Author: Mrs Physics
Hopefully a one stop shop for all of your National 5 Physics Requirements
Revision Questions
Lots of people are asking me about the answers to these North Ayrshire revision check tests. Can I also recommend you pop across to the Learning Outcome Questions, which have fully worked answer. Click on the links below. No cheating though!
https://mrsphysics.co.uk/n5/category/coursematerials/lo/
Thanks to those in North Ayrshire who provided these excellent questions for you to get your teeth into. I’ll post the answers as password protected to protect those students and staff who are giving these for homework! They’re in the old order, so you’ll have to search through for the right section.
ENJOY!
| Units | Summary Notes | Problems |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamics & Space | Summary Notes D&S | Questions D&S pdf Problems D&S doc |
| Electricity & Energy | Summary Notes E&E | Questions E&E pdf Problems E&E doc |
| Waves & Radiation | Summary Notes W&R | Questions W&R pdf Problems W&R doc |
Quantity Symbol, Unit and Unit Symbol
I’ve put together, with Mrs Mac’s help, a document with quantity, symbol, unit and unit symbol so that you know the meaning of the terms in the Relationships Sheet. It is in EXCEL so that you can sort it by course, quantity or symbol.
Quantity, Symbol, Units the excel sheet
Quantity, Symbol, Units N5 a pdf sheet sorted by course and then alphabetical by quantity.
Quantity, Symbol, Unit, Unit Symbol N5-AH
| N | H | A | Physical Quantity | sym | Unit | Unit Abb. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | absorbed dose | D | gray | Gy | ||
| 5 | absorbed dose rate | H (dot) | gray per second gray per hour gray per year | Gys-1 Gyh -1 Gyy-1 | ||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | acceleration | a | metre per second per second | m s-2 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | acceleration due to gravity | g | metre per second per second | m s-2 |
| 5 | activity | A | becquerel | Bq | ||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | amplitude | A | metre | m |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | angle | θ | degree | ° |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | area | A | square metre | m2 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | average speed | v (bar) | metre per second | m s-1 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | average velocity | v (bar) | metre per second | m s-1 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | change of speed | ∆v | metre per second | m s-1 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | change of velocity | ∆v | metre per second | m s-1 |
| 5 | count rate | - | counts per second (counts per minute) | - | ||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | current | I | ampere | A |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | displacement | s | metre | m |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | distance | d | metre, light year | m , ly |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | distance, depth, height | d or h | metre | m |
| 5 | effective dose | H | sievert | Sv | ||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | electric charge | Q | coulomb | C |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | electric charge | Q or q | coulomb | C |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | electric current | I | ampere | A |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | energy | E | joule | J |
| 5 | equivalent dose | H | sievert | Sv | ||
| 5 | equivalent dose rate | H (dot) | sievert per second sievert per hour sievert per year | Svs -1 Svh-1 Svy -1 | ||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | final velocity | v | metre per second | m s-1 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | force | F | newton | N |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | force, tension, upthrust, thrust | F | newton | N |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | frequency | f | hertz | Hz |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | gravitational field strength | g | newton per kilogram | N kg-1 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | gravitational potential energy | Ep | joule | J |
| 5 | half-life | t1/2 | second (minute, hour, day, year) | s | ||
| 5 | 6 | heat energy | Eh | joule | J | |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | height, depth | h | metre | m |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | initial speed | u | metre per second | m/s |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | initial velocity | u | metre per second | m s-1 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | kinetic energy | Ek | joule | J |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | length | l | metre | m |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | mass | m | kilogram | kg |
| 5 | number of nuclei decaying | N | - | - | ||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | period | T | second | s |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | potential difference | V | volt | V |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | potential energy | Ep | joule | J |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | power | P | watt | W |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | pressure | P or p | pascal | Pa |
| 5 | radiation weighting factor | wR | - | - | ||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | radius | r | metre | m |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | resistance | R | ohm | Ω |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | specific heat capacity | c | joule per kilogram per degree Celsius | Jkg-1 °C -1 |
| 5 | 6 | specific latent heat | l | joule per kilogram | Jkg -1 | |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | speed of light in a vacuum | c | metre per second | m s -1 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | speed, final speed | v | metre per second | ms -1 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | speed, velocity, final velocity | v | metre per second | m s-1 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | supply voltage | Vs | volt | V |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | temperature | T | degree Celsius | °C |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | temperature | T | kelvin | K |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | time | t | second | s |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | total resistance | R | ohm | Ω |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | voltage | V | volt | V |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | voltage, potential difference | V | volt | V |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | volume | V | cubic metre | m3 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | weight | W | newton | N |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | work done | W or EW | joule | J |
| 7 | angle | θ | radian | rad | ||
| 7 | angular acceleration | a | radian per second per second | rad s-2 | ||
| 7 | angular displacement | θ | radian | rad | ||
| 7 | angular frequency | ω | radian per second | rad s-1 | ||
| 7 | angular momentum | L | kilogram metre squared per second | kg m2 s -1 | ||
| 7 | angular velocity, final angular velocity | ω | radian per second | rad s-1 | ||
| 7 | apparent brightness | b | Watts per square metre | Wm-2 | ||
| 7 | back emf | e | volt | V | ||
| 6 | 7 | capacitance | C | farad | F | |
| 7 | capacitive reactance | Xc | ohm | W | ||
| 6 | critical angle | θc | degree | ° | ||
| density | ρ | kilogram per cubic metre | kg m-3 | |||
| 7 | displacement | s or x or y | metre | m | ||
| efficiency | η | - | - | |||
| 6 | 7 | electric field strength | E | newton per coulomb volts per metre | N C -1 Vm -1 |
|
| 7 | electrical potential | V | volt | V | ||
| 6 | 7 | electromotive force (e.m.f) | E or ε | volt | V | |
| 6 | energy level | E 1 , E 2 , etc | joule | J | ||
| feedback resistance | Rf | ohm | Ω | |||
| focal length of a lens | f | metre | m | |||
| 6 | frequency of source | fs | hertz | Hz | ||
| 6 | 7 | fringe separation | ∆x | metre | m | |
| 6 | 7 | grating to screen distance | D | metre | m | |
| 7 | gravitational potential | U or V | joule per kilogram | J kg-1 | ||
| half-value thickness | T1/2 | metre | m | |||
| 6 | 7 | impulse | (∆p) | newton second kilogram metre per second | Ns kgms-1 |
|
| 7 | induced e.m.f. | E or ε | volt | V | ||
| 7 | inductor reactance | XL | ohm | W | ||
| 7 | initial angular velocity | ω o | radian per second | rad s-1 | ||
| input energy | E i | joule | J | |||
| input power | Pi | watt | W | |||
| input voltage | V 1 or V2 | volt | V | |||
| input voltage | V i | volt | V | |||
| 6 | internal resistance | r | ohm | Ω | ||
| 6 | 7 | irradiance | I | watt per square metre | W m-1 | |
| 7 | luminoscity | L | Watt | W | ||
| 7 | magnetic induction | B | tesla | T | ||
| 7 | moment of inertia | I | kilogram metre squared | kg m2 | ||
| 6 | 7 | momentum | p | kilogram metre per second | kg m s-1 | |
| 6 | number of photons per second per cross sectional area | N | - | - | ||
| number of turns on primary coil | n p | - | - | |||
| number of turns on secondary coil | n s | - | - | |||
| 6 | observed wavelength | λ observed | metre | m | ||
| output energy | E o | joule | J | |||
| output power | P o | watt | W | |||
| output voltage | V o | volt | V | |||
| 6 | peak current | Ipeak | ampere | A | ||
| 6 | peak voltage | V peak | volt | V | ||
| 7 | phase angle | Φ | radian | rad | ||
| 6 | 7 | Planck’s constant | h | joule second | Js | |
| 7 | polarising angle (Brewster’s angle) | i p | degree | ̊ | ||
| power (of a lens) | P | dioptre | D | |||
| power gain | Pgain | - | - | |||
| 7 | Power per unit area | Watts per square metre | Wm-2 | |||
| primary current | I p | ampere | A | |||
| primary voltage | Vp | volt | V | |||
| 7 | radial acceleration | ar | metre per second per second | m s-2 | ||
| 6 | redshift | z | - | - | ||
| 6 | 7 | refractive index | n | - | - | |
| 6 | relativistic length | l' | metre | m | ||
| 6 | relativistic time | t' | second | s | ||
| rest mass | mo | kilogram | kg | |||
| 6 | rest wavelength | λrest | metre | m | ||
| 6 | root mean square current | I rms | ampere | A | ||
| 6 | root mean square voltage | Vrms | volt | V | ||
| 7 | rotational kinetic energy | Erot | joule | J | ||
| 7 | schwarzchild radius | rSchwarzchild | metre | m | ||
| secondary current | Is | ampere | A | |||
| secondary voltage | Vs | volt | V | |||
| 7 | self-inductance | L | henry | H | ||
| 6 | 7 | slit separation | d | metre | m | |
| 7 | tangential acceleration | at | metre per second per second | m s-2 | ||
| 6 | threshold frequency | fo | hertz | Hz | ||
| 7 | time constant | t | second | s | ||
| 7 | torque | Τ | newton metre | Nm | ||
| 7 | uncertainty in Energy | ∆E | joule | J | ||
| 7 | uncertainty in momentum | ∆px | kilogram metre per second | kgms-1 | ||
| 7 | uncertainty in position | ∆x | metre | m | ||
| 7 | uncertainty in time | ∆t | second | s | ||
| 6 | velocity of observer | vo | metre per second | m s-1 | ||
| 6 | velocity of source | vs | metre per second | m s-1 | ||
| voltage gain | - | - | - | |||
| voltage gain | Ao or V gain | - | - | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | wavelength | λ | metre | m |
| 6 | work function | W | joule | J |
Revision for..
If you don’t know your scalars from your vectors try this….
Space Definitions 1
Space Definitions 2
Thanks to Ms K Ward from Edinburgh Academy for these equation flashcards. If you print them on card double sided you can get two lots to share with a friend
Revision Plan – 2018/9
A revision planner for you to use. 
Revision-plan 2018 19
Someone has pinched my line!
and I had this idea at Science on Stage!
For those doing the UASP -Electricity and Energy
- Revise the type of energy and conversion
- Gravitational potential
- Kinetic
- Work done
- Heat
- Electrical
- Practical electrical and electronic circuits
- Ohm’s law
- Electrical practical circuits
- Electrical power
- Specific Heat Capacity
- Pressure
- Gas Laws
- Kinetic Theory
Try the following questions
Specimen Paper:
Section 1: q6, 10, 11, 12, 13,14,15,16,17, Section 2: Q5, 6, 7, 8
National 5 2017
Section 1: Q1-7, 19, Section 2: Q1,2,3,
National 5 2016
Section 1: Q1-7 Section 2: Q1,2,3,4,5
National 5: 2015
Section 1: Q1-6 Section 2: Q1,2,3,4
National 5: 2014
Section 1: Q1-7 Section 2: Q1,2,3
Learn the formula for
Ew=QV, Ew=Fd, Ep=mgh, Ek=½mv2, E=Pt, Ee=ItV, EH=mcΔT, EH = ml, P=F/A, Q=It, R in series, R in parallel, V1 =R1/Rt ´Vs, V=IR, P=IV, P=I2R, P=V2/R, pV/T(K)=constant
Make flashcards of
- The Kinetic theory
- Gas Laws
- Rules for series and parallel
- Circuit Symbols
- Rules for charges attracting and repelling
- Definitions of
- Pressure
- Temperature and average speed and kinetic energy
- Electric Fields
- Conservation of Energy
- Specific Heat Capacity
- Specific Latent Heat
- Power
- Current
Learn the units for all the electricity quantities, properties of matter and energy quantities.
I’ll add to this during the week as I have time
If you are doing a PROPERTIES OF MATTER TEST
Look over some OLD Higher papers for the Pressure and Gas Laws as well as the relevant past papers above. I’ll look out the papers with question numbers as soon as I can.
If you’re doing the Waves and Radiation UASP I’ll get some revision plans up soon
Old/ traditional higher……
H 2015 Q7 and 24
H 2014 Q7 and 24
H 2013 Q7 and 24 not part c
H2012 Q7 and 24
H 2011 Q7 and 24
H 2010 Q7 and 23 b
H 2009 Q7 and 23 a,c
H 2008 Q7 and 23
These can be found on the higher part of the website.
Updated July 18
10 week Revision Plan
This is a ten week revision plan, put together by Mr A Riddell from “up North”. It will give you some ideas on how to break up the daunting task of revision. NB I’ll need to change this for the 2024date of 25th April for your exam.
Interpreting graphs
A few folk have worried that they can’t interpret graphs, so I’ve gone through some SG Credit Papers and written a few questions. You can answer the past paper questions. I’ll upload the answers when I’ve done them!
Interpreting Graphs word
SG past paper questions and answers
Homework N5 Starters
This homework is a great introduction to the N5 Assignment, which is worth 20% of your exam.
National 5 PHYSICS Assignment starters
Answer the following Questions from the Understanding Standards website
https://www.understandingstandards.org.uk/Subjects/Physics
It is important that you spend an adequate time on this homework (an hour is advised). If you complete this thoroughly you ought to have a good grasp of what is required for the Assignment at National 5.
- List the twelve experiments that have been given as examples for the N5 Physics Assignment.
- In the marking instructions for the assignment how many marks are available for the underlying Physics?
- What are the six sections in the data collection and handling (and I don’t want 4a, 4b, 4c and 4d! BTW it isn’t even section 4)
- Section 3e and 3f refer to literature and sources. How do you achieve these marks?
- What are the marks awarded for when plotting your graph?
- What must your conclusion be related to, to achieve the mark?
- For candidate 1, how many repeats of the experiment did they make?
- What did candidate 1 do correctly for the graph and what was incorrect?
- Mark Candidate 2’s evidence thoroughly yourself using the marking scheme and compare your answer to the commentary. Record your results and the comparison. Comment on both of these.
- CHOOSE a topic that would be suitable using the Physics Compendium https://mrsphysics.co.uk/n5/ Research some Underlying Physics and find a suitable graph that you can try to replicate.
August 2023
Properties of Matter Notes
Not the best fit for a Properties of Matters song, but still lots of important material here.
The Properties of Matter Booklet in both word and pdf form.
Here are a set of summary notes, I made a few changes and put them into a table rather than boxes to help the flow, not that anyone would know. Thanks to the teacher who produced these- sorry there was no name on them.
Gay-Lussac is incorrectly recognized for the Pressure Law which established that the pressure of an enclosed gas is directly proportional to its temperature and which he was the first to formulate (c. 1809). He is also sometimes credited with being the first to publish convincing evidence that shows the relationship between the pressure and temperature of a fixed mass of gas kept at a constant volume.
Maybe for the deception he should be sent to Pressure Cooker!
These laws are also known variously as the Pressure Law or Amontons’s law and Dalton’s law respectively.
Thanks to other Physics teachers who have provided resources for these notes.
Assignment Practical Sheets
ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE SQA
The first thing that you must do before starting your Assignment is to know what you will be doing, what expectations there are and how you will be writing this up. All of this is contained in the candidate guide below.
Marking Instructions for the N5 Assignment
mark scheme pdf form
mark scheme excel form
In another post ASSIGNMENT PRACTICAL EXPERIMENTAL SHEETS have been uploaded.
I think the following experiments would be suitable-
check that:
- the theory is in the compendium,
- the topic is in the course,
- there is a graph of your experiment online or in one of the text books in school. Does your graph contain data ie, are there proper points on the graph or is it a trendline- which do you think is better?
- there is theory that you can write about that relates to your experiment.
Remember If you’ve used the results from your experiment to determine further values, you should show at least one sample calculation.
Here is the what you can take into the write-up phase. Collect a polypocket and keep it all in there.
Pupil checklist flyleaf word Pupil checklist flyleaf pdf (Thanks N Forwood)
Assignment Investigation Sheets
NOTE: TO ALL TEACHERS, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO CHECK THE SHEETS YOU ARE GIVING TO STUDENTS DO NOT BREACH THE STRICT GUIDELINES GIVEN IN THE ASSESSMENT GUIDE AND THAT THESE EXPERIMENT SHEETS MEET THE SPECIFICATIONS. YOU ARE ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR CHECKING YOUR OWN RISK ASSESSMENTS, ITEMS IN THESE SHEETS ARE A GUIDE.
I have updated the sheets for the 2023 session,
The ones with the mrsphysics logo have been updated.
This table has more than one page!
| Topic | Sheet | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamics / Space | N5 Hookes Law A | Hookes Law A |
| Dynamics / Space | N5 Hookes Law B | Hookes Law B |
| Dynamics | N5 Acc slope | Acceleration and angle of the slope |
| Dynamics | N5 F=m a A | F=ma changing mass :A |
| Dynamics | N5 F=m a B | F=ma changing mass: B |
| Dynamics | N5 projectiles A | Projectiles changing the launch angle: A |
| Dynamics | N5 projectiles B | Projectiles changing the launch speed: B |
| Dynamics | N5 projectiles C | Projectiles changing the launch height: C |
| Dynamics | N5 Stopping distance A | How the speed affects the stopping distance |
| Dynamics | N5 Stopping distance B | How the speed affects the stopping distance |
| Dynamics | Pendulum and length | |
| Prop. of Matter | ||
| Prop. of Matter | N5 Charles' Law A | Volume and Temperature with constant pressure |
| Prop. of Matter | N5 Boyles Law A | Pressure and volume for constant temperature |
| Prop. of Matter | N5 Boyles Law B | Pressure and volume for constant temperature: A |
| Prop. of Matter | N5 Pressure Law A | Pressure and Temperature for constant volume: B |
| Prop. of Matter | N5 Pressure and depth A | Effects of pressure of a liquid with depth |
| Prop. of Matter | N5 SHC A | Specific Heat Capacity measure V and I |
| Prop. of Matter | N5 SHC B | Specific Heat Capacity using joule meter |
| Prop. of Matter | N5 Cooling Curve A | Cooling curve of water and stearic acid |
| Prop. of Matter | N5 Latent heat of vaporisation A | Determining latent heat of vaporisation A |
| Prop. of Matter | N5 Latent heat of vaporisation B | Determining latent heat of vaporisation B |
| Electricity / Energy | N5 Solar Cell A angle | Solar Cells A Angle |
| Electricity / Energy | N5 Solar Cell B distance | Solar Cells B Distance |
| Electricity / Energy | N5 Solar Cell C translucent | Solar Cells C Translucent |
| Electricity / Energy | N5 Solar Cell D area | Solar Cells D Area |
| Electricity | N5 Ohms Law A | Measuring voltage and current for a ohmic conductor (resistor) |
| Electricity | N5 Ohms Law B | Measuring voltage and current for a non-ohmic conductor |
| Electricity | N5 Thermistors A 2023 | Thermistors |
| Electricity | N5 LED 2023 | LEDs |
| Electricity | N5 LDR A | An LDR -distance from the light source. |
| N5 Assign LDR B | An LDR - light intensity: B | |
| Electricity | N5 Assign LDR C | Calibrating an LDR against a light level meter |
| Space | Orbit period v height |
|
| Waves / Space | Microwave distance v signal strength | |
| Waves | N5 Speed of Sound | Speed of Sound |
| Waves | N5 Refraction A | Refraction |
| Radiation | ||
3779phys2_tcm4-124418 Again this is a temporary file until I can get the experiment cards organised but the experiments you could choose can be found on pp 33, 34, 36, 37, 76, 77, 87, 125
Tips!
Here I will post a few tips and hints to remember when answering SQA N5 Papers. Hopefully they’ll be quick, snappy and memorable. You’ve got the whole of the Scottish Physics Teachers’ Community Wisdom Below!
Tips to Aid Memory
- Neutrons don’t carry/have (net) charge so aren’t accelerated/guided/ deflected by magnetic fields.
- I.S.S. (current in series the same). I.P.A (current in parallel adds), USA (voltage in series adds), UPS (voltage in parallel same) OK you need to think of a U as a V but most of you write like that anyway!
- Voltage dividers- think Kendal Mint cake!
- Learn your 7 point plan!
- Transistors act as a SWITCH.
Preparing for the Exam
- Check out the past paper marking instructions for do’s and don’ts- its full of them in that second column!
- Read the Course Reports, they give common mistakes that lots of students made and then you avoid these.
- Make up flashcards, or cue cards and leave them where you go most often, (e.g. biscuit tin, phone, computer, loo). Don’t let yourself have a treat until you’ve set yourself so many questions to get right.
- Check through your compendium that you’ve covered ALL the content and understand it BEFORE you get to the exam and find out you’ve missed something out. (Believe me as someone who missed 5 questions from her 50 questions she needed to learn for her German exam and these were the 5 that came up- it is really upsetting!)
- If you learn nothing else- learn units and symbols. BUT PLEASE learn more than units and symbols. I think this tip is meant to inspire you that these are so important and can get you a long way!
- Learn your prefixes!
During the Exam
-
- Obviously you know- no secs in Physics, just stick to unit symbols and save all the problems of spelling.
- Remember: SIG FIG, your final answer should be rounded up to the same number of significant figures as the LEAST significant measurement.
- Make sure you see the words “end of question paper”. Don’t assume you’ve got to the end and there are no questions on the very last page!
- Actually there are NO questions on the question paper anyway. All have command words, so learn these and what they mean. I’ll add the link in later.
- “Show” questions – means show correct formula, working and numerical answer stated as given in the question. Your final statement should be what you’ve been asked to find.
- Don’t leave anything blank! If you really don’t know, give it a go – you never know.
- The questions in the exam sections (MC and then extended answers) are in approximately the same order as the Relationships Sheet.
- LIST: given numbers with the correct symbols before doing a calculation. Or as we say IESSUU (information, Equation, Substitution, Solution, Units and Underline)
- Start by writing down what the question has asked you to find. E.g. “Eh = ?”. Then write down the other quantities given. Only then choose a formula.
- Substitute then rearrange.
- Read all of the question, especially that bit you skipped over at the start.
- Don’t forget units! It’s now worth at least 33% of a calculation!
- Use common sense regarding “real life” things i.e. cars are unlikely to be going at 245 ms-1, a tennis player isn’t going to be serving the ball from 5m up etc etc
- Sometimes multiple choice questions can be logic-ed through without any knowledge of physics. Physics and common sense are often the same thing.
- If you can’t do part a) but could do part b) if you only knew part a), then make up an answer for part a) and put it in part a of the question and use that in part b).
- This will do for now more to come as they arise……
Some practice notes from Mr Dawson from Wallace Hall Academy.
N5 Revision Pupil Questions pdf version
N5 Revision Pupil Questions word version
ELECTRICITY from 2017
Here is the topic song
Updated November 2019
Electricity 2017 Final word version of the Electricity Unit.
Electricity 2017 Final pdf version.
The booklet is large as it contains lots of questions for you to practice, practicals for you to complete and notes.
They are large notes so that you ought to be able to work your way through whether you are in class or away at college etc.
Please return your copy to the faculty on 30th April 2020!
The section numbers are linked to the compendium with all the things to cover in National 5 Physics.
I can now upload ppp to mrsphysics, so here is one of the first. It is to cover section 9 and 10 of the outcomes. Thanks to the kind person who produced the stuff on A.C and D.C. I’ve been using it for years. Let me know if I’ve nicked it from you and I’ll add my grateful thanks.
Ohm’s Law
Components
resistor network Try this when you think you have got to grips with resistances in series and parallel.
AC_DC[1] This is a powerpoint presentation that someone passed to be in the days of SG. It covers AC and DC traces
Voltage Dividers
VOLTAGE DIVIDER FORMULAE The formula sheet for voltage dividers
VOLTAGE divider Q Practice those horrible voltage divider questions with this pdf version of the document below. The answers are given for you to check. VOLTAGE divider Q
Resistance NetwoRK
Other notes
Mains- Electricity in the home
Here are some additional notes that might help as you go through the materials. Check out the post on using your calculators to measure resistance (I’ll add the link here when I’ve found the post!)
Ring main Based on the SG course notes and not really in the N5 course, but it might give a little background to why when calculating the fuse rating for an appliance you use 240V and not the 230 V as stated.
Older Notes
EE1 – Electricity LOCKERBIE The old electricity notes (based on a colleagues work- thank you and I’ll find out who you are), these will be superceded when the document above is completed.
Elect & elect D&G Prob Book no answers These are some great little questions by Mr Belford from Dumfries Academy, but some of the numbers are a little bit fictional!
Elect & elect D&G Prob Book no answers The above document as a pdf file.
…… to be continued!
Dynamics 2017
The Dynamics Notes are now uploaded to the blog post called Dynamics 2018, although most of the material here is totally relevant. It might well be in the wrong place and I’ll sort that as soon as I can.
These are examples to find acceleration and displacement from v-t graphs. v-t graph examples.
Currently I’ve worked out the displacements. I’ll add the accelerations when I’ve done them! v-t graph example answers
parachutes pdf file of the power point
parachutes power point
Projectile questions pdf file of projectile questions
Revision Questions
Use the pdf file, printed from a powerpoint presentation to practice work for the D&S topic. Some space has been left so that you can record your answers on the sheets. They are saved 6 slides to a page
Dynamics and Space Revision ANSWERS Don’t peek at the answers until you’ve finished going through the questions and created your own answers.
Revision Practice
Need help with motion graphs, practice with this link
https://tinycards.duolingo.com/decks/motion graphs
https://tinycards.duolingo.com/decks/equations
https://tinycards.duolingo.com/decks/more equations
Resources from other schools
I would like to thank all the schools who have produced notes that are reproduced here. Know that I am really grateful. I have a half finished set of my own notes, but don’t think I can get them suitably done in time. Be assured that at least you’ll have some excellent higher notes next year, and after those scores I am expecting a big Higher class 2017-2018!
The above two booklets count as one!
N4 N5 Unit 1 Summary Notes[1] These are the same set of notes, one is in word, but for those that cannot read that the other is a pdf file, which you ought to be able to read.
The notes below would be combined into one booklet (the one at the end of this section)
N5 DS Mar 13 Dynamics Teacher notes
N5 DS Mar 13 Forces Pupil notes
N5 DS Mar 13 Forces Teacher notes
N5 DS Mar 13 Space Pupil notes
N5 DS Mar 13 Space Teacher notes
N5 DS Pupil material notes FINAL COPY 13th JUNE
N5 DS Pupil material notes FINAL COPY 13th JUNE
The booklet below is an Intermediate 2 booklet and contains some material for other topics and some material is missing. It might be a good idea to get yourself a copy of this, if possible, especially if you are not a great lover of the heat section!
Here are some more notes produced for Intermediate 2. There are some good questions here, but it does not cover all of the topic we are about to complete.
I will add some cut-outs and single page resources as we go through the course. If you lose yours, you will have to print them off yourself or take a photo!
Other Resources
PhysicsCoursePhysicsofFlightLearner_tcm4-752866 PhysicsCoursePhysicsofFlightStaff_tcm4-752868 PhysicsCourseTelescopeLearner_tcm4-756621 PhysicsCourseTelescopeStaff_tcm4-756620
REVISION OF BGE TRANSPORT MATERIALS
N5 Assignment from 2020
TEACHERS: Mosey along to Usefullinks and I’m going to put some teacher points there for you. I’ll add the link when I’ve added the materials.
A set of PRACTICAL EXPERIMENTAL SHEETS that are in line with the changes brought in for the 2020/21 session.
This table has the worksheets in word form.
| Topic | Sheet | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamics / Space | N5 Hookes Law A | Hookes Law A |
| Dynamics / Space | N5 Hookes Law B | Hookes Law B |
| Dynamics | N5 Acc slope | Acceleration and angle of the slope |
| Dynamics | N5 F=m a A | F=ma changing mass :A |
| Dynamics | N5 F=m a B | F=ma changing mass: B |
| Dynamics | N5 projectiles A | Projectiles changing the launch angle: A |
| Dynamics | N5 projectiles B | Projectiles changing the launch speed: B |
| Dynamics | N5 projectiles C | Projectiles changing the launch height: C |
| Dynamics | N5 Stopping distance A | How the speed affects the stopping distance |
| Dynamics | N5 Stopping distance B | How the speed affects the stopping distance |
| Dynamics | Pendulum and length | |
| Prop. of Matter | ||
| Prop. of Matter | N5 Charles' Law A | Volume and Temperature with constant pressure |
| Prop. of Matter | N5 Boyles Law A | Pressure and volume for constant temperature |
| Prop. of Matter | N5 Boyles Law B | Pressure and volume for constant temperature: A |
| Prop. of Matter | N5 Pressure Law A | Pressure and Temperature for constant volume: B |
| Prop. of Matter | N5 Pressure and depth A | Effects of pressure of a liquid with depth |
| Prop. of Matter | N5 SHC A | Specific Heat Capacity measure V and I |
| Prop. of Matter | N5 SHC B | Specific Heat Capacity using joule meter |
| Prop. of Matter | N5 Cooling Curve A | Cooling curve of water and stearic acid |
| Prop. of Matter | N5 Latent heat of vaporisation A | Determining latent heat of vaporisation A |
| Prop. of Matter | N5 Latent heat of vaporisation B | Determining latent heat of vaporisation B |
| Electricity / Energy | N5 Solar Cell A angle | Solar Cells A Angle |
| Electricity / Energy | N5 Solar Cell B distance | Solar Cells B Distance |
| Electricity / Energy | N5 Solar Cell C translucent | Solar Cells C Translucent |
| Electricity / Energy | N5 Solar Cell D area | Solar Cells D Area |
| Electricity | N5 Ohms Law A | Measuring voltage and current for a ohmic conductor (resistor) |
| Electricity | N5 Ohms Law B | Measuring voltage and current for a non-ohmic conductor |
| Electricity | N5 Thermistors A 2023 | Thermistors |
| Electricity | N5 LED 2023 | LEDs |
| Electricity | N5 LDR A | An LDR -distance from the light source. |
| N5 Assign LDR B | An LDR - light intensity: B | |
| Electricity | N5 Assign LDR C | Calibrating an LDR against a light level meter |
| Space | Orbit period v height |
|
| Waves / Space | Microwave distance v signal strength | |
| Waves | N5 Speed of Sound | Speed of Sound |
| Waves | N5 Refraction A | Refraction |
| Radiation | ||
“The experiments detailed in the course specification can be used. Centres are obviously free to choose other experiments if they wish, as long as they’re commensurate with the level. One of the advantages of using the experiments in the course is that you can be sure that the physics is accessible and at the correct level.
In the past, we saw some examples where centres had used rotational motion experiments with N5 candidates, and you could tell that the candidates had no clue what they were doing. It’s also been obvious at National 5 level that some centres are still using kits they had for Standard Grade investigations, which is fine, but you do need to make sure that the underlying physics is accessible. To give an example, solar cells was always a popular topic for Standard Grade and we see centres using them for National 5, but explaining how a solar cell produces a potential difference is something N5 candidates will probably struggle with.
Your colleagues may wish to have a look at the Physics pages on the Understanding Standards website:
SQA – Understanding Standards: Introduction (Nat 5)
SQA – Understanding Standards: Introduction (Higher)
where they will see several exemplars based on the experiments detailed in the course specification.
If you have things that have worked well in the past, then it’s worth remembering that nothing has changed in any of the coursework requirements, and therefore they should still work in the same way.”
SQA Good Guy
Here is a marking grid, obviously only if you are able to find time for a practice. It is not to be used to tentatively mark the student assignment being sent to the SQA.
This is the info for N5 from August 2020
The material has recently been published on the Understanding Standards Website SQA Physics N5 INFO
Above gives an example of the new Assignment requirements. It is vital that you don’t copy or even attempt to copy this assignment. If you are likely to copy other people’s work it is best to choose another topic.
Initial Task- vital
| Section | Expected response | Max mark |
|---|---|---|
| Title | The report has an informative title. | 1 |
| Aim | A description of the purpose of the investigation. | 1 |
| Underlying physics relevant to the aim | A description of the physics relevant to the aim which shows understanding. | 3 |
| Data collection and handling | A brief description of the experiment. | 1 |
| Sufficient raw data from the experiment. | 1 | |
| Raw data presented in a table with headings and units. | 1 | |
| Values correctly calculated from the raw data. | 1 | |
| Data from an internet/literature source. | 1 | |
| A reference for the internet/literature source. | 1 | |
| Graphical presentation | The correct type of graph used to present the experimental data. | 1 |
| Suitable scales. | 1 | |
| Suitable labels and units on axes. | 1 | |
| All points plotted accurately, with line or curve of best fit if appropriate. | 1 | |
| Analysis | Experimental data compared to data from internet/literature source. | 1 |
| Conclusion | A conclusion related to the aim and supported by data in the report. | 1 |
| Evaluation | A discussion of a factor affecting the reliability, accuracy or precision of the results. | 2 |
| Structure | A report which can be easily followed. | 1 |
| TOTAL MARKS | 20 |
Before Starting on your assignment take time to go over the following, it is vital that you know what you are doing.
Understanding Standards Webinar
To kick you off with your assignment Mr Forwood has supplied the following document.
N5 Assignment instructions (editable in word)
N5 Assignment instructions (pdf file)
The document below is one that I started in the holidays but got distracted. I will get something together a.s.a.p but until then make do with this starter!
You must also correctly reference your work, learn how to do this with the following link.
Exeter.ac.uk/studyskills/harvard_referencing.htm
Good Advice
This is a great little document from the Science Faculty at LA- whom I have just discovered pinched it from Mr Bowled Over formerly of the Physics Dept. It applies to all your subjects.
Revision Guidelines
- Take responsibility for your own learning, and make sure that you give yourself every chance of success.
- Analyse your prelim and identify Areas for Improvement
- Use past papers along with the SQA website – see “marking instructions”, your teacher will show you how.
- Attend after-school Supported Study regularly (check with staff in advance as changes may have to be made to accommodate staff meetings.)
- Consult teachers at interval/lunchtime, perhaps to get help with homework or to borrow other resources, of which we have many.
- Refer to Syllabus/Content Statements/Arrangements Document/“Need to Know” sheets.
- Practise with “Basic Knowledge” or “Learning Outcome” Question Booklets.
- Make/obtain and use Flash Cards.
- Try mind-mapping/spider diagrams.
- Generate own short notes/Summarise
- Familiarise with equations on the Relationships Sheet and the Data Sheet on the exam paper and add your own notes to these.
- Learn mnemonics suggested by your teacher or create new ones to help you remember chunks of information. (ROYGBIV – Richard of York Gave Battle in Vain, RMIVUXG but don’t overdo it)
- Practice using revision materials on here.
- Write and record mp3 files and then listen to these as often as you listen to your music.
- Use Flash Learning.
- Plan weekly Revision timetable.
- Post-it notes in your room/house (better ask first!)
- Enlist a ‘victim’ to test your knowledge at home.
- Teaching is the most effective method of learning – teach the dog or a teddy (he won’t fall asleep).
Remember to revise at the first opportunity after any lesson, asking yourself;
- What were the main learning objectives of the lesson?
- Do I understand these?
- What can I do to improve?
Also, plan your revision and do not put things off to tomorrow when you could fix them today.
Keep a note of areas you are finding challenging and bring them with you to after school classes for targeted help and support.
Hope you find this useful and thanks to the Chemists and Mr Bowles.
Revision Calendar
It is important that you realise that this year will go really quickly. As a part of your life it seems a long time, but trust me, it will go quicker than you can possibly imagine. That is why it is important to realise how little time you have to cover the whole course and revise it.
For people in D&G I’ve made a D&G Calendar. For other Regions you’ll just need to adjust your holiday dates. From the first Monday you return to school there will be only 146 teaching days until Study Leave. Now if you think that you only get 4 periods a week, on 3 days per week that is about a maximum of 88 times I’ll see you over the year. You can start ticking them off if you dislike me that much. Take off all those days when you will be having trips, meetings, be at Sporting Events, doing prelims; and the time to complete the course begins to look less plausible! We also have to fit in an Assignment.
I would therefore ask any student studying any subject not to waste any time in class and get as organised as possible. That means get into class, get out your stuff, and get going straight away. If there is a distraction then review your work, answer questions etc. Don’t waste a second!
Revision plan
Click on the link above (Revision plan). This takes you to an EXCEL spreadsheet. I can add a pdf file if some of you can’t open this. Revision isn’t just about LEARNING the work. What will take more of your time are the other bits!
The steps to revising are:
-
CHECK YOU HAVE ALL THE NOTES, CONTENT AND WORK YOU NEED
-
UNDERSTAND THE WORK, DOES IT MAKE SENSE?
-
LEARN THE WORK.
You can and should be doing step one throughout the course. The better prepared you are as you go along the less time at the end of the course you will need for revision. Likewise with step 2. If you make sure you’ve fully understood each part of the work, then even if you’ve forgotten it, it should be easier to understand and grasp the second time around. If you pass on it and hope it will go away as you move through the course you’ll begin to have a fear of this section of the course and it will be harder to understand.
So how do you use the Revision Plan?
- This can be used for just one subject but I think it puts it into perspective when you put all your calendar in one place. There are probably apps that will do the same thing, but I’m not there yet!
- Mark in the dates and times of Exams (whether prelims or final exams). I’ve put in the Physics Exam Date for you and a counter has been added to the N5 Home Page. I’d check this often just to remind you how far we are through the course.
- Shade in the dates and times of commitments, such as parties, trips away, days off (birthdays when you’ll have all those presents to open) etc.
- Make a list of topics to cover for each subject; the Physics one is done for you. But remember revision is about CHECKING, UNDERSTANDING and LEARNING so all three of those have to be allocated time.
- Calculate how many hours you have available and how much time you will allocate to each subject and each topic within that subject.
- Decide on the order in which to tackle your subjects. Don’t tackle the easy subjects first as you’ll never get on to the harder ones! It is best to start revising the hard subjects and topics as these will take you more time to understand and learn
- Draft your revision timetable.
- Leave one or two revision slots free each week for extra revision or difficult topics.
- BE SURE TO LEAVE YOURSELF SOME TIME FOR REST AND FUN ACTIVITIES including being healthy.
- Don’t spend so long producing a beautiful revision timetable so that there is not enough time to revise.
I’ll see if the Physics Jewel can make one up!