AQA P1 Revision

2011
Specification

Infrared
Radiation

Kinetic
Theory

Energy
Transfer by
Heating

Heating
and
Insulating
Buildings

Energy
Transfers
and
Efficiency

Transferrin
g Electrical
Energy

Generating
Electricity

The
National
Grid

Waves

Sound

Red Shift
and the Big
Bang
Theory

Reflection

Infrared Radiation
a) All objects emit and absorb infrared radiation.
b) The hotter an object is the more infrared radiation it
radiates in a given time.
c) Dark, matt surfaces are good absorbers and good
emitters of infrared radiation.
d) Light, shiny surfaces are poor absorbers and poor
emitters of infrared radiation.
e) Light, shiny surfaces are good reflectors of infrared
radiation.

Emitting Infrared Radiation

All objects emit (give out) some thermal radiation.
Certain surfaces are better at emitting thermal
radiation than others.

worst emitter

best emitter
matt
black

white

silver

Matt black surfaces are the best emitters of

radiation.
Shiny surfaces are the worst emitters of
radiation.
Which type of kettle would cool down
faster:
a black kettle or a shiny metallic kettle?

Absorbing Infrared Radiation

Infrared waves heat objects that absorb (take in)
them.

worst emitter

best emitter
matt
black

best absorber

white

silver
worst absorber

Matt black surfaces are the best absorbers of

radiation.
Shiny surfaces are the worst emitters
because they reflect most of the
radiation away.
Why are solar panels that are used for
heating water covered in a black outer
layer?

Infrared Radiation Exam

Questions

Kinetic Theory
a) The use of kinetic theory to explain the different
states of matter.
b) The particles of solids, liquids and gases have
different amounts of energy.

Kinetic Theory
As you heat a substance, the heat energy is transferred to
the particles in the substance as kinetic energy.
This causes the particles to move further apart,
decreasing the density of the substance.

Kinetic Theory
A loss of heat energy will cause the opposite effect.

Kinetic Theory Exam Questions

Energy Transfer by Heating

a) The transfer of energy by conduction, convection,
evaporation and condensation involves particles, and
how this transfer takes place.
b) The factors that affect the rate of evaporation and
condensation.
c) The rate at which an object transfers energy by
heating depends on:

surface area and volume

the material from which the object is made
the nature of the surface with which the object is in contact.

d) The bigger the temperature difference between an

object and its surroundings, the faster the rate at
which energy is transferred by heating.

Energy Transfer by Heating

solid

liquid

gas

Particles that are very close together can transfer

heat energy as they vibrate. This type of heat
transfer is called conduction.
Conduction is the method of heat transfer in
solids but not liquids and gases.

Energy Transfer by Heating

Warmer regions of a fluid
are less dense than
cooler regions of the same
fluid.warmer regions will
The
rise because they are less
dense.
The cooler regions will
sink as they are more
dense.
This is how heat transfer
takes place in fluids and is
called convection.
The steady flow between
the warm and cool
sections of a fluid, such
as
air or
water, is
called
a convection
current.

Energy Transfer by Heating

The Earth is warmed by heat energy from the Sun.

How does this heat energy travel from the Sun to the Earth?

infrared
waves
There are no particles
between the Sun and
the Earth, so the heat
cannot travel by
conduction or by
convection.

The heat travels to

Earth by infrared
waves. These are
similar to light waves
and are able to travel
through empty space.

Energy Transfer by Heating

How is a vacuum flask able to
keep hot drinks hot and cold
drinks cold? 2. The plastic (or cork) lid is
an insulator and the screw
top prevents convection
currents escaping from
the flask.
1. There is a vacuum
between two layers of
glass or steel, which
prevents heat leaving or
entering by
3. conduction.
The walls have silvery
surfaces, which prevent
entering
by or
heat leaving
radiation.

Energy Transfer by Heating

Heat loss through
evaporation.

Energy Transfer by Heating Quick

Quiz

Energy Transfer by Heating Exam

Questions

Energy Transfer by Heating Exam

Questions

Heating and Insulating Buildings

a) U-values measure how effective a material is as an
insulator.
b) The lower the U-value, the better the material is as
an insulator.
c) Solar panels may contain water that is heated by
radiation from the Sun. This water may then be used
to heat buildings or provide domestic hot water.
d) The specific heat capacity of a substance is the
amount of energy required to change the
temperature of one kilogram of the substance by one
degree
Celsius.
Energy
transferred = mass x specific heat capacity x
temperature change

Heating and Insulating Buildings

A thermogram shows the distribution of heat over the
surface of a house. It highlights where heat is being
lost.
The white, yellow and
red areas are the
warmest, so these are
the worst insulated
parts
of the
The blue
andhouse.
green
areas are the coolest,
so these are the best
insulated parts of the
house.

Heating and Insulating Buildings

Heating and Insulating Buildings

The specific heat capacity of a material is the
amount of energy required to raise 1 kg of the
material by 1 C.
It can be used to work out how much energy is
needed to raise the temperature of a material by a
certain amount:

energ =mass x specific heatxtemperature

capacity
change
y
Energy is measured in joules (J).
Mass is measured in kilograms (kg).

Temperature change is measured in

C.
pecific heat capacity is measured in J/kgC.

Heating and Insulating Buildings

Using the specific heat capacity of water
(4200 J/kgC), how much energy is needed
to increase the temperature of 600 g of
water by 80C in a kettle?
Note: mass = 600 g =
0.6 kg

energ = mass xspecific heatxtemperature

capacity
change
y
energy = 0.6 x 4200
x 80
=

201 600 J

Heating and Insulating Buildings Exam

Questions

Energy Transfers and Efficiency

a) Energy can be transferred usefully, stored, or
dissipated, but cannot be created or destroyed.
b) When energy is transferred only part of it may be
usefully transferred, the rest is wasted.
c) Wasted energy is eventually transferred to the
surroundings, which become warmer. The wasted
energy becomes increasingly spread out and so
becomes less useful.
d) To calculate the efficiency of a device using:

Useful Energy Output

Efficiency=
X 100
Total Energy Input

Energy Transfers and Efficiency

The energy efficiency of a device can be calculated
using this formula:

useful output energy

energy efficiency =
total input energy
Useful energy is measured in joules (J).
Total energy is measured in joules (J).
Energy efficiency does not have any units.
It is a number between 0 and 1 which can
be converted into a percentage by
multiplying by 100.

Energy Transfers and Efficiency

All the energy transfers
(useful and wasted) that
are associated with a
device can be
represented by a
Sankey
A Sankeydiagram.
diagram uses
arrows to represent all
the output energies.
The thickness of each
arrow is proportional to
the amount of energy
involved at that stage.

Filament light bulb

100 J
10 J
electrical
light
energy
energy
(input)
(output)
90 J
heat energy
(wasted)
Energy efficient light bulb
20 J
10 J
electrical
light
energy
energy
(input)
10 J (output)
heat energy
(wasted)

Energy Transfers and Efficiency Exam

Questions

Transferring Electrical Energy

a) Examples of energy transfers that everyday
electrical appliances are designed to bring about.
b) The amount of energy an appliance transfers
depends on how long the appliance is switched on and
its power.
c) To calculate the amount of energy transferred from
the mains using:
Energy transferred = power x time
d) To calculate the cost of mains electricity given the
cost per kilowatt-hour.

Transferring Electrical Energy

The amount of electrical energy (i.e. the amount of
electricity) used by an appliance depends on its power
and how long
the electricity is used for.

electrical energy = power x

time

Power is measured in kilowatts (kW) and the time is

measured in hours (h), so what are the units of
electricity measured in?
1 unit of electricity = 1 unit of
= 1 kilowatt hour
electrical energy
(kWh)
Example:
How many units of electricity is 17.6 kWh?
17.6
units

Transferring Electrical Energy

Electricity costs money, which
is why every home has an
electricity meter.
The meter records how
much electricity is used in a
house in units of electrical
energy.
The units of electrical energy
are called kilowatt hours
(kWh).
The cost of an electricity bill is calculated from the
number of units used.

Transferring Electrical Energy

The cost of electricity is the number of units of
electrical energy multiplied by the cost per unit.

cost = number of units x cost

per unit
Example:
How much would 10 units of electricity cost at a
price of 9p per unit?

cost = 10 units x 9 p/unit

= 90 p

Transferring Electrical Energy

A kettle uses 45.2 kWh of
energy.
If electricity costs 10 p per unit,
how much does it cost to use
the kettle?

Number of units:
mber of units of electricity = number of kilowatt hour
= 45.2 units

Cost of electricity:
ost = number of units x cost per unit
= 45.2 units x 10 p / unit
= 452 p or 4.52

Transferring Electrical Energy Exam

Questions

Transferring Electrical Energy Exam

Questions

Generating Electricity
a) In some power stations an energy source is used to heat
water. The steam produced drives a turbine that is coupled to an
electrical generator.
Energy sources include:
the fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) which are burned to heat water or
air
uranium and plutonium, when energy from nuclear fission is used to
heat water
biofuels that can be burned to heat water.

b) Water and wind can be used to drive turbines directly.

c) Electricity can be produced directly from the Suns radiation.
d) In some volcanic areas hot water and steam rise to the
surface. The steam can be tapped and used to drive turbines.
This is known as geothermal energy.
e) Small-scale production of electricity may be useful in some
areas and for some uses, e.g. hydroelectricity in remote areas
and solar cells for roadside signs.
f) Using different energy resources has different effects on the
environment. These effects include:

Generating Electricity
Energy resources can be classified into two
groups.
Renewab
Non-renewable
le

Renewable energy
resources can be replaced
or regenerated and will
never run out (at least not
for
a very long
Examples:
windtime).
and
solar.

Non-renewable
energy resources will
eventually run out
once used they
cannot
be used
Examples:
coal and
again.
oil.

Generating Electricity

Generating Electricity

Generating Electricity Exam

Questions

Generating Electricity Exam

Questions

The National Grid

a) Electricity is distributed from power stations to
consumers along the National Grid.
b) For a given power increasing the voltage reduces
the current required and this reduces the energy
losses in the cables.
c) The uses of step-up and step-down transformers in
the National Grid.

The National Grid

Step up
Power station transformer

Step down
transformer

Homes

The voltage is altered in The National Grid with

the use of step-up and step-down transformers.
The voltage is stepped up when it leaves the
power station to reduce the current - this
reduces the amount of energy loss
The voltage is then stepped down before it
reaches our homes

The National Grid Exam

Questions

Waves
a) Waves transfer energy.
b) Waves may be either transverse or longitudinal.
c) Electromagnetic waves are transverse, sound waves
are longitudinal and mechanical waves may be either
transverse or longitudinal.
d) All types of electromagnetic waves travel at the same
speed through a vacuum (space).
e) Electromagnetic waves form a continuous spectrum.
f) Longitudinal waves show areas of compression and
rarefaction.
g) Waves can be reflected, refracted and diffracted.
h) Waves undergo a change of direction when they are
refracted at an interface.
i) The terms frequency, wavelength and amplitude.

j) All waves obey the wave equation: v = f x

k) Radio waves, microwaves, infrared and visible light can
be used for communication.

Transverse Waves
Vibration
s

Vibration
s

Wave Direction
The vibrations are at 90O or right
angles to the direction of the waves.

Transverse Waves
Certain parts of a transverse wave have special
names.
The high points of a transverse wave are called
peaks and the low points of a transverse wave are
called troughs.

peak

trough

Transverse Waves
The wavelength of any wave is the distance
between two matching points on neighbouring
waves.
wavelength

wavelength
wavelength
The wavelength is the same whichever two
matching points are used to measure this distance.
The symbol used to represent wavelength is .

Transverse Waves
The amplitude of any wave is the maximum distance
a point moves from its rest position.
amplitude

amplitude
The amplitude of a transverse wave is the height of a
peak or trough from the waves rest position of the wave.
The larger the amplitude, the greater the energy
of the wave.

Transverse Waves
The frequency is the number of waves passing any
point each second.
frequency = number of waves past a point / time
frequency is measured in hertz (Hz)
1 wave per second = 1 Hz
If this set of transverse waves pass a point in one
second, what is the frequency?4 Hz

Longitudinal Waves
Vibration
s

Wave Direction
The vibrations are parallel to the direction of the
waves.

Longitudinal Waves
Where the particles in a longitudinal wave bunch
together are called compressions, where they
spread out are called rarefactions.

Longitudinal Waves
The wavelength of a longitudinal wave is measured
from one compression to another, or one rarefaction
to another.
waveleng
th

waveleng
th

Waves
For any set of waves, the wave speed (v) can be
calculated from the frequency (f) and wavelength ()
using this formula:

wave speed = frequency x

wavelength
v =
fx

What are the units of speed, frequency and

wavelength?
Wave speed is measured in metres per second
(m/s).
Frequency is measured in hertz (Hz).
Wavelength is measured in metres
(m).

Waves
These waves are travelling
across the surface of a pond.
The length of each wave is 0.25
m.
Two waves pass the duck each
second, so the frequency is 2
Hz.
This means that the waves
travel 0.5 m each second, so
the speed of the waves is 0.5
m/s.
From this example, the connection between speed,
frequency and wavelength is:
speed = frequency
wavelength
0.5 m/s =

2 Hz

x
x

0.25 m

Waves Exam Questions

Waves Exam Questions

Reflection
a) The normal is a construction line perpendicular to
the reflecting surface at the point of incidence
b) The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of
reflection.
c) The image produced in a plane mirror is virtual,
upright and laterally inverted.

Reflection
A plane mirror reflects
light regularly so it
produces a clear image,
which is the same size
as the object.
The image appears the
same distance behind
the mirror as the object
is in front of it.
What is different about
the image compared to the
object?
When an object is reflected in a plane mirror, left
appears as right and right appears as left. This type
of reversal is called lateral inversion.

Reflection Exam Questions

Sound
a) Sound waves are longitudinal waves and cause
vibrations in a medium, which are detected as
sound.
b) The pitch of a sound is determined by its
frequency and loudness by its amplitude.
c) Echoes are reflections of sounds.

Sound
Sound waves can be studied with this type of
equipment.
loudspea
ker
oscillosco
pe
signal
generator

A
loudspeaker
converts
signals from
the signal
generator
into sound
waves.

A signal
generator
produces
different types
of signals.

An oscilloscope
shows wave
patterns and
allows us to see
sound.

Sound
A sound can be quiet or loud.

quiet sound

loud sound

On an oscilloscope trace, the loudness of a sound is shown by

the height of the wave. This is called the amplitude.
Which word should be crossed out in this sentence?
The larger the amplitude of the wave on the trace, the
louder/quieter the sound.

Sound
Which trace represents the loudest
sound?

A
Sound A is the
loudest.

Sound A has the largest amplitude (i.e. the tallest

waves), so it is the loudest of these two sounds.

Sound
A sound can be high or low this is the pitch of the
sound.

low pitch
high pitch
On an
oscilloscope trace, the pitch
of a sound is shown by
sound
sound

how many waves there are. This is called the frequency.

Which word should be crossed out in this sentence?
The greater the number of waves across the oscilloscope
trace, the lower/higher the frequency and pitch.

Sound
Which trace represents the sound with the
highest pitch?

B
Sound B has the highest
pitch.
Sound B has the most number of waves
across the oscilloscope it has the highest
frequency and so has the highest pitch.

Sound
What happens when a sound wave meets a hard
flat surface?

The sound wave is reflected back from the surface.

This is called an echo.

Sound Exam Questions

Red Shift and the Big Bang Theory

a) If a wave source is moving relative to an observer
there will be a change in the observed wavelength and
frequency. This is known as the Doppler effect.
b) There is an observed increase in the wavelength of
light from most distant galaxies. The further away the
galaxies are, the faster they are moving, and the bigger
the observed increase in wavelength. This effect is called
red-shift.
c) How the observed red-shift provides evidence that the
universe is expanding and supports the Big Bang theory
(that the universe began from a very small initial point).
d) Cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) is a
form of electromagnetic radiation filling the universe. It
comes from radiation that was present shortly after the
beginning of the universe.
e) The Big Bang theory is currently the only theory that
can explain the existence of CMBR.

Red Shift and the Big Bang Theory

The Doppler effect means that
sound moving away from an
observer appears to be lower in
frequency.
The same thing happens with light
from distant galaxies, which
appears to be shifted towards the
low frequency, red end of the
spectrum.
This means the distant galaxies
must be moving away from the
Earth.
It has also been observed that the further away a
galaxy is, the greater the amount of red shift.
This means that very distant galaxies must be
moving
than near,
faster
all of which is evidence for the Big Bang
theory.

Red Shift and the Big Bang Theory

The observation of red shift is a key piece of evidence
for the Big Bang theory about the origin of the
Universe.
This states that the Universe began with a colossal
explosion 13,700 million years ago and has been
expanding
ever
since.
The other key
piece
of evidence
for the Big Bang theory is
cosmic microwave
background radiation
CMBR
is radiation remaining
(CMBR).
from the Big Bang explosion
and fills the whole of the
Universe.

Red Shift and the Big Bang Theory

The Big Bang is the
most widely
recognised scientific
theory on how the
Universe began.
It states that the
Universe began from
a very small, very
dense and very hot
initial point.
It burst outwards in
a great explosion, and
all matter and space
was created in the Big
Bang.
It is even thought
that this was the

Red Shift and the Big Bang Theory

The first piece of evidence
for the Big Bang is from data
collected on red-shift.
Red-shift shows us that
galaxies which are furthest
away from us are moving
faster than galaxies closer to
us.
The galaxies are a bit like
coloured sparks from an
exploding firework. The
sparks moving fastest travel
the furthest.
If you could run time
backward you would see the
sparks all starting in one

Red Shift and the Big Bang Theory

In the 1960s two scientists called Wilson and Penzias noticed that a
form of microwave radiation was affecting their readings.
The electromagnetic radiation was everywhere and is now called
cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR).
CMBR is explained as being heat left over from the Big Bang.
As the Universe exploded, it cooled and the radiation was stretched
out. Today this radiation is in the microwave region of the
electromagnetic spectrum

Red Shift and the BBT Exam

Questions

Red Shift and the BBT Exam

Questions