ZNOTES.

ORG

UPDATED TO 2023-2025 SYLLABUS

CAIE CHECKPOINT
SCIENCE
SUMMARIZED NOTES ON THE THEORY SYLLABUS
Prepared for Chukwunonso for personal use only.
CAIE CHECKPOINT SCIENCE

The hotness or coldness of a substance is measured by

1. Length, Mass and Time taking its temperature.
This temperature is measured on a scale that has 2 fixed
Measuring Length points.
The Celsius scale is the most used scale.
Is the distance from one point to another. Its two fixed points are 0’ C (melting point of pure ice +
The SI or the standard unit of length is the metre (m) freezing point of pure water) and 100’ C (boiling point of
Measured using ruler, trundle wheel, measuring tape. pure water).
In between these two values, the scale is divided into 100
Unit Symbol Number of Metres units or degrees.
kilometre km 1000 m The thermometer compares the temperature of the
metre m 1m substance, with the freezing and boiling point of water.
centimetre cm 0.01 m The lowest possible temperature is -273’ C (known as
millimetre mm 0.001 m absolute zero)
micrometre μm 0.000 001 m
nanometre nm 0.000 000 001 m Liquids in Thermometers
Alcohol or Mercury are the common liquids used inside
Measuring Mass thermometers.
The quantity of matter that an organism/object contains. If the bulb of the thermometer is placed in a hot
The SI or standard unit of mass is the kilogram (kg) substance, the liquid inside expands and spreads up
Measured using top pan balance, weighing machine, inside the tube. The level it reaches depends on the
hotness of the substance, and the temperature can be
weighing balance.
read in the scale.
Unit Symbol Number of kilograms If the bulb is placed in a cold substance, the liquid inside
megatonne Mt 1 000 000 000 kg contracts and backs down the tube. The level it settles
tonne t 1000 kg can be read from the scale.
kilogram kg 1 kg
gram
milligram
g
mg
0.001 kg
0.000 001 kg
3. Forces and Their Effect
Measuring Time 3.1. What is Forces?
A measure used to define smaller divisions of a day. You cannot see a force but you can see what it does. A force
The SI or standard unit of time is the second (s) is a push or a pull.
Measured using stopwatch. Forces can:
To make events like the Olympics very accurate, and to
avoid human reaction time, special timers called light Make an object move
gates are used. Make a moving object stop
Change the speed of a moving object
Unit Symbol Number of seconds Change the direction of a moving object
day d 86 400 s (1440 min or 24 h) Change the shape of an object.
hour h 3600 s (60 min)
minute min 60 s
How To Measure A Force?
second s 1s
A force can be measured with a newton spring balance.
millisecond ms 0.001 s The SI unit of measuring force in N (newton)
Equation: F=m x a
2. Heat and Temperature F= force (N)
m= mass (kg)
a= acceleration (m/s²)
Measuring Temperature
3.2. Type of Force
There are two main types of forces: contact force and
non-contact force

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Chukwunonso at The Threshold College on 11/11/24.
CAIE CHECKPOINT SCIENCE

Contact Force 3.3. What is Speed?

Speed is the quantity that tells you how fast something
is moving.
Unit: m/s (meters/second)

How to Calculate Speed?

We need to measure two quantities:
Distance traveled (m, in meters)
Time taken (s, in seconds)
Equation: Average speed= distance traveled/time taken
We have to say average speed because the speed
might be changing when they are moving (speeding
up or slowing down)

Calculating Speed
Example 1: A runner completes a 200 m race in 25 s.
What is her average speed?
Known:
Distance: 200 m
Time took: 25 s
Question: Average speed (s)?
Answer: S= d/t
S=200/25= 8 m/s.
Example 2: A car travel is 100 m in 5 s. What is its average
speed?
Known:
Distance: 100 m
Time took: 5s
Question: Average speed (s)?
Answer: S=d/t
S=100/5= 20 m/s.
Example 3: A red car travels 400 m in 20 s. A blue car
travels 660 m in 30 s. Which car has the greater average
speed?
Known:
Red car distance: 400 m
Red car time: 20 s
Blue car distance: 660 m
Blue car time: 30 s
Question: Average speed (s)?
Answer: Average speed (s)?
Average speed red car: Sred= d red/ t red=
400/20= 20 m/s
Average speed blue car: Sblue= d blue/ t blue=
660/30= 22 m/s
In conclusion, the blue car has greater average
speed.

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Chukwunonso at The Threshold College on 11/11/24.
CAIE CHECKPOINT SCIENCE
Section of journey Time (h) Distance (km)
3.4. Drawing Distance/Time Graphs Start 0 km 0 km
A 2 hours 30 km
We can draw a distance/time graph to represent a B 1 hour 30 km
journey. C 1/2 Hour 60 km
It can be used to find out distances traveled and times D 1 1/2 hours 0 km
taken during a journey.
Illustration: (if it is steady speed)
x-axis: time (s)
3.5. What is Pressure?
y-axis: distance (m) Pressure is defined as the force per unit area (P=F/A)
The force of an object can be worked out by
multiplying mass x gravity (9.81 m/s^2)
The relationship:
If the constant area, the force applied is directly
proportional to the pressure.
If the force is held constant, the pressure is
inversely proportional to the area.
If the pressure is held constant, then the force is
directly proportional to the area.
SI Unit= Pa (N/m^2). It can be also a bar, atm, kPa, etc.
Illustration:

How to read the graph:

How far has the runner traveled after 10s? Find the
10s in the time axis and draw a line straight up from
this point until it reaches the graph line, as shown.
Then, draw horizontally across to the distance axis.
So the answer is 20 m.
\
Illustration: (if the speed is not constant)

3.6. What is Density?

A measure of how compact the mass in a substance or
object is.
Density could be described as the number of
kilograms that 1 meter cubed of a substance weighs.
Formula: P (rho) = m/v
SI Unit: kg/m^3 (common), g/cm^3, g/mL (depends on
the substance)

Calculating The Density of Solid

How to read the graph?
A= uphill
B= rest
C= uphill
D= downhill

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Chukwunonso at The Threshold College on 11/11/24.
CAIE CHECKPOINT SCIENCE

Example: A rectangular prism has a mass of 42.0 grams The same goes with liquid, we need to calculate the mass
and has dimensions of 2 cm in width, 6 cm long, and 0.5 total then the mass of the gas.
cm in height. What is the density of this object? Example: For example, if the full balloon had a mass of 1
Answer: kg and the empty balloon had a mass of 0.5 kg. The
1. Find the volume of rectangular prism: balloon displaced 1 L of water. What’s the density of the
l x w x h= 2 x 6 x 0.5= 6 cm^3 gas?
2. Put them in the formula: Answer:
P (rho)= m/v = 42 g/6 cm^3= 7 g/cm^3 1. Find the mass of gas:
Conclusion: The density of the object is 7g/cm^3. Mass of gas= mass of gas baloon-mass of baloon
Mass of gas= 1-0.5 kg
Calculating The Density of Liquid Mass of gass= 0.5 kg
2. Find the density
However, since water is a liquid, it needs to be in some P (rho) = mass/volume
sort of container. So in order to weigh the water, they P= 0.5/1 L
have to weigh the container, too. P= 500 g/L
Conclusion: The density of the gas is 500 g/L

4. Energy
4.1. What is Energy?
Energy is the property of something that makes it able to
apply a force and do work.
There are two kinds of energy: stored energy and
movement energy.
Example: A solution of water and salt contains 25 grams
of salt in 250 mL of water. What is the density of 4.2. Forms of Energy
saltwater? (Use density of water = 1 g/mL)
Answer: As we know there are two kinds of energy: stored energy
1. Find the mass of water and movement energy.
Mass of water= density of water x volume of water Stored energy is also known as potential energy. Because
m=1 x 250 it gives something the potential to use its stored energy,
m=250 gram Movement energy is also known as kinetic energy. It
2. Find the mass of saltwater came from the greek word means motion.’
Mass total= mass of salt + mass of water
Mass total= 25 + 250 There are several forms of each kind of energy
Mass total= 275 gram
3. Find the density Gravitational Potential Energy
P (rho) = mass/volume \n P (rho) = 275 g/250
mL \n P (rho) = 1.1 g/mL The force of gravity between an object and the Earth
Conclusion: The density of saltwater is 1.1 g/mL pulls the object towards the centre of the planet.
If the object is in a position above the surface of the
Calculating The Density Of Gas Earth, they stored energy called gravitational potential
energy.
Example: There is a plate on a table, this plate is
supported by something (table) but if the support is
removed, they will accelerate to the Earth’s surface and
their potential energy will be released and changed into
other form.

Strain Energy

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Chukwunonso at The Threshold College on 11/11/24.
CAIE CHECKPOINT SCIENCE

Known as elastic potential energy Also known as thermal energy

Some material is elastic, which means that they can be All substance are made up of particles. When the
easily squashed, stretched or bent, but still get back into temperature is increase, the movement is also increase.
it shape once the force acting on them is removed. This is because the particles receive more energy, so that
When their shape is changed by squashing, it will move faster.
stretching or bending, they store energy which will
allow them to return to their original shape. Electromagnetic Energy
Chemical Energy There is a form of energy that can travel through space
at the speed of light. This energy has properties such as
The chemical energy is stored in the links between the electricity and magnetism. This is called energy
atoms. electromagnetic waves.
The chemicals are made from atom that are linked These waves make up rays of light and heat, this
together to make molecules. form of energy is called radiation energy
The energy is released when the links are broken and
the molecule (energy stored) is broken down into Light Energy
smaller molecules.
Example: Light energy is kinetic energy with the ability to make
Carbohydrate are a store of chemical energy in food. types of light can be detected with human eyes.
During respiration, carbohydrate is broken down into
carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O). The energy 4.3. Energy Changes
that is released in this process is used by our body.
Fuel → Heat homes, heat water When energy is used, it always changes from one form to
another and some always changes into heat energy.
Kinetic Energy Example:
Light: Electrical energy → light energy and heat
Everything that move has kinetic energy energy
When an object with kinetic energy hit another object, a Playing drum: Chemical energy → sound energy and
force acts on them both that will distort the second movement energy
object or set it moving.
Example: If you move your foot and kick a ball, the ball Wasted Energy
moves away.
When we turn on the light, it will change from electrical
Sound Energy energy into light energy and heat energy. In this case, we
only use the light energy, so that the heat energy
Produced by the vibration of an object. considered as wasted energy.
Sound energy can passes through solids, liquid, and When we use vacuum cleaner, some machine make
gases. noises, it wasted the sound energy.
They move back and forth in order way so that the wave
spreads out in all direction from the point when the Fuels
vibration is produced.
Example: Playing guitar. Substances that are burned to release their chemical
energy to provide heat and light are called fuels.
Electrical Energy Examples: Wood, coal, gas, charcoal, oil, diesel oil,
natural gas, wax, etc.
Electrical current is the movement of electrical charges Some gases and waxes are used to provide light in
through a conductor. Where the electrical charges are homes, tents.
given electrical energy by the battery and carry it to the Expand gases in vehicle engines and turn on hot
working part. water into steam to generate electricity.
Example: Lamp, the energy changes into light and heat. Coal, gas, and oil were formed from plants and
animals are called fossil fuels.
Internal Energy
Fossil Fuels

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Chukwunonso at The Threshold College on 11/11/24.
CAIE CHECKPOINT SCIENCE

Coal is formed from plants that grew up million years Energy transformation can be shown by energy
ago. When they died, they fell into the swamps. Because diagrams. There are 3 parts to an energy transfer
swamps is lack of oxygen, it prevent the bacteria to grow diagram:
and decompose the dead plants. Then it will form peat, The first object is showing the energy input
later the peat became buried and was squashed by the The second object is showing an energy converter or
rocks. The increase in pressure slowly changed the peat transducer
into coal. The third object is showing the energy output
The oil and methane gas also formed in the same way. Example:
When animal died, they sink to the ocean floor and the Blowing up balloon: kinetic energy → ballon → strain
dead plankton that collected on the ocean floor did not energy
decompose because the lack of oxygen. Then, the Taking a photograph: light energy → camera →
remain formed a layer which covered the rock. The chemical energy
weight of the rock squeezed the layer and heated it and Releasing a catapult: strain energy → catapult →
it converted the layer of dead plankton into oil and kinetic energy
methane gas.
Sankey Diagram
Renewable Resources
A sankey diagram is a second kind of diagram that shows
Because fossil fuels need million years to be form, then energy changes
the supplies of fossil fuels are limited. By the time goes, It features arroes of different width. The width of the
there will be not enough to meet our needs. arrow indicates the amount of energy it represent.
Scientist trying to develop renewable resources by: The unit in which energy and work are measured is
Convert the wind into electric energy by using the called the joule (J).
power plants. Example:
Using the natural rise and fall of tides by the
gravitational interaction between the Earth, Sun, and
Moon (tidal energy).
Using the movement of water from river
(hydroelectricity)
Using the light of the sun (solar power)

4.4. Energy Transfer and Transform

As the energy is transferred it is transformed.
Example:
Reading a book with electric light: The electrical
energy is being transformed into light energy. Plants and Energy
To keep our body warm, some of the stored chemical
energy is transformed.

Energy Transfer Diagram

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Chukwunonso at The Threshold College on 11/11/24.
CAIE CHECKPOINT SCIENCE

Energy stored inside the seed is used as the root grows Convection is the movement of heat by a fluid such as
and seeks out water. Stored energy is also used by the water or air.
growing shoot. The fluid (liquid or gas) moves from one location to
There is a process of making food inside the plant by the another, transferring heat along with it.
light energy called photosynthesis. Happened due to the difference in density.
Some of the light energy falling on the leaves is Heat transfer in convection is faster than conduction.
trapped inside them. It is converted into stored Heat transfer occurs through intermediate objects.
chemical energy as the plant makes food using water For example, steaming cup of hot tea.
from the soil and carbon dioxide from the air.
Then the chemical energy stored in a plant is transferred Radiation
to a herbivorous animal then has a store chemical
energy which keeps them alive. For carnivorous animal, Radiation is the transfer of heat by electromagnetic
they feed on herbivorous animal and stored the chemical waves.
energy. In addition to the sun, light bulbs, irons, and toasters
Thus chemical energy that stored in animal are all also transfer heat via radiation.
came from the light energy that trapped in plant. Heat transfer by radiation does not need any matter to
help with the transfer.
Human and Energy Heat transfer in radiation is the fastest among all.
The heat transfer occurs in all objects with a temperature
The chemical energy in food is released in a process greater than 0 K.
called respiration.
When the energy is released, carbon dioxide and 4.6. Energy Resource
water are produced. The carbon dioxide is released
into the air when we breathe out. The water is used What is Energy Resource?
in our body or released in swear and urine.
Most of the energy that released in our body is used for An energy resource is anything from which one can
movement and to keep our body temperature constant. obtain energy.
Most the energy comes from fossil fuels. These are coal,
4.5. The Difference Between oil, and natural gas.
Conduction, Convection, and Radiation Fossil Fuels
in Heat Transfer
Fossil fuels are stores of chemical energy. The energy is
Heat is the transfer of energy from a warmer object to a released when the fuel is burnt.
cooler object Ex: In a car engine, petrol and air are mixed together.
There are types of heat transfer A spark ignites the mixture and it burnt. The energy
released makes the car move forward.
Conduction Fossil fuels are found underground. Coal is formed from
the remains of plants that died millions of years ago. Oil
The transfer of energy by direct contact. and gas formed from the remains of sea creatures.
This transfer occurs when molecules hit against each
other. Generating Electricity
Happened due to the difference in temperature
Conduction takes place in solids, liquids, and gases, but Electricity is a convenient way of sending energy from
works best in materials that have simple molecules place to place. Most electricity is generated in power
(example: metals). stations which burn fossil fuels, especially coal and gas.
Heat transfer in conduction is pretty slow.
4.7. The Difference Between
Convection
Evaporation and Boiling
What is Evaporation?
Evaporation is a bit different from boiling.
The temperature of the water doesn’t have to reach
100°C. Even when the temperature is quite low, the
water gradually turns into water vapor in the air.

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Chukwunonso at The Threshold College on 11/11/24.
CAIE CHECKPOINT SCIENCE

Evaporation Cools You Down As the Earth moves in its orbit there is a time of year
when the northern hemisphere is tilting towards the Sun
On a very sunny day, you may get too hot. One way to and the southern hemisphere is tilting away from it.
cool down is to get wet. 6 months later, the northern hemisphere is tilting away
When you get out, the water evaporated off your from the Sun and the southern hemisphere is tilting
skin, and this cools you down. If there is a breeze toward it.
blowing, the water will evaporate more quickly and This caused the change in the length of day and
you will cool down rapidly. night, and in the strength of the sunlight reaching the
area of the surface. This produces the periods of time
Evaporation and Energy called seasons.

When water evaporates from your body, it carries energy How The Season Is Changed?
away. That is why you feel cooler.
Evaporation has a cooling effect due to the particles in When a hemisphere is tilting towards the Sun, the path
water moving around. Some have energy to escape from of the Sun is different from the path when the
the surface, they become water vapor in the air. hemisphere is tilting away from the sun.
The particles with the most energy are the ones that Because the east-to-west path of the Sun across the
escape. The ones with less energy is left behind, so sky changes with the position of the Earth in its orbit.
the water is colder than before. Its temperature The path of the sun across the sky when:
decrease The hemisphere is tilted towards the sun = mid-
summer

5. Movement In The Sky The hemisphere is away from the sun = mid-winter
It is changing from tilting one direction to the other =
spring and autumn equinoxes
5.1. How The Earth Moves?
5.2. Light In The Sky
The Earth is formed from rocks and dust moving around
the Sun. The movement of the gases in the Earth’s atmosphere
The Sun and the Stars do not change their position, it is does not significantly affect the strong light beams from
the daily rotation of the Earth that makes them appear the Moon, the planet and comets shine steadily in the
to move. Sky.
The weak light beams that came from the stars are
Axis affected, their light does not shine steadily but appears
to flicker.
The axis about which the Earth rotates is not
perpendicular to the plane of the Earth's orbit. The Changes In The Starry Sky
The axis is at an angle of about 23 degrees to the
perpendicular and remains to point in the same direction As the Earth moves around its orbit, it passes different
throughout the Earth’s orbit. groups of stars and they appear in the night sky.
If the axis is perpendicular, the Sun would rise to the The stars rise over the eastern horizon and move
same height in the sky each day of the year across the sky in an arc to the western horizon, stars
near either pile appear to move around in a circle
Hemispheres during the night.
They are known as winter, spring, summer, and
We divide the Earth into 2 parts: the northern autumn stars.
hemisphere and the southern hemisphere.
They meet at the equator (an imaginary line running Measuring With Light
around the middle of the planet between poles)

How The Season Is Formed?

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Chukwunonso at The Threshold College on 11/11/24.
CAIE CHECKPOINT SCIENCE

The vast distance between two objects in space can be

measured by the time it takes light to travel between
them.
The time for light to travel between two stars is
measured in light-years.
A light-year is a distance traveled by light in a year.
This distance is 9.5 million km.
Example:
The nearest star to the Sun is called Proxima
Centauri, which is 4.3 light-years away.
This star and the Sun are just two 0f 500.000
million stars in the Milky Way Galaxy.

Bright Stars 5.4. Early Study

The brightness of a star depends on its size, The movement of the Earth, Moon, Sun, and Planet
temperature, and its distance from the Earth. across the Sky were studied by ancient civilizations. They
used the movement of the Sun and the Moon to
Star Temperature (C) Colour Distance from Earth measure time.
Sun 6000 Yellow 8 light minutes
Sirius 11000 White 8.6 light-years Aristarchos (C. 320-250 BCE)
Arcturus 4000 Orange 36 light-years
Betelgeuse 3000 Red 520 light-years
A Greek philosopher suggested that the movement of
the planets could be explained by considering them to
Spica 25000 Blue 220 light-years
move around the Sun.
The other Greek philosopher was not enthusiastic about
Constellations and Planets this idea and preferred their model featuring a crystal
sphere.
Constellations: Star Patterns in the Sky.
The arrangement of the Stars in a constellation is due to The arrangement of the planets in the crystal spheres
did not fully fit with the observations made in their
their position in space.
movements in the sky.
The stars may seem to be grouped together at the
Example: Mercury and Venus did not move far from the
same distance from the Earth but they are not.
Sun as the crystal sphere arrangement suggested they
While the stars appear to be fixed in their positions, the
planet does not. Each night, a planet is found in a should, the apparent backward motion of Mars, Jupiter,
and Saturn that occasionally occurred could not be
different position from the previous night.
explained by this model.
The planet seems to wander across the night sky
against the background of constellations. This is due
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543)
to the way the Earth and the planets move around
the Sun in their orbits. A Polish astronomer suggested that the Sun was at the
center of the universe and that the planets moved in
5.3. Phases of The Moon circular orbits around it.
This model supported the observed movements of
The Moon moves around the Earth in about 28 days. the planets
Phases of the moon: different shapes of the moon as the Example: The backward motion of Mars, Jupiter, and
moon moves around the Earth, it also spins on its axis. Saturn could be explained by the Earth overtaking them
Only the side of the Moon’s surface that is facing the Sun as it moved in its orbit around the Sun.
reflects light.
Tycho Brahe (1546-1601)

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Chukwunonso at The Threshold College on 11/11/24.
CAIE CHECKPOINT SCIENCE

A Danish astronomer who made detailed observations of A German astronomer that worked with Tycho Brahe.
the planets and stars before the invention of the He re-examined the vast amount of data that Brahe had
telescope. collected.
When a large comet appeared in 1577, he discovered He studied the orbits of the planet, then he found that
that it was further away than the moon and not part of the data accurately matched orbits of an elliptical shape
the atmosphere. around the Sun.
He also discovered it moved in an elliptical path, This provided the final evidence against the Earth-
passing through space where the crystal spheres centered universe and motion in Solar System.
were thought to be without being restricted to He also discovered magnetic force with Galileo. He
movement within one. thought that the force might hold the objects in the Solar
He devised a model of his own, where he placed the System in their place.
Earth at the center of the universe.
Isaac Newton (1642-1727)
He believed that the force that holds objects in the Solar
System when he saw an apple down to the Earth.
From his calculations on this force of gravity on objects
near the Earth, Newton predicted that the rate of fall of
the Moon needed to give its movement in a curve
around the Earth.
The calculation matched his prediction, from this
work he showed that the objects in the Solar System
moved due to the force of gravity.
The structure of the Solar System and the way things
move in it due to gravity were worked out when it was
thought that only 6 planets were present.
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
He was a professor in Italy. 5.5. The Part of The Solar System
He built a telescope, and he discovered what appeared
to be stars around Jupiter and recorded their position. The Planets
He thought that if these stars were like others in the
universe then the movement of Jupiter must be unlike The planets move around the Sun in elliptical orbits in an
the other planets. anti-clockwise direction.
He decided that Jupiter probably moved just as the
other planet did, but the stars were really moons
moving around Jupiter (same as the Moon moves
around the Earth).
This is the proof that something in the sky did not
move around the Earth but moved around the
object.

Johannes Kepler (1572-1630)

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Chukwunonso at The Threshold College on 11/11/24.
CAIE CHECKPOINT SCIENCE
Distance Orbit
Diameter Rotation A Spiral galaxy.
Planet Mass from Sun time
(km) time The Sun is not the center of the universe but on an arm
(mill.) (days)
58 days 15 of a spiral galaxy called the Milky Way Galaxy.
Mercury 4878 0.056 58 hrs and 30 88 The Milky Way Galaxy is 100000 light-years across and
mins rotates like a huge pinwheel in space at 970000 km/h
Venus 12100 0.82 108 243 days 224 It means that the Sun in its position about 28 light-
23 hours 56 years from the center of the galaxy takes 225 million
Earth 12756 1 150 365
mins years to go round once.
24 hours 37
Mars 6793 0.107 228 686
mins
Jupiter 142880 318 778
9 hours 50
4332
6. The Changing of Sounds
mins
10 hours 14
Saturn 120000 95 1427
mins
10759 6.1. Where Do Sounds Come From?
10 hours 49
Uranus 50800 14.5 2871 30707 All sounds come from vibrating sources (moving back
mins
8 days 15 and forth).
Neptunus 48600 17 4497 hours and 90777 When you play guitar, you may be able to see the
48 mins vibration from the string.

Asteroids Loudness and Pitch

Asteroids are lumps of rocks that move in orbits around There are 3 types of musicals instrument:
the Sun. Stringed instruments (with strings that vibrate)
They formed in the early stages of the Solar System and Wind instruments (the ones that we need to blow)
range in size (from grains of sand to ceres - the largest Percussion instruments (strike)
asteroid) From that, we learn how to make different sounds with
Most asteroids move in orbits between 300 and 500 the instruments. Two things can change:
million km from the Sun. We can make the sound of instruments louder or
They form a huge ring of space rubble called the softer by controlling the loudness.
asteroid belt. We can make the note higher or lower by changing its
Some asteroids have orbits further away from the Sun pitch.
and a few have orbits that take them across the Earth’s
orbit. Loudspeaker

Comet You may wonder how loudness and pitch work, you can
see it clearly from a loudspeaker
A huge hollow ball of the icy object.
Some comets are thought to come from the Kuiper Belt
while many others are thought to come from the edge of
the Solar System, called the Oort Cloud.

The Milky Way Galaxy

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Chukwunonso at The Threshold College on 11/11/24.
CAIE CHECKPOINT SCIENCE

Loudspeakers are used to produce sounds from

computers, radio, and TV.
Inside a loudspeaker, there is a paper cone that vibrates
back and forth to make the sound.
In the picture above, the cone produces a loud sound, so
that the paper cone vibrates up and down.
It vibrates up and down more frequently when the
pitch of the note is higher.

6.2. Properties of The Sounds

Amplitude
A meter rule is clamped to the bench, and the weight is
taped to the free end. When you pull the end downward,
7. Source Of Lights
the weight vibrates up and down.
It shows the amplitude of the vibration. Amplitude is 7.1. What Is Light Source?
the maximum distance when the vibrating object
moves from its resting position before it started A light source is an object that emits its own light.
vibrating. Hot objects such as flames, the Sun, and torch bulbs,
are light sources.
Some light sources are not hot, such as computer
screen

Straight Lines
When you see the straight rays of light spreading out
from the sun, that tells us that light travels in straight
lines.

Frequency
Frequency is the number of vibrations per second.
If an object vibrates 20 times each second, its frequency
is 20 Hz
Hz (hertz) is the unit of frequency.
1 Hertz= 1 vibration per second.
For example: The time for 20 oscillation is 25 seconds.
Using the equation: f=n (number of oscillation) / time
(seconds)
f= 20/25 Luminous and Non-Luminous
f=0.80 Hz.
An object which is a source of light is described as
A Complete Vibration luminous
Examples: Sun, Moon, Stars
When the object moves up from its rest position, then
An object which is not a source of light is described as
down, and then back to its rest position. non-luminous
Examples: pen, book,chair, table

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Chukwunonso at The Threshold College on 11/11/24.
CAIE CHECKPOINT SCIENCE

By understanding the picture above, you can see which

The chair is non-luminous, you need a source of light to
rays are blocked by the tree. This will show you where
see it
the tree’s shadow will be.

7.2. When Light Strikes An Object 7.3. Bouncing Light

When light strikes an object, different things can happen.
The picture you see in a mirror is called an image.
It depends on the material the object is made of:
A mirror has a flat, and smooth surface. Rays of light
The light may pass straight through the object. It has
bounce off a mirror without being scattered.
been transmitted.
The light mat be absorbed by the object (the object
gets a little warmer). The material is opaque.
The light may bounce off the object. It has been
reflected.

Forming A Shadow
A shadow forms when an opaque object blocks the light.
it forms because light travels in straight lines-it cannot
bend round corners.

Meanwhile a sheet of paper has a rough surface, when

rays of light strike the paper, they are scattered in all
directions.

Rays of Light
To understand where the tree’s shadow will fall, you
need to draw the ray’s light that comes from the sun.

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Chukwunonso at The Threshold College on 11/11/24.
CAIE CHECKPOINT SCIENCE

Predicting The Path Of Light The change of direction of a light ray when it enters or
leaves a transparent materials is called refraction.
The law of reflection tell us about the direction in which
the ray is reflected. Rays Changing Direction
The ray travels in a straight line to the surface of water.
This is where it bends. The straight ray then travels to the
eye.
To understand how it bends, you draw the normal to
the surface at the point where the ray bends. The
normal is drawn at 90 degree to the surface.

7.5. Splitting Light

You can see the colors of the rainbow for yourself by
sending a ray of white light into a glass prism (triangular
How to read the diagram? glass block)
The mirror is represented by a straight line; the When a light enters the prism it bends (refracted). It
shading shows the back of the mirror also bends as it leaves the prism.
The ray of light coming in is called the incident ray. Something else happens. The white light is split up
The ray of light going out is the reflected ray. into a spectrum of colors. The splitting up of white
To predict the direction of reflected ray, you need to light into separate color is called dispersion.
draw the normal to the normal surface of the mirror. The color of spectrum always appear in the same
The normal is a straight line drawn at right angles (90 order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.
degree) to the mirror.
The law of reflection of light says the two angles marked
in the diagram are equal:
Law of reflection: angle of incidence=angle of
reflection

7.4. Transparent Material

Water and glass are transparent materials. Light can
pass through them, but something happens when light
enters or leaves such a material.

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Chukwunonso at The Threshold College on 11/11/24.
CAIE CHECKPOINT SCIENCE

Permanent magnet is an object which stays magnetized

for a long time. It doesn’t stop being a magnet after it has
been used.

Magnetic Material
A material which is attracted by a magnet is called a
magnetic material.
Explaining Dispersion Some materials are attracted, other materials are
not.
Dispersion happens because of refraction. Example of magnetic material:
When white light enters a block of glass, some color Iron
bend more than others. Steel (most of the steels are made from iron)
Violet bends the most, red the last. Nickel
This means that the different colors travel off in Cobalt
different directions, so that we can see them Aluminium
separately. Neodymium

7.6. What Is Colored Light? Magnetic Poles

To make colored light, there is a filter is placed in front of Magnets that attract magnetic materials will create
a bright white light. magnetic force.
A filter is a piece of colored plastic or glass. It only lets A bar magnet’s magnetism is strongest at the ends. The
through some of the colors which make up white light. It ends of the magnet are called magnetic poles.
absorb the other colors.
For example: a red filter lets through red light. It absorbs
yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

Adding Colored Light

How to put white light back together?
Put the primary color (red, green, blue) shine them
together, so that their different colors overlap.
When you use them together, all colors of the
spectrum are present and they add up to give white.

Reflecting Colored Light

If two magnets are close together, they may attract each
Grass is green because it reflects green light from the other or they may push each other away.
Sun.
It absorbs all of the colors of sunlight. This is called
color subtraction.
A red object reflects red light and absorb all other colors.
While objects reflect all colors of light and black objects
absorb all colors.

8. Magnets and Magnetic

Materials Magnet Rules

8.1. What Are Magnets?

Permanent Magnets

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Chukwunonso at The Threshold College on 11/11/24.
CAIE CHECKPOINT SCIENCE

Like poles will repel, means both poles are the same There is a second type of magnet called an
(north pole and north pole) will repel. electromagnet, it works using electricity and it can be
Unlike poles will attract, means one north pole and one switched on and off.
south pole will attract each other. Example: Using electromagnet to lift a scrap car, electric
motors and generators, doorbell and in electric switches
8.2. What is Magnetic Field?
Magnetic Field
Any magnetic material placed in the field will be
attracted by the magnet, due to magnets is surrounded
by a magnetic field.

The Shape of The Field

A magnetic field is invisible. There are some ways to
show up:
Using iron fillings, these tiny pieces of iron will get
together and line up to show the pattern of the field. How To Make An Electromagnet?
Using small compasses, this called plotting
compasses. They will show the direction of the field. Wrap the wire around a piece of iron called a core.
When a current flows in the coil, the iron becomes
Magnetic Field Lines magnetized and this makes the magnetic field of the
electromagnet much stronger.
We can represent the magnetic field of a magnet by Making a stronger electromagnet:
drawing magnetic field lines (imaginary). Make a coil with more turns of wire, the wire is longer
Magnetic field lines start from a north pole and end up at and so the electric current flows through it. It makes
a south pole. They show two things about the field: a stronger magnetic field.
The arrows show the direction of the field. Make a bigger electric current flow in the coil of wire,
The lines are closest together, the field is strongest. connect 2 batteries to the coil instead of one. This will
make a bigger electric current flow so the magnetic
field will be stronger.

The Field Of An Electromagnet

8.3. How Electromagnet Works?

Electromagnet

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Chukwunonso at The Threshold College on 11/11/24.
CAIE CHECKPOINT SCIENCE

Whenever an electric current flows in a wire it makes a We can say that a lamp has resistance. The more
magnetic field around it. resistance there is in the circuit, the harder it is for the
The magnetic field of an electromagnet is like the field of cells to push the electrons around, and so the current is
a bar magnet smaller.
The magnetic field lines come out of one end of the The unit of resistance is Ω (ohm).
electromagnet. This is its north pole.
The fields line go round and back into the other end
of electromagnet. This is its south pole.

Losing Energy
When 2 components are connected in series in a circuit,
How An Electromagnet Works? it is harder for the current to flow. There is more
resistance, so the current is smaller.
The magnetic field around a wire is quite weak, by It requires energy for the electrons to flow through
winding the wire into a coil, it will concentrate the any component which has resistance
magnetic field into a smaller space making it much
stronger. 9.3. How To Measure An Electric
Current?
9. Electricity
Measuring Electric Current
9.1. Static Electricity We can measure the current in a circuit using an
instrument called an ammeter. The unit of electric
Objects can be given an electric charge by rubbing them. current is the amp (A).
Electrically charged objects can produce a force of To connect an ammeter to a circuit, it is necessary to
attraction or repulsion make a break in the circuit. Then the current can flow
through the ammeter.
9.2. One After Another
Current in A Series Circuit
What Happens If We Add Other Components To A
Series Circuit?
We can understand why the current is smaller when
there are two lamps in the series circuit.
The electrons are being pushed by the cell. It has to
push them through one lamp and then through the
next.
It is easier for the cell to push the electrons through
one lamp than through two, and so the current is
bigger when there is only one lamp in the circuit.

Electrical Resistance

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Chukwunonso at The Threshold College on 11/11/24.
CAIE CHECKPOINT SCIENCE

When the components are connected end-to-end. The Lighting A Lamp - Current and Energy
current flows through the components one after
another. The current is the same all the way around a When you push a switch, a current starts immediately.
series circuit. The electrons are waiting in the wire. They start to move
all around the circuit as soon as the switch is closed.
The cell is the energy source of the circuit. It is a store
of chemical energy.
The current transfers energy from the cell to the
lamp.
The lamp gets hot and shines. It is a source of light
energy and heat energy.

9.5. Parallel Diagrams

Understanding Parallel Circuit
9.4. Why Metals Conduct Electricity?
When components are connected side by side in this
Explaining About Current Flow way, we say they are in parallel with each other.
To remember the difference between series and parallel:
Metals are useful materials because they contain lots of In series means connected end-to-end;
electrons that can move about inside the metal. In parallel means connected side-by-side.
These electrons are not tightly attached to their \
atoms.
A cell can make a current flow in a metal wire. Since the
electrons move along in metal wire, the electrons have
an electric charge, so the charge is moving through the
metal.

How A Cell Makes A Current Flow

In the cell, one end is positive and one end is negative.
The positive end attracts electrons (because electrons
have a negative charge).
So, when a circuit is complete, the electrons in the
metal of the circuit start moving around it. They are Current in Parallel Circuits
pushed from the negative end of the cell and
attracted toward the positive end. When there are two identical lamps in parallel, there is
\ twice as much current as when there is only one lamp.
Each lamp gets its own share of the current.
This show that it is easier for the current to flow
when two components are connected in parallel in a
circuit. There is less resistance, so the current is
bigger.

9.6. Positive and Negative Charge

Explaining Electric Force
There are two types of electric charge which we call
positive (+) ad negative (-)
Positive and negative charges attract one another;
Positive chargers repel one another;
Negative charges repel one another.
Key: Opposites attract

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Chukwunonso at The Threshold College on 11/11/24.
CAIE CHECKPOINT SCIENCE

Finding The Sign Of An Electric Charge Circuit Diagram:

Using a digital meter called a coulomb meter to find out

whether a charged object has a positive or negative
charge.

Circuit symbol:

Charging by Friction
In an experiment to investigate static electricity, you may
start with a polythene rod and woolen cloth, then an
acrylic rod and woolen cloth both of them are neutral.
When the rod is rubbed using the cloth, the rod
gains a negative electric charge. It is the force of
friction that gives charge to the rod.
If you use a rod made of acrylic instead, you will find
the rod has a positive charge.
The charges that appear when 2 different materials are 9.8. The Voltage of A Cell
rubbed together depend on which material is used.
Explaining About Voltage
9.7. What are Conductors and
Insulators?
Describing Conductors and Insulators
Metals are described as conductors because they allow
electricity to pass through them
Plastic and other non-metals are described as insulators
because they do not allow electricity to pass through
them.

Electric Current
The lamp is light up because there is an electric current
in the circuit.
Two things are needed for there to be an electric current:
A complete circuit of metal around which the current
can flow.
A cell (a battery) makes the current flow.
A switch breaks a circuit to stop the current from flowing.

Circuit Symbols

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Chukwunonso at The Threshold College on 11/11/24.
CAIE CHECKPOINT SCIENCE

Cells are usually labeled with their voltage (Ex: 1.5V). The
volt (symbol V) is the unit of voltage.
A voltmeter is used to measure voltage.
To measure the voltage of a cell, wires are connected
from the ends of the cell to the terminals of the
voltmeter. The positive (red) terminal of the
voltmeter should be connected to the positive
terminal of the cell.
If two more cells are connected together in series, the
voltage adds up.

More Voltage, More Amps

If the cells in a circuit are providing a bigger voltage, the
current will also be bigger.
This is because, if there are two cells connected in
series, they give a bigger push to the electrons in the
wires, so there is a bigger current.
If there is a bigger current, the lamp will shine more
brightly.
The current is transferring energy more quickly from
the cells to the lamp.

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Chukwunonso at The Threshold College on 11/11/24.
CAIE Checkpoint
Science

© ZNotes Education Ltd. & ZNotes Foundation 2024. All rights reserved.
This version was created by Chukwunonso on Mon Nov 11 2024 for strictly personal use only.
These notes have been created by Inayah for the 2022 syllabus.
The document contains images and excerpts of text from educational resources available on the internet and printed books.
If you are the owner of such media, test or visual, utilized in this document and do not accept its usage then we urge you to contact us
and we would immediately replace said media. No part of this document may be copied or re-uploaded to another website.
Under no conditions may this document be distributed under the name of false author(s) or sold for financial gain.
"ZNotes" and the ZNotes logo are trademarks of ZNotes Education Limited (registration UK00003478331).