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Northern IrelandPhysics

A2 1 Deformation, Thermal Physics, Circular Motion, SHM and Gravity

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

What keeps an object moving in a circle, and where does the force come from?

Angular velocity and the period of circular motion, centripetal acceleration and centripetal force, and examples such as orbits, conical pendulums and banked tracks.
A CCEA A-Level Physics answer on angular velocity and the period of circular motion, centripetal acceleration and the centripetal force, with worked examples on satellites, conical pendulums and vehicles on banked bends.
11 min answer →

How do materials stretch and store energy, and what do stress-strain graphs tell us?

Hooke's law and the spring constant, stress, strain and the Young modulus, elastic strain energy, and the behaviour of materials from stress-strain graphs.
A CCEA A-Level Physics answer on Hooke's law and the spring constant, stress, strain and the Young modulus, elastic strain energy stored in a stretched material, and how to read stress-strain graphs for different materials.
11 min answer →

How does gravity act over distance, and what governs the orbits of planets?

Newton's law of gravitation, gravitational field strength and potential, the motion of satellites including geostationary orbits, and Kepler's third law.
A CCEA A-Level Physics answer on Newton's law of gravitation, gravitational field strength and gravitational potential, the motion of satellites including geostationary orbits, and how Kepler's third law follows from gravity.
11 min answer →

What defines simple harmonic motion, and how does energy move during it?

The defining condition for simple harmonic motion, the equations for displacement, velocity and acceleration, energy in SHM, and free, damped and forced oscillations with resonance.
A CCEA A-Level Physics answer on the defining condition for simple harmonic motion, the equations for displacement, velocity and acceleration, the exchange of kinetic and potential energy, and free, damped and forced oscillations including resonance.
11 min answer →

What is temperature really, and how do ideal gases behave?

Internal energy and temperature, specific heat capacity and specific latent heat, the gas laws and the ideal gas equation, and the kinetic theory of gases.
A CCEA A-Level Physics answer on internal energy and temperature, specific heat capacity and specific latent heat, the gas laws and the ideal gas equation, and how the kinetic theory links temperature to molecular kinetic energy.
11 min answer →