Course Overview

Shell is the first year that you will study physics and as an individual science. The aim of Shell physics is to introduce a range of core idea about forces and motion, as well as continuing to develop experimental skills. There will also be an important focus on linking mathematics and physics together in the form of equations that describe the physics of the world around us.

Throughout the year you will cover the following topics. The pages in the textbook are referenced should you need additional support.

Forces and Motion

a. Forces and their effects (pages 98 - 101)

i. Understand that forces can change an objects speed and shape

ii. Understand how forces can be balanced or unbalanced, and how this affects the motion and shape of an object

iii. Be able to name and identify a range of everyday forces, such as gravity, friction and magnetism

b. Mass and Weight (page 99)

c. Density

i. The density equation

ii. How to experimentally find the density of regular and irregular objects

d. Speed

i. Calculating the speed of an object (page 90)

ii. Understanding how forces change to cause an object to fall at terminal velocity (pages 101-104)

e. Changing an object’s shape (page 106)

i. Be able to explain how adding forces to an object, like a spring, changes its shape

ii. Be able to describe an experiment to find out how adding forces to a spring affect its extension

f. Pressure (pages 110-113)

i. Be able to calculate pressure using the force and the area it is applied to

ii. Understand that pressure in fluids changes with depth, and use this to explain phenomena such as needing oxygen when at altitude.

Practical Skills (Pages 159 – 164)

a. Be able to plan practical investigations and identify independent and dependent variables

b. Be able to draw graphs of results, and use those graphs to make conclusions about an experiment

c. Understand how to improve the accuracy of the results that are taken in an experiment