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Key Terms Flashcards

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1
Q

What is acceleration?

A

Change of velocity per second.

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2
Q

What is activity?

A

The number of atoms of a radioactive substance that decay each second.

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3
Q

What is alpha radiation?

A

Alpha particles consisting of two protons and two neutrons emitted by unstable nuclei.

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4
Q

What is alternating current?

A

Electric current in a circuit that repeatedly reverses its direction.

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5
Q

What is amplitude?

A
  • The height of a wave crest or a wave trough of a transverse wave from the rest position.
  • The maximum distance moved by an oscillating object from its equilibrium position.
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6
Q

What is an angle of incidence?

A

Angle between the incident ray and the normal?

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7
Q

What is the angle of reflection?

A

Angle between the reflected ray and normal.

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8
Q

What is an a-scan?

A

An ultrasound scan used to measure the distance between two boundaries that partially reflect ultrasound.

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9
Q

What is an atomic nucleus?

A

Tiny positively charged object composed of protons and neutrons at the centre of every atom.

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10
Q

What is an atomic number?

A

The number of protons in an atom.

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11
Q

What is a band?

A

The part of the radio and microwave spectrum used for communications.

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12
Q

What is base load?

A

Constant amount of electricity generated by power stations.

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13
Q

What is beta radiation?

A

Beta particles that are high-energy electrons created in and emitted from unstable nuclei.

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14
Q

What is the Big Bang Theory?

A

The theory that the universe was created in a massive explosion and the universe has been expanding ever since.

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15
Q

What is a black dwarf?

A

A star that has faded out and gone cold.

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16
Q

What is a black hole?

A

An object in space that has so much mass that nothing can escape from its gravitational field.

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17
Q

What is blue-shift?

A
  • Decrease in the wavelength of electromagnetic waves emitted by a star or galaxy due to its motion towards us.
  • The greater the speed, the greater the blue-shift.
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18
Q

What is braking distance?

A

The distance travelled by a vehicle during the time its brakes act.

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19
Q

What is a cable?

A

Two or three insulated wires surrounded by an outer layer of rubber or flexible plastic.

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20
Q

What is camera?

A

An instrument for photographing an object by using a converging lens to form a real image of the object in a lightproof box.

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21
Q

What is carbon capture and storage?

A

Capture of CO2 from burning fossil fuels.

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22
Q

What is a CCD?

A
  • Charge-coupled device.

- Used to record and display an image.

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23
Q

What is the centre of mass?

A

The point where an object’s mass may be thought to be concentrated.

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24
Q

What is centripetal acceleration?

A
  • The acceleration of an object moving in a circle at constant speed.
  • Acts towards the centre of the circle.
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25
Q

What is a chain reaction?

A
  • Reactions in which one reaction causes further reactions.

- Nuclear chain reaction occurs when fission neutrons cause further fission.

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26
Q

What is chemical energy?

A

Energy of an object due to chemical reactions in it.

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27
Q

What is a circuit breaker?

A

An electromagnetic switch that opens and cuts the current off if too much current passes through it.

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28
Q

What is conservation of energy?

A

The idea that energy cannot be created or destroyed.

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29
Q

What is conservation of momentum?

A
  • In a closed system, the total momentum before an event is equal to the total momentum after the event.
  • Momentum is conserved in any collision or explosion provided no external forces act on the objects.
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30
Q

What is a control rod?

A

Metal rod used to absorb excess fission neutrons so only one fission neutron goes on to produce further fission.

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31
Q

What are control rods made of?

A

Boron or cadmium

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32
Q

What is a converging lens?

A

A lens that makes light rays parallel to the principal axis coverage to a point.

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33
Q

What is a coolant?

A

Fluid in a sealed circuit pumped through the core of a nuclear reactor to remove energy to a heat exchanger.

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34
Q

What is cosmic microwave background radiation?

A

Electromagnetic radiation that has been travelling through space since the Big Bang.

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35
Q

What is a Coulomb?

A
  • The unit of electrical charge.

- Equal to the charge passing a point in a circuit in 1 second when the current is 1A.

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36
Q

What is a CT scanner?

A

A medical scanner that uses X-rays to produce a digital image of any cross section through the body or an organ.

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37
Q

What is deceleration?

A

Change of velocity per second when an object slows down.

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38
Q

What is density?

A

Mass be unit volume of a substance.

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39
Q

What is diffraction?

A

The spreading of waves when they pass through a gap or around the edges of an obstacle which has a similar size as the wavelength of the waves.

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40
Q

What is a Dioptre?

A

Unit of lens power.

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41
Q

What is direct current?

A

Electric current in a circuit that is in one direction only.

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42
Q

What is a diverging lens?

A

A lens that makes light rays parallel to the axis diverge as if from a single point.

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43
Q

What is the Doppler effect?

A

The change of wavelength of the waves from a moving source due to the motion of the source towards or away from the observer.

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44
Q

What is drag force?

A

A force opposing the motion of an object due to fluid flowing past the object as it moves.

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45
Q

Define earthed.

A

Connected to the ground by means of a conducting lead or wire.

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46
Q

What is an echo?

A

Reflection of sound that can be heard.

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47
Q

What is efficiency?

A

Useful energy transferred by a device divided by the total energy supplied to the device.

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48
Q

What is effort?

A

-The force applied to a device used to raise a weight or shift an object.

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49
Q

What is elastic?

A

A material is elastic if it is able to regain its shape after it has been squashed or stretched.

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50
Q

What is elastic potential energy?

A

Energy stored in an elastic object when work is done to change its shape.

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51
Q

What is electric current?

A
  • Flow of electric charge.

- The size of an electric current is the rate of flow of charge.

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52
Q

What is electrical energy?

A

Energy transferred by the movement of electrical charge.

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53
Q

What is an electricity meter?

A

Meter in the home that measures the amount of electrical energy supplied.

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54
Q

What is electromagnetic induction?

A

The process of inducing a potential difference in a wire by moving the wire so it cuts across the lines of force of a magnetic field.

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55
Q

What are electromagnetic waves?

A
  • Electric and magnetic disturbances that transfer energy from one place to another.
  • The spectrum is ordered in increasing wavelengths.
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56
Q

What is the far point?

A
  • The furthest point from an eye at which an object can be seen in focus by the eye.
  • The far point of a normal eye is at infinity.
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57
Q

What is a focal length?

A

The distance from the centre of a lens to the point where light rays parallel to the principal axis are focused.

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58
Q

What can a force do?

A

Change the motion of an object.

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59
Q

What is a free electron?

A

Electron that moves about freely inside a metal and is not held inside an atom.

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60
Q

What is frequency?

A

The number of wave crests passing a fixed point every second.

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61
Q

What is frequency of an alternating current?

A

The number of complete cycles an alternating passes through each second.

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62
Q

What is frequency of oscillating motion?

A

Number of complete cycles of oscillation per second equal to 1/the time period.

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63
Q

What is a fuse?

A

A fuse contains a thin wire that melts and cuts the current off if too much current passes through it.

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64
Q

What is gamma radiation?

A

Electromagnetic radiation emitted from unstable nuclei in radioactive substances.

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65
Q

What is geothermal energy?

A

Energy from hot underground rocks.

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66
Q

What is gravitational field strength?

A

The force of gravity of an object of mass 1kg.

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67
Q

What is gravitational potential energy?

A

Energy of an object due to its position in a gravitational field.

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68
Q

What is the half-life of a radioactive isotope?

A

Average time taken for the number of nuclei of the isotope in a sample to halve.

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69
Q

What is a high mass star?

A

A star that has a much greater mass than the Sun.

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70
Q

What is Hooke’s Law?

A

The extension of a spring is directly proportional to the force applied provided its limit of proportionality is not exceeded.

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71
Q

What is hydraulic pressure?

A

The pressure in the liquid in a hydraulic arm.

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72
Q

What is infrared radiation?

A

Electromagnetic waves between visible light and microwaves in the electromagnetic spectrum.

73
Q

What is ionisation?

A

Any process in which atoms become charged.

74
Q

What is a Joule?

A

The unit of energy.

75
Q

What is a kilowatt?

A

1000 Watts

76
Q

What is a kilowatt-hour?

A

Electrical energy supplied to a 1kW electrical device in 1 hour.

77
Q

What is kinetic energy?

A
  • Energy of a moving object due to its motion.

- KE = mass x speed^2

78
Q

What is the limit of proportionality?

A

The limit for Hooke’s Law applied to the extension of a stretched spring.

79
Q

What is a line of action?

A

The line along which a force acts.

80
Q

What is the line of a force?

A
  • Line in a magnetic field along which magnetic compasses point.
  • a.k.a magnetic field line.
81
Q

What is a load?

A
  • The weight of an object raised by a device used to lift the object.
  • The force applied by a device when it is used to shift an object.
82
Q

What is long sight?

A

An eye that cannot focus on nearby objects but can focus on distant objects.

83
Q

What is a longitudinal wave?

A

A wave in which the vibrations are parallel to the direction of energy transfer.

84
Q

What is a low mass star?

A

A star that has a much smaller mass than the Sun.

85
Q

What are magnetic poles?

A

Ends of a bar magnet or a magnetic compass.

86
Q

What is magnification?

A

image height / object height

87
Q

What is a magnifying glass?

A

A converging lens used to magnify a small object which must be placed between the lens and its focal point.

88
Q

What is a main sequence star?

A

The main stage is the life of a star during which it radiates energy because of fusion of hydrogen nuclei in its core.

89
Q

What is mass?

A
  • The quantity of matter in an object.

- A measure of the difficulty of changing the motion of an object.

90
Q

What is a mechanical wave?

A

Vibration that travels through a substance.

91
Q

What is a moderator?

A

A solid or liquid used in a nuclear reactor to slow fission neutrons down so they can cause further fission.

92
Q

What is a moment?

A
  • The turning effect of a force defined by the equation.

- moment of the force = force x perpendicular distance from the pivot to the line of action.

93
Q

What is momentum?

A

mass x velocity

94
Q

What is the motor effect?

A

When a current is passed along a wire in a magnetic field and the wire is not parallel to the lines of the magnetic field, a force is exerted on the wire by the magnetic field.

95
Q

What is the National Grid?

A

The network of cables and transformers used to transfer electricity from power stations to consumers.

96
Q

What is a near point?

A
  • The nearest point to an eye at which an object can be seen in focus by the eye.
  • The near point of a normal eye is 25cm.
97
Q

What is a neutral wire?

A

The wire of a mains circuit that is earthed at the local sub-station so its potential is close to zero.

98
Q

What is a neutron star?

A

The highly compressed core of a massive star that remains after a supernova explosion.

99
Q

What is a Newton?

A

The unit of force.

100
Q

What is the normal?

A

Straight line through a surface or boundary perpendicular to the surface or boundary.

101
Q

What is the North pole?

A

North-pointing end of a freely suspended bar magnet or of a magnetic compass.

102
Q

What is nuclear fission?

A

The process in which certain nuclei spilt into two fragments, releasing energy and two or three neutrons as a result.

103
Q

What is nuclear fusion?

A

The process in which small nuclei are forced together so they fuse with each other to form a larger nucleus.

104
Q

What is Ohm’s Law?

A

The current through a resistor at constant temperature is directly proportional to the potential difference across the resistor.

105
Q

What is an Ohmic conductor?

A

A conductor that has a constant resistance and therefore obeys Ohm’s law.

106
Q

What is optical fibre?

A

Thin glass fibre used to send light signals along.

107
Q

Define oscillate.

A

Move to and fro about a certain position.

108
Q

What is oscillating motion?

A

Motion of any object that moves to and fro along the same line.

109
Q

What is an oscilloscope?

A

A device used to display the shape of an electrical wave.

110
Q

What is a parallel setup?

A

Components connected in a circuit so that the potential difference is the same across each one.

111
Q

What is a Pascal?

A

The unit of pressure.

112
Q

What is pitch?

A

The pitch of a sound increases if the frequency of the sound waves increases.

113
Q

What is a pivot?

A

The point about which an object turns when acted on by a force that makes it turn.

114
Q

What is a planet?

A
  • A large object that moves in an orbit round a star.

- Reflects light from the star.

115
Q

What is a plug?

A

A plug has an insulated case and is used to connect the cable from an appliance to a socket.

116
Q

What is potential difference?

A

A measure of the work done or energy transferred to the lamp by each coulomb of charge that passes through it.

117
Q

What is power?

A

The energy transformed or transferred per second.

118
Q

What is the power of a lens?

A

The focal length of the lens in metres.

119
Q

What is pressure?

A

Force per unit area for a force acting on a surface at right angles to the surface.

120
Q

What is principal axis?

A

A straight line that passes along the normal at the centre of each lens surface.

121
Q

What is the principal focus?

A

The point where light rays parallel to the principal axis of a lens are focused.

122
Q

What is the principle of moments?

A

For an object in equilibrium, the sum of all of the clockwise moments about any point equals the sum of all of the clockwise moments about that point.

123
Q

What is a protostar?

A

The concentration of dust clouds and gas in space that forms a star.

124
Q

What is a radiation dose?

A

Amount of ionising radiation a person receives.

125
Q

What is a radiograph?

A

An X-ray picture.

126
Q

What is range of vision?

A

Distance from the near point of an eye to its far point.

127
Q

What is rarefaction?

A

Stretched apart.

128
Q

What is a real image?

A
  • An image formed where light rays meet.

- An image formed by a lens that can be projected on a screen.

129
Q

What is a red giant?

A

A star that has expended and cooled resulting in it becoming red and much larger and cooler than it was before expansion.

130
Q

What is red-shift?

A
  • Increase in wavelength of electromagnetic waves emitted by a star or galaxy due to its motion away from us.
  • The faster the speed, the greater the red-shift.
131
Q

What is refraction?

A

The change of direction of a light ray when it passes across a boundary between two transparent substances.

132
Q

What is a refractive index?

A

A measure of how much the substance can refract a light ray.

133
Q

What is renewable energy?

A

Energy from sources that never run out.

134
Q

What is an RCCB?

A
  • Residual Current Circuit Breaker.

- An RCCB cuts off the current in the live wire when it is different from the current in the neutral wire.

135
Q

What is resistance?

A
  • Resistance = pd / current

- Opposition to the flow of an electric current.

136
Q

Define resonate.

A

When sound vibrations build up in a musical instrument and cause the sound from the instrument to become much louder.

137
Q

What is resultant force?

A

The combined effect of the forces acting on an object.

138
Q

What is a resultant moment?

A

The difference between the sum of the clockwise and the anticlockwise moments about the same point.

139
Q

What is a Sankey diagram?

A

An energy transfer diagram.

140
Q

What is a series setup?

A

Components connected in a circuit so that the same current passes through them.

141
Q

What is short sight?

A

An eye that cannot focus on distant objects but can focus on near objects.

142
Q

What is a simple pendulum?

A

A pendulum consisting of a small spherical bob suspended by a thin string from a fixed point.

143
Q

What is Snell’s Law?

A
  • refractive index = sin i / sin r

- i is the angle of incidence and r is the angle of refraction.

144
Q

What is a socket?

A

Used to connect the mains plug of a mains appliance to the mains circuit.

145
Q

What is a solar cell?

A

Electrical cell that produces a voltage when in sunlight.

146
Q

What is a solar heating panel?

A

Sealed panel designed to use sunlight to heat water running though it.

147
Q

What is a solar power tower?

A

Tower surrounded by mirrors that reflect sunlight onto a water tank at the top of the tower.

148
Q

What is the south pole?

A

South-pointing end of a freely suspended bar magnet or of a magnetic compass.

149
Q

What is specific heat capacity?

A

Energy needed by 1kg of the substance to raise its temperature by 1 Kelvin.

150
Q

What is speed?

A

distance moved / time taken

151
Q

What is a split-ring commutator?

A

Metal contacts on the coil of a DC motor that connects the rotating coil continuously to its electrical power supply.

152
Q

What is static electricity?

A

Charge “held” by an insulator or an insulated conductor.

153
Q

What is a step-down transformer?

A

Electrical device used to step-down the size of an alternating voltage.

154
Q

What is a step-up transformer?

A

Electrical device used to step-up the size of an alternating voltage.

155
Q

What is stopping distance?

A

thinking distance + braking distance

156
Q

What is a supergiant?

A

A massive star that becomes much larger than a giant star when fusion of helium nuclei commences.

157
Q

What is a supernova?

A

The explosion of a massive star after fusion in its core ceases and the matter surrounding its core collapses on to the core and rebounds.

158
Q

What is a switch mode transformer?

A
  • A transformer that works at much higher frequencies than a regular transformer.
  • Has a ferrite core instead of iron.
159
Q

What is terminal velocity?

A

The velocity reached by an object when the drag force on it is equal and opposite to the force making it move.

160
Q

What is thinking distance?

A

The distance travelled by the vehicle in the time it takes the driver to react.

161
Q

What are the three pins on a three pin plug?

A
  • Earth
  • Neutral
  • Live
162
Q

What is time base control?

A

An oscilloscope control used to space the waveform out horizontally.

163
Q

What is a time period?

A

Time taken for one complete cycle of oscillating motion.

164
Q

What is a transducer?

A

A device that produces and detects ultrasound waves.

165
Q

What is a transverse wave?

A

Wave in which the vibration is perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer.

166
Q

What is a turbine?

A

A machine that uses steam or hot gas to turn a shaft.

167
Q

What is an ultrasonic wave?

A

Sound wave at frequency greater than 20,000Hz which is the upper frequency limit of the human ear.

168
Q

What is useful energy?

A

Energy transferred to where it is wanted in the form it is wanted.

169
Q

What is velocity?

A

Speed in a given direction.

170
Q

Define vibrate.

A

Oscillate rapidly.

171
Q

What is a virtual image?

A

An image seen in a lens or mirror from which light rays appear to come after being refracted by the lens or reflected by the mirror.

172
Q

What is wasted energy?

A

Energy that is not usefully transferred.

173
Q

What is wavelength?

A

The distance from one wave crest to the next.

174
Q

What is weight?

A

The force of gravity on an object.

175
Q

What is a white dwarf?

A

A star that has collapsed from the red giant stage to become much hotter and denser than it was.

176
Q

What is white light?

A

Light that consists of all the colours of the visible spectrum.

177
Q

What is work?

A

Energy transferred by a force.

178
Q

What is y-gain control?

A

An oscilloscope control used to adjust the height of the waveform.

179
Q

Since you’ve been using these flashcards for free, please consider making a small donation for the hundreds of hours it took to make them.

A

http://bit.ly/21T6H3W

Thank you and good luck!

GCSE Physics (17 decks)

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