Deformation & Fluid Pressure

CONCEPTUAL

Science›Forces & Motion|Ages 12—13|ID: mt_fkwcCB5px7

Explain forces associated with deforming objects (elastic and inelastic deformation), thermal expansion and contraction of materials, and how fluid pressure acts in all directions and increases with depth

Mastery Evidence

Distinguishes elastic deformation (returns to shape) from inelastic/plastic deformation (permanently changed)
Explains why bridges and railway tracks have expansion gaps
Explains why pressure increases with depth in a liquid (e.g. why deep-sea divers need pressure suits)
Gives an everyday example of thermal expansion causing a problem or being used usefully

Assessment Prompt

“If [child] noticed the lid on a jar was very tight, could they explain why running it under hot water helps — and what's happening to the metal as it heats up?”

Curriculum Standards1 alignment

KS3.Sci.Phys.MotionAndForces.5The national curriculum in England

Deformation, Thermal Expansion and Fluid Pressure

forces: associated with deforming objects; thermal expansion and contraction of matter; fluid pressure

Science · KS3

Prerequisites1

Resultant Forces
softAges 11—12

Show full prerequisite tree

Resultant Forces soft
Deformation and fluid pressure involve forces acting on objects — the vector force framework gives the conceptual grounding
- Pushes & Pulls hard
  KS3 forces as vectors extends KS2 introduction to pushes and pulls changing speed and direction
  - Drawing Force Diagrams soft
    Understanding pushes and pulls as forces is supported by the arrow representation of magnitude and direction
- Force & Motion Vocabulary hard
  Describing balanced and unbalanced forces as vector quantities requires resultant force, balanced forces vocabulary
- Drawing Force Diagrams hard
  Forces as vectors with magnitude and direction is the formal underpinning of the force arrow representation
- Contact & Non-Contact Forces hard
  KS3 resultant force and balanced forces extends KS2 distinction between contact and non-contact forces
  - Forces Vocabulary hard
    Distinguishing contact from non-contact forces requires these exact terms
  - Drawing Force Diagrams soft
    Distinguishing contact and non-contact forces is clarified by drawing force diagrams showing where arrows originate
  - Friction & Surfaces hard
    Must experience contact forces like friction before distinguishing contact vs non-contact forces
    - Pushes & Pulls hard
      Must understand forces change motion before comparing movement on different surfaces
      - Drawing Force Diagrams soft
        Understanding pushes and pulls as forces is supported by the arrow representation of magnitude and direction
    - Forces Vocabulary hard
      Comparing how things move on different surfaces requires friction vocabulary

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