Physical Science Flashcards
Absolute Zero
At 0 on the Kelvin scale, this is the lowest temperature attainable and occurs when particles lose the maximum amount of energy
Acid
A substance with a pH below 7, acids donate protons and produce hydrogen ions in solutions
Amplitude
The distance between the crest or trough of a wave from its resting position or half the distance between the crest and trough of the wave
Atmospheric Pressure
Pressure exerted by Earth’s atmosphere
Sea level- atmospheric pressure is 100 kPa, 1 atm, 760 mmHg, or 760 Torr
Atom
Smallest particle that exists of any given element, consists of nucleus (neutrons and protons) and the surrounding electrons
Atomic Mass
Measured in atomic mass units (amu), atomic mass is the mass of one atom of an element. The mass of amu is determined by the mass of 1/12 of a carbon 12 atom
Atomic Number
The identifying number of an element on the periodic table which is equal to the number of protons in the nucleus. Elements are arranged on the periodic table by increasing atomic number
Atomic Weight
Different than the atomic mass, the atomic weight is the weighted average mass of all isotopes of an element, while the atomic mass of most oxygen atoms is 16 amu, the atomic weight is 15.999 g/mol, because a small percentage of oxygen isotopes have a mass less than 16 amu
Base
A substance with a pH above 7, bases accept protons and produce hydroxide ions in solutions
Boiling point
The temperature at which the molecules of a substance have enough energy to switch from the liquid to the gas phase
Celsius scale
One of the three main temperature scales, this scale determines the freezing point of water to be zero degrees and the boiling point at 1 atm, to be 100 degrees
Change of State
Matter can exist in several states or phases including Bose-Einstein condensate, solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. Changing from one of these phases into another is considered a change of state
Compound
Two or more elements chemically bonded together
Condensation
An exothermic phase change that results in a gas cooling into a liquid
Conduction (Electrical)
The process of electrons flowing through conductive matter
Conduction (Heat)
The process of heat energy moving from a warmer object to a cooler object through physical contact
Convection
The transfer of heat energy moving from a warmer object to a cooler object through physical contact
Covalent Bond
A chemical bond formed when atoms share electrons
Decay (radioactive decay)
Radiation causing loss of matter, the result of this process is the changing of one element into another
Density
A measure of the closeness of particles in a substance, which is found by dividing the mass of the substance by the volume it occupies (units g/cm^3)
Diffusion
The process of particles of two or more substances moving until equally distributed and mixed together, the rate of diffusion is determined by the concentrations of the substances and the energy in the particles
Dissolve
When components of a substance separate and move throughout a liquid, but do not chemically react with the liquid, they are said to dissolve
Electrical Potential
Commonly called voltage, measured in volts, electric potential is the amount of electric potential energy per charge
Electron
The negatively charged subatomic particle that orbits the nucleus of the atom
Element
One of about 100 basic substances that cannot be chemically broken down into a simpler substance, periodic table of elements lists all known elements in order by the number of atomic protons in the nucleus
Energy
Ability to do work or product heat
Explosive
A property that allows for a very quick, almost instant, decomposition of a substance with the release of a large amount of energy
Force
A push or pull on an object