Wales Β· WJECSyllabus
Physics syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the Wales 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.
Unit 1: Electric circuits and electromagnetism
Module overview β- What are current, potential difference and resistance, and how are they linked?Electric current as the rate of flow of charge, the charge equation, potential difference as energy transferred per unit charge, resistance, and the equation linking potential difference, current and resistance.9 min answer β
- How is mains electricity supplied to homes, and how are people and appliances protected?Domestic mains electricity, the live, neutral and earth wires, fuses, circuit breakers, earthing and double insulation, electrical power and the cost of electrical energy.9 min answer β
- How do magnetic fields arise from currents, and how is force produced by the motor effect?Magnetic fields around magnets and current-carrying wires and coils, electromagnets, the motor effect, the force on a current-carrying conductor, and the electric motor.9 min answer β
- How is electricity generated by induction, and how do transformers change voltage?Electromagnetic induction, the a.c. generator, the transformer, the turns ratio and transformer equation, and why transformers are used in the National Grid.9 min answer β
- How do current, potential difference and resistance behave in series and parallel circuits?Series and parallel circuits, the current and potential difference rules for each, total resistance, circuit symbols, and the I-V characteristics of components.9 min answer β
Unit 2: Forces and motion
Module overview β- How are distance, speed and acceleration defined, and how do motion graphs describe movement?Speed, velocity and acceleration, the equations of motion, and reading distance-time and velocity-time graphs.9 min answer β
- What is momentum, and how is it conserved in collisions and explosions?Momentum, the equation momentum equals mass times velocity, and conservation of momentum in collisions and explosions.9 min answer β
- How do Newton's laws relate force, mass and acceleration, and what is terminal velocity?Newton's laws of motion, the equation force equals mass times acceleration, weight, balanced forces and terminal velocity.9 min answer β
- What affects the stopping distance of a vehicle, and how do safety features reduce injury?Thinking distance, braking distance and stopping distance, the factors that affect them, and how vehicle safety features work.9 min answer β
- How are work, energy and power calculated, and how does a spring store energy?Work done, power, kinetic and gravitational potential energy, energy conservation, and Hooke's law for springs.9 min answer β
Unit 1: Generating electricity and energy
Module overview β- How is electricity generated, and how do energy resources compare?Renewable and non-renewable energy resources, how power stations generate electricity, and the advantages and disadvantages of different resources.9 min answer β
- How is energy transferred between stores, and how is efficiency calculated?Energy stores and transfers, the conservation of energy, wasted energy, and the calculation of efficiency as the useful output over the total input.9 min answer β
- How is thermal energy transferred, and how can heat loss from a home be reduced?Conduction, convection and radiation, the factors affecting heat loss, methods of insulating a house, and judging cost-effectiveness using payback time.9 min answer β
- How does the National Grid transmit electricity efficiently, and why does it use transformers?The National Grid, step-up and step-down transformers, and why high-voltage transmission reduces energy losses in the cables.9 min answer β
Unit 1: Kinetic theory
Module overview β- How does the particle model explain gas pressure, and how do pressure, volume and temperature relate?Gas pressure as the result of particle collisions, the link between temperature and particle speed, and how pressure, volume and temperature are related.9 min answer β
- How does the particle model explain solids, liquids, gases and changes of state?The particle model of solids, liquids and gases, density, changes of state as physical changes, and internal energy.9 min answer β
- What are specific heat capacity and specific latent heat, and how are they calculated?Specific heat capacity and its equation, specific latent heat of fusion and vaporisation, and heating and cooling curves.9 min answer β
Unit 2: Radioactivity and nuclear energy
Module overview β- What is half-life, and how is it found from a decay curve?The random nature of radioactive decay, activity, half-life, reading half-life from a decay curve, and applications such as dating and medicine.9 min answer β
- How do nuclear fission and fusion release energy, and how is fission used in a reactor?Nuclear decay equations, nuclear fission and the chain reaction, the nuclear reactor, and nuclear fusion.9 min answer β
- What are alpha, beta and gamma radiation, and what are their uses and hazards?The structure of the atom, alpha, beta and gamma radiation, their penetrating power and ionising effect, background radiation, and the uses and hazards of radiation.9 min answer β
Unit 2: Space and the Universe
Module overview β- How do stars form, live and die, and how does this depend on their mass?The life cycle of a star from nebula to main sequence, and the different fates of low-mass and high-mass stars.9 min answer β
- What makes up the solar system, and how is a star kept stable?The structure of the solar system, the difference between stars, planets and other bodies, and the balance of forces in a stable star.9 min answer β
- What is red shift, and how does it support the Big Bang theory?Red shift of light from distant galaxies, the expanding Universe, the Big Bang theory and the cosmic microwave background radiation.9 min answer β
Unit 1: Waves
Module overview β- What are the features of waves, and how are wave speed, frequency and wavelength linked?Transverse and longitudinal waves, amplitude, wavelength, frequency and period, and the wave equation linking speed, frequency and wavelength.9 min answer β
- How do waves reflect and refract, and how does total internal reflection work?Reflection and the law of reflection, refraction at a boundary, the critical angle, total internal reflection, and the use of optical fibres.9 min answer β
- What are seismic waves, and what do they reveal about the Earth's structure?P-waves and S-waves, how they travel through the Earth, the shadow zones, and the evidence they give for the layered structure and liquid outer core.9 min answer β
- What is the electromagnetic spectrum, and what are the uses and hazards of each part?The electromagnetic spectrum from radio waves to gamma rays, the shared properties of EM waves, and the uses and hazards of each region.9 min answer β