England · Pearson EdexcelSyllabus
Physics syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the England Physicssyllabus, with a focused answer for each one. Click any dot point for a worked explainer, past exam questions, and links to related dot points. Written by Claude Opus 4.8, Anthropic's latest AI.
Topic 7: Astronomy
Module overview →- How does gravity keep objects in orbit, and how does weight differ between bodies?Orbits and gravity: how gravity provides the force for circular orbits, why orbital speed sets the orbit radius, and how weight and g differ between the Earth, Moon and other bodies.9 min answer →
- What is red-shift, and how does it provide evidence for the Big Bang?Red-shift and the Big Bang: the change in observed frequency from a moving source, red-shift of distant galaxies, and the Big Bang and Steady State theories with their evidence.10 min answer →
- How is a star born, how does it live, and how does it die?The life cycle of stars: the formation of a star from a nebula, the main sequence, and the different fates of stars depending on their mass.9 min answer →
- What is in our Solar System, and how have ideas about its structure changed?The Solar System: the Sun, planets, moons, dwarf planets, asteroids and comets, the order of the planets, and how models of the Solar System changed over time.8 min answer →
Topic 3: Conservation of energy
Module overview →- What does conservation of energy mean, and how is energy dissipated?Conservation and dissipation of energy: the principle of conservation of energy in a closed system, how energy is dissipated to less useful stores, and why mechanical processes waste energy by heating.9 min answer →
- What is efficiency, and how do you calculate it for a device?Efficiency: the meaning of efficiency, the efficiency equation as a ratio of useful to total energy (or power), and why no device is perfectly efficient.9 min answer →
- What are the energy stores, and how do you draw an energy transfer diagram?Energy stores and transfers: the named energy stores, the ways energy is transferred, and drawing and interpreting energy transfer diagrams for everyday systems.9 min answer →
- How do you calculate gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy, and how do they interchange?Gravitational and kinetic energy: the change in gravitational potential energy equation, the kinetic energy equation, and how energy transfers between the two stores.9 min answer →
- How can unwanted energy transfers be reduced, and what affects a building's rate of cooling?Reducing unwanted energy transfer: lubrication and thermal insulation, and how the thickness and thermal conductivity of walls affect the rate of cooling of a building.9 min answer →
Topic 8: Energy - Forces doing work
Module overview →- How efficient is a machine, and how can wasteful heating be reduced?Efficiency of forces: calculating efficiency for a machine, why machines waste energy by heating, and reducing wasteful transfers by lubrication and streamlining.9 min answer →
- How does the energy of a system change when forces act, and how is energy dissipated?Energy stores and system changes: the ways the energy of a system can change, energy transfers in a closed system, and how energy is dissipated when forces act.9 min answer →
- What is power, and how do you calculate it from energy or work and time?Power: power as the rate of energy transfer or work done, the power equation, the watt as a joule per second, and the core practical measuring personal power.9 min answer →
- What is work done, and how is it linked to energy transferred?Work done and energy transfer: the work done equation, the link between work done and energy transferred, and how work done by friction raises temperature.9 min answer →
Topic 9: Forces and their effects
Module overview →- What is the difference between contact and non-contact forces, and how do objects interact at a distance?Contact and non-contact forces: the difference between them, examples of each, and how objects can interact at a distance through fields.8 min answer →
- How do you find a resultant force, and how can a single force be resolved into components?Resolving and resultant forces: combining forces into a resultant, using scale vector diagrams, and resolving a single force into perpendicular components.9 min answer →
Topic 5: Light and the electromagnetic spectrum
Module overview →- Why do objects appear coloured, and what does a colour filter do?Colour and filters: how the colour of an opaque object depends on the wavelengths it reflects and absorbs, and how a colour filter transmits some colours and absorbs others.8 min answer →
- How does the nature of a surface affect the infrared radiation it emits and absorbs?Infrared radiation and surfaces (core practical): how surface colour and texture affect the emission and absorption of infrared radiation, and the link to all objects emitting radiation.9 min answer →
- What are the laws of reflection, and when does total internal reflection occur?Reflection and total internal reflection: the law of reflection, specular versus diffuse reflection, the critical angle, and the conditions for total internal reflection.9 min answer →
- How do converging and diverging lenses form images, and what is the power of a lens?Refraction and lenses: refraction in a glass block (core practical), converging and diverging lenses, real and virtual images, and the power of a lens linked to focal length.10 min answer →
- What is the electromagnetic spectrum, and how are its groups ordered?The electromagnetic spectrum: the seven groups in order, the shared properties of EM waves, and the trends in wavelength, frequency and energy across the spectrum.9 min answer →
- What are the everyday uses and dangers of each part of the electromagnetic spectrum?Uses and dangers of EM waves: the practical uses of each group, the harm high-frequency waves can cause to cells, and how the use links to the wave's properties.9 min answer →
Topic 2: Motion and forces
Module overview →- How do you calculate acceleration, and how do the equations of motion link velocity, acceleration and distance?Acceleration and the equations of motion: the acceleration equation, the uniform acceleration (suvat) equation linking velocity, acceleration and distance, and typical accelerations such as g.9 min answer →
- How do you calculate speed, and what counts as a typical everyday speed?Distance, speed and velocity: the speed equation, rearranging it for distance and time, and recalling typical speeds for walking, running, cycling and sound.8 min answer →
- How do you read speed and motion from a distance-time graph?Distance-time graphs: interpreting the shape of the line, finding speed from the gradient, and using a tangent for the speed of an accelerating object.8 min answer →
- What is momentum, and how is it conserved in collisions?Momentum and collisions: the momentum equation p = mv, conservation of momentum in a closed system, force as the rate of change of momentum, and how safety features reduce force.10 min answer →
- What do Newton's three laws say, and how do you use F = ma?Newton's laws of motion: the first law and resultant force, the second law F = ma and inertial mass, and the third law of equal and opposite forces.10 min answer →
- What is the difference between a scalar and a vector, and which quantities are which?Scalar and vector quantities: the difference between magnitude-only scalars and vectors that also have direction, and classifying the key physical quantities.8 min answer →
- What makes up the stopping distance of a vehicle, and what affects each part?Stopping distances and reaction time: thinking distance plus braking distance, the factors affecting each, reaction times, and the forces and energy involved in braking.9 min answer →
- How do you read acceleration and distance from a velocity-time graph?Velocity-time graphs: finding acceleration from the gradient and distance travelled from the area under the line, including counting squares for a curved graph.9 min answer →
- What is the difference between mass and weight, and how do you calculate weight?Weight, mass and gravity: the difference between mass and weight, the weight equation W = mg, gravitational field strength, and weight measured with a calibrated balance.8 min answer →
Topic 6: Radioactivity
Module overview →- What is background radiation, where does it come from, and how is radioactivity detected?Background radiation and detection: the meaning and sources of background radiation from Earth and space, and detecting radioactivity with photographic film and a Geiger-Muller tube.8 min answer →
- What is half-life, and how do you use it to find how much of a sample remains?Half-life: the definition of half-life, the random nature of decay, and using half-life to calculate the activity or amount of radioactive material remaining.10 min answer →
- What are isotopes and ions, and how are nuclei represented by symbols?Isotopes and ions: atomic and mass number notation, what makes isotopes of an element, and how atoms become ions by losing or gaining electrons.9 min answer →
- How do you write balanced nuclear equations for alpha and beta decay?Nuclear decay equations: how the mass and atomic numbers change in alpha, beta-minus and beta-plus decay and gamma emission, and balancing nuclear equations.10 min answer →
- What are nuclear fission and fusion, and how do they release energy?Nuclear fission and fusion: the splitting of large nuclei in a chain reaction, the joining of small nuclei in stars, and how each releases energy.9 min answer →
- What is the structure of the atom, and how did the nuclear model develop?The nuclear model of the atom: protons, neutrons and electrons, the size of the atom and nucleus, the relative masses and charges, and electron energy levels.9 min answer →
- What are the types of nuclear radiation, and how do they compare in penetration and ionisation?Types of nuclear radiation: alpha, beta-minus, beta-plus, gamma and neutron radiation, their nature, and their penetrating and ionising powers.9 min answer →
- How is radioactivity used safely, and what is the difference between irradiation and contamination?Uses and dangers of radiation: medical and industrial uses, the difference between irradiation and contamination, and the precautions that reduce the dangers.9 min answer →
Topic 4: Waves
Module overview →- How do you measure the speed of sound in air and of ripples on water?Measuring wave speed: the core practical for measuring the speed, frequency and wavelength of waves in a solid and a fluid, and methods for the speed of sound and water ripples.9 min answer →
- What happens to a wave at the boundary between two materials?Reflection, refraction, transmission and absorption: what happens to waves at a boundary, why refraction changes the direction and speed of a wave, and the wavefront explanation.9 min answer →
- How do you calculate wave speed from frequency and wavelength?The wave speed equation: wave speed as frequency times wavelength, the distance-over-time form, and rearranging to find frequency or wavelength.9 min answer →
- What is the difference between transverse and longitudinal waves?Transverse and longitudinal waves: the difference in the direction of oscillation, examples of each, and the structure of longitudinal waves as compressions and rarefactions.8 min answer →
- What are the key properties of a wave, and what does a wave transfer?Wave properties: amplitude, wavelength, frequency, period and wavefront, and the idea that waves transfer energy and information without transferring matter.9 min answer →