satellite transmissions, infrared: heaters and night vision equipment, visible light: optical fibres and photography, ultraviolet: fluorescent lamps, x-rays: observing the internal structure of objects and materials, including for medical applications, gamma rays: sterilising food and medical equipment.

3.13 explain the detrimental effects of excessive exposure of the human body to electromagnetic waves, including: microwaves: internal heating of body tissue, infrared: skin burns, ultraviolet: damage to surface cells and blindness, gamma rays: cancer, mutation and describe simple protective measures against the risks

3.14 know that light waves are transverse waves and that they can be reflected and refracted

3.15 use the law of reflection (the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection)

3.17 practical: investigate the refraction of light, using rectangular blocks, semi-circular blocks and triangular prisms

3.20 describe the role of total internal reflection in transmitting information along optical fibres and in prisms

3.21 explain the meaning of critical angle c

3.23 know that sound waves are longitudinal waves which can be reflected and refracted

4.01 use the following units: kilogram (kg), joule (J), metre (m), metre/second (m/s), metre/second2 (m/s2), newton (N), second (s) and watt (W)

4.02 describe energy transfers involving energy stores: energy stores: chemical, kinetic, gravitational, elastic, thermal, magnetic, electrostatic, nuclear and energy transfers: mechanically, electrically, by heating, by radiation (light and sound)

4.03 use the principle of conservation of energy

4.04 know and use the relationship between efficiency, useful energy output and total energy output:

4.05 describe a variety of everyday and scientific devices and situations, explaining the transfer of the input energy in terms of the above relationship, including their representation by Sankey diagrams

4.11 know and use the relationship between work done, force and distance moved in the direction of the force: W = F × d

4.12 know that work done is equal to energy transferred

4.13 know and use the relationship between gravitational potential energy, mass, gravitational field strength and height: GPE = m × g × h

4.14 know and use the relationship: kinetic energy = 1/2×m×v^2

4.15 understand how conservation of energy produces a link between gravitational potential energy, kinetic energy and work

4.16 describe power as the rate of transfer of energy or the rate of doing work

4.17 use the relationship between power, work done (energy transferred) and time taken:

5.01 use the following units: degree Celsius (°C), Kelvin (K), joule (J), kilogram (kg), kilogram/metre3 (kg/m3), metre (m), metre2 (m2), metre3 (m3), metre/second (m/s), metre/second2 (m/s2), newton (N) and pascal (Pa)

5.05 know and use the relationship between pressure, force and area:

5.06 understand how the pressure at a point in a gas or liquid at rest acts equally in all directions

5.15 explain how molecules in a gas have random motion and that they exert a force and hence a pressure on the walls of a container

5.16 understand why there is an absolute zero of temperature which is –273 °C

5.17 describe the Kelvin scale of temperature and be able to convert between the Kelvin and Celsius scales

5.18 understand why an increase in temperature results in an increase in the average speed of gas molecules

5.19 know that the Kelvin temperature of a gas is proportional to the average kinetic energy of its molecules

5.20 Explain, for a fixed amount of gas, the qualitative relationship between: pressure and volume at constant temperature, pressure and Kelvin temperature at constant volume.

6.01 use the following units: ampere (A), volt (V) and watt (W)

6.04 understand the term magnetic field line

6.06 practical: investigate the magnetic field pattern for a permanent bar magnet and between two bar magnets

6.07 describe how to use two permanent magnets to produce a uniform magnetic field pattern

6.08 know that an electric current in a conductor produces a magnetic field around it

6.12 understand why a force is exerted on a current-carrying wire in a magnetic field, and how this effect is applied in simple d.c. electric motors and loudspeakers

6.13 use the left-hand rule to predict the direction of the resulting force when a wire carries a current perpendicular to a magnetic field

6.14 describe how the force on a current-carrying conductor in a magnetic field changes with the magnitude and direction of the field and current

7.01 use the following units: becquerel (Bq), centimetre (cm), hour (h), minute (min) and second (s)

7.02 describe the structure of an atom in terms of protons, neutrons and electrons and use symbols such as 146C to describe particular nuclei

7.03 know the terms atomic (proton) number, mass (nucleon) number and isotope

7.04 know that alpha (α) particles, beta (β−) particles, and gamma (γ) rays are ionising radiations emitted from unstable nuclei in a random process

7.05 describe the nature of alpha (α) particles, beta (β−) particles, and gamma (γ) rays, and recall that they may be distinguished in terms of penetrating power and ability to ionise

7.06 practical: investigate the penetration powers of different types of radiation using either radioactive sources or simulations

7.10 explain the sources of background (ionising) radiation from Earth and space

7.12 know the definition of the term half-life and understand that it is different for different radioactive isotopes

7.14 describe uses of radioactivity in industry and medicine

7.15 describe the difference between contamination and irradiation

7.16 describe the dangers of ionising radiations, including: that radiation can cause mutations in living organisms, that radiation can damage cells and tissue, the problems arising from the disposal of radioactive waste and how the associated risks can be reduced.

7.17 know that nuclear reactions, including fission, fusion and radioactive decay, can be a source of energy

7.18 understand how a nucleus of U-235 can be split (the process of fission) by collision with a neutron, and that this process releases energy as kinetic energy of the fission products

7.19 know that the fission of U-235 produces two radioactive daughter nuclei and a small number of neutrons

7.22 understand the role of shielding around a nuclear reactor

7.25 know that fusion is the energy source for stars

8.01 use the following units: kilogram (kg), metre (m), metre/second (m/s), metre/second2 (m/s2), newton (N), second (s), newton/kilogram (N/kg)