Physical Science Flashcards
What is nuclear energy?
Energy contained in the nucleus of an atom, released when nuclei are split apart or combined.
What produces sound energy?
Sound energy is produced when an object vibrates, causing waves of pressure that travel through a medium, such as air, water, wood, or metal.
What is an energy transformation?
An energy transformation takes place when energy changes from one form into another form.
Can any form of energy change into another form?
Yes, any form of energy can change into any other form, often one form can change into two or more other forms.
Is energy conserved?
In a closed system, all the energy is conserved.
What is a closed system?
A group of objects that transfers energy only to one another.
What does the law of conservation of energy state?
Energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only change forms.
What is magnetic force?
A kind of non-contact force that acts on materials such as iron, nickel, cobalt, and other magnets when they are near a magnet.
What is electric force?
A non-contact force of electrical charges.
What is gravitational force?
The force of attraction between any two objects in the universe; all objects have gravitational force.
What determines the strength of gravitational force?
The mass of an object and its distance from another object.
How do mass and distance affect gravity?
The greater the mass and the closer the object, the stronger the gravitational pull.
What is Newton’s first law of motion?
A body in motion remains in motion, and a body at rest remains at rest, unless acted upon by a force.
What is Newton’s second law of motion?
Force equals mass times acceleration (F = m × a).
What is Newton’s third law of motion?
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
What do sound waves require to travel?
Sound waves must have a medium to travel through.
What is the most common medium for sound waves?
Air is the most common medium for sound waves.
Can sound travel through outer space?
No, sound doesn’t travel through outer space because there are no molecules to compress or rarefy.
What are molecules made up of?
Molecules can be made up of two or more of the same or different elements.
What is an element?
An element is a pure substance that only has atoms of one element.
What is a compound?
A compound must be made up of atoms of different elements.
What is a mixture?
A mixture is a substance made up of two or more mixed elements or atoms.
What are elements made of?
Elements are made of atoms. While the atoms may have different weights and organization, they are all built the same way.
What are elements?
Elements are the building blocks of all matter.
What is the periodic table?
The periodic table is a list of all of the elements that can build matter. It’s a little like the alphabet of chemistry.
What information does the periodic table provide?
The periodic table tells us several things: Element’s Symbol, Element’s name, Atomic mass/weight.
What is atomic number?
Atomic number is the number of protons and it is also the number of electrons in an atom of an element.
What is an element’s symbol?
An element’s symbol is an abbreviation for the element.
What is atomic mass/weight?
Atomic mass/weight is the number of protons plus neutrons.
How do you find the number of neutrons in an element?
To find the number of neutrons in an element, you subtract the atomic number from the atomic mass.
What is an element?
An element is a pure substance because it only has atoms of one element.
Example: Oxygen = Oxygen atoms.
What is a compound?
A compound is two or more different elements that are combined.
Example: H2O = water.
What is a molecule?
A molecule is different and the same elements combined.
What does the nucleus contain?
The nucleus contains protons and neutrons.
What is the capacity of the first shell?
The first shell can hold up to 2 electrons.
What is the capacity of the second shell?
The second shell can hold up to 8 electrons.
What is the capacity of the third shell?
The third shell can hold up to 18 electrons.
What are the properties of Carbon?
Carbon has P=6, E=6, N=6.
What are the properties of Lithium?
Lithium has P=3, E=3, N=4, and an atomic mass of 6.94.
What is the atomic mass of Carbon?
The atomic mass of Carbon is 12.01.
What state are metals typically in?
Metals are solid (except mercury).
What is a characteristic of metals?
Metals are hard.
What is metallic luster?
Metallic luster is when a metal’s surface reflects light.
Which metals are the best conductors of heat?
Silver and copper are the best conductors of heat.
What does malleability mean?
Malleability is the ability of metals to be shaped by hammering or pressure.
What does ductility mean?
Ductility is the ability of metals to be drawn into a wire.
What is a characteristic of nonmetals?
Nonmetals have a dull luster (not shiny).
What is a property of nonmetals regarding electricity?
Nonmetals are insulators (do not conduct electricity).
What is a characteristic of nonmetals in terms of texture?
Nonmetals are soft and brittle.
What do metalloids have in common with metals?
Metalloids have some physical properties of metals.
How do metalloids differ from metals?
Metalloids can conduct heat and electricity at a lesser level than metals.
What are semiconductors?
Some metalloids are useful as semiconductors, which are used in electronics.
Why are metalloids useful?
They conduct just the right amount of electricity or heat.
What happens as heat transfers from one form to another?
They reach equilibrium where both temperatures are the same.
What occurs when a warm object loses energy to its surroundings?
The object changes to a lower temperature.
What happens to the surroundings when a warm object loses energy?
The surroundings will warm up as they gain energy.
What is the direction of heat flow?
Heat flows from warmer objects to cooler ones until they reach the same temperature.
How do hot air balloons gain lift?
Hot air balloons gain lift when fire is used to heat the air.
What happens to a hot air balloon during flight?
In flight, the warm balloon will lose heat to the surrounding cooler air, resulting in its descent.
What is heat?
Heat is energy. The more heat, the more an object gains (hotter).
What is temperature?
Temperature is the measurement of how hot or cold an object is. Temperature doesn’t transfer, only heat energy does.
Can objects exist at different temperatures?
Yes, objects can exist in different temperatures.
Can objects heat up or cool down?
Yes, objects can heat up or cool down.
Do objects differ in their ability to conduct heat?
Yes, objects differ in their ability to conduct heat.
What are physical properties?
Physical properties are characteristics used to classify matter, such as size, shape, phase in state, density, boiling and melting point, malleability, magnetism, and solubility.
What are chemical properties?
Chemical properties refer to the ability of a substance to undergo a chemical change, resulting in the formation of a new substance.
What is a physical change?
A physical change is any change in a substance that affects its size, shape, or state without altering its identity.
How are physical properties observed?
Physical properties are observed without changing the identity of a substance.
Do different substances have different physical properties?
Yes, different substances have different physical properties.
Do different amounts of the same substance have the same properties?
Yes, different amounts of the same substance have the same properties.
How do substances behave in fluids based on density?
In fluids, substances settle out based on their relative densities.
What is all matter made up of?
All matter is made up of atoms.
What is temperature?
Temperature is the measurement of the average kinetic energy of a substance.
Measured in Fahrenheit (°F), Celsius (°C), and Kelvin (K).
What is heat?
Heat is a form of energy.
Describe the state of solids.
In solids, molecules are packed together, moving slightly back and forth.
Less kinetic energy results in less pressure and lower temperature.
Describe the state of liquids.
In liquids, molecules have a bit more space between them and keep the shape of their container.
They have higher kinetic energy than solids, leading to greater temperature but lower than in gases.
Describe the state of gases.
In gases, molecules have much more space between them and possess much more kinetic energy.
Higher kinetic energy results in higher temperature.
What is pressure?
Pressure can keep a substance as a solid.
Pressure and kinetic energy affect phase changes.
What is plasma?
Plasma is the state of matter where there is so much kinetic energy that electrons are freed from their atoms or molecules.
What is sublimation?
Sublimation is the transition from solid to gas.
What is recombination?
Recombination is the transition from plasma to gas.
What is deposition?
Deposition is the transition from gas to solid.
What is ionization?
Ionization is the transition from gas to plasma.
What is vaporization?
Vaporization is the transition from liquid to gas.
What is condensation?
Condensation is the transition from gas to liquid.
What is melting?
Melting is the transition from solid to liquid.
What is freezing?
Freezing is the transition from liquid to solid.
What is kinetic energy?
Kinetic energy is the energy of movement.
What is density?
Density is the amount of mass per volume of an object.
Formula: Density (D) = mass / volume
What is mass?
Mass is the amount of matter that an object has, measured in grams (g).
Formula: Mass = Density x Volume
What is volume?
Volume is the amount of space that an object occupies, measured in cubic units.
Formula: Volume = mass / Density (measured in mL)
What is weight?
Weight is the force of gravity acting on an object. It can change depending on the gravitational field.
What does the periodic table contain?
The periodic table contains all of the known elements in the universe.
What is unique about each element?
Each element has a particular atomic arrangement.
What are atoms made of?
Atoms are made of protons, neutrons, and electrons.
What do atoms make up?
Atoms make up the things that we call matter.
What are the characteristics of matter?
Matter has mass and takes up space.
What does it mean for an atom to be neutral?
Neutral means there are the same number of electrons as there are protons.
What is the speed of electromagnetic radiation?
Electromagnetic radiation travels as a wave at the speed of sound.
What is required for electromagnetic radiation to travel?
Electromagnetic radiation requires a medium for travel.
What are the areas of electromagnetic radiation from lowest to highest energy?
The areas are: low frequencies (ULF), infrared (IR), visible light, and gamma rays.
What is wavelength?
Wavelength is the length of a wave from one part of the wave to the same part of the next wave.
What is frequency?
Frequency is the number of waves that pass a point per second.
What is amplitude?
Amplitude is the height of the wave, related to the energy of the wave.
What colors are included in visible light?
The colors are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
Which color has the longest wavelength?
Red has the longest wavelength among visible light colors.
Order of electromagnetic waves
Radio waves, microwaves, infrared waves, visible light, ultraviolet, X-ray , gamma rays
Mnemonic - Raging Martians Invaded Venus Using X-ray Guns
Long wavelength
Low frequency
Low energy
Medium wavelength
Medium frequency
Medium energy
Short wavelength
High frequency
High energy
What is absorption
Light that can be absorbed
What is reflection
Light that can bounce
What is refraction
Light that can bend
What are acids
A solution that has an excess of H+ ions
-tastes sour
-conducts electricity
-corrosive
-turns blue litmus paper red
What are bases
A solution that has an excess of OH- ions . It can be called alkali
1-6
Acidic
7
Neutral
8-14
Base
Ph scale ranges from
0-14
Groups/families
Column of elements in periodic table . Have similar physical and chemical properties
Periods
Rows of elements in periodic table. Tell us how many electron shells and elements atoms have
Potential energy
Stored energy
Mechanical energy
Energy of objects moving from place to place
Chemical energy
Energy released by a chemical reaction
Lift
Force that acts on the airplane upward due to difference in air pressure
Thrust
Forward force that pushes the plane through the air produced by plane engines
Drag
Backward force that resists the planes forward motion caused by friction
Contact force
Force that can cause or change motion of an object by touching it
No contact force
Force that results when the two objects are not in physical contact with each other
