The City School

Academic Year 2023-2024

Subject Name: Physics (5054)
Syllabus Breakup Class 10
Term I
Topic Sub Topics Learning Objectives week

2.2 Thermal 1 Thermal 1 Explain applications and consequences of thermal 1 week

properties and expansion of expansion in the context of common examples,
temperature solids, liquids and including the liquid-in glass thermometer
gases 2 Explain, in terms of the motion and arrangement of
particles, the thermal expansion of solids, liquids and
gases, and state the relative order of magnitudes of
the expansion of solids, liquids and gases
3 Convert temperatures between kelvin and degrees
Celsius; recall and use the equation
T (in K) = θ (in °C) + 273

2 Specific heat 1 Know that an increase in the temperature of an object

capacity increases its internal energy 1 week
2 Describe an increase in temperature of an object in
terms of an increase in the average kinetic energies of
all of the particles in the object
3 Define specific heat capacity as the energy required
per unit mass per unit temperature increase; recall
and use the equation specific heat capacity =change
in energy/(mass x change in temperature)
4 Describe experiments to measure the specific heat
capacity of a solid and of a liquid
Describe melting, solidification, boiling and
3 Melting, boiling condensation in terms of energy transfer without a
and change in temperature 2 weeks
evaporation 1 Know the melting and boiling temperatures for water
at standard atmospheric pressure
2 Describe the differences between boiling and
evaporation
3 Describe evaporation in terms of the escape of more
energetic particles from the surface of a liquid
4 Describe how temperature, surface area and air
movement over a surface affect evaporation
5 Explain how evaporation causes cooling
6 Describe latent heat as the energy required to change
the state of a substance and explain it in terms of
particle behavior and the forces between particles

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3.1 General 1-Wave motion 1 Know that waves transfer energy without
properties of 2-Features of a transferring matter 2 weeks
waves wave 2 Describe what is meant by wave motion as
3 Transverse and illustrated by vibrations in ropes and springs and by
longitudinal waves experiments using water waves
4 Reflection, 3 Describe the features of a wave in terms of wave
refraction and front, wavelength, frequency, crest (peak), trough,
diffraction. amplitude and wave speed

4 Define the terms:

3.1 General (a) frequency as the number of wavelengths that
properties of pass a point per unit time
waves (b) wavelength as the distance between two
consecutive, identical points such as two
consecutive crests
(c) amplitude as the maximum distance from the
mean position
5 Recall and use the equation wave speed =
frequency × wavelength v = f λ
6 Know that for a transverse wave, the direction of
vibration is at right angles to the direction of the
energy transfer, and give examples such as
electromagnetic radiation, waves on the surface of
water, and seismic S-waves (secondary)
7 Know that for a longitudinal wave, the direction of
vibration is parallel to the direction of the energy
transfer, and give examples such as sound waves
and seismic
P-waves (primary)
8 Describe how waves can undergo:
(a) reflection at a plane surface
(b) refraction due to a change of speed
(c) diffraction through a gap
9 Describe how wavelength and gap size affects
diffraction through a gap
10 Describe the use of a ripple tank to show:
(a) reflection at a plane surface
(b) refraction due to a change in speed caused by a
change in depth
(c) diffraction due to a gap
(d) diffraction due to an edge
11 Describe how wavelength affects diffraction at
an edge

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3.2 Light 1 Reflection of light 1 Define and use the terms normal, angle of
incidence and angle of reflection 1 week
2 Describe an experiment to illustrate the
law of reflection
3 Describe an experiment to find the position
and characteristics of an optical image
formed by a plane
mirror (same size, same distance from mirror
as object and virtual)
4 State that for reflection, the angle of
incidence is equal to the angle of reflection
and use this in constructions,
measurements and calculations
2 Refraction of light
1 Define and use the terms normal, angle of
incidence and angle of refraction 1 week
2 Define refractive index n as n =sin i/sin r
; recall and use this equation
3 Describe an experiment to show refraction
of light by transparent blocks of different
shapes
4 Define the terms critical angle and total
internal reflection; recall and use the
equation n = 1/sin c
5 Describe experiments to show internal
reflection and total internal reflection
6 Describe the use of optical fibers,
particularly in telecommunications, stating
the advantages of their use in each context

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3.2 Light 3 Thin lenses 1 Describe the action of thin converging and
thin diverging lenses on a parallel beam of 2 weeks
light
2 Define and use the terms focal length,
principal axis and principal focus (focal
point)
3 Draw ray diagrams to illustrate the
formation of real and virtual images of an
object by a converging lens and know that
a real image is formed by converging rays
and a virtual image is formed by diverging
rays
4 Define linear magnification as the ratio of
image length to object length; recall and
use the equation
linear magnification =image length/object
length
5 Describe the use of a single lens as a
magnifying glass
6 Draw ray diagrams to show the formation
of images in the normal eye, a shortsighted
eye and a long-sighted eye
7 Describe the use of converging and
diverging lenses to correct long-
sightedness and short-sightedness

4 Dispersion of light
1 Describe the dispersion of light as
illustrated by the refraction of white light 1 week
by a glass prism
2 Know the traditional seven colors of the
visible spectrum in order of frequency and
in order of wavelength

3.3 1 Characteristics of 1 Know the main regions of the

Electromagnetic electromagnetic waves 2 electromagnetic spectrum in order of 1 week
spectrum Applications of frequency and in order of wavelength
electromagnetic waves 2 Know that the speed of all electromagnetic
waves in:
(a) a vacuum is 3.0 × 108 m / s
(b) air is approximately the same as in a
vacuum

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 3 Describe the role of the following
components in the stated applications:
(a) radio waves – radio and television
communications, astronomy
(b) microwaves – satellite television, mobile
(cell) phone, Bluetooth, microwave ovens
(c) infrared – household electrical appliances,
remote controllers, intruder alarms,
thermal imaging, optical fibers
(d) visible light – photography, vision
(e) ultraviolet – security marking, detecting
counterfeit bank notes, sterilizing water
(f) X-rays – hospital use in medical imaging,
security scanners, killing cancerous cells,
engineering applications such as detecting
cracks in metal
(g) gamma rays – medical treatment in
detecting and killing cancerous cells,
sterilizing food and medical equipment,
engineering applications such as detecting
cracks in metal
4 Describe the damage caused by
electromagnetic radiation, including:
3.3 (a) excessive exposure causing heating of
Electromagnetic soft tissues and burns
spectrum (b) ionizing effects caused by ultraviolet
(skin cancer and cataracts), X-rays and
gamma rays (cell mutation and cancer)
1 Production of 1 Describe the production of sound by
3.4 Sound sound & its nature vibrating sources 2 weeks
2 Audible 2 Describe the longitudinal nature of sound
frequencies waves and describe compressions and
3 Speed of sound 4 rarefactions
Echo & Reflection of 3 State the approximate range of frequencies
sound audible to humans as 20 Hz to 20 000 Hz
5 Loudness, pitch and 4 Explain why sound waves cannot travel in a
quality of sound 6 vacuum and describe an experiment to
Ultrasound & its uses demonstrate this
5 Describe how changes in amplitude and
frequency affect the loudness and pitch of
sound waves
6 Describe how different sound sources
produce sound waves with different
qualities (timbres), as shown by the shape
of the traces on an oscilloscope

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 7 Describe an echo as the reflection of sound
waves
8 Describe simple experiments to show the
reflection of sound waves
9 Describe a method involving a
measurement of distance and time for
determining the speed of sound in air
10 Know that the speed of sound in air is
approximately 330–350 m / s
11 Know that, in general, sound travels
faster in solids than in liquids and faster in
liquids than in gases
12 Define ultrasound as sound with a
frequency higher than 20 kHz
13 Describe the uses of ultrasound in
cleaning, prenatal and other medical
scanning, and in sonar (including calculation
of depth or distance from time
and wave speed)

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 Term II
Topic Sub Topics Learning Objectives week

4.1 Simple 1 Magnetic and 1 Describe the forces between magnetic poles and 2 weeks
magnetism and nonmagnetic materials between magnets and magnetic materials,
magnetic fields 2 Induced including the use of the terms north pole (N
magnetism 3 pole), south
Temporary and pole (S pole), attraction and repulsion,
permanent magnets magnetized and unmagnetized
4 Magnetic 2 Describe induced magnetism
field pattern and 3 State the difference between magnetic and non-
plotting magnetic materials
5 Uses of 4 State the differences between the properties of
permanent temporary magnets (made of soft iron) and the
magnets and properties of permanent magnets (made of
electromagnets. steel)
5 Describe a magnetic field as a region in which a
magnetic pole experiences a force
6 Describe the plotting of magnetic field lines with
a compass or iron filings and the use of a
compass to determine the direction of the
magnetic field
7 Draw the pattern and direction of the magnetic
field lines around a bar magnet
8 State that the direction of the magnetic field at a
point is the direction of the force on the N pole
of a magnet at that point
9 Know that the relative strength of a magnetic
field is represented by the spacing of the
magnetic field lines
10 Describe uses of permanent magnets and
electromagnets

4.2 Electrical 1 Electrical charge 1 State that there are positive and negative 2 weeks
quantities charges and that charge is measured in coulombs
2 State that unlike charges attract and like
charges repel
3 Describe experiments to show electrostatic
charging by friction

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 4 Explain that charging of solids by friction
involves only a transfer of negative charge
(electrons)
5 Describe an electric field as a region in
which an electric charge experiences a force
6 State that the direction of an electric field
line at a point is the direction of the force on a
positive charge at that point 7 Describe simple
electric field patterns, including the direction of
the field:
(a) around a point charge
(b) around a charged conducting sphere (c)
between two oppositely charged parallel
conducting plates (end effects will not be
examined)
8 State examples of electrical conductors
and insulators
9 Describe an experiment to distinguish
between electrical conductors and insulators
10 Recall and use a simple electron model to
explain the difference between electrical
conductors and insulators

Revision Onward

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