OCR (A) Physics GCSE

Topic P1: Matter

Summary Notes
(Content in bold is for Higher Tier only)

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P1.1 The Particle Model

How & Why the Atomic Model Has Changed Over Time

1800​ - ​Dalton​ said everything was made of tiny spheres called ​atoms​, that could not be
divided

1897​ - ​JJ Thomson​ discovered the ​electron​ and The Plum Pudding Model was
hypothesised:

1911​ - ​Rutherford​ ​realised most of the atom was empty space and The ​Gold Foil
Experiment ​was carried out by ​Geiger and Marsden.

Kurzon​, ​CC BY-SA 3.0

1913​ -​ ​Rutherford Model

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1913​ –​ ​Bohr ​produced the final model of the atom

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The Structure & Size of the Atom

An atom consists of a positively charged ​nucleus​ containing ​protons ​and ​neutrons​,

surrounded by negatively charged ​electrons​. Each of these sub-atomic particles has a
relative mass and charge:

Subatomic Particle Relative Mass Relative Charge

Proton 1 +1
Nucleus 1 0
Electron 0 (0.0005) -1

The typical size of an atom is 1×10−10 metres​ with the radius of the nucleus being 10,000
times smaller still. Nearly all of the mass of the atom is concentrated at the nucleus.

Electrons lie at different distances from the nucleus in different ​energy levels​. The electron
arrangements may change with the interaction with EM radiation.

Density

Mass per unit volume

mass m
density = volume ρ= v units are kgm−3

Density depends on the ​spacing​ of the atoms in matter (the volume they take up).

Solids and liquids have similar, higher densities as the space between particles does not
change significantly. Typically liquids have a lower density than solids with one main
exception being ice, which is less dense than water.

Gases have a much lower densities as the spacing between atoms is much greater. Gas
particles have lots of energy to move, so they occupy a greater volume, decreasing their
density compared to solids and liquids.

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P1.2 Changes of State

Conservation of Mass
Mass is ​conserved​ during a change in state of a substance. The volume the substance
takes up will change, resulting in a different density, but mass remains constant.

e.g.​ If 20g of liquid evaporates, the gas produced will also weigh 20g.

These ​physical​ changes are reversible, and are ​not chemical ​changes because the
material retains its original properties when the change is reversed.

Heating a System
Heat and temperature are not the same. ​Temperature​ is a measure of the average ​kinetic
energy​ of particles in a system, measured on a relative scale. ​Heat​ is a form of ​energy​, and
is measured on an absolute scale.

When a substance gains heat energy there are two possible outcomes:
- It could raise in temperature, but remain in the same state
- It could remain the same temperature, but change state

Specific Heat Capacity & Latent Heat

Specific heat capacity (c) is the energy required to raise the temperature of 1kg of a
substance by 1ºC (or 1ºKelvin) and describes the energy to melt or freeze.

energy = mass × specif ic heat capacity × temperature change

E = mc∆T
units are J/kg°C

Specific latent heat (l) is the energy required to change the state of 1kg of a substance
without a change in temperature and describes the energy to boil or condense.

energy = mass × specif ic latent heat

E = ml
units are Jkg −1
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P1.3 Pressure (Physics Only)

Molecule Motion
Particles in a fluid move ​randomly ​in every direction. A fluid can be a liquid or a gas.

f orce
pressure = area

Pressure produces a net force at ​right angles ​to any surface.

Temperature & Pressure

Temperature and pressure are proportional when volume is constant. Increasing the
temperature means ​more energy ​is given to the particles in a fluid. This thermal energy is
transferred to kinetic energy, so the particles move faster. Therefore collisions of the
particles with the container walls become more frequent and forceful. As a result, pressure of
the fluid increases (and volume will too unless it is fixed).

pressure ∝ temperature p = kT

Volume & Pressure

Volume and Pressure are inversely proportional at a constant temperature. As pressure
increases, greater force is applied per unit area via collisions so the particles occupy a
smaller volume. If volume increases, the area over which particles collide with is larger, so
pressure decreases.

1 k
pressure ∝ volume p= V

Temperature, Volume & Work

Temperature and volume of a fluid are proportional at a constant pressure. As the
temperature increases, a ​greater force ​is exerted on walls as particles have more kinetic
energy. For pressure to stay constant the area of the container must increase as the
particles exert more force, therefore volume increases.

v olume ∝ temperature V = kT

When work is done (a force is applied) to a fluid, its temperature increases

F orce
W D = F orce × distance = area × (area × distance) = P ressure × V olume

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This can be done by:
- Introducing more gas into the same volume, so more particles are present,
more collisions occur and pressure increases. This transfers energy to the
particles so the fluid heats up.

- Reducing the volume of the fluid so the particles collide with the wall more
frequently, increasing the pressure and the kinetic energy of each particle. This
increased energy means the fluid heats up.

The Earth’s Atmosphere

Earth’s atmosphere is assumed to be ​isothermal​, meaning it is all the same temperature. It

is also transparent to solar radiation but opaque to terrestrial radiation.

The atmosphere is also assumed to have ​uniform density​ for simplification.

Atmospheric Pressure

Atmospheric pressure is measured as the ​total weight of the air above​ a unit area at a
certain altitude and decreases as height above Earth’s surface increases. With higher
elevation, there are fewer air molecules in a given area meaning there is a smaller weight of
air, therefore less pressure.

This phenomenon can be observed with helium space balloons. At Earth’s surface, the
balloon is under greater atmospheric pressure than in space. Therefore, as the balloon rises
into space, the helium gas exerts a greater force from the inside of the balloon than the
thinner air from the outside, causing the balloon to expand.
Expansion will stop when the pressure from the helium inside the balloon is equal to the
pressure outside, and they are in ​equilibrium​. Typically, the balloon bursts before these
equilibrium conditions are achieved.

Floating & Sinking

In a fluid, an object will float if its weight is less than the weight of the fluid it
displaces
e.g. So a 1000kg boat will sink into the water until it has displaced 1000kg of
water. Providing the boat doesn’t completely submerge before it displaces this
amount, then it will float.

An object will sink if its weight is greater than the weight of the fluid it displaces.

Liquid Pressure
Pressure in a liquid varies with depth and density, and this leads to the liquid exerting
an upwards force on a partially submerged object. This upwards force is known as
buoyancy force and it counteracts the weight of the floating object.

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 e.g. A ping pong ball floats on water as its density is less than the density of
the water. The weight of the displaced water is greater than the weight of the
ping pong ball, so there is a resultant buoyancy force and the ball floats.

Pressure & Depth

As water depth increases, the weight of the water in the above water column is
greater. Therefore a greater force is experienced as greater pressure.

pressure due to a column of liquid = height of column × density of liquid × g

g (gravitational acceleration) = 10

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