← Physics syllabus

EnglandPhysics

P1 Matter

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How does the particle model explain melting, boiling and the other changes of state, and why are they physical changes?

Changes of state (melting, freezing, boiling, evaporating, condensing and sublimation) explained by the particle model, heating and cooling curves, conservation of mass, and the difference between physical and chemical changes.
A focused answer to OCR Gateway GCSE Physics A topic P1 on changes of state, covering melting, freezing, boiling, evaporating, condensing and sublimation in terms of the particle model, heating and cooling curves, conservation of mass, and why changes of state are physical and reversible.
8 min answer →

What is internal energy, and how do we calculate the energy needed to heat a substance or change its state?

Internal energy as the total kinetic and potential energy of the particles, specific heat capacity and the equation linking energy, mass and temperature change, and specific latent heat for changes of state.
A focused answer to OCR Gateway GCSE Physics A topic P1 on internal energy and specific heat, covering internal energy as the total kinetic and potential energy of particles, the specific heat capacity equation, the specific latent heat equation, and the specific heat capacity practical.
9 min answer →

How does the particle model explain solids, liquids and gases, and how do we calculate density?

The particle model of the three states of matter, the arrangement and motion of particles in solids, liquids and gases, and density as mass per unit volume, including measuring the density of regular and irregular objects.
A focused answer to OCR Gateway GCSE Physics A topic P1 on the particle model and density, covering the arrangement and motion of particles in solids, liquids and gases, the density equation, and how to measure the density of regular and irregular objects.
9 min answer →

What causes gas pressure, how does it depend on temperature and volume, and how does pressure change with depth in a liquid?

Gas pressure as the result of particle collisions, the effect of temperature and volume on gas pressure, pressure in liquids increasing with depth, the pressure due to a column of liquid, and pressure on a surface.
A focused answer to OCR Gateway GCSE Physics A topic P1 on pressure, covering gas pressure as particle collisions, the effect of temperature and volume on gas pressure, why pressure in a liquid increases with depth, the pressure due to a column of liquid, and pressure on a surface.
9 min answer →