Overall quick test Flashcards
Give three reasons why geologists didn’t accept Wagner’s theory.
Any three from: he wasn’t a geologist, supporting evidence was limited, it could be explained more simply, the movement of continents wasn’t detectable.
What provides the heat in the Earth’s core?
The decay of radioactive elements
What evidence do scientists study to obtain information about the Earth’s age?
Fossils of plants and animals, and radioactivity of rocks
What type of wave, generated by an earthquake, travels through the liquid outer core of the Earth?
P-waves
In plate movement, old rock is destroyed by which process? (HT)
Subduction
What two factors produce rock stripes of alternating polarity? (HT)
Deep-floor spreading and the changing polarity of the Earth’s magnetic field every million year.
What type of wave is a sound wave?
Longitudinal
A water wave has a frequency of 5 hertz and a wavelength of 0.1m. What is the speed of the wave?
0.5m/s
What is a student describing if they tell you the number of waves produced each second?
Frequency
A station broadcasts signals at a frequency of 30MHz. If the speed of light is 3 x 10 {8} m/s, what is the wavelength? (HT)
10m
What is the difference between moons and asteroids?
Moons orbit planes; asteroids orbit the Sun
What two methods are used to measure the distance of stars?
Relative brightness and parallax
How is the wavelength of light changed if the source of light is moving away?
The wavelength increases (red shift)
Why is it hard to predict the fate of the Universe?
The amount of mass in the Universe is hard to measure
How do spectra give evidence for red shift? (HT)
They’re displaced towards the red end of the spectrum
What is the relationship between the distance of galaxies and the speed at which they’re moving away? (HT)
They’re proportional to one another
Which proton transfers the most energy: infrared or ultraviolet?
Ultraviolet
Name 3 ionising radiations.
Ultraviolet radiation; gamma; x rays
Give 2 ways in which radiation can damage cells.
Any 2 from: the heating effect (sunburn); it can cause ageing of the skin; it can cause mutations; it can cause radiation poisoning
What is the ozone layer?
A thin layer of gas in the Earth’s upper atmosphere that absorbs some of the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation
How does the radiation emitted by the Earth compare with that emitted by the Sun? (HT)
The radiation from the Earth has a lower principal frequency
Give 3 reasons why the intensity of a beam of photons decreases the distance.
Some photons are scattered and reflected by other particles; some photons are absorbed by particles; photons spread out as they travel
What change in the Earth’s atmosphere causes global warming?
An increase in the percentage of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, in the atmosphere
Why is optic fibre useful when sending infrared and light radiation?
They can travel huge distances without becoming significantly
What is noise?
Unwanted frequencies in a signal (random variations)
How is an analogue signal different from a digital one?
Analogue signals can have any value; digital signals only have two (‘1’ or ‘0’)
Why doesn’t noise affect digital signals? (HT)
Even with noise, it’s clear which parts of the signal represent 1 and 0, so it can be regenerated without noise
How is data, collected about the Earth’s changing temperature, used? (HT)
It is used with climate models to look for patterns in the possible causes of global warming
Why is electricity distributed through National Grid at high voltage?
To reduce the energy losses
Name five primary energy sources used to generate electricity.
Any five from: coal; gas;oil; nuclear; wind; water (hydroelectric, tidal, wave); solar; biofuel
The burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. What to problems does this contribute to?
Global warming; climate change
How is a voltage induced between the ends of a coil?
By rotating a magnet near the coil
What are the three forms of energy that are involved in a hydroelectric power station?
Potential energy; kinetic energy; electrical energy
How much energy is transferred by a 60W lamp in 3 seconds?
180J
How efficient is an electric motor that uses 400J/s to give 100J/s of useful energy?
25%