Specification points
Edexcel International GCSE (9–1) Physics 4PH1
233 points in 8 topics, with Edexcel's codes and titles.
Grade boundaries·Edexcel command words
Codes and titles are read by a script from Edexcel's published specification and have not been checked by a person. What each point covers is in the specification itself: Edexcel’s specification.
1 Forces and motion
- 1a Units
- 1.1 Units for forces and motion
- 1.2P Units of moment and momentum
- 1b Movement and position
- 1.3 Distance–time graphs
- 1.4 Average speed, distance and time
- 1.5 Practical: motion of everyday objects
- 1.6 Acceleration, change in velocity and time
- 1.7 Velocity–time graphs
- 1.8 Acceleration from a velocity–time graph gradient
- 1.9 Distance travelled from area under a velocity–time graph
- 1.10 Final speed, initial speed, acceleration and distance
- 1c Forces, movement, shape and momentum
- 1.11 Effects of forces between bodies
- 1.12 Types of force
- 1.13 Vector and scalar quantities
- 1.14 Force as a vector quantity
- 1.15 Resultant force along a line
- 1.16 Friction
- 1.17 Force, mass and acceleration
- 1.18 Weight, mass and gravitational field strength
- 1.19 Stopping distance: thinking and braking distance
- 1.20 Factors affecting vehicle stopping distance
- 1.21 Forces on falling objects and terminal velocity
- 1.22 Practical: extension of springs, wires and rubber bands
- 1.23 Force–extension graphs and Hooke's law
- 1.24 Elastic behaviour
- 1.25P Momentum, mass and velocity
- 1.26P Momentum and safety features
- 1.27P Conservation of momentum calculations
- 1.28P Force, change in momentum and time
- 1.29P Newton's third law
- 1.30P Moment of a force
- 1.31P Centre of gravity
- 1.32P Principle of moments
- 1.33P Forces on a beam supporting a heavy object
2 Electricity
- 2a Units
- 2.1 Units for electricity
- 2b Mains electricity
- 2.2 Electrical safety: insulation, earthing, fuses and circuit breakers
- 2.3 Heating effect of a current in a resistor
- 2.4 Power, current and voltage; choosing fuses
- 2.5 Energy transferred, current, voltage and time
- 2.6 Alternating and direct current
- 2c Energy and voltage in circuits
- 2.7 Choosing series or parallel circuits
- 2.8 Current in a series circuit
- 2.9 Current–voltage characteristics of components
- 2.10 Effect of changing resistance on current
- 2.11 Light-dependent resistors and thermistors
- 2.12 Lamps and LEDs as current indicators
- 2.13 Voltage, current and resistance
- 2.14 Current as rate of flow of charge
- 2.15 Charge, current and time
- 2.16 Current as a flow of electrons in metals
- 2.17 Conservation of current at a junction
- 2.18 Voltage across parallel components
- 2.19 Currents, voltages and resistances in series circuits
- 2.20 Voltage as energy per unit charge
- 2.21 Energy transferred, charge and voltage
- 2d Electric charge
- 2.22P Electrical conductors and insulators
- 2.23P Practical: charging insulators by friction
- 2.24P Electrostatic charge by loss and gain of electrons
- 2.25P Attraction and repulsion between charges
- 2.26P Electrostatic phenomena and electron movement
- 2.27P Dangers of electrostatic charges
- 2.28P Uses of electrostatic charges
3 Waves
- 3a Units
- 3.1 Units for waves
- 3b Properties of waves
- 3.2 Longitudinal and transverse waves
- 3.3 Amplitude, wavefront, frequency, wavelength and period
- 3.4 Waves transferring energy and information
- 3.5 Wave speed, frequency and wavelength
- 3.6 Frequency and time period
- 3.7 Using wave relationships in different contexts
- 3.8 The Doppler effect
- 3.9 Reflection and refraction of all waves
- 3c The electromagnetic spectrum
- 3.10 Light as part of the continuous electromagnetic spectrum
- 3.11 Order of the electromagnetic spectrum
- 3.12 Uses of electromagnetic radiations
- 3.13 Harmful effects of electromagnetic radiations
- 3d Light and sound
- 3.14 Light as a transverse wave
- 3.15 Law of reflection
- 3.16 Ray diagrams for reflection and refraction
- 3.17 Practical: refraction of light through blocks and prisms
- 3.18 Refractive index and Snell's law
- 3.19 Practical: refractive index of glass
- 3.20 Total internal reflection in optical fibres and prisms
- 3.21 Critical angle
- 3.22 Critical angle and refractive index
- 3.23 Sound as a longitudinal wave
- 3.24P Frequency range of human hearing
- 3.25P Practical: speed of sound in air
- 3.26P Displaying sound waves with an oscilloscope
- 3.27P Practical: frequency of sound with an oscilloscope
- 3.28P Pitch and frequency
- 3.29P Loudness and amplitude
4 Energy resources and energy transfers
- 4a Units
- 4.1 Units for energy
- 4b Energy transfers
- 4.2 Energy stores and energy transfers
- 4.3 Conservation of energy
- 4.4 Efficiency
- 4.5 Energy transfers in devices and Sankey diagrams
- 4.6 Conduction, convection and radiation
- 4.7 Convection in everyday phenomena
- 4.8 Emission and absorption of radiation
- 4.9 Practical: conduction, convection and radiation
- 4.10 Reducing unwanted energy transfer
- 4c Work and power
- 4.11 Work done, force and distance
- 4.12 Work done as energy transferred
- 4.13 Gravitational potential energy
- 4.14 Kinetic energy
- 4.15 Links between GPE, kinetic energy and work
- 4.16 Power as rate of energy transfer
- 4.17 Power, work done and time
- 4d Energy resources and electricity generation
- 4.18P Energy transfers in electricity generation methods
- 4.19P Renewable and non-renewable electricity production compared
5 Solids, liquids and gases
- 5a Units
- 5.1 Units for solids, liquids and gases
- 5.2P Unit of specific heat capacity
- 5b Density and pressure
- 5.3 Density, mass and volume
- 5.4 Practical: measuring density
- 5.5 Pressure, force and area
- 5.6 Pressure acting in all directions in fluids
- 5.7 Pressure difference in fluids
- 5c Change of state
- 5.8P Heating, stored energy and changes of state
- 5.9P Melting, evaporating and boiling
- 5.10P Particles in solids, liquids and gases
- 5.11P Practical: temperature–time graph for a change of state
- 5.12P Specific heat capacity
- 5.13P Change in thermal energy equation
- 5.14P Practical: specific heat capacity of materials
- 5d Ideal gas molecules
- 5.15 Gas molecules, random motion and pressure
- 5.16 Absolute zero
- 5.17 The Kelvin scale
- 5.18 Temperature and speed of gas molecules
- 5.19 Kelvin temperature and kinetic energy of molecules
- 5.20 Pressure, volume and temperature of a fixed gas
- 5.21 Pressure and Kelvin temperature at constant volume
- 5.22 Pressure and volume at constant temperature
6 Magnetism and electromagnetism
- 6a Units
- 6.1 Units for magnetism and electromagnetism
- 6b Magnetism
- 6.2 Magnetic attraction and repulsion
- 6.3 Magnetically hard and soft materials
- 6.4 Magnetic field lines
- 6.5 Induced magnetism
- 6.6 Practical: magnetic field patterns of bar magnets
- 6.7 Producing a uniform magnetic field
- 6c Electromagnetism
- 6.8 Magnetic field around a current-carrying conductor
- 6.9P Construction of electromagnets
- 6.10P Field patterns for wires, coils and solenoids
- 6.11P Force on a charged particle in a magnetic field
- 6.12 Motor effect in motors and loudspeakers
- 6.13 Left-hand rule
- 6.14 Factors affecting force on a current-carrying conductor
- 6d Electromagnetic induction
- 6.15 Induced voltage and the factors affecting it
- 6.16 Generating electricity with magnets and coils
- 6.17P Structure and action of a transformer
- 6.18P Step-up and step-down transformers in transmission
- 6.19P Transformer voltages and turns ratio
- 6.20P Transformer input and output power
7 Radioactivity and particles
- 7a Units
- 7.1 Units for radioactivity
- 7b Radioactivity
- 7.2 Atomic structure and nuclear notation
- 7.3 Atomic number, mass number and isotopes
- 7.4 Alpha, beta and gamma as ionising radiations
- 7.5 Nature and properties of alpha, beta and gamma
- 7.6 Practical: penetration of different radiations
- 7.7 Effects of radiation emission on the nucleus
- 7.8 Balancing nuclear equations
- 7.9 Detecting ionising radiation
- 7.10 Sources of background radiation
- 7.11 Activity of a radioactive source
- 7.12 Half-life
- 7.13 Half-life calculations
- 7.14 Uses of radioactivity in industry and medicine
- 7.15 Contamination and irradiation
- 7.16 Dangers of ionising radiations
- 7c Fission and fusion
- 7.17 Nuclear reactions as energy sources
- 7.18 Fission of uranium-235
- 7.19 Products of uranium-235 fission
- 7.20 Chain reactions
- 7.21 Control rods and moderators
- 7.22 Shielding around a nuclear reactor
- 7.23 Nuclear fusion and fission compared
- 7.24 Nuclear fusion
- 7.25 Fusion as the energy source of stars
- 7.26 Conditions needed for nuclear fusion
8 Astrophysics
- 8a Units
- 8.1 Units for astrophysics
- 8b Motion in the universe
- 8.2 The universe, galaxies and the solar system
- 8.3 Variation in gravitational field strength
- 8.4 Gravitational force and orbits
- 8.5 Orbits of comets, moons and planets
- 8.6 Orbital speed, radius and time period
- 8c Stellar evolution
- 8.7 Classifying stars by colour
- 8.8 Star colour and surface temperature
- 8.9 Evolution of stars similar in mass to the Sun
- 8.10 Evolution of stars more massive than the Sun
- 8.11P Absolute magnitude
- 8.12P The Hertzsprung–Russell diagram
- 8d Cosmology
- 8.13P Evolution of the universe and the Big Bang
- 8.14P Evidence for the Big Bang
- 8.15P Doppler effect for a moving wave source
- 8.16P Red-shift equation
- 8.17P Red-shift of galaxies at different distances
- 8.18P Red-shift and the expanding universe