CCEA GCSE Single Award Science: Unit 3 Physics overview
An overview of Unit 3 Physics of CCEA GCSE Science: Single Award, mapping motion, forces, energy, electricity, waves, atomic and nuclear physics, and space physics, with the key equations and how each topic is examined.
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Unit 3 of CCEA GCSE Science: Single Award is the Physics unit. It is a carefully selected subset of the full CCEA GCSE Physics course, covering the core ideas so that one science GCSE can include biology, chemistry and physics. This page maps the seven study topics and links to a focused answer page for each one.
What this unit covers
- Motion
- Scalars and vectors, the speed and acceleration equations, and reading distance-time and velocity-time graphs. Start with Motion.
- Forces
- Balanced and unbalanced forces, Newton's laws and F equals ma, mass and weight, terminal velocity, and stopping distances. See Forces.
- Energy
- Energy stores and transfers, conservation, the kinetic and gravitational potential energy equations, power, efficiency, and energy resources. See Energy.
- Electricity
- Charge and current, voltage, resistance and Ohm's law, series and parallel circuits, mains safety, and electrical power. See Electricity.
- Waves
- Transverse and longitudinal waves, the wave terms and equation, and the electromagnetic spectrum with its uses and dangers. See Waves.
- Atomic and nuclear physics
- The nuclear model and isotopes, the three types of radiation, half-life, and the uses and dangers of radioactivity. See Atomic and nuclear physics.
- Space physics
- The Solar System and the universe, orbits and gravity, the life cycle of stars, and red-shift and the Big Bang. See Space physics.
How it is examined
Unit 3 is a written paper sat at either Foundation or Higher tier, worth a quarter of the Single Award GCSE. Expect structured short-answer questions, data and calculation questions, and longer answers. Calculations using the standard equations come up throughout, and a calculator is allowed.
How to study it
Learn the equations and practise rearranging them, then drill calculations with units. Learn to read distance-time and velocity-time graphs, the order of the electromagnetic spectrum, the three types of radiation, and the life cycle of stars. Practise CCEA past papers for the calculation styles and command words, then finish with the module quiz.
Sources & how we know this
- CCEA GCSE Science: Single Award specification — CCEA (2017)