Energy Flashcards
Kinetic energy
energy due to the motion of an object
Potential energy
energy that has the potential to do work and so the energy is ‘stored’, such as gravitational energy, elastic energy and chemical energy
Electrical Energy
energy supplied to homes by powerlines and available to your appliances via power outlets in the home
Nuclear energy
energy stored in the nucleus of atoms that can release energy slowly, such as in a nuclear reactor, or quickly, such as in a nuclear explosion
Chemical energy
energy stored in chemicals that, when reacted together such as in burning reactions, release heat, sound or light
Heat
energy that causes objects to gain temperature
Sound
energy carried by the air in a room and detected by the ear
Light
energy that may be released, for example, when an object is hot or by a nuclear reaction in a star
Gravitational energy
the potential energy of an object elevated above the ground
Elastic energy
energy stored by an elastic object that is stretched, such as a spring or rubber band
conduction
transfer of heat through collisions between particles
insulators
a material that is a poor conductor of heat
convection
transfer of heat through the flow of particles
radiation
a method of heat transfer that does not require particles to transfer heat from one place to another
radiant heat
heat transferred by radiation, as from the sun to the Earth
reflected
bounced off
transmitted
passed through something, such as light or sound passing through the air
absorbed
taken in
Mechanical energy
energy associated with the movement and position of things
Law of Conservation of Energy
a law that states that energy cannot be made or lost. However, energy can be transformed from one type to another or transferred from one object to another.
efficiency
the fraction of energy supplied to a device as useful energy. It is usually expressed as a percentage.
Density
The way to see how hard something is.
Thermal energy
Energy that has heat is inside of a thing
deciduous
describes plants that lose their leaves during autumn and winter
luminous
something that is releasing its own light
incandescent
describes objects that emit light when they are hot
bioluminescent
describes living things that release light energy
non-luminous
describes objects that do not emit their own light, but can be seen by reflected light
scattered
describes light sent in many directions by small particles within a substance
visible spectrum
different colours that combine to make up white light; they are separated into rainbows
dispersion
separation of the colours that make up white light. Each colour is bent differently when it enters or leaves a glass prism.
electromagnetic radiation
the radiant energy such as radio waves, infrared, visible light, X-rays and gamma rays released by magnetic or electric fields
electromagnetic spectrum
complete range of wavelengths of energy radiated as electric and magnetic fields
radio waves
low energy electromagnetic waves with a much lower frequency and longer wavelength than visible light
infra-red radiation
low energy electromagnetic waves with a much lower frequency and longer wavelength than visible light
ultraviolet radiation
invisible radiation similar to light but with a slightly higher frequency and more energy
X-rays
high energy electromagnetic waves that can be transmitted through solids and provide information about their structure
gamma rays
high energy electromagnetic radiation produced during the nuclear reaction
vibrations
repeated fast, back-and-forth movements
compression
the process of pushing a material into itself
rarefactions
In sound waves, the layers of air particles that are spread apart (between compressions).
sound waves
vibrations of particles in the air
frequency
number of vibrations in one second, or the number of wavelengths passing in one second
hertz
unit of frequency; its abbreviation is Hz. One hertz is equal to one vibration every second.
pitch
the highness or lowness of a sound. The pitch that you hear depends on the frequency of the vibrating air.
wavelength
a distance between two neighbouring crests or troughs of a wave. This is the distance between two particles vibrating instep.
amplitude
the maximum distance that a particle moves away from its undisturbed position
reverberation
the longer-lasting sound caused by repeated reflection from hard surfaces
