What you'll learn
- ✦Calculate speed, velocity and acceleration from real motion data. Use the equations of motion to find a missing distance, time or acceleration
- ✦Explain Newton's three laws of motion with everyday examples. Use F = ma and momentum conservation to find a force, mass or speed after a collision
- ✦Calculate the gravitational force or free-fall speed of a falling object, using g = 9.8 m/s². Explain why an object's weight changes but its mass does not
- ✦Explain why objects float or sink using thrust, pressure and Archimedes' principle
- ✦Calculate the work done, kinetic energy, potential energy and power in a given situation. Explain how the law of conservation of energy applies to it
- ✦Explain how sound travels, reflects to form an echo, and is used in devices like SONAR and ultrasound scanners
- ✦Trace ray diagrams for reflection and refraction of light through mirrors and lenses. Explain how the human eye forms an image, and how a prism splits white light
- ✦Calculate current, resistance or potential difference using Ohm's law, and explain how a current-carrying conductor creates a magnetic field
Certification projects
Build 3 projects to earn your certificate
Hands-on work that proves you can apply what you learned — part of the certificate requirements.
Syllabus
Module 1 · 24m
Motion Free
What you'll be able to do
- Tell distance and displacement apart, and calculate both for a simple journey
- Calculate speed, velocity and acceleration, and read a distance-time or velocity-time graph
- Use the equations of motion to find a missing distance, velocity, time or acceleration
Module 2 · 24m
Force and Laws of Motion Locked
What you'll be able to do
- Explain Newton's first law and why a moving object keeps moving unless a force acts on it
- Calculate force, mass or acceleration using F = ma
- Explain Newton's third law and use conservation of momentum on a simple collision
Module 3 · 24m
Gravitation, Weight and Pressure Locked
What you'll be able to do
- Calculate the gravitational force between two objects and the speed of a freely falling object
- Explain why mass stays the same but weight changes between the Earth and the Moon
- Calculate pressure from thrust and area, and explain why an object floats or sinks
Module 4 · 24m
Work, Energy and Sound Locked
What you'll be able to do
- Calculate work done, kinetic energy and potential energy for a given situation
- Calculate power, and explain the law of conservation of energy using a real object
- Explain how sound is produced and travels, and how an echo or SONAR device uses reflection
Module 5 · 24m
Light Locked
What you'll be able to do
- Draw a ray diagram for reflection in a plane mirror and state the laws of reflection
- Explain why light bends when it changes medium and draw a ray diagram through a convex lens
- Explain how the human eye forms an image, and why a prism splits white light into colours
Module 6 · 24m
Electricity and Magnetism Locked
What you'll be able to do
- Calculate current, resistance or potential difference using Ohm's law
- Calculate electric power using P = VI and explain how a fuse protects a circuit
- Explain how a current-carrying wire creates a magnetic field, and name a real device that uses it