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Topic plan · IGCSE Physics 0625 · Topic 2

Thermal physics

The particle model of matter, heat transfer, and the connection between temperature and motion at the microscopic scale.

Open the topic lab Question bank Notes PDF
Unit at a glance

14 lessons, 630 minutes of teaching

Lessons
14, each planned for 45 minutes
Worksheets
14 with answer keys
Quiz questions
48 multiple-choice, assignable in the app
Lab
Kinetic particle model
Scheme of work

The lessons in order

RefLesson packStructureWorksheetQuizLab tab
2.1.1States of matter (solid, liquid, gas)
A block of ice, a puddle and a cloud of steam are all the same water molecules.		Think-Pair-Share6 Q, 14 marks2 MCQtab 1
2.1.2Brownian motion
Look at smoke under a microscope and the bright specks dance about in tiny, random zig-zags.		Mix-Pair-Share6 Q, 13 marks2 MCQtab 2
2.1.2Gas pressure and temperature
A balloon stays inflated because, every instant, millions of air molecules slam into its inner surface.		Jigsaw6 Q, 13 marks2 MCQtab 3
2.1.3Temperature scales (Celsius and kelvin)
The Celsius scale was pinned to water: zero for freezing, one hundred for boiling.		Corners6 Q, 12 marks2 MCQtab 6
2.1.3Boyle’s law (pV = constant)
Trap some air in a syringe, seal the end, and press.		Frayer Model6 Q, 14 marks7 MCQtab 4
2.2.1Thermal expansion
Bridges are built with gaps, power lines sag in summer, and a tight metal lid loosens under hot water.		Connect-Extend-Challenge6 Q, 13 marks3 MCQtab 5
2.2.2Specific heat capacity (E = mcΔθ)
Sand at the beach scorches your feet by noon while the sea stays cool.		Numbered Heads Together6 Q, 16 marks7 MCQtab 1
2.2.3Changes of state
Hold a thermometer in melting ice and it sticks stubbornly at zero, even as you keep heating.		Cooperative Concept Mapping6 Q, 13 marks6 MCQtab 2
2.2.3Evaporation and cooling
Step out of a pool on a breezy day and you shiver, even in warm air.		Think-Pair-Share6 Q, 15 marks3 MCQtab 3
2.3.1Conduction
Leave a metal spoon in a hot drink and the handle is soon too warm to hold, yet a wooden spoon stays cool.		Mix-Pair-Share6 Q, 13 marks3 MCQtab 4
2.3.2Convection
Watch dust drift above a radiator and you are seeing air on the move.		Jigsaw6 Q, 14 marks3 MCQtab 5
2.3.3Thermal radiation
The warmth of the Sun reaches us across the vacuum of space, where there is nothing to conduct or carry it.		Corners6 Q, 14 marks2 MCQtab 6
2.3.3Energy balance and equilibrium
An object left in the Sun does not heat up forever.		Frayer Model6 Q, 14 marks4 MCQtab 7
2.3.4Applications of thermal energy transfer
A vacuum flask is a small masterpiece of physics.		Connect-Extend-Challenge6 Q, 15 marks2 MCQtab 8

Each pack holds the plan, worksheet and quiz for its lesson. Teach the rows in order; the lab tabs match the student lessons.

Also for this topic

Topic resources

Topic labFull-screen simulation Question bank48 questions across the topic Revision notesOne page per lesson Notes PDFPrintable topic notes Student syllabus pageThermal physics Practical trainerGraph trainer Practical trainerResults tables Practical trainerAccuracy and evaluation Practical trainerPlanning an experiment Practical trainerPaper 6 set-up builders Practical trainerPaper 5 workout: stretching a spring