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Physics HL > Definitions - ALL > Flashcards

Definitions - ALL Flashcards

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1
Q

Instantaneous Speed

A

the rate of change of distance at one particular time

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2
Q

Projectile Motion

A

a projectile is an object moving through the air under the influence of only one force (gravity) - trajectory is a parabola

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3
Q

Terminal Velocity

A

when the upwards air resistance is equal to the downwards gravitational force, the object will no longer accelerate and has reached terminal velocity

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4
Q

Newton’s First Law

A

“an object continues in uniform motion in a straight line or at rest unless a resultant external force acts.”

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5
Q

Newton’s Second Law

A

“the resultant force on an object is proportional to the acceleration providing the mass of the object remains constant.”

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6
Q

Newton’s Third Law

A

“for every action on one object there is an equal but opposite reaction on another object.”
i.e. forces come in pairs and will be of the same type

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7
Q

Hooke’s Law

A

the extension of a spring is proportional to the applied force
F=K change in X

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8
Q

Work

A

said to be done when an object moves through a displacement
therefore it is a transfer of energy

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9
Q

Power

A

the rate at which work is done or energy is transferred

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10
Q

Linear Momentum

A

the product of mass and velocity

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11
Q

Conservation of Momentum

A

“the total linear momentum of a system remains constant provided no resultant external force acts.”

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12
Q

Displacement - oscillations

A

instantaneous distance from the equilibrium position in a specific direction (m)

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13
Q

amplitude - oscillations

A

the maximum displacement from the equilibrium position (m)

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14
Q

frequency - oscillations

A

number of oscillations per second (Hz)

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15
Q

period - oscillations

A

time for one oscillation (s)

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16
Q

phase - oscillations

A

measure of how “in step” different particles are (one cycle = 360 degrees or 2pi radians)

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17
Q

Simple Harmonic Motion

A

is a type of oscillation where the objects acceleration (and hence force) is:
- proportional to the objects displacement from the equilibrium position
- but in the opposite direction to displacement

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18
Q

Longitudinal Waves

A

the particles in the medium vibrate parallel to the direction of energy transfer

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19
Q

Transverse Waves

A

the particles of the medium vibrate at right angles to the direction of energy transfer

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20
Q

Displacement - waves

A

distance the medium has moved from the equilibrium position in a particular direction

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21
Q

Frequency - waves

A

number of complete waves passing a point per second (Hz)

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22
Q

Period - waves

A

time for one complete oscillation of the medium (or time for one complete wave to pass a given point)

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23
Q

Wavelength

A

shortest distance between two points that are in phase along a wave

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24
Q

Wave Speed

A

distance travelled per unit time by the energy of the wave

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25
Q

Amplitude - waves

A

maximum displacement of the medium from the equilibrium position

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26
Q

Intensity of a wave

A

power per unit area received by an observer

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27
Q

Total Internal Reflection

A

will occur when:
- light is travelling from a more to a less optically dense medium
- the angle of incidence at the boundary is greater than the critical angle

28
Q

Diffraction

A

when waves move past an obstacle or through a gap, they tend to spread out - longer the wavelength the more they spread out

29
Q

Principle of Superposition

A

if two or more waves meet, the resultant displacement at any point is found by adding the displacements produced by each individual wave

30
Q

Conditions for formation of standing waves

A

the two waves of the same type meet they must be:
- of the same amplitude
- of the same frequency
- travelling in opposite directions

31
Q

Polarisation

A

if and EM wave such as light is polarised, the electric field vector is oscillating in one plane only

32
Q

Brewster’s Law

A

when light reflects off a surface it will be polarised in the plane of the surface
if angle between reflected ray an refracted ray = 90 degrees then polarisation is 100%

33
Q

Malus’ Law

A

polarising filters
is unpolarised light passes through a polariser it will be reduced by half

34
Q

Newton’s Law of Gravitation

A

every single point mass attracts every other point mass with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of their separation

35
Q

Gravitational Field

A

a region of space where a mass experiences a force because of its mass

36
Q

Gravitational Field Strength

A

the force per unit mass experienced by a small point test mass placed in the field

37
Q

Avogadro constant (NA)

A

the number of atoms in 12g of 12C

38
Q

boiling

A

takes place throughout a liquid and always occurs at the same temperature

39
Q

Boyle’s law

A

at a constant temperature, the pressure of a gas is inversely proportional to its volume

40
Q

Charles’ law

A

at a constant pressure, the volume of a gas is proportional to its temperature (in K)

41
Q

evaporation

A

takes place at the surface of a liquid and can happen at all temperatures

42
Q

internal energy

A

the sum of the total intermolecular potential energy and the total random kinetic energy of the molecules in a substance

43
Q

isothermal

A

constant temperature

44
Q

molar mass

A

the mass of one mole of a substance

45
Q

mole (m)

A

the amount of a substance that contains the same number
of atoms or molecules as the number of atoms in 12g of 12C

46
Q

pressure law

A

at a constant volume, the pressure of a gas is proportional to its temperature (in K)

47
Q

specific heat capacity (c)

A

the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of the unit mass of a substance by 1K

48
Q

specific latent heat (L)

A

the amount of energy per unit mass of a substance
absorbed or released during a change of phase (with no temperature change)

49
Q

temperature

A

a measure of the average random kinetic energy of the molecules in a substance

50
Q

thermal capacity (C)

A

the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of an object by 1K

51
Q

thermal equilibrium

A

a situation where objects are at the same temperature

52
Q

thermal energy

A

the energy that is being transferred between two objects of different temperatures

53
Q

Main Properties of an Ideal Gas

A
  • undergo perfectly elastic collisions between themselves and the walls of their container
  • have no intermolecular forces between them (therefore internal energy = total kinetic energy)
  • follows the three gas laws
    this model breaks down at low temperatures and high pressures
54
Q

Electric Field

A

a region of space where a charged object experiences a force due to its charge

55
Q

Electric Field Strength

A

the force per unit charge that a experienced by a small positive test charge when placed in the field

56
Q

Potential Difference

A

the work done (or energy transferred) when one unit of charge moves between two points

57
Q

Current

A

the rate of flow of electric charge

58
Q

Resistance

A

the ratio of potential difference across the component to current flowing through the component

59
Q

Ohm’s Law

A

the current flowing through a piece of metal is proportional to the potential difference across it providing the temperature is constant

60
Q

Light Dependent Resistors

A

as the light intensity decreases the resistance of the LDR increases

61
Q

Thermistors

A

as the temperature increases, the resistance of the thermistor decreases

62
Q

Electrical Power

A

amount of energy used or supplied per unit time

63
Q

EMF

A

energy supplied per unit charge by the power source to the circuit

64
Q

Isotopes

A

different nuclei of an element that have different number of neutrons

65
Q

Half Life

A

the time taken for half of the nuclei in a sample to decay (or for the activity to fall to 50% of the initial value)

Physics HL (13 decks)

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