AQA GCSE Physics Comprehensive Video Guide

Luis from GCSE and A-level Physics Online covers the entirety of the AQA GCSE physics course in a video, explaining topics clearly with equations and units provided.
Required practicals for GCSE physics are also covered, emphasizing the importance of revising skills and knowledge gained.
Content in the video is suitable for the higher tier paper, but resources for the foundation tier exams are available on the website.
Student guides on the website help track covered material, distinguishing between foundation tier, higher tier, and GCSE physics-only content.
The video covers energy storage, including kinetic, elastic potential, gravitational potential, thermal, and other forms of energy.
Equations for calculating energy in different stores are provided, along with units and measurements required.
Energy transfer processes are outlined, including heating, electrical working, radiation, and mechanical transfers.
Power is defined as the rate at which energy is transferred or work is done, with formulas provided for calculating power and efficiency.
Different energy resources are discussed, including non-renewable (coal, oil, gas) and renewable (biofuel, wind, solar) options for electricity generation.
Electrical circuits are explained, detailing circuit symbols, series and parallel circuits, components' characteristics (resistors, lamps, diodes), and circuit analysis techniques.
Differences between series and parallel circuits in terms of current, potential difference, and resistance are highlighted, along with relevant equations for power and energy transfer in circuits.- Electric field is the region around a charged object where other charged objects experience force, with field lines pointing away from positive charges.
Density is a measure of how much stuff is in a given volume, calculated as mass divided by volume (ρ = mass/volume).
The particle model explains the properties and behavior of solids, liquids, and gases based on the arrangement and motion of particles.
Changes in states of matter involve physical changes, not chemical reactions, such as melting, boiling, evaporating, condensing, freezing, and subliming.
Internal energy in a system is the total kinetic and potential energies of all particles, increasing with temperature until a change of state occurs.
Specific heat capacity relates internal energy and temperature change (ΔE = MCΔθ), while specific latent heat measures energy needed for a change of state.
Heating a gas at constant volume increases its pressure, while increasing its volume decreases pressure (pressure x volume = constant).
Work done on a gas increases its internal energy by giving particles more kinetic or potential energy.
Atoms consist of a central nucleus with protons and neutrons, surrounded by orbiting electrons in distinct shells.
Isotopes are atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons, while ions have an unequal number of protons and electrons, resulting in a positive or negative charge.
Radiation types include alpha (2 protons, 2 neutrons), beta (high-speed electron), gamma (electromagnetic radiation), and neutrons.
Nuclear reactions represent radioactive decay, where elements emit particles to become more stable.
Radioactive decay involves activity (amount of particles emitted per second) and half-life (time for activity or nuclei to halve).
Irradiation exposes objects to radiation without making them radioactive, while contamination involves mixing with radioactive particles.
Background radiation sources include cosmic rays, radioactive isotopes in rocks, and man-made sources like nuclear accidents and medical uses.
Medical uses of radioactive materials include tracers for diagnosis and highly ionizing radiation for cancer treatment.- Nuclear fission is the process where heavy isotopes are split apart by firing a neutron at them, releasing energy that can be used to generate electricity without emitting carbon dioxide.
Nuclear fission involves creating a chain reaction by capturing additional neutrons in other nuclei of uranium or plutonium.
Nuclear fusion is the process of joining light elements together to create heavier ones, generating energy without radioactive waste, but it is not yet viable for electricity generation on Earth.
Forces are measured in Newtons and can be contact forces (friction, tension) or non-contact forces (gravity, electrostatic, magnetic).
Forces are vectors, which means they have both size and direction, represented by arrows in diagrams.
Weight is a force caused by the mass of an object in a gravitational field, measured in Newtons, while mass is measured in kilograms.
Work is done when a force is applied to an object over a distance, measured in Joules, with the equation work = force x distance.
Springs exhibit elasticity, where the force applied is proportional to the extension, and can store energy in elastic potential energy.
Moments are the turning effect of a force, measured in Newton meters, and can be balanced in a system with equal clockwise and anti-clockwise moments.
Pressure in fluids is calculated as force per unit area, measured in Newtons per square meter or Pascal; it depends on density, gravitational field strength, and height.
Up thrust or buoyancy is the force acting upwards on an object submerged in a fluid due to pressure differences, allowing objects like ships to float.