Physics 10 syllabus

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All Physics 10 learning outcomes

Calculate and explain specific heat
Plan experiments to measure the specific heat capacity
Explore everyday effects due to the large specific heat of water
Plan and explain experiments to distinguish between good and bad thermal conductors
Understand thermal conduction in all solids
Understand convection in liquids and gasses
Understand convection in seawater to support marine life
Learn about the role of land breezes and sea breezes in maintaining moderate coastal climates
Understand how birds are able to fly for hours without flapping their wings and gliders are able to rise by riding on thermal currents
Learn about the process of thermal energy transfer by radiation
Learn about the effect of surface color and texture on the emission, absorption and reflection of infrared radiation
Plan and explain qualitatively how the rate of emission of radiation depends on the surface temperature and surface area of an object
Plan and explain experiments to distinguish between good and bad emitters and absorbers of infrared radiation
Explore the consequence of heat radiation in the greenhouse effect and its effect in global warming
Explore everyday applications of conduction, convection and radiation
Use ideas of convection to explain how cyclones are formed
Understand how global warming contributes to extreme weather events
Understand the phenomena of geothermal activity on the basis of conduction, convection and radiation
Use the terms for the changes in state between solids, liquids and gasses
Understand thermal expansion in terms of kinetic theory
Explore the applications and consequences of thermal expansion in real life
Explore melting, solidification, boiling and condensation in terms of energy transfer without a change in temperature
Know the melting and boiling temperatures for water at standard atmospheric pressure
Learn about qualitatively the thermal expansion of solids
Understand the thermal expansion of liquids
Explore the pressure and the changes in pressure of a gas in terms of particles
Tell the difference between boiling and evaporation
Learn about evaporation in terms of particles
Explore how temperature, humidity, surface area and air movement over a surface affect evaporation
Understand how evaporation causes cooling
Learn about the use of cooling caused by evaporation in the refrigeration process without using harmful CFCs
Understand latent heat
Plan and explain experiments to determine latent heat of fusion and latent heat of vaporization of ice and water
Recognize that certain materials, when cooled to near absolute zero, can exhibit superconductivity
Learn about superconductivity
Show that waves transfer energy without transferring matter
Learn about what is meant by wave motion [as illustrated by vibrations in ropes and springs and by experiments using water waves.]
Learn about the features of a wave [in terms of wavefront, wavelength, frequency, time period, crest (peak), trough, compression, rarefaction, amplitude and wave speed]
Understand frequency, wavelength, and amplitude
Use the equation wave speed $=$ frequency × wavelength $(v=f \cdot \lambda)$
Show that for a transverse wave, the direction of vibration is at right angles to the direction of the energy transfer [including giving examples such as electromagnetic radiation, waves on the surface of water, and seismic S-waves (secondary)]
Show that for a longitudinal wave, the direction of vibration is parallel to the direction of the energy transfer [including give examples such as sound waves and seismic P-waves (primary))]
Learn about how waves can undergo reflection, refraction and diffraction
Learn about how wavelength affects diffraction at an edge
Explore the phenomenon of tsunamis generated under the surface of water [in terms of underwater earthquakes/volcanic activity generating waves that increase in frequency and amplitude as they encounter increasingly shallow water]
Learn about how wavelength and gap size affects diffraction through a gap
Plan and explain the importance of acoustic protection
Learn about how knowledge of the properties of sound waves is applied in the design of buildings with respect to acoustics
Understand the use of soft materials to reduce echo sounding
Explain, with examples, how sound can reflect, refract and diffract
Understand how sound is converted by the eardrum and nerves into electrical signals that are then interpreted by the brain
Use and explain the terms normal, angle of incidence and angle of reflection
Learn about an experiment to find the position and characteristics of an optical image formed by a plane mirror
Use the law of reflection to solve simple optical problems
Understand normal, angle of incidence and angle of refraction
Use the qualitative principle that a wave refracts towards the normal when it slows down while entering a medium, and that it refracts away from the normal if it speeds up when it enters a new medium
Use and explain the refractive index from a vacuum to a medium for light as $c / v$
Understand refractive index $n$ as $n=\sin (i) / \sin (r)$. Apply Snell's law, $n, \sin (i)=n, \sin (r)$ to solve simple problems
Learn about an experiment to show refraction of light by transparent blocks of different shapes
Understand critical angle and total internal reflection
Work out the equation $n=1 / \sin (c)$
Use the equation $n=1 / \sin (c)$ to solve simple problems
Learn about experiments to show internal reflection and total internal reflection
Explain and show the use of optical fibers
Explore the action of thin converging and thin diverging lenses on a parallel beam of light
Use and explain the terms focal length, principal axis and principal focus (focal point)
Draw ray diagrams to illustrate the formation of real and virtual images of an object by a converging lens
Tell the difference between real and virtual images
Calculate and explain linear magnification
Learn about the use of a single lens as a magnifying glass
Understand the dispersion of light by a prism
Know the traditional seven colors of the visible spectrum in order of frequency and in order of wavelength
Learn about the use of a single lens as in various optical device applications
Learn about the use of converging and diverging lenses to correct long-sightedness and short-sightedness
Show with examples how the biological eye processes color in various organisms
Recognize that extreme gravity from interstellar objects like blackholes can cause light to bend (from the perspective of the observer) in a way that is analogous to a simple lens
Recognize that 'acoustic lenses' are made of materials and shapes that work to focus or diverge sound
See how a lightning rod protects people
Understand electrical breakdown
Recognize visible electrical breakdown
Explain how lightning forms
Explore different kinds of lightning
Measure electric current
Explain how electricity moves through materials
Relate amperes to coulombs per second
Tell direct and alternating current apart
Compare conventional and electron current
Use an ammeter correctly
Define electromotive force
Understand potential difference
Measure e.m.f. and potential difference in volts
Use a voltmeter correctly
Find resistance with an experiment
Calculate resistivity
Apply Ohm’s law
Explain how heat changes resistance
Read current-voltage graphs
Understand the kilowatt-hour
Match components to power ratings
Work out an appliance’s electricity cost
Spot common electrical hazards
Use fuses and trip switches safely
Explain earthing a metal appliance case
Understand appliance insulation and earthing
Identify the three mains wires
Put circuit protection in the live wire
Explain parallel domestic wiring
Explain the danger of electric shock
Explain how a diode works
See how an LED makes light
Use a relay to switch a circuit
Build with digital logic
Connect Boolean logic to digital data
Read logic gates in words and truth tables
Use logic gates for security
Draw logic-gate symbols
Combine Boolean switches for logic
Use an NPN transistor as a switch
Explain why transistors suit digital devices
Understand electronic memory
Explain the challenge of quantum computers
Compare analogue and digital electronics
Demonstrate electromagnetic induction
Predict the size of an induced voltage
Apply Lenz’s law
Explain how an AC generator works
Interpret an AC generator waveform
Map magnetic fields around currents
Predict the effect of changing current direction
Use magnetic effects in relays and speakers
Show the motor effect experimentally
Use the motor-effect direction rule
Explain forces between parallel currents
Increase the turning effect on a coil
Explain how an electric motor turns
Explain the Earth’s magnetic field
Explain a simple transformer
Use transformer coil vocabulary
Use the transformer turns equation
Explain high-voltage transmission
Explain electron-beam deflection
Read oscilloscope waveforms
Order the electromagnetic spectrum
Know the speed of light in a vacuum
Explore electromagnetic waves in society
Understand radiation damage
Explain blue skies and red sunsets
Meet the photon idea of light
Describe the atom’s structure
Explain alpha-scattering evidence
Use atomic and mass numbers
Read nuclide notation
Understand isotopes
Define background radiation
Find the main sources of background radiation
Explain spontaneous nuclear emission
Distinguish alpha, beta, and gamma radiation
Compare radiation strength and penetration
Predict how nuclear radiation bends
Understand radioactive decay
Balance nuclear decay equations
Compare fission and fusion
Connect mass and energy
Calculate nuclear energy with E = mc²
Measure radioactive activity
Use half-life
Apply carbon dating
Choose isotopes for applications
Explain radiation effects on living cells
Handle radioactive materials safely
Explain what powers the Sun
Meet the dark-matter hypothesis
Understand falsifiability in physics