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Detailed notes on Electricity and Magnetism for Cambridge IGCSE Coordinated Science, covering key concepts, explanations, examples, and exam-focused revision points.
Charge, current, voltage, resistance, and power are the fundamental quantities in electricity. Cambridge tests Ohm's law (V = IR), power equations (P = IV, P = I²R), charge (Q = It), and how to measure these quantities in circuits.
Mapped to the Cambridge IGCSE 0654 syllabus (2025-2027).
The three fundamental quantities; V = IR links them all.
Electric charge (Q):
Electric current (I):
I = Q / t
Potential difference (voltage, V):
V = W / Q
Resistance (R):
V = IR (Ohm's Law)
Ohm's Law: At constant temperature, V is proportional to I.
I-V characteristics:
P = IV and its variants are essential for any calculation involving power or energy in circuits.
Electrical power:
P = IV P = I²R (substitute V = IR) P = V²/R (substitute I = V/R)
Electrical energy:
E = Pt = IVt
Example 1: A 12 V lamp carries 0.5 A. Find power.
P = IV = 12 × 0.5 = 6 W
Example 2: A 60 W lamp is on for 2 hours. Find energy consumed.
E = Pt = 60 × (2 × 3600) = 432 000 J = 432 kJ
Kilowatt-hour (kWh):
Comparing efficiency of electrical devices:
Charge flow:
Q = It
Verbatim phrases and definitions Cambridge mark schemes credit.
Paper 4: 'A resistor has a resistance of 15 Ω and a current of 0.4 A. Calculate the voltage across it' (2 marks — V = 0.4 × 15 = 6 V). 'Calculate the power dissipated' (1 mark — P = IV = 6 × 0.4 = 2.4 W). 'A lamp operates at 230 V and 0.26 A. Calculate the charge flowing in 10 minutes' (2 marks — Q = It = 0.26 × 600 = 156 C). I-V graph: 'Explain why the I-V graph of a filament lamp is not a straight line' (2 marks — as current increases, temperature rises; resistance increases; less current flows than expected for a given V).
Sources: Cambridge IGCSE Coordinated Sciences 0654 syllabus 2025-2027 (P5); 0654 Examiner Reports 2022-2024. Last reviewed 2026-05-14.
Step-by-step solutions to past-paper-style questions on electrical quantities, written exactly the way a tutor would explain them at the board.
Question
A current of 2.5A flows through a wire for 4.0minutes. Calculate the total charge that passes a cross-section of the wire.
Step-by-step solution
Step 1
Convert time to seconds.
t=4.0×60=240s
Step 2
Apply Q=It.
Q=2.5×240=600C
Answer
Q=600C
Question
A potential difference of 12V is applied across a resistor. A current of 0.40A flows. (a) Calculate the resistance. (b) If the potential difference is doubled (temperature unchanged), predict the new current.
Step-by-step solution
Step 1
Calculate resistance using R=V/I.
R=0.4012=30Ω
Step 2
If temperature is unchanged, the resistor is ohmic — R is constant at 30Ω. New PD =24V.
Inew=RV=3024=0.80A
Answer
R=30Ω; new current =0.80A
Question
Sketch I-V characteristic curves for (a) a fixed resistor, (b) a filament lamp, and (c) a diode. Explain the shape of each curve.
Step-by-step solution
Step 1
(a) Fixed resistor: straight line through the origin (symmetric for positive and negative V). Constant gradient = constant resistance = constant V/I → ohmic conductor.
Step 2
(b) Filament lamp: S-shaped curve, symmetric. As current increases, filament heats up → resistance increases → gradient decreases (current increases less steeply). Not ohmic.
Step 3
(c) Diode: for forward bias (V > ~0.6 V for silicon), current increases steeply. For reverse bias, current ≈0 (blocked). The I-V graph is highly asymmetric. Not ohmic.
Answer
Resistor: straight line (ohmic). Filament lamp: S-curve (resistance increases with temperature). Diode: asymmetric — conducts in forward direction only.
The formulae you need to memorise for electrical quantities on the Cambridge IGCSE 0654 paper, with every variable defined in plain English and a note on when to use it.
Q=It
When to use
Finding total charge from current and time.
V=QW
When to use
Relating potential difference to energy transferred per unit charge.
R=IV
When to use
Finding resistance, or checking whether a component is ohmic.
P=IV=I2R=RV2
When to use
Calculating power dissipated in a component when any two of I, V, R are known.
Definitions to memorise and the exact keywords mark schemes credit for electrical quantities answers — sharpened from recent examiner reports for the 2026 0654 sitting.
The rate of flow of charge. I=Q/t; SI unit: ampere (A), where 1A=1C/s.
The energy transferred per unit charge between two points in a circuit. V=W/Q; SI unit: volt (V), where 1V=1J/C.
The opposition to the flow of current. R=V/I; SI unit: ohm (Ω).
The current through a conductor is directly proportional to the potential difference across it, provided temperature (and other physical conditions) remain constant.
A component that obeys Ohm's law — its resistance is constant at constant temperature. A straight-line I-V graph through the origin.
Related: Ohm's law, resistance
The traps other students keep falling into on electrical quantities questions — taken from recent Cambridge IGCSE 0654 examiner reports and mark schemes — and how to avoid them.
Why it happens
Students substitute the number as given without checking units.
How to avoid it
Always check units. Q=It requires t in seconds. Convert: 1 minute = 60 s.
Why it happens
Students know V=IR but not when it applies.
How to avoid it
Always state 'provided temperature (physical conditions) remain constant' when writing Ohm's law. Otherwise resistance changes with temperature (as in a filament lamp).
Why it happens
Garbling multiple power formulas together.
How to avoid it
The three power formulas: P=IV; P=I2R (when V not known); P=V2/R (when I not known). Do not mix terms from different versions.
The things students keep getting wrong in this sub-topic, answered.