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Definitions Flashcards

1
Q

Speed

A

Distance travelled per unit time

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2
Q

Velocity

A

Rate of change of displacement

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3
Q

Acceleration

A

Rate of change of velocity

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4
Q

Mass

A

Mass is the amount of matter in a body

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5
Q

Weight

A

Amount of gravitational force acting on a body

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6
Q

Gravitational Field

A

A region in which a mass experiences a force due to gravitational attraction

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7
Q

Gravitational Field Strength

A

gravitational force acting per unit mass placed at that point.

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8
Q

Inertia

A

Reluctance of a body to change its state of rest or motion due to its mass

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9
Q

Moment

A

product of the force and the perpendicular distance from pivot to force

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10
Q

Principle of Moments

A

For a body in an equilibrium (balanced), the total sum of clockwise moments about any point is equal to the total sum of anti-clockwise moments about the same point.

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11
Q

Center of Gravity

A

a point where all the weight of the object appears to act on, regardless of its orientation.

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12
Q

Pressure

A

force acting per unit area.

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13
Q

Pascal’s Principle

A

A pressure applied to an enclosed liquid will betransmitted equallyto all parts of the liquid.

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14
Q

Energy

A

the capacity to do work

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15
Q

Principle of conservation of energy

A

Energy cannot be created or destroyed. Energy can be transferred from one store to another. The total energy of an isolated* system is constant

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16
Q

Kinetic Energy

A

energy possessed by an object due to its motion

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17
Q

Gravitational Potential Energy

A

Energy possessed by an object due its mass and position in a gravitational field

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18
Q

Work

A

product of the force and the distance moved by the object in the direction of the force.

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19
Q

Power

A

Power is defined as rate of energy transfer

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20
Q

Efficiency

A

Efficiency is the ratio of useful energy output to the total energy input as a percentage

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21
Q

Conduction

A

transfer of thermal energy due to collisions/vibrations of particles

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22
Q

Convection

A

Transfer of thermal energy by means of convection currents of a fluid, due to a difference in density

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23
Q

Radiation

A

Transfer of thermal energy by infrared radiation without the need for a medium

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24
Q

Specific Heat Capacity

A

amount of thermal energy required to raise the temperature of a unit mass (e.g. 1 kg) of a substance by 1 K (or 1°C).

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25
Specific Latent Heat of Fusion
Amount of thermal energy required to change a unit mass (e.g. 1 kg) of the substance from a solid state to a liquid state (or vice versa), without a change in temperature
26
Temperature
average kinetic energy of all the particles in the body.
27
Internal Energy
total kinetic energy associated with the motion of the particles and the total potential energy between intermolecular forces
28
Waves
transfer of energy through a medium with no net movement of medium
29
Frequency
number of complete waves produced per second
30
Wavelength
Shortest Distance between two consecutive throughs or crests or any two points in phase
31
Period
Time taken for one complete wave to be produced
32
Amplitude
Maximum displacement of wave from rest or equillibrium position
33
In phase
Any two points on a wave that have the same displacement from rest position and moving in the same direction
34
Wavefront
An imaginary line on the wave that connects all adjacent points that are in phase.
35
Transverse Wave
Wave which travel in a direction perpendicular to the vibration of particles
36
Longitudinal Waves
Waves which travel in a direction parallel to the vibration of particles
37
Ultrasound
Sound with frequencies above the upper limit of human range of audibility
38
Refraction
bending of light due to a change in speed of light as light rays travel from one optical medium to another medium.
39
Total internal reflection
Complete reflection of a light ray in an optically denser medium at the boundary with an optically less dense medium
40
Critical angle
Angle of incidence in the optically denser medium where the an angle of refraction in the optically less dense medium is 90°.
41
Focal Point
Point where a parallel beam of light will converge at after passing through the lens.
42
Focal Length
Distance between the centre of the lens and the focal point.
43
Law of electrostatics
Unlike charges attract and like charges repel
44
Electric field
An electric field is region in which an electric charge experiences a force.
45
Current
rate of flow of electric charge.
46
Potential Difference
the work done to drive unit charge through the component.
47
e.m.f
work done by the source in driving unit charge around a complete circuit.
48
resistance
ratio of the potential difference across it to the current flowing through it.
49
Transducers
transducer is an electrical device that converts energy from one form to another
50
Ohms Law
Current through a metallic conductor is directly proportional to the potential difference across it, provided that physical conditions (such as temperature) remain constant
51
Semiconductor diode
Device that allows current to flow in one direction only
52
Magnetic Field
Magnetic field is a region in which the force of magnetism acts.
53
North Pole of a Magnet
End of the magnet that points to the Earth’s Geographical North Pole
54
Split-ring commutator
reverse the direction of the current in the coil every half a revolution so that the coil continues to turn in the same direction.
55
Faradays Law
Magnitude of the induced electromotive force in any closed circuit is directly proportional to the rate of change of the magnetic flux through the circuit.
56
Lenz Law
Direction of the induced e.m.f. (and hence the direction of the induced current) in a closed circuit is such that its magnetic effect always opposes the change causing it
57
a.c current
electric current that changes its direction of flow with time
58
Alternating Voltage
Positive and negative terminals of electrical source switches at regular intervals
59
Slip rings
provide an electrical contact between carbon brushes and the coil
60
Proton number
number of protons of an element
61
Nucleon number
Total number of neutrons and protons in the nucleus of an atom
62
Isotopes
Atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons but different number of neutrons
63
Radioactive decay
Random and spontaneous process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses its energy by emission of electromagnetic radiation or particle(s).
64
Half-life
time taken for half the remaining unstable nuclei in a radioactive sample to decay.
65
Nuclear fission
Process in which the nucleus of an atom splits and releases a huge amount of energy.
66
Nuclear fusion
process in which 2 light atomic nuclei combine to form one heavier atomic nucleus and releases a huge amount of energy.

Physics (7 decks)

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