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GCE O-Level Physics Notes

Chapter 2: Kinematics

Content:

  • Physical Quantities

  • SI Units

  • Prefixes

  • Scalars and Vectors

  • Measurement of Length and Time

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Learning Outcomes:

​Students should be able to

  • Show understanding that all physical quantities consist of a numerical magnitude and a unit.

  • Recall the following base quantities and their units:

    • mass (kg), length (m), time (s), current (A), temperature (K), amount of substance (mol)

  • Use the following prefixes and their symbols to indicate decimal sub-multiples and multiples of the SI units:

    • nano (n), micro (µ), milli (m), centi (c), deci (d), kilo (k), mega (M), giga (G)

  • Show an understanding of the orders of magnitude of the sizes of common objects ranging from a typical atom to the Earth.

  • State what is meant by scalar and vector quantities and give common examples of each.

  • Add two vectors to determine a resultant by a graphical method.

  • Describe how to measure a variety of lengths with appropriate accuracy by means of tapes, rules, micrometers and calipers, using a vernier scale as necessary.

  • Describe how to measure a short interval of time including the period of a simple pendulum with appropriate accuracy using stopwatches or appropriate instruments.

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