All 12 Physics topics for AQA GCSE, grouped the way the exam is. Each topic has a few flashcards to test yourself; the full sets are free in Socrates AI.
Name five energy stores.
Kinetic, gravitational potential, elastic potential, chemical and thermal (also nuclear, magnetic and electrostatic).
State the principle of conservation of energy.
Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred from one store to another.
Give the equation for kinetic energy.
Kinetic energy = ½ × mass × speed² (Eₖ = ½mv²).
Revise all 23 Energy stores, work, power and efficiency flashcards free →
What is electric current?
The rate of flow of electric charge, measured in amperes (A).
Give the equation linking charge, current and time.
Charge = current × time (Q = It), charge in coulombs (C).
What is potential difference?
The energy transferred per unit charge between two points, measured in volts (V).
What is the difference between direct current and alternating current?
Direct current (d.c.) flows in one direction only; alternating current (a.c.) repeatedly reverses direction.
What are the voltage and frequency of UK mains electricity?
About 230 V a.c. at 50 Hz.
Name the three wires in a UK mains plug and their colours.
Live (brown), neutral (blue) and earth (green and yellow).
Revise all 22 Mains electricity, power and static flashcards free →
Describe the arrangement and motion of particles in a solid.
Closely packed in a regular pattern; they vibrate about fixed positions.
Describe the arrangement and motion of particles in a liquid.
Close together but irregular; they can move past each other.
Describe the arrangement and motion of particles in a gas.
Far apart and random; they move quickly in all directions.
Revise all 24 Particles, heating and gases flashcards free →
Describe the structure of an atom.
A tiny, dense, positive nucleus containing protons and neutrons, surrounded by electrons.
What are the relative charges of protons, neutrons and electrons?
Proton +1, neutron 0, electron −1.
What are the atomic (proton) number and mass (nucleon) number?
Atomic number = number of protons; mass number = number of protons + neutrons.
What is the equation for average speed?
Average speed = total distance ÷ total time.
What is the difference between speed and velocity?
Speed is a scalar (size only); velocity is a vector: speed in a given direction.
What is the difference between distance and displacement?
Distance is how far something travels (scalar); displacement is the straight-line distance and direction from start to finish (vector).
Revise all 23 Motion: speed, velocity and acceleration flashcards free →
What is a force?
A push or pull that acts on an object due to an interaction with another object; it is a vector, measured in newtons (N).
What is a resultant force?
The single force that has the same effect as all the forces acting on an object combined.
State Newton's first law.
An object stays at rest, or keeps moving at a constant velocity, unless a resultant force acts on it.
Revise all 23 Forces, Newton's laws and momentum flashcards free →
What is a moment?
The turning effect of a force about a pivot.
Give the equation for the moment of a force.
Moment = force × perpendicular distance from the pivot (N m).
State the principle of moments.
For an object in equilibrium, the sum of clockwise moments about a pivot equals the sum of anticlockwise moments.
Revise all 21 Moments, stability and pressure flashcards free →
What do waves transfer?
Energy (and information), without transferring matter.
Describe a transverse wave and give an example.
The oscillations are perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer, e.g. light and water waves.
Describe a longitudinal wave and give an example.
The oscillations are parallel to the direction of energy transfer, with compressions and rarefactions, e.g. sound.
State the law of reflection.
The angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection, both measured from the normal.
Describe the image formed in a plane mirror.
Upright, virtual, the same size as the object, and as far behind the mirror as the object is in front.
What happens to light entering glass from air at an angle?
It slows down and bends towards the normal.
Revise all 16 Light, lenses and the electromagnetic spectrum flashcards free →
Name three magnetic materials.
Iron, nickel and cobalt (and steel).
How do magnetic poles interact?
Like poles repel; unlike poles attract.
What is a magnetic field?
The region around a magnet where a magnetic material or another magnet experiences a force.
Revise all 23 Magnetism and electromagnetism flashcards free →
List the planets in order from the Sun.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
Which force keeps planets and moons in orbit?
Gravity.
Why does an object in a circular orbit accelerate even at constant speed?
Its direction constantly changes, so its velocity changes; gravity provides the force towards the centre.
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