Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Physics > Physics Overall > Flashcards

Physics Overall Flashcards

1
Q

What are the two groups that fermions are broken down into

A

quarks and leptons

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What are the six flavours of quark?

A

up down strange charm top bottom

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What particles are in the leptons group?

A

electron muo tau as well as the neutrino counterpart of each

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Name the 3 composite particles?

A

Hadron Baryon Meson

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is a hadron

A

a term used to describe any particle made of quarks. There are two basic types of hadron and these are Baryon and Mesons

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is a baryon

A

A subatomic particle made of three quarks. Examples include protons and neutrons

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is a meson

A

A subatomic particle made of two quarks (usually one quark and one anti quark)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

list the two properties of a projectile

A

all projectiles have a constant acceleartion and a constat horizontal velocity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

State the universal law of gravitation

A

there is a gravitational force between any two objects however it is usually negligible unless at least one of the objects is very large. The force of attractiona cts equally on both objects

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Defintion of momentum

A

momentum is quite simply the product of mass and velocity for an object. It is a vectotr quantity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is the principle of conversion of momentum

A

when objects collide(or explode apart) the total momentum of all the objects before the collision is equal to the total momentum of all the objects after the collision in the absence of external forces.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What are the four impluse equations?

A

ft = mv-mu = area under F-t graph = deltaP

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What are the four impluse equations?

A

ft = mv-mu = area under F-t graph = deltaP

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Define cosmic background radiation

A

it supports the big bang theory and is detected in all directions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

If something is in redshift what does that mean in respect to you

A

it is moving away from you

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Define dark energy

A

explanation for accelerating of the expansion of the universe

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Define relativistic length contraction

A

A phenomenon observed when objects move at high velocity is that their length as measured by a “stationary” observer will appear to contract

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Define constructive interference

A

constructive interference is when waves from two identical sources meet in phase. A detector placed in a position of constructive interference will detect a longer amplitude of wave.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Define destructive interference

A

destructive interference is when waces from two identical sources meet exactly out of phase(by half a wavelength.) A detector in this position will detect a smaller or even zero amplitude.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Explain why a person walking in front of two speakers will hear changes in the volume of sound when the amplitude of the speakers are constant

A

As they walk across the room they move through positions where the waves from the two sources meet in and out of phase. When they meet in phase a louder sound is heard due to construcitve interference. when they meet out of phase a quieter sound is heard due to destructive interference.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

If Kinetic Energy is lost during a collison is it Elastic or Inelastic

A

Inelastic

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

If Kinetic Energy is gained during a collision is it Inelastic or Elastic

A

Elastic

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What unit does Impulse have?

A

Ns(Newton,Seconds)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Define Dark Matter

A

makes galaxies spin too fast and you cant protect it easily

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What are the four fundamental forces in the standard model?

A

Electromagnetic - Gravitational - Strong Nuclear Force - Weak Nuclear Force

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Each Fundamental Force has a carrying particle - what is the broad name for these particles

A

boson

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

What is a Satellite in free fall around

A

A Planet/Star

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

What is the speed of light like in a vacuum in terms of all observers.

A

It is the same

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

What does the doppler effect cause

A

shifts in wavelengths of sound and light

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

What does the hubble-leimatre law allow us to do

A

Estimate the age of universe

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

how can we estimate the mass of a galaxy

A

the orbital speed of stars within it

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

What is the temperature of stellar objects related to

A

the distribution of emitted radiation over a wide range of wavelengths

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

What is redshift? in terms of wavelength

A

the change in wavelength divided by the emitted wavelength

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

What emits more radiation per unit surface area:

hotter objects or cooler objects

A

hotter objects

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

238
U. what is 92?
92

A

Atomic Number(the number of protons in the nucleus)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

238
U. what is 238?
92

A

Mass Number (The total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

What units is gravitational Field Strength measured in?

A

N kg - 1

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

What units is momentum measured in?

A

kg m s-1

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
39
Q

What is the difference between a vector and a scalar?

A

Scalars have magnitude only, vectors have magnitude and direction

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
40
Q

What is meant by a gravitational field strength of 6.7 N kg-1.

A

6.7 N of force acts on each kg of mass due to the gravitational field

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
41
Q

What is meant by gravitational field strength?

A

the force applied per unit mass due to a gravitational field.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
42
Q

What is the force mediating particles associated with EM radiation?

A

photon

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
43
Q

What is the standard name given to all particles made from quarks?

A

Hadrons

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
44
Q

When drawing diagrams of electric field lines, will they point towards or away from a negative charge?

A

Towards

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
45
Q

When drawing diagrams of electric field lines, will they point towards or away from a positive charge?

A

Away

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
46
Q

In terms of sub atomic particles, what is an alpha particle?

A

2 protons and 2 neutrons

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
47
Q

A radioisotope has an atomic number of 59. It then emits a beta particle. Its new atomic number will be

A

60

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
48
Q

A radioisotope has an atomic number of 74. It then emits an alpha particle. Its new atomic number will be

A

72

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
49
Q

What is meant by the “threshold frequency” of a metal?

A

The minimum frequency a photon must have to cause the emission of an electron from a meal surface.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
50
Q

Which photon will have the highest energy, 400nm or 700nm?

A

400 nm

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
51
Q

Describe in simple terms a fusion reaction.

A

Two smaller nuclei collide to form one large nucleus in a process releasing energy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
52
Q

Describe how E=mc2 is used in the analysis of nuclear reactions.

A

The mass before the reaction is greater than the mass after, the difference in mass is the quantity which has been converted into energy.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
53
Q

What is meant by the work function of a metal?

A

The minimum energy a photon must have to cause the emission of an electron from a meal surface.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
54
Q

What is meant by total internal reflection?

A

When light strikes the inside surface of a material at a large enough angle (larger than critical angle) so that all of the light is internally reflected.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
55
Q

What is meant by critical angle?

A

The minimal angle of incidence at which total internal relection will take place in a material.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
56
Q

Will the wavelength of light in glass be larger or smaller than the same light in air?

A

Smaller

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
57
Q

A particle travels horizontally underneath a negatively charged plate and above a positively charged plate and deflects upward. What could this particle be?

A

Any positively charged particle

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
58
Q

What units is irradiance measured in?

A

W m-2

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
59
Q

An electron in an atom falls from a high energy level to a lower energy level. What will happen?

A

A photon will be emitted.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
60
Q

What is meant by the “critical angle” for a material?

A

The minimum angle of incidence for which total internal reflection will take place.

61
Q

Describe what is meant by the work function of a metal.

A

Minimum photon energy required to cause emission of an electron.

62
Q

What is the approximate age of the universe?

A

13.8 billion years

63
Q

In an experiment, what is the advantage of taking the same measurement many times?

A

Reduces the approximate random uncertainty

64
Q

When white light is directed through a diffraction grating, what colour is the central maximum?

A

White

65
Q

When white light is directed through a diffraction grating, what colour is deflected by a greater angle at the first maximum?

A

Red

66
Q

What is the vertical velocity of a projectile at its maximum height?

A

0

67
Q

Explain why the photoelectric effect provides evidence for the particle
nature of light

A

Each photon removes one electron.

68
Q

It has been discovered that the rate of expansion of the universe is increasing.
State what physicists think is responsible for this increase.

A

Dark energy

69
Q

If a stationary observer measures the length of s spaceship moving at 0.97c, how will his measurement compare to someone moving at the same speed as the spaceship?

A

shorter

70
Q

What is evidence for dark matter?

A

Galaxies are spinning too quickly to be explained by matter alone.

71
Q

What evidence supports the big bang theory?

A

Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation /

72
Q

Name three types of lepton?

A

Tau, Electron, Muon (or their nutrinos or anti-particles)

73
Q

What is the evidence for dark energy?

A

Accelerating expansion of the universe

74
Q

If the kinetic energy after a collision is less than the kinetic energy before the collision, what type of collision is this?

A

inelastic

75
Q

Describe the forces acting on an object moving at terminal velocity.

A

Frictional force and weight are balanced

76
Q

What is Newton’s first law of motion?

A

An object will continue moving at a constant speed in a straight line unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

77
Q

What is the formula for the component of weight of an object acting down a slope?

A

F = m g sin θ

78
Q

State the principle of conservation of energy.

A

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred from one form to another.

79
Q

What is meant by an elastic collision between two objects?

A

Both momentum and kinetic energy will be conserved (the same before and after the collision)

80
Q

What does it mean if a collision between two objects is described as inelastic?

A

Momentum will be conserved, but kinetic energy will be lost during the collision.

81
Q

What is given by the area under a force time graph?

A

Impulse

82
Q

Why is the light from most galaxies red-shifted?

A

Most galaxies are moving away from ours due to the expansion of the universe.

83
Q

If a star is red in colour, is it hot or cold (for a star)?

A

cold

84
Q

If starlight is blue in colour, describe the star’s temperature.

A

very high

85
Q

The peak wavelength emitted by a star gives and indication of what?

A

temperature

86
Q

What is meant by a potential difference of 2000 volts?

A

2000 J of energy given to each coloumb of charge

86
Q

What is meant by a potential difference of 2000 volts?

A

2000 J of energy given to each coloumb of charge

87
Q

Explain how your hand can be used to work out the direction of the force on a charged particle moving in a magnetic field.

A

Right hand positive, fingers= mag field, thumb= direction of motion of charge, palm=direction of force on particle

88
Q

What happens if a positron and an electron collide?

A

the annihalate each other resulting in a release of energy according to E=mc2

89
Q

Beta decay is evidence for which standard model particle?

A

Nutrino

90
Q

What is the difference between spontaneous and induced nuclear fission?

A

Induced fission is initiated by another particle (e.g. a neutron). Spontaneous fission happens without cause (e.g. alpa decay)

91
Q

How are engineers containing the high temperature plasma generated by a fusion reactor?

A

Particles contained by magnetic fields

92
Q

If I move twice as far away from a point source of light, the irradiance will drop by a factor of…

A

4

93
Q

State one experimental example of the particle nature of light.

A

Photoelectric effect

94
Q

State one experimental example of the wave nature of electrons.

A

Electron diffraction

95
Q

What is more likely to cause photo-electric emission, high irradiance red light or low irradiance blue light?

A

blue light as photons have more energy

96
Q

What does it mean if two waves are described as coherent?

A

they have a constant phase relationship

97
Q

What happens to the wavelength of light as it moves from air into glass?

A

wavelength decreases

98
Q

What happens to the wavelength of light as it moves from glass into air?

A

wavelength increases

99
Q

What happens to the frequency of light as it moves from air into glass?

A

does not change

100
Q

What happens to the velocity of light as it moves from air into glass?

A

velocity decreases

101
Q

State the law of conservation of linear momentum

A

Total momentum before a collision is equal to the total momentum after a collision
in the absence of external forces

102
Q

State two features of the Bohr model of the atom.

A

A (central) positively charged nucleus.

103
Q

Explain what is meant by the term fundamental particle

A

Fundamental particles are not

composed of other particles.

104
Q

when the potential difference across a capacitor is 1 farad, how much coulombs of charge does it store

A

1 coulomb of ch

105
Q

State the effect that doping has on the conducitivty of silicon

A

increased conductivity

106
Q

Using band theory, explain why conduction take place in a semi-conductor at room temperature

A

The band gap between the valence and conduction band is small.
Some electrons have enough energy to move from the valence to the conduction band.

107
Q

How do you verify the inverse sqaure law for a point source of light

A

obtain values of irradiance
plot graph of I against 1/d2
Graph is straight line through the origin

108
Q

Define the Valence Band

A

The highest energy band where electrons normally reside

109
Q

Define Conduction Band

A

The energy band abige the valence band

110
Q

In a conductor, what is happening with thr valence and conduction bands

A

They overlap which means that electrons can move freely between the bands and through the material so electrons can flow and the materials conduct electricity.

111
Q

In an insulator, what is hapoening in terms of the valence and conduction bands

A

The Valence and Conduction band are seperated by a large ‘band gap’.

112
Q

In a semi-conductor, what is happening with the valence and conduction bands

A

There is a small band gap

113
Q

What impact does doping have?

A

Improves performance by lowering resistance

114
Q

How does doping work?

A

Adds charge carriers which lowers resistance

115
Q

What is the definition of alternating current

A

Where the current changes directions many times per second

116
Q

What is meant by an e.m.f of 9V?

A

9 Joules of energy are given to each coulomb of charge that passes through the cell.

117
Q

How do you calculate the internal resistance when you have access to a graph with V(E.M.F) plotted against I(Short Circuit)

A

Get the -gradient of the straight line

118
Q

What is a capacitor

A

A capacitor is a device which stores electrical charge.
The amount of charge it can store is dependent on its capacitance (measured in farads) and the voltage to which it is charged.

119
Q

Silicon and other semi-conductors can be doped to form….

A

P-type and n-type semi-conductors

120
Q

Describe LED Theory

A

Electrons fall from conduction band of n-type to valence band of p-type. This results in the emission of a photon.

121
Q

A potential difference is produced when photons enter the layer between the p-type and n-type materials. State the name of this effect.

A

Photovoltaic Effect

122
Q

What is the formula for lost volts

A

Ir

123
Q

List all the formulas for electricity etc

A 
E = V + Ir 
E = IR + Ir
E= V + Vlost
E = IR + Vlost
V = IR
Vlost = Ir
E = I(R + r)
124
Q

Electrical charges ______ and opposite charges _____

A

Repel and attract

125
Q

What do field lines show

A

The direction of the force experienced by a positive charge

126
Q

If field lines are closer together what does that

A

The field is stronger

127
Q

name the most famous particle accelerator

A

LHC

128
Q

What are particle accelerators used for

A

Accelerators use electric fields to contain and accelerate charged particles to very high speed.

129
Q

In terms of magnetic forces, what hand is positive?

A

Right

130
Q

What are the two groups that fermions are broken down into

A

quarks and leptons

131
Q

What is a meson

A

A subatomic particle made of two quarks (usually one quark and one anti quark)

132
Q

Define Nuclear Fission

A

A single large nucleus is split producing two smaller nuclei and neutrons in a process that releases energy

133
Q

Define Nuclear Fusion

A

Two small nuclei are fused together to produce a larger nucles

134
Q

When does refraction of light happen?

A

When light moves from one medium to another

135
Q

What is the refractive index of air and vacuum

A

1.0

136
Q

When will total internal reflection occur?

A

When the angle of incidence inside the material is attempting to leave and it is greater than the critical angle.

137
Q

Define interference

A

A property exhibited by waves and is considered a test for whether something is actually a wave at all

138
Q

What are diffraction grating used for?

A

To cause intereference in patterns in light

139
Q

What is a photon?

A

Force mediating particle which is a small bundle of energy

140
Q

What do you call the minimum energy requirement to eject an electron

A

The work function

141
Q

What do you call the minimum frequency requirement to eject an electron

A

Threshold frequency

142
Q

What happens if the incident photon contains more energy than the work function?

A

The excess energy is given to the ejected electron in the form of kinetic energy

143
Q

In terms of the photoelectric effect, does the plate need to be negatively or positively charged?

A

Negatively charged

144
Q

Define Irradiance

A

Power per unit area

145
Q

Magnetic fields are used to contain the plasma inside the fusion reactor.
Explain why it is necessary to use a magnetic field to contain the plasma.

A

Plasma would cool down if it came
too close to the sides (and reaction
would stop)

146
Q

Methods to improve an irradiance experiment

A

Black cloth to reduce reflections

147
Q

Explain how dark lines in the spectrum of sunlight are produced.

A

photons of particular frequencies are absorbed in the suns upper atmosphere

148
Q

State two features of the Bohr Model of the Atom

A

A central positively charged nucleus

Physics (4 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions