Mathematical Skills - GCSE Physics
Mathematical Skills Requirement
Learners need to be taught, and become competent in, the areas of mathematics relevant to GCSE Physics A. Quantitative skills are assessed in physics contexts at an appropriate level of demand for the tier.
At least 30% of the assessment covers mathematical skills. The list below shows the mathematical skills required across Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Combined Science, with the physics-relevant items included in the subject coverage.
Mathematical skills
| Reference | Mathematical skill | Subject coverage |
|---|---|---|
| M1 | Arithmetic and numerical computation | |
| M1a | Recognise and use expressions in decimal form. | B, C, P, CS |
| M1b | Recognise and use expressions in standard form. | B, C, P, CS |
| M1c | Use ratios, fractions and percentages. | B, C, P, CS |
| M1d | Make estimates of the results of simple calculations. | B, C, P, CS |
| M2 | Handling data | |
| M2a | Use an appropriate number of significant figures. | B, C, P, CS |
| M2b | Find arithmetic means. | B, C, P, CS |
| M2c | Construct and interpret frequency tables and diagrams, bar charts and histograms. | B, C, P, CS |
| M2d | Understand the principles of sampling as applied to scientific data. | B |
| M2e | Understand simple probability. | B |
| M2f | Understand the terms mean, mode and median. | B, P, CS |
| M2g | Use a scatter diagram to identify a correlation between two variables. | B, P, CS |
| M2h | Make order of magnitude calculations. | B, C, P, CS |
| M3 | Algebra | |
| M3a | Understand and use mathematical symbols, including equals, inequalities, much less than, much greater than, proportionality and approximation. | B, C, P, CS |
| M3b | Change the subject of an equation. | C, P, CS |
| M3c | Substitute numerical values into algebraic equations using appropriate units for physical quantities. | C, P, CS |
| M3d | Solve simple algebraic equations. | B, P, CS |
| M4 | Graphs | |
| M4a | Translate information between graphical and numeric form. | B, C, P, CS |
| M4b | Understand that represents a linear relationship. | B, C, P, CS |
| M4c | Plot two variables from experimental or other data. | B, C, P, CS |
| M4d | Determine the slope and intercept of a linear graph. | B, C, P, CS |
| M4e | Draw and use the slope of a tangent to a curve as a measure of rate of change. | C, P, CS |
| M4f | Understand the physical significance of area between a curve and the x-axis and measure it by counting squares where appropriate. | P, CS |
| M5 | Geometry and trigonometry | |
| M5a | Use angular measures in degrees. | P, CS |
| M5b | Visualise and represent 2D and 3D forms, including two-dimensional representations of 3D objects. | C, P, CS |
| M5c | Calculate areas of triangles and rectangles, surface areas and volumes of cubes. | B, C, P, CS |