Physics practicals are your chance to get hands-on with real...
Physics123 views·Updated May 29, 2026·24 pagesGCSE AQA Physics Paper 1 & 2 Revision Guide
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Rhea Jain@rheajain
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Required Practical 1: Specific Heat Capacity
Ever wondered why some materials heat up faster than others? Specific heat capacity tells us how much energy is needed to heat up 1kg of a material by 1°C. This practical helps you measure this property for different metals like copper, iron, and aluminium.
You'll use a 30W heater inserted into holes drilled in 1kg metal blocks, along with a thermometer to monitor temperature changes. The key is wrapping everything in insulation to prevent heat loss and using water in the thermometer hole to improve thermal contact.
The method involves heating the block whilst recording temperature every 10 minutes. You'll then plot temperature against work done by the heater and use the gradient to calculate specific heat capacity.
Top Tip: If you don't know the heater's power, measure current and voltage, then calculate power using P = IV. The specific heat capacity equals the inverse of your graph's gradient (since the mass is 1kg).
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Required Practical 3: Resistance - Part 1 (Wire Length)
Understanding how resistance changes with wire length is crucial for designing electrical circuits. This practical proves that longer wires have higher resistance - something that affects everything from household wiring to phone chargers.
You'll set up a simple circuit with an uninsulated wire stretched along a metre ruler. Using crocodile clips, you'll measure current and voltage at 10cm intervals along the wire, then calculate resistance using V = IR at each point.
When you plot wire length against resistance, you'll get a straight line showing that resistance increases proportionally with length. This relationship is fundamental to understanding how electricity behaves in different materials.
Safety Alert: The wire gets hot during the experiment, so never touch it whilst current is flowing. Always switch off between measurements.
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Required Practical 3: Resistance - Part 2 (Series vs Parallel)
This part reveals why your Christmas lights might all go out when one bulb fails, but your house lights don't. You'll discover how total resistance changes depending on whether components are arranged in series or parallel circuits.
First, you'll build a series circuit with two resistors and measure the total current and voltage. Then you'll rearrange the same resistors into a parallel circuit and repeat the measurements. The results will be dramatically different!
In series circuits, total resistance equals R₁ + R₂ (resistances add up). In parallel circuits, it's much more complex: 1/R_total = 1/R₁ + 1/R₂. This means parallel circuits actually have lower total resistance than individual components.
Key Insight: Parallel circuits are why you can turn appliances on and off independently at home - each has its own path for current to flow.
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Required Practical 4: I-V Characteristics
Different electrical components behave very differently when you change the voltage across them. This practical explores current-voltage characteristics of resistors, filament lamps, and diodes - knowledge that's essential for understanding how electronic devices work.
You'll use a variable power supply to gradually increase voltage across each component whilst measuring the resulting current. Starting with a simple resistor, then moving to a filament lamp, and finally a diode (with protective resistor), you'll see three completely different patterns.
Ohmic conductors like resistors follow Ohm's Law - their I-V graphs are straight lines through the origin because resistance stays constant. Non-ohmic conductors like filament lamps and diodes have curved I-V graphs because their resistance changes with current.
Exam Focus: Remember that filament lamps get hotter as current increases, which increases their resistance. Diodes only allow current to flow in one direction, creating a distinctive I-V curve.
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Physics123 views·Updated May 29, 2026·24 pagesGCSE AQA Physics Paper 1 & 2 Revision Guide
R
Rhea Jain@rheajain
Physics practicals are your chance to get hands-on with real science and understand how the concepts you've learnt actually work in practice. These three required practicals for AQA GCSE Physics will help you explore specific heat capacity, electrical resistance, and...
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Required Practical 1: Specific Heat Capacity
Ever wondered why some materials heat up faster than others? Specific heat capacity tells us how much energy is needed to heat up 1kg of a material by 1°C. This practical helps you measure this property for different metals like copper, iron, and aluminium.
You'll use a 30W heater inserted into holes drilled in 1kg metal blocks, along with a thermometer to monitor temperature changes. The key is wrapping everything in insulation to prevent heat loss and using water in the thermometer hole to improve thermal contact.
The method involves heating the block whilst recording temperature every 10 minutes. You'll then plot temperature against work done by the heater and use the gradient to calculate specific heat capacity.
Top Tip: If you don't know the heater's power, measure current and voltage, then calculate power using P = IV. The specific heat capacity equals the inverse of your graph's gradient (since the mass is 1kg).
2
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Required Practical 3: Resistance - Part 1 (Wire Length)
Understanding how resistance changes with wire length is crucial for designing electrical circuits. This practical proves that longer wires have higher resistance - something that affects everything from household wiring to phone chargers.
You'll set up a simple circuit with an uninsulated wire stretched along a metre ruler. Using crocodile clips, you'll measure current and voltage at 10cm intervals along the wire, then calculate resistance using V = IR at each point.
When you plot wire length against resistance, you'll get a straight line showing that resistance increases proportionally with length. This relationship is fundamental to understanding how electricity behaves in different materials.
Safety Alert: The wire gets hot during the experiment, so never touch it whilst current is flowing. Always switch off between measurements.
3
of 10Sign up to see the content. It's free!
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Required Practical 3: Resistance - Part 2 (Series vs Parallel)
This part reveals why your Christmas lights might all go out when one bulb fails, but your house lights don't. You'll discover how total resistance changes depending on whether components are arranged in series or parallel circuits.
First, you'll build a series circuit with two resistors and measure the total current and voltage. Then you'll rearrange the same resistors into a parallel circuit and repeat the measurements. The results will be dramatically different!
In series circuits, total resistance equals R₁ + R₂ (resistances add up). In parallel circuits, it's much more complex: 1/R_total = 1/R₁ + 1/R₂. This means parallel circuits actually have lower total resistance than individual components.
Key Insight: Parallel circuits are why you can turn appliances on and off independently at home - each has its own path for current to flow.
4
of 10Sign up to see the content. It's free!
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- Improve your grades
- Join milions of students
Required Practical 4: I-V Characteristics
Different electrical components behave very differently when you change the voltage across them. This practical explores current-voltage characteristics of resistors, filament lamps, and diodes - knowledge that's essential for understanding how electronic devices work.
You'll use a variable power supply to gradually increase voltage across each component whilst measuring the resulting current. Starting with a simple resistor, then moving to a filament lamp, and finally a diode (with protective resistor), you'll see three completely different patterns.
Ohmic conductors like resistors follow Ohm's Law - their I-V graphs are straight lines through the origin because resistance stays constant. Non-ohmic conductors like filament lamps and diodes have curved I-V graphs because their resistance changes with current.
Exam Focus: Remember that filament lamps get hotter as current increases, which increases their resistance. Diodes only allow current to flow in one direction, creating a distinctive I-V curve.
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We thought you’d never ask...
What is the Knowunity AI companion?
Our AI Companion is a student-focused AI tool that offers more than just answers. Built on millions of Knowunity resources, it provides relevant information, personalised study plans, quizzes, and content directly in the chat, adapting to your individual learning journey.
Where can I download the Knowunity app?
You can download the app from Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
Is Knowunity really free of charge?
That's right! Enjoy free access to study content, connect with fellow students, and get instant help – all at your fingertips.
Most popular content: Reflection
4Most popular content in Physics
9Most popular content
9Can't find what you're looking for? Explore other subjects.
Students love us — and so will you.
4.6/5App Store
4.7/5Google Play
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan SiOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha KlichAndroid user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
AnnaiOS user