Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Z National 5 Physics > Definitions > Flashcards

Definitions Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
Physics 101 flashcards AP® Physics flashcards
1
Q

converging lens

A

a type of lens which is designed to cause rays to converge towards one another

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

diverging lens

A

a type of lens which is designed to cause rays to diverge away from one another

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

ionisation

A

the process whereby an atom gains or loses an electron

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

absorbed dose

A

When ionising radiation passes through an absorbing medium (e.g. the human body) its nuclear energy is deposited in the absorbing tissue. This is measured by the absorbed dose which is the energy absorbed per unit mass of the absorbing material.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

nuclear fission

A

Nuclear fission takes place when a neutron collides with a large unstable nucleus which is large in mass. This causes it to split into two smaller massed nuclei. At the same time it releases more neutrons and a lot of heat energy.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

nuclear fusion

A

Nuclear fusion takes place when two small nuclei of small mass collide and join to create a larger massed nucleus. At the same time a lot of heat energy is released.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

chain reaction

A

Neutrons go on to produce further fission reactions.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

fuel rods

A

Made of uranium-238 enriched with uranium-235 which produces energy by nuclear fission.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

moderator

A

The moderator, graphite, has the fuel rods embedded in it. It slows down neutrons that are produced in fission, since a nucleus is split more easily by slow moving neutrons.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

control rods

A

The boron control rods control the rate of production of energy. The boron rods absorb neutrons so by lowering them into the reactor, the reaction can be slowed down. In the event of an emergency they are pushed right into the core of the reactor and the chain reaction stops completely.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

coolant

A

A cooling system is needed to cool the reactor and to transfer heat to the boilers in order to generate electricity. British gas-cooled reactors use CO2 as a coolant.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

containment vessel

A

Its made of thick concrete which acts as a shield to absorb neutrons and other radiation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

wave

A

transfers energy from one place to another

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

transverse waves

A

a wave where its particles move perpendicular to the direction of travel. can travel through both a medium and a vacuum

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

longitudinal waves

A

a wave where its particles move parallel to the direction of travel. can travel through a medium only, not a vacuum.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

amplitude

A

vertical distance from the equilibrium position to either the crest or trough.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

frequency

A

number of waves per second that passes a particular point

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

period

A

time taken for one complete wave to pass a particular point.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

diffraction

A

the effect of waves bending when they meet obstacles

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

ultrasound

A

has a higher frequency than 20,00Hz and cannot be heard by humans.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

normal

A

a dotted line that exists at 90* to the boundary between two different mediums where the wave enters the boundary.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

angle of incidence

A

the angle between the normal and the incident ray

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

angle of reflection

A

the angle between the normal and the reflected ray

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

angle of refraction

A

the angle between the normal and the refracted ray.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

critical angle

A

the angle of incidence that produces an angle of refraction of 90*

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

reflection

A

the deflection of a wave without any absorption of it taking place.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

refraction

A

the process whereby a wave experiences a change in speed and hence direction when it crosses a boundary between two different mediums at an angle of incidence that is greater than zero.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

dispersion

A

the process whereby white light is separated into its component colours though the use of a lens.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

total internal reflection

A

the process whereby the angle of incidence of a wave exceeds the critical angle and the wave is reflected within the medium it enters without crossing the boundary to a second medium and exiting it as a consequence.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

lenses

A

an object made of transparent material which is designed to refract waves

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

scalar

A

a physical quantity that possesses a magnitude and unit only.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

vector

A

a physical quantity that possesses a direction, magnitude and unit.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

velocity

A

the rate of change in displacement

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

speed

A

the rate of change in distance

35
Q

displacement

A

the straight line distance from the start to finish points.

36
Q

resultant

A

the equivalent to the combined effect of two or more component vectors acting at the same point.

37
Q

acceleration

A

the rate of change in velocity

38
Q

force

A

the interaction between objects that causes them to change speed, direction and/or shape.

39
Q

Newton’s First Law of Motion

A

An object will continue to travel at a constant speed in a straight line unless it is acted upon by an unbalanced force.

40
Q

Newton’s Second Law of Motion

A

The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the magnitude of the unbalanced force acting upon it and is inversely proportional to its mass.

41
Q

Newton’s Third Law of Motion

A

If object A exerts a force on object B, then object B will exert an equal but opposite force on object A. (every action has an equal but opposite reaction)

42
Q

balanced forces

A

Forces that act in opposite directions but are equal in magnitude. The resultant force is 0 N.

43
Q

unbalanced force

A

forces are not balanced and so the resultant force is non zero.

44
Q

friction

A

a force that opposes the direction of movement of an object.

45
Q

weight

A

the force exerted on an object by the pull of gravity of Earth.

46
Q

mass

A

the amount of matter contained within an object

47
Q

gravitational field strength

A

the ratio of weight to mass

48
Q

projectile motion

A

An object will exhibit this when it is travelling horizontally and vertically at the same time. The object travels at a constant velocity horizontally and accelerates uniformly vertically.

49
Q

light year

A

the distance light travels in one year.

1 ly = 9.5 x 10^15 m

50
Q

geostationary satellite

A

a satellite that is positioned above a point on the Earth’s surface. Its period of orbit is equal to Earths.

51
Q

continuous spectrum

A

a spectrum that contains a continuum of visible wavelengths

52
Q

line spectra

A

a bright line formed as part of an emission or absorption spectrum.

53
Q

current

A

the electrical current electric charge transferred per unit time.

54
Q

alternating current (a.c.)

A

the current constantly changes its value and changes direction at regular time intervals flowing first one way then the other.

55
Q

direct current (d.c.)

A

a continuous current flowing in only one direction.

56
Q

potential difference (voltage)

A

it is a measure of the energy given to the electrons. The potential difference of a supply is a measure of the energy given to the electrical charge carriers in a circuit.

57
Q

resistance

A

the opposition of a conductor in a circuit to the flow of a current through that conductor in a circuit

58
Q

ohm’s law states that

A

the current flowing through a conductor is directly proportional to the potential difference (voltage) across it at a constant temperature within the conductor itself.

59
Q

series circuit

A

where the current only has one path to flow through and follow

60
Q

parallel circuit

A

where the current has more than one path to flow through and follow. there is at least one point in the circuit where there is a choice of paths.

61
Q

electronic system

A

a series of electronic parts connected together to perform a particular function.

62
Q

input device

A

an electrical component which transforms one form of energy into electrical energy

63
Q

process device

A

an electrical component which transforms the electrical signal received from the input device into a useable form and transmits it to the output device

64
Q

output device

A

an electrical component which transforms electrical energy into another form of energy

65
Q

potential (voltage) divider

A

They are used to split a potential difference. They are a device or circuit that uses two or more resistors / a variable resistor to provide a fraction of the available voltage from the supply. The supply voltage is divided across the resistors in direct proportion to their individual resistances. The p.d. across any single resistor depends upon what proportion its resistance is of the total resistance of the circuit.

66
Q

transistor

A

Can be used as an electronic switch. A transistor has three connections called the emitter base and collector.

67
Q

threshold voltage

A

By applying a p.d. between the base and emitter, the transistor can be made to conduct through the emitter and collector. The p.d. required to switch on the transistor (the threshold voltage) is 0.7 V or above.

68
Q

power

A

the rate at which appliances transform energy is defined as electrical power.

69
Q

energy

A

a measure of the ability of a system to do work

70
Q

law of conservation of energy

A

states that energy cannot be created or destroyed only transformed from one form into another or transferred from one object to another. The total amount of energy remains constant during energy transfers.

71
Q

efficiency

A

is a measure of the proportion of the total input energy that is transformed into useful output energy

72
Q

work done

A

a measure of energy transformed.

73
Q

gravitational potential energy

A

a measure of work done against gravity

74
Q

kinetic energy

A

The energy associated with a moving object. The kinetic energy of a moving object depends upon the mass of the object and on the square of its speed.

75
Q

temperature

A

a measure of how hot or cold and object is and is defined as the mean kinetic energy of its particles - the greater the temperature of an object the greater kinetic energy the particles will gave.

76
Q

heat energy

A

A form of energy transferred between objects at different temperatures. The greater the temperature difference between objects, the greater the rate of transfer of energy will take place.

77
Q

specific heat capacity

A

the amount of heat energy required to change the temperature of a mass of one kilogram by one degree Celsius.

78
Q

specific latent heat

A

the amount of heat energy that is required to change the state of a mass of one kilogram at either its melting or boiling point at the same temperature depending upon the change of state that is occurring.

79
Q

specific latent heat of fusion

A

the heat energy required to change a mass of one kilogram of substance from a solid at its melting point to a liquid at the same temperature.

80
Q

specific latent heat of vaporisation

A

the heat energy required to change a mass of one kilogram of substance from a liquid at its boiling point to a gas at the same temperature.

81
Q

pressure

A

It is caused by the particles of gas colliding with a boundary such as a container wall. It is also caused by a force pushing against something.

82
Q

absolute zero

A

the temperature at which gas particles cease to move, have zero kinetic energy and so exerts no pressure.

83
Q

kelvin scale of temperature

A

a division on the kelvin temperature scale is the same magnitude as one division on the Celsius temperature scale so temperature differences as the same in Kelvin as in Celsius. A 1*C change is the same as a 1 K change.

84
Q

N (when referring to waves)

A

number of waves contained within a distance

Z National 5 Physics (5 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions