CAIE IGCSE PHYSICS (0625)

A curved speed time graph means changing acceleration.

Acceleration is the rate of change in velocity per unit of
1. General Physics time, and a vector as it’s direction is specified

1.1. Length and Time

DISTANCE TIME GRAPHS
LENGTH

A rule (ruler) is used to measure length for distances

between 1mm and 1meter.
For even smaller lengths, use a micrometer screw gauge.
SI unit for length is the meter (m)
To find out volume of regular object, use mathematical
formula
Gradient = xy22 −y
−x1 =
​

​
1 ​

​
​
Δd
t ​ = Speed (m/s)
To find out volume of irregular object, put object into
Therefore, distance:
measuring cylinder with water. When object added, it
displaces water, making water level rise. Measure this
With constant speed: Speed × T ime
rise. This is the volume. With constant acceleration1:
F inal Speed+Initial Speed
2 ​ × T ime

TIME
ACCELERATION BY GRAVITY
Interval of time is measured using clocks or a stopwatch
SI unit for time is the second(s) An object in free-fall near to the Earth has a constant
To find the amount of time it takes a pendulum to make a acceleration caused by gravity due to the Earth’s uniform
spin, time ~25 circles and then divide by the same gravitational field
number as the number of circles. Objects are slowed down by air resistance. When
deceleration caused by air resistance = acceleration by
1.2. Motion gravity, i.e. no net force acting on a body in free fall, the
body reached terminal velocity
Speed is the distance an object moves in a time frame. It
is measured in meters/second (m/s) or kilometers/hour 1.3. Mass and Weight
(km/h).
Mass: A measure of matter in a body and the body’s
Total Distance
∴ Speedaverage = resistance to motion.
Total Time
​ ​

Weight is the force of gravity on a body as a result of its

Speed is a scalar quantity as it only shows magnitude. mass.
Speed in a specified direction is velocity, which is a vector
Weight = Mass × G
Weights (and hence masses) may be compared using a
SPEED TIME GRAPHS balance

1.4. Density
Mass (m)
Density (ρ) =
Volume (V)
​

Density of a liquid: Place measuring cylinder on balance.

Area under the line equals to the distance travelled Add liquid. Reading on measuring cylinder = V, change in
Gradient = y2 −y1
= Δv 2 mass on balance = m. Use formula.
t = Acceleration (m/s)
​ ​

x2 −x1
Density of solid:
​ ​

​ ​

Positive acceleration means the velocity of a body is

Finding the volume: To find out volume of a regular
increasing
object, use mathematical formula. To find out volume
Deceleration or negative acceleration means the velocity
of an irregular object, put object into a measuring
of a body is decreasing

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cylinder with water and the rise of water is the volume Third law of motion: if object A exerts a force on object B,
of the object. then object B will exert an equal but opposite force on
Finding the mass: Use balance object A
An object will float in a fluid if it’s density is lesser than
the density of the liquid, i.e. The volume of fluid displaced HOOKE’S LAW
has a greater mass than the object itself.
Example: an orange with its peel has a density of Springs extend in proportion to load, as long as they are
under their proportional limit.
0.84g/cm3, we can predict that it will float in water
Limit of proportionality: point at which load and
because it is less than 1 g/cm3 (density of water). We can
extension are no longer proportional
also say, that an orange without its peel, which has a
Elastic limit: point at which the spring will not return to its
density of 1.16g/cm3, will sink because it is greater than original shape after being stretched
1g/cm3.
Load (In Newtons) = Spring Constant × extension

F = kx

1.5. Forces
Force is measured in Newtons

Force = Mass × Acceleration

1 Newton is the amount of force needed to give 1kg an
acceleration of 1m/s2
A force may produce a change in size and shape of a CIRCULAR MOTION
body, give an acceleration or deceleration or a change in
direction depending on the direction of the force. An object at steady speed in circular orbit is always
The resultant of forces acting in the same dimension will accelerating as its direction is changing, but it gets no
be their sum, provided a convention for directions is set. closer to the center. The speed of the ball stays constant.
Therefore, the resultant of 2 forces acting in the same Centripetal force is the force acting towards the center of
dimension, in the opposite direction will be the difference a circle. It is a force that is needed, not caused, by circular
in their magnitude in the direction of the greatest. motion,
If there is no resultant force acting on a body, it either For example, when you swing a ball on a string round in a
remains at rest or continues at constant speed in a circle, the tension of the string is the centripetal force. If
straight line the string is cut then the ball will travel in a straight line at
a tangent to the circle at the point where the string was
RESISTIVE FORCES cut.
Centrifugal force is the force acting away from the center
Friction: the force between two surfaces which impedes of a circle. This is what makes a slingshot go outwards as
motion and results in heating you spin it. The centrifugal force is the reaction to the
Air resistance is a form of friction centripetal force. It has the same magnitude but opposite
direction to centripetal force.
NEWTON’S LAWS OF MOTION

First law of motion: If no external force is acting on it, an 1.6. Moments

object will, if stationary, remain stationary, and if moving,
keep moving at a steady speed in the same straight line. A moment is the measure of the turning effect on a body
and is defined as:
Second law of motion: F = ma
M oment (N m) = F orce (N ) × P erpendicular

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distance f rom P ivot (m) A parallelogram has to be made with the acting forces (F1
and F2). The resultant force will be the diagonal. Make
Therefore, increasing force or distance from the pivot
sure the same scale is used to convert between length
increases the moment of a force
and forces. Measure length of diagonal and use scale to
This explains why levers are force magnifiers convert value into force (FR).
Turning a bolt is far easier with a wrench because the
perpendicular distance from pivot is massively
increased, and so is the turning effect. 1.9. Momentum
In equilibrium, clockwise moment = anticlockwise
moment there is no resultant force acting on the body. Momentum: product of mass and velocity
This can be proven by hanging masses of the same
p = mv
weight on opposite sides of a meter rule on a pivot at
equal distances from the pivot showing that the meter Principle of conservation of linear momentum: when
rule in stationary. bodies in a system interact, total momentum remains
constant provided no external force acts on the system.
1.7. Centre of Mass
mA uA + mB uB = mA vA + mB vB
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Centre of mass: imaginary point in a body where total Impulse: product of force and time for which it acts
mass of body seems to be acting.
An object will be in stable equilibrium when it returns to Ft = mv − mu
its original position given a small displacement.
For an object that is displaced, it will stabilize only if the
1.10. Energy
force caused by it’s weight is within it’s base.
Energy: amount of work and its measured in Joules (J)
An object may have energy due to its motion or its
position
Conservation of energy: energy cannot be created or
destroyed, when work is done, energy is changed from
one form to another.
Energy can be stored

Energy type What it is Example

Kinetic Due to motion Car moving
Gravitational From potential to fall Book on shelf
Chemical In chemical bonds Bonds in starch (food)
Strain Compress/stretch Stretched elastic band
For an object to start rotating it needs to have an Atoms Released in nuclear
Nuclear
unbalanced moment acting on it rearranged/split plant
Internal Motion of molecules In a glass of water
1.8. Scalars and Vectors Electrical Carried by electrons Battery to bulb
Light Carried in light waves From sun
A scalar is a quantity that only has a magnitude (so it can
only be positive) for example speed. Carried in sound
Sound From speaker
waves
A vector quantity has a direction as well as a magnitude,
for example velocity, which can be negative.
1
Calculating resultant force: Kinetic energy = × M ass × Velocity2
2
​

1
K.E. = mv2
2
​

Graviational P otential Energy = M ass

×Gravity × Height

G.P.E. = mgh
Example of conversion of energy: A book on a shelf has
g.p.e , if it falls of the shelf it will have k.e

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