2026 Year 10 Physical Sciences Revision: Traffic Lights

This set covers vocabulary and foundational concepts for Year 10 Physical Sciences, including motion formulas, Newton's laws, energy types, and efficiency calculations.

Scalar and Vector Physical Quantities

Types of physical quantities used to describe motion and forces; scalars have magnitude only, while vectors have both magnitude and direction.

Distance and Displacement

Measurements of path length and change in position; often represented and interpreted using vector diagrams.

SI unit for Speed and Velocity

$m/s$ or $ms^{-1}$.

Average Speed ($v_{av}$) formula

$v_{av} = \frac{d}{t}$.

Average Velocity ($v_{av}$) formulae

$v_{av} = \frac{s}{t}$ or $v_{av} = \frac{v+u}{2}$.

SI unit for Acceleration

$m/s^{2}$ or $ms^{-2}$.

Acceleration ($a$) formula

$a = \frac{v-u}{t}$.

Newton's First Law of Motion

A physical law applied to scenarios to describe the behavior of objects at rest or in constant motion unless acted upon by a force.

Newton's Second Law of Motion

The law that relates force, mass, and acceleration, applied using the formula $F=ma$.

Newton's Third Law of Motion

The law stating that for every action force, there is an equal and opposite reaction force, applied to various physical scenarios.

Forms of Kinetic Energy ($E_{K}$)

Energy of movement/motion, including light, heat, electrical, and sound.

Forms of Potential Energy ($E_{P}$)

Stored energy including elastic, gravitational, chemical, and nuclear forms.

Energy Transfer

The movement of energy from one object or system to another without changing its form.

Energy Transformation

The process of energy changing from one form to another, such as from chemical potential to kinetic energy.

Sankey Diagrams

Visual tools used to represent energy transformations by showing energy inputs, useful outputs, and wasted energy.

Friction

The main cause of wasted energy in everyday systems, typically released as heat energy.

Energy Efficiency Formula

$\%\text{Efficiency} = \frac{\text{useful energy}}{\text{wasted energy}} \times 100$.