GCSE Physics resources
AQA GCSE Energy
Measure how electrical energy supplied to a block changes its temperature, then determine specific heat capacity.
Start here
Measure mass, potential difference, current, time and temperature change for a heated block. Electrical energy supplied is E = VIt, and c can be found from E = mcΔθ or the gradient of an energy against temperature-change graph.
Core learning content
Start with this short teaching sequence for Specific Heat Capacity Required Practical. Read the model, use the visual, then test your recall before moving into examples and exam practice.
Measure mass, potential difference, current, time and temperature change for a heated block. Electrical energy supplied is E = VIt, and c can be found from E = mcΔθ or the gradient of an energy against temperature-change graph.
The electrical supply transfers energy at a rate P = VI, so the energy supplied is VIt. Not all of this reaches the block: some warms the heater and surroundings. This is why insulation, a lid and a good thermal contact make a fairer measurement.
Choose a relationship because of the physical change in the question, not because it is familiar. Kinetic energy: Eₖ = ½mv² (J, kg, m/s). Gravitational potential energy: Eₚ = mgh (J, kg, N/kg, m). Elastic potential energy: Eₑ = ½ke² (J, N/m, m). Keep the unit next to each value while you substitute.
Explain the apparatus, controls, energy calculation, graph or equation, energy losses and one realistic improvement. Before writing, underline the command word and identify the information that matters. Keep a calculation as equation, substitution and answer with unit; keep an explanation as a linked chain using because, so or therefore. Finish by checking that the final sentence answers the exact context in the question and that the number, direction or conclusion agrees with the evidence given.
Retrieval practice
Answer without looking back first. The feedback explains the model, so a wrong answer still helps you learn.
Mini quiz 1
Mini quiz 2
Mini quiz 3
Try it
What happens to the temperature change when the supplied energy is shared by more mass?
What to notice: the readout and written explanation remain available if you do not use the controls.
Worked examples
Cover the answer, attempt the method and then compare your physics language as well as the number.
E = 4320 J.
c = 600 J/kg °C.
More energy warms the surroundings, so less reaches the block and the calculated SHC is likely too large.
Misconception clinic
Each of these is tempting because it sounds almost right. Replace it with the precise physics before you meet it in a question.
Independent practice
Use the working space first. Reveal the guidance only after you have committed to an answer, then improve the exact part that would gain the next mark.
The material of the block.
For example, keep block mass, heater power, starting temperature and insulation the same.
Different starting temperatures would otherwise make comparisons unfair; Δθ measures the actual heating.
E = mcΔθ = 1.0 × 400 × 15 = 6000 J.
Wrap the block in insulation or use a lid/insulating jacket while leaving the thermometer and heater in place.
Plot energy supplied against temperature change; for a fixed mass the gradient is mc, so divide the gradient by mass.
Questions pupils ask
Energy questions become easier when you name the system, track the stores that change and identify the transfer pathway. Then choose an equation only when the physical change requires it.
Read the snapshot, attempt the worked examples without looking, complete the mini quizzes and then use the practice questions to check your wording and method.
Next step
Physics sticks when you move between explanation, retrieval and application.