Definitions and Concepts for CAIE Physics GCSE

Topic 1: General Physics

Definitions in ​bold ​are for extended students only

1.1 Length and Time

Analogue device​:​ A measuring device that requires the user to read from a scale
to obtain the measurement.

Digital device​:​ A measuring device that displays the measurement on a display,

rather than requiring the user to read from a scale.

Distance: ​A measure of how far an object moves. It doesn’t depend on direction

and is therefore a scalar quantity.

Micrometer screw gauge​:​ ​A measuring implement used to accurately

measure very small distances.

Pendulum​:​ A pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing

freely.

Volume​:​ ​The amount of space that a substance or object occupies.

1.2 Motion

Acceleration​:​ ​The rate of change of velocity. It can be calculated from the

gradient of a velocity-time graph. ​Denoted by non-zero gradient in a speed-time
graph.

Air resistance​: The resistance of an object’s motion through air. It is a form

of friction due to the air particles colliding with the object.

Average speed​: ​The average speed is calculated by dividing the distance

travelled by the time taken.

Deceleration​: Negative acceleration.

Distance–time graph​: ​A plot of how an object’s distance changes over time. ​The
gradient of the graph at any point, equals the object’s speed at that point.

Free fall​: ​Motion under the force of gravity alone.

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Linear motion:​ Motion for which the acceleration is not constant.

Speed​: ​A scalar quantity that is a measure of the rate of change of distance.

Speed–time graph​: ​A plot of how an object’s speed changes over time. ​The
gradient of the graph at any point, equals the object’s acceleration at that
point​. The area under the graph represents the distance travelled.

Terminal velocity​: Steady speed achieved by an object freely falling through

a gas or liquid.

Gravitational field​: A region where a mass will experience a non-contact

gravitational force. All matter produces a gravitational field around it, and
the greater its mass, the stronger the field.

Velocity​: A vector quantity that is a measure of the rate of change of

displacement. It is the speed in a given direction.

1.3 Mass and Weight

Balance​: ​A piece of apparatus that can compare different weights to demonstrate

which is greater. It can also be used to compare masses.

Mass​: ​Mass is a measurement of how much matter is in an object. ​It is also the
resistance that a body offers to a change in its speed or position upon the
application of a force.

Weight​: ​The force acting on an object due to gravity.​ It is equal to the product of
the object’s mass and the gravitational field strength at its location.

1.4 Density

Density​: ​The mass per unit volume of an object.

Displacement​: ​It is the object's overall change in position.​ ​Calculated by the

difference between final and initial readings.

1.5 Forces

1.5.1 Effects of Forces

Air resistance:​ ​The resistance of an object’s motion through air. It is a form of

friction due to the air particles colliding with the object.

Extension–load graphs​: ​A graph that shows how the extension of an object

varies with the load applied. For a spring, this should initially form a straight line
that passes through the origin.

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Friction​: ​A resistive contact force that acts to oppose the relative motion between
two surfaces. Some energy of the object in contact is lost as heat in the process.

Hooke’s law ​: The extension of a spring is directly proportional to the force

applied to it, up to the limit of proportionality. The constant in this
relationship is known as the spring constant.

Limit of proportionality​: The point beyond which the extension of an elastic

object is no longer directly proportional to the force applied to it.

Resultant force​: ​The single force that can replace all the individual forces acting
on an object, and have the same effect.

Spring constant:​ A measure of a spring’s stiffness. The higher the spring

constant, the smaller the extension is for a given force.

1.5.2 Turning Effect

Moment of a force​: ​The turning effect of a force, equal to the product of the
magnitude of the force and the perpendicular distance from the pivot to the line of
action of the force.

Principle of moments​:​ For an object in equilibrium, the sum of the clockwise

moments about any point on the object must equal the anticlockwise moments
about that same point.

1.5.3 Conditions for Equilibrium

Equilibrium​: ​An object in equilibrium has a zero resultant force and a zero
resultant moment.

Resultant force​: ​The single force that can replace all the individual forces acting
on an object, and have the same effect.

Turning effect​:​ It is also known as the moment of the force.

1.5.4 Centre of Mass

Centre of mass​: ​The single point through which all the mass of an object can be
said to act.

Plane lamina​:​ A body whose mass is concentrated in a single plane.

Stability​: ​A measure of the likelihood of an object toppling. An object is unstable if

the object’s line of action of weight lies outside of its base.

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1.5.5 Scalars and Vectors

Resultant vector​: ​It is​ ​the sum of two or more vectors which has its own
magnitude and direction

Scalars​:​ ​Quantities that only have a magnitude, not a direction.

Vectors​:​ ​Quantities that have both a magnitude and direction. They are
represented by an arrow, with the length representing the magnitude and the
arrowhead representing the direction.

1.6 Momentum

Conservation of momentum​:​ ​The total momentum of a system before an

event is always equal to the total momentum of the system after the event.

Impulse​: The change of a system’s momentum as a result of a force acting

over a period of time

Momentum​: The product of an object’s mass and velocity.

1.7 Energy, Work and Power

1.7.1 Energy

Chemical energy: ​A store of energy found in things such as batteries, fuels and
food.

Elastic potential (strain) energy:​ The store of energy that stretched or

compressed objects contain.

Electrical current​: ​An electric current is a flow of electric charge in a circuit.

Gravitational potential energy​: ​The store of energy that all raised matter has. ​It
is directly proportional to the mass of the object, the distance that it is
raised, and the gravitational field strength at that point.

Internal energy​: ​It is defined as the energy associated with the random,
disordered motion of molecules.

Kinetic energy: ​The store of energy that all moving matter has. ​It is directly
proportional to the object’s mass and to the square of its velocity.

Nuclear energy​: ​Non-renewable energy that is generated from the energy stored
in the nuclei of radioactive isotopes. It is released in processes known as nuclear
fission and nuclear fusion.

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Principle of conservation of energy​: ​The law that energy can be transferred,
stored or dissipated but never created or destroyed.

1.7.2 Energy Resources

Chemical energy​: ​A store of energy found in things such as batteries, fuels and
food.

Efficiency​: ​The ratio of useful output energy transfer to total energy input. It can
never exceed 1 (or 100%), due to the conservation of energy.

Geothermal energy​: ​Renewable energy generated from the conversion of the

thermal energy found below the Earth’s surface into electrical energy.

Hydroelectric power:​ Renewable energy generated by water stored at a height,

and released through a turbine. The turbine turns a generator which converts the
kinetic energy into electrical energy.

Nuclear fission​: ​It ​is a process where the nucleus of an atom is split into two or
more smaller nuclei.

Nuclear fusion​: It ​is the process of making a single heavy nucleus (part of an
atom) from two lighter nuclei​.

Renewable energy resource: ​An energy resource that can be replenished whilst
it is being used.

Solar energy​: ​Renewable energy generated by converting the energy of the sun
into electrical energy, usually by using a solar panel.

Tidal energy​: ​Renewable energy generated by trapping water when at high tide,
and then releasing it through a turbine. The turbine turns a generator which
converts the kinetic energy into electrical energy.

Wind energy​: ​Refers to the process of creating electricity using the wind.

1.7.3 Work

Work done​: ​Work is done on an object when a force causes it to move through a
distance. It is equal to the product of the distance travelled and the magnitude of
the force in the direction of motion.

1.7.4 Power

Power​: ​The rate at which energy is transferred, or the rate at which work is done.
It is calculated by dividing the work done by the time taken.

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Work done​: ​Work is done on an object when a force causes it to move through a
distance. It is equal to the product of the distance travelled and the magnitude of
the force in the direction of motion.

1.8 Pressure

Atmosphere: ​The thin layer of air surrounding the Earth, which gets less dense
with increasing altitude. The pressure also decreases with increasing altitude.

Atmospheric pressure​: ​It is the force exerted on a surface by the air above it as
gravity pulls it to Earth

Manometer​: ​A U-shaped tube of liquid that allows the pressure on a column of

liquid to be measured.

Mercury barometer​: ​A measuring device that measures changes in atmospheric

pressure.

Pressure​: ​The force acting perpendicular to a surface, per unit area.

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