Matter | OCR GCSE Combined Science Physics, Foundation tier (J250)
Matter
- 146 questions
- 7 subtopics
- Paper 5 (Physics)
- Paper 5 (Physics)
Matter is examined in Paper 5 (Physics).
It covers how the atomic model changed, and the structure of the atom, the size of atoms, and defining density, density of the states of matter, and density calculations, conservation of mass in changes of state, heating a system, and specific heat capacity, calculations with specific heat capacity and latent heat and gas molecules, temperature and pressure.
Sample questions from Matter
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
-
How the atomic model changed, and the structure of the atom
Why do accepted scientific models such as the model of the atom change over time?
Show the answer
New experimental evidence appears that the existing model cannot explain, so the model has to be revised or replaced. -
How the atomic model changed, and the structure of the atom
What is a hypothesis?
Show the answer
A proposed explanation for an observation, based on scientific knowledge, from which a prediction can be made and tested by experiment. -
The size of atoms, and defining density
Why are the sizes of atoms usually written in standard form?
Show the answer
Their size is about 1 × 10⁻¹⁰ m, which written out in full as a decimal would be a long and awkward number. -
The size of atoms, and defining density
Two objects have the same volume but different masses. Which has the greater density?
Show the answer
The one with the greater mass, because density is mass per unit volume. -
Density of the states of matter, and density calculations
How is the density relationship rearranged to find volume?
Show the answer
Volume is equal to mass divided by density. -
Density of the states of matter, and density calculations
Describe how to find the density of a liquid.
Show the answer
Measure the mass of an empty measuring cylinder on a balance, pour in a measured volume of the liquid and measure the mass again; the difference is the mass of the liquid, which is then divided by its volume. -
Conservation of mass in changes of state
What happens to the total mass of a substance when it melts, and why?
Show the answer
The mass is unchanged, because exactly the same particles are still present and none are created or destroyed. -
Conservation of mass in changes of state
Water is boiled to steam and the steam is then cooled. What is recovered, and what does this show?
Show the answer
Water with exactly the same properties as before is recovered, showing that boiling is a physical change.
The 7 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| How the atomic model changed, and the structure of the atom | The Thomson, Rutherford and Bohr models and Chadwick's neutron, the alpha scattering experiment of Geiger and Marsden and what it showed, the nuclear atom and its size, why models change, and hypotheses, testing theories, peer review and publishing results. | 24 |
| The size of atoms, and defining density | The typical size of atoms and small molecules in standard form and nanometres, order-of-magnitude estimates, the symbols for much less than, much greater than and approximately, and density as mass per unit volume, its units and how it compares between objects. | 17 |
| Density of the states of matter, and density calculations | The particle arrangements in solids, liquids and gases and how they explain differences in density, why ice floats, rearranging density = mass ÷ volume for calculations, and measuring the density of regular and irregular solids and of liquids with a balance, callipers, eureka can and measuring cylinder. | 27 |
| Conservation of mass in changes of state | The names of the changes of state including sublimation, why mass is conserved when ice melts or a puddle evaporates, what a physical change is and how it differs from a chemical change, and why a change of state makes no new substance. | 16 |
| Heating a system, and specific heat capacity | The two effects of heating a system, internal energy and particle speed, why the temperature holds steady during a change of state, specific heat capacity and the specific latent heats of fusion and vaporisation with their units and when each is used, and the flat section of a cooling curve for stearic acid. | 17 |
| Calculations with specific heat capacity and latent heat | The relationship between energy, mass, specific heat capacity and temperature change, worked examples finding each quantity, the energy needed to change state, and a combined melting and warming calculation. | 29 |
| Gas molecules, temperature and pressure | How gas molecules move, what temperature and pressure mean in terms of molecules, what a closed system is, and why heating or cooling a sealed rigid container changes its pressure. | 16 |
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.
-
Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
-
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.
-
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 GCSE Combined Science Physics, Foundation tier Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 1,084 questions with their answers.