Physics on the GED is not about equations - it is about causes. Questions describe a scenario (a ball rolls, a spring compresses, a circuit lights a bulb) and ask what changed, what stayed constant, or what would happen under a new condition. The math stays at multiply-and-divide level, and formulas you do need are either basic or handed to you. This page covers the four physics clusters the test actually draws from: force and motion, work and energy, electricity and circuits, and waves - each at exactly the depth the exam demands, no deeper.
Force and Motion
Force is a push or pull measured in newtons, and Newton's first law is the concept the GED tests most: an object keeps doing what it is doing - rest or constant-speed motion - until an unbalanced force acts on it. Friction is that unbalanced force in everyday life, which is why a sliding book slows and a pushed one keeps going while your hand contacts it. Second law shows up qualitatively: same push on a heavier object means less acceleration; twice the force on the same mass means twice the acceleration. Balanced forces never appear in acceleration questions - if the answer choice mentions two equal opposing forces causing motion, it is wrong. Motion graphs carry the rest: flat position line means stationary, steep line means fast, curved line means changing speed.
Work and Energy
Work requires all three ingredients: a force, movement in the force's direction, and their product - a teacher holding a bag all day does zero physical work on it, because the bag does not move. Energy is the capacity to do work, measured in joules, and it arrives in two costumes: kinetic (motion) and potential (position or stretch). The conservation rule - energy transforms between forms but is never created or destroyed - answers most energy questions: a roller coaster trading height for speed, a spring releasing what compression stored, a pendulum sloshing between the two. Power is simply work over time, which is why a steeper ramp or quicker lift demands more of it. Everyday energy questions often disguise themselves as fuel, electricity bills, or calorie counts - same conservation logic, different units.
Electricity and Circuits
Current is moving charge, voltage is the pressure pushing it, and resistance opposes it - Ohm's law (V = I x R) shows up mostly as a relationship question: raise resistance under the same voltage and current drops. Series circuits run one path, so one dead bulb darkens all; parallel circuits branch, so neighbors survive independently, which is why household wiring parallels everything. Power dissipated as heat explains why longer wires or thinner ones get warmer - resistance climbs with both. Insulators versus conductors, fuse and breaker purpose, and short-circuit behavior round out the cluster. Diagrams dominate here: trace the path before answering, and for parallel questions, count branches - each branch sees the full voltage.
Waves and Sound
A wave transfers energy without transferring matter - the ocean's crest races toward shore while each water molecule stays home. Frequency is cycles per second (pitch for sound, color for light), amplitude carries energy (loudness, brightness), and wavelength times frequency equals wave speed, constant in a given medium. The GED asks what happens when a wave changes medium (speed and direction bend, frequency stays put) and how crest meets crest (constructive interference amplifies; crest meets trough cancels). Light and radio, sound and seismic - the source changes, the wave logic does not. Expect one or two items from this cluster, always conceptual, rarely any calculation.
GED Physics - Frequently Asked Questions
How much physics is on the GED Science test?
Physical science covers about 40 percent of the exam, split between chemistry and physics. Force, energy, and circuits appear consistently; waves show up less often but reliably.
Do I need formulas for GED physics?
Almost none. The relationships above - balanced forces, conservation of energy, Ohm's law - answer questions at the concept level. Anything quantitative stays at single-step multiply or divide.
What is the most-tested physics idea?
Newton's first law and energy conservation, in that order. Master unbalanced-versus-balanced forces and the kinetic-potential energy trade, and you have covered the majority of physics points available.
Physics and chemistry together complete physical science - review GED chemistry basics next, then use the Science help page to prioritize. Would rather skip the exam itself? Hire a professional test taker - confidential, USA-based, 98.6% pass rate, results in 2 to 5 business days.