Energy Flashcards
a law that states that energy cannot be made or lost. The energy can then be transformed from one type to another or transferred from one object to another
Law of Conservation of Energy
the energy made available by the flow of electric charge through a conductor
electrical energy
energy stored due to the height of an object above a base level
gravitational potential energy
potential energy derived from chemical reactions
chemical energy
the potential energy stored in a stretched elastic material
elastic potential energy
the energy stored at the centre of atoms, the tiny particles that make up all substances
nuclear energy
the fraction of energy supplied to a device as useful energy
efficiency
transfer of heat through the flow of particles
convection
a method of heat transfer that does not require particles to transfer heat from one place to another
radiation
heat transferred by radiation, such as the Sun to the Earth
radiant heat
bounced off of something
reflected
passed through something, such as light or sound passing through air
transmitted
taken in
absorbed
transfer of heat through collisions between particles
conduction
a material that is a poor conductor of heat
insulators
describes plants that lose their leaves during autumn and winter
deciduous
an object that gives off its own light
luminous
describes objects that emit light when they are hot
incandescent
living things that release light
bioluminescent
describes objects that do not emit their own light, but can be seen by reflected light
non-luminous
describes light sent in many directions by small particles within a substance
scattered
different colours that combine to make up white light; they are separated in rainbows
visible spectrum
separation of the colours that make up white light
dispersion
the radiant energy such as radio waves, infrared, visible light, X-rays and gamma rays released by magnetic or electric fields
electromagnetic radiation
complete range of wavelengths of energy radiated as electric and magnetic fields
electromagnetic spectrum
low energy electromagnetic waves with a much lower frequency and longer wavelength than visible light
radio waves
low energy electromagnetic waves with a much lower frequency and longer wavelength than visible light
infra-red radiation
invisible radiation similar to light but with a slightly higher frequency and more energy
ultraviolet radiation
high energy electromagnetic waves that can be transmitted through solids and provide information about their structure
X-rays
high energy electromagnetic radiation produced during nuclear reaction
gamma rays
repeated fast, back-and-forth movements
vibrations
the process of pushing a material into itself
compression
in sound waves, the layers of air particles that are spread apart (between compressions)
rarefactions
vibrations of particles in the air
sound waves
number of vibrations in one second, or the number of wavelengths passing in one second
frequency
unit of frequency; its abbreviation is Hz. One hertz is equal to one vibration every second.
hertz
the highness or lowness of a sound. The pitch that you hear depends on the frequency of the vibrating air.
pitch
distance between two neighbouring crests or troughs of a wave
wavelength
maximum distance that a particle moves away from its undisturbed position
amplitude
longer-lasting sound caused by repeated reflection from hard surfaces
reverberation
