Cambridge IGCSE Physics Notes 2.2: Thermal Properties and Temperature
Cambridge IGCSE Physics notes on thermal expansion, thermometers, specific heat capacity, melting, boiling, evaporation, and cooling.
Q: What does Cambridge IGCSE Physics Notes 2.2: Thermal Properties and Temperature cover?
A: It follows official Cambridge Physics section 2.2 for syllabuses 0625 and 0972, with Core ideas separated from Supplement depth.
Thermal properties describe how materials expand, store internal energy, and change state when energy is transferred.
The ideas that organise this section
- Thermal expansion follows increased particle separation, not particle growth.
- Specific heat capacity measures energy needed per unit mass per unit temperature rise.
- Evaporation occurs at the surface and causes cooling because higher-energy particles escape.
Core route
Core candidates should be ready to describe, calculate, interpret, and apply the following:
- Describe expansion and its applications or hazards.
- Explain melting, boiling, evaporation, and cooling using particles.
- Compare thermometer sensitivity, range, and linearity in context.
Supplement route
Extended candidates study all Core content and add the following depth:
- Calculate energy changes using mass, specific heat capacity, and temperature change.
- Explain evaporation rate using temperature, surface area, and air movement.
- Interpret heating and cooling behaviour where energy changes internal energy without changing temperature during a state change.
Formula route
- Relationship: energy transferred = mass x specific heat capacity x temperature change.
Write the relationship before substituting. Convert units first, keep extra figures during working, and round only the final answer to sensible precision.
Build a connected model
In Thermal Properties and Temperature, a strong answer connects the named quantity or model to observable evidence. Begin by defining the physical quantity in words or with its relationship. Identify which values are scalars and which require a direction. Represent the situation with a labelled diagram, graph, field pattern, ray or circuit when that makes the relationship visible. The representation is part of the reasoning: its labels, arrows and scale should agree with the written explanation.
For a calculation, write the governing relationship before substitution, convert prefixes and time units, keep unrounded values during working and attach the correct final unit. For a qualitative question, use a cause-link-consequence chain. Name what changes, state the physical mechanism that links the change to the system, and then give the measurable result. If two cases are compared, hold unrelated variables constant and use the same physical principle for both.
