Chapter 1: Units and Measurements
Chapter 1 lays the measurement foundation that every later topic relies on. Learners study physical quantities and the seven SI base units, then build derived units and the idea of dimensions. Dimensional analysis is used to check equations and convert units, while significant figures and rounding show how precisely a result is known. The treatment of errors, absolute, relative and percentage, teaches honest reporting and how uncertainties combine. Two clear diagrams present the base quantities and the vast range of physical sizes in powers of ten. Worked examples cover conversions, dimensions and error calculations, with graded practice that prepares learners for all of mechanics.
Chapter 2: Motion in a Straight Line
Chapter 2 gives learners the kinematics of motion along a line. It distinguishes distance from displacement and speed from velocity, then defines acceleration as the rate of change of velocity. Position to time and velocity to time graphs are read carefully, with slope giving velocity or acceleration and area giving displacement. The three equations of motion are derived from the velocity graph and applied to clear numerical problems, including motion under gravity. Two diagrams illustrate the graphs and the meaning of slope and area. Worked examples and graded practice build calculation and interpretation skills, forming the platform for forces, energy and the chapters that follow.
Chapter 3: Motion in a Plane
Chapter 3 extends motion to two dimensions using vectors. Learners distinguish scalars from vectors, add vectors by the triangle and parallelogram laws, and resolve a vector into perpendicular components. These tools are applied to projectile motion, where horizontal and vertical motions are treated independently to find the time of flight, maximum height and range, and to uniform circular motion, where the centripetal acceleration points to the centre. Three diagrams show vector addition, the parabolic projectile path and circular motion. Worked examples cover resultants, projectiles and centripetal acceleration, with graded practice. The chapter develops the vector thinking that underlies forces, momentum and rotational motion later in the course.
Chapter 4: Laws of Motion
Chapter 4 develops Newton's three laws, the heart of mechanics. Learners meet inertia and the first law, then momentum and the second law in the form force equals rate of change of momentum, reducing to F equals ma. The third law of action and reaction is explained, with the key point that the two forces act on different bodies. Free body diagrams are introduced to find the net force, and friction, both static and kinetic, is studied along with motion on an incline. Two diagrams show a free body diagram and a block on a slope. Worked examples and graded practice build both conceptual and numerical confidence.
Chapter 5: Work, Energy and Power
Chapter 5 connects force and motion to energy. Learners define the work done by a force as F s cosine of the angle, distinguish kinetic from potential energy, and prove the work energy theorem that net work equals the change in kinetic energy. Gravitational and elastic potential energy are introduced, leading to the conservation of mechanical energy for conservative forces. Power is defined as the rate of doing work, equal to force times velocity. Two diagrams show work done at an angle and energy conservation as a body falls. Worked examples and graded practice cover work, energy and power, reinforcing one of the most useful ideas in physics.
Chapter 6: System of Particles and Rotational Motion
Chapter 6 extends mechanics to spinning bodies. Learners study the centre of mass that moves as if all the mass were concentrated there, then torque as the turning effect of a force, equal to force times perpendicular distance. The moment of inertia is introduced as the rotational counterpart of mass, giving the rotational second law, torque equals moment of inertia times angular acceleration. Angular momentum and its conservation explain why a skater spins faster on pulling in their arms. Two diagrams show the centre of mass and torque. Worked examples and graded practice mirror the linear equations, helping learners see how rotation parallels straight line motion throughout.
Chapter 7: Gravitation
Chapter 7 presents the one law that governs falling bodies and orbiting planets alike. Learners study Newton's universal law of gravitation, the inverse square dependence on distance, and how the surface acceleration g follows directly from it. Gravitational potential energy is introduced, then Kepler's three laws of planetary motion are stated and explained. The chapter derives escape velocity and orbital velocity, showing that gravity supplies the centripetal force that keeps a satellite in orbit. Two diagrams show the attraction between masses and a satellite in orbit. Worked examples and graded practice cover gravitation, g, Kepler's laws and orbital speeds, linking everyday weight to the motion of the heavens.
Chapter 8: Mechanical Properties of Solids
Chapter 8 studies how solids respond to forces. Learners define stress as force per unit area, in tensile, compressive and shear forms, and strain as the fractional deformation produced. Hooke's law states that stress is proportional to strain within the elastic limit, and the constant ratio for stretching is Young's modulus, a measure of stiffness. The stress to strain curve reveals the elastic limit, yield point and fracture. Two diagrams show the three kinds of stress and the stress to strain curve. Worked examples and graded practice cover stress, strain, Young's modulus and elongation, giving learners the tools to understand the strength and stiffness of materials.
Chapter 9: Mechanical Properties of Fluids
Chapter 9 studies fluids at rest and in motion. Learners define pressure and find how it grows with depth as h rho g, then meet Pascal's law and its use in the hydraulic press. Archimedes' principle explains buoyancy and why a steel ship floats. For moving fluids, the equation of continuity shows that a fluid speeds up where a pipe narrows, and Bernoulli's principle relates speed to pressure. Two diagrams show pressure increasing with depth and flow through a narrowing pipe. Worked examples and graded practice cover pressure, buoyancy and continuity, building an understanding of fluids that connects to weather, flight and the human circulation.
Chapter 10: Thermal Properties of Matter
Chapter 10 examines how matter responds to heat. Learners distinguish heat from temperature, relate the Celsius and Kelvin scales, and study thermal expansion through the formula change in length equals L alpha times the temperature rise. Specific heat capacity gives the heat needed to warm a substance, while calorimetry uses heat lost equals heat gained, and latent heat is absorbed during a change of state. The three modes of heat transfer, conduction, convection and radiation, are explained. Two diagrams show thermal expansion and the modes of heat transfer. Worked examples and graded practice cover temperature, expansion, specific heat and latent heat, linking the ideas to everyday experience.
Chapter 11: Thermodynamics
Chapter 11 develops the physics of heat and work. Learners study internal energy, then the first law of thermodynamics, the conservation of energy in the form change in internal energy equals heat added minus work done. The standard processes, isothermal, adiabatic, isobaric and isochoric, are described, with the work done shown as the area on a pressure to volume diagram. Heat engines are introduced, with efficiency equal to work output over heat input, and the second law explains why no engine can be perfectly efficient. Two diagrams show a pressure to volume diagram and a heat engine. Worked examples and graded practice cover the first law and efficiency.
Chapter 12: Kinetic Theory
Chapter 12 explains gases as vast numbers of molecules in constant random motion. Learners study the assumptions of kinetic theory, then see how molecular collisions with the walls produce pressure, giving P equals one third rho times the mean square speed. The ideal gas equation, P V equals n R T, is presented, containing Boyle's and Charles's laws as special cases. Temperature is shown to measure the average molecular kinetic energy, and the root mean square speed is introduced. Two diagrams show molecules in a box and the distribution of molecular speeds. Worked examples and graded practice cover the gas laws, pressure and molecular speeds.
Chapter 13: Oscillations
Chapter 13 studies motion that repeats. Learners define period, frequency and amplitude, then simple harmonic motion, which occurs when the restoring force is proportional to the displacement, giving a sine displacement in time. The simple pendulum has period two pi root L over g, independent of mass, and the spring and mass system has period two pi root m over k. Energy passes between kinetic and potential forms while the total stays constant without friction. Two diagrams show the sine graph of simple harmonic motion and the pendulum and spring. Worked examples and graded practice cover period, frequency and the two standard oscillating systems.
Chapter 14: Waves
Chapter 14 studies waves, which carry energy without carrying matter. Learners distinguish transverse waves, where the medium vibrates across the travel, from longitudinal waves, where it vibrates along it. Wavelength, frequency and the wave equation, speed equals frequency times wavelength, are developed, along with the speed of a wave on a string. The principle of superposition leads to standing waves with fixed nodes and vibrating antinodes, and to beats, whose frequency is the difference between two close frequencies. Two diagrams show the two wave types and a standing wave. Worked examples and graded practice cover the wave equation, wave speed, standing waves and beats.
