Matter: Very Simple | OCR A-Level Physics B (Advancing Physics) (H557)
Matter: Very Simple
- 149 questions
- 10 subtopics
- The physics content, examined on all three papers
- Component 01, Component 02 and Component 03
Matter: Very Simple is examined in all three written papers — the specification states that Components 01, 02 and 03 each assess content from across all the teaching modules, so nothing is confined to one paper.
It covers energy transfer and specific thermal capacity, finding specific thermal capacity by an electrical method, ideal gases and the gas laws, investigating the gas laws and absolute zero, moles, the Avogadro constant and the Boltzmann constant, the equation of state for an ideal gas, impulse and force–time graphs, the kinetic theory of ideal gases, temperature, average energy per particle and internal energy and random walk of molecules in a gas.
Sample questions from Matter: Very Simple
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Energy transfer and specific thermal capacity
A mass of 0.50 kg of water is heated from 20 °C to 100 °C. Taking c as 4200 J kg⁻¹ K⁻¹, calculate the energy transferred.
Show the answer
The energy transferred is 0.50 × 4200 × 80 = 1.7 × 10⁵ J. -
Finding specific thermal capacity by an electrical method
Why is the block lagged?
Show the answer
Lagging cuts the energy escaping to the surroundings, so more of the energy supplied goes into raising the temperature of the block. -
Ideal gases and the gas laws
A gas at 1.0 × 10⁵ Pa occupies 250 cm³ and is compressed at constant temperature to 100 cm³. Calculate the new pressure.
Show the answer
The new pressure is 1.0 × 10⁵ × 250 ÷ 100 = 2.5 × 10⁵ Pa. -
Investigating the gas laws and absolute zero
Why is the water bath stirred throughout?
Show the answer
Stirring keeps the temperature uniform so that the thermometer reads the temperature the gas is actually at. -
Moles, the Avogadro constant and the Boltzmann constant
Show by calculation that the Boltzmann constant and the Avogadro constant together give the molar gas constant.
Show the answer
1.38 × 10⁻²³ × 6.02 × 10²³ = 8.31 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹. -
The equation of state for an ideal gas
What happens to the pressure of a fixed mass of ideal gas if both its absolute temperature and its volume are doubled?
Show the answer
The pressure is unchanged, because pV = NkT and both sides of the relationship double. -
Impulse and force–time graphs
How is the impulse found when the force is not constant?
Show the answer
The area beneath the force–time curve is found, either by counting squares or by dividing the shape into simple areas. -
The kinetic theory of ideal gases
Why does a factor of one third appear in the kinetic theory equation?
Show the answer
The motion is random in three dimensions, so on average only one third of the mean square speed belongs to motion along any one axis.
The 10 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Energy transfer and specific thermal capacity | Recall questions on specific thermal capacity and its unit, ΔE = mcΔθ and why kelvin or degrees Celsius both work, heating water and aluminium, water against copper, coastal climates and coolants, what supplied energy does in a solid and a boiling liquid, estimating c from a kettle, why heating overestimates c, and temperature against internal energy. | 15 |
| Finding specific thermal capacity by an electrical method | Recall questions on the readings that give the energy supplied, oil in the holes and lagging, whether heat loss is random or systematic, cooling corrections, and adapting the method to a liquid. | 15 |
| Ideal gases and the gas laws | Recall questions on ideal gases, the pressure–volume and volume–temperature relationships and their graphs, p against 1/V, compression and heating calculations, pressure explained by particle collisions, absolute temperature and converting to kelvin, when real gases depart from ideal behaviour and why they condense, and pV against p and p against T graphs. | 15 |
| Investigating the gas laws and absolute zero | Recall questions on estimating absolute zero from constant-volume pressure readings and why it needs extrapolation, control variables, thermal equilibrium and stirring, the trapped-air experiment and column length as volume, plotting p against 1/V, pressure monitors with data loggers, changing pressure slowly, the main systematic error, gauge pressure, rising and falling readings, and the effect of a leak. | 15 |
| Moles, the Avogadro constant and the Boltzmann constant | Recall questions on the values, units and relation of the three constants, counting molecules and moles, the mass of one molecule, molar volume, and why gas laws count particles. | 15 |
| The equation of state for an ideal gas | Recall questions on what each symbol means, converting between particle and molar forms, calculating moles, particles and a new pressure, why kelvin is required, and what pressure times volume represents. | 14 |
| Impulse and force–time graphs | Recall questions on impulse and its unit, the area under a force–time graph, average force from it, two collisions of equal area, and a gas particle rebounding from a wall. | 15 |
| The kinetic theory of ideal gases | Recall questions on the assumptions of kinetic theory, perfectly elastic collisions and steady pressure, pV = ⅓Nm⟨c²⟩ and its one third, root mean square speed and why it is used, calculating it for three particles, nitrogen and a gas of known density, ½m⟨c²⟩ = 3/2 kT, helium against nitrogen, p = ⅓ρ⟨c²⟩, and real gases at high pressure. | 15 |
| Temperature, average energy per particle and internal energy | Recall questions on a particle's mean kinetic energy, kT as a rough measure, its value in joules and electronvolts, the internal energy of an ideal gas, and root mean square speeds. | 15 |
| Random walk of molecules in a gas | Recall questions on how net displacement grows with step number, the average distance between collisions, why perfume crosses a room slowly, evidence for random molecular motion, and net flow where concentration differs. | 15 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
OCR A-Level Physics B (Advancing Physics) Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 2,455 questions with their answers.