CSCA Physics Concepts & Formulas
Every concept on the syllabus with the formulas it uses — and what the real exams have actually asked.
Kinematics
Describing Motion
The particle model and choice of reference frame, scalars versus vectors, and the definitions and calculation of distance, displacement, speed and velocity.
13 real-exam questions · 4 sittingsVelocity and Acceleration
Average versus instantaneous velocity, the defining equation for acceleration and its vector nature, and how change in velocity relates to acceleration.
6 real-exam questions · 4 sittingsUniformly Accelerated Linear Motion
The velocity and displacement equations of uniformly accelerated linear motion and their corollaries, free fall as the special case, and reading x-t and v-t graphs.
17 real-exam questions · 4 sittingsProjectile Motion
Projectile motion resolved into uniform horizontal motion and vertical free fall, used to compute displacement and velocity; oblique projection as the generalisation.
4 real-exam questions · 3 sittings
Forces & mechanics
Forces and Equilibrium
The conditions for and magnitudes of gravity, elastic force and friction, composition and resolution of forces, and the equilibrium condition for concurrent forces.
20 real-exam questions · 4 sittingsNewton's Laws of Motion
Newton's first law and inertia, the second law and its use in both force-to-motion and motion-to-force problems, and the action–reaction relationship of the third law.
18 real-exam questions · 4 sittingsCircular Motion
Linear speed, angular velocity, period and frequency in uniform circular motion and the relations among them, plus centripetal acceleration and the source of the centripetal force.
11 real-exam questions · 4 sittingsGravitation and Satellites
The law of universal gravitation and its range of validity, solving orbital motion by equating gravity to the centripetal force, and computing surface gravity and cosmic velocities.
4 real-exam questions · 4 sittings
Work & energy
Work and Power
The defining equation for work done by a constant force and the sign convention, total work done by several forces, and average versus instantaneous power.
11 real-exam questions · 4 sittingsKinetic Energy and the Work–Energy Theorem
The expression for kinetic energy, the statement and derivation of the work–energy theorem, and its use for variable forces and multi-stage processes.
6 real-exam questions · 4 sittingsConservation of Mechanical Energy
Gravitational potential energy and its relation to the work done by gravity, testing whether mechanical energy is conserved, and applying the conservation law.
7 real-exam questions · 4 sittings
Momentum
Impulse and the Impulse–Momentum Theorem
The definitions and vector nature of impulse and momentum, the impulse–momentum theorem, and its use in cushioning and bungee-type problems.
8 real-exam questions · 4 sittingsConservation of Momentum
Testing whether momentum is conserved, applying the conservation law to collisions, and the characteristics of a perfectly inelastic collision.
1 real-exam question · 1 sitting
Electricity
Electric Field and Field Strength
Coulomb's law and charge conservation, the defining equation and superposition of electric field strength, the fields of a point charge and a uniform field, and what field-line density means.
16 real-exam questions · 4 sittingsElectric Potential and Potential Difference
The definition of potential and the choice of zero, how potential relates to field lines, computing potential difference, and the work done by the electrostatic force.
5 real-exam questions · 4 sittingsSteady Current and DC Circuits
The definition and microscopic expression of current, Ohm's law, voltage and resistance in series and parallel circuits, and reading current–voltage characteristic curves.
11 real-exam questions · 4 sittings
Magnetism
Magnetic Field, Ampère Force and Lorentz Force
The defining equation and vector superposition of magnetic flux density, the magnitude and direction of the Ampère force, the Lorentz force and its direction, and charged-particle motion in a magnetic field.
13 real-exam questions · 4 sittingsElectromagnetic Induction
Magnetic flux and its change, the condition for and direction of an induced current (Lenz's law), Faraday's law of induction, and the emf of a rod cutting field lines.
10 real-exam questions · 4 sittings