Physics Revision Flashcards
Energy
something that cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred from one source to another
Nuclear Energy
energy inside the nucleus of an atom
Elastic Potential Energy
energy inside things that can stretch
E = 0.5 x k x e^2
Chemical Energy
energy from chemical reactions
Gravitational Potential Energy
energy in gravity
Kinetic Energy
energy in things that move, such as people’s bodies and also sound
KE=1/2mv^2
Magnetic Energy
energy in magnets
Thermal Energy
energy of heat
Open System
systems which interact with their environment, so that energy or mass can be added or removed from them
Closed System
an isolated system in which no energy transfers take place out of or into the energy system
Mechanical Transfer
happens in things like cycling
Electrical Transfer
happens in things like static electricity
Transfer by Heating
happens in things like boiling eggs
Transfer Through Radiation
happens in things like sound waves
Work Done
force x distance
energy transferred
Efficiency
a measure of how good a device is at changing energy from one form to another
Power
energy transferred in a given time
power = energy transferred/time taken
Conduction
transfer between particles in a solid
Conductor
a substance that conducts heat, such as a lightening rod on the side of a building
Conductivity
the power of heat conduction
Insulator
a bad conductor whose particles are too far apart to allow energy to flow between them, such as liquids, gasses and vacuums
Density
mass per unit volume
Melting
transfer from solids to liquids
Freezing
transfer from liquids to solids
Boiling
transfer from liquids to gasses
Condensing
transfer from gasses to liquids
Temperature
a measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles in an object
Internal Energy
the sum of all the kinetic energy the individual particles have from moving relative to each other and the potential energy that individual particles have because of their positions relative to each other in a substance
Unstable
an element becomes unstable if there are too many protons or neutrons, in an attempt to stablise itself, it omits radioactivity, decaying
Background Radiation
a type of relation that is always present around us, but with very low doses, which is safe, including underground rocks, food, cosmic rays from the sun and industrial uses
Radius of an atom
1x10^-10
Ionisation
any process by which atoms become charged
Irradiation
when an object is exposed to ionising radiation and the object does not become radioactive
Contamination
the unwanted presence of materials containing radioactive atoms on other materials, due to the decay of contaminating atoms
Decay
where a radioactive nucleus gives out alpha, beta or gamma particles
Alpha Decay
releases 2 protons and 2 neutrons
Beta Decay
gains a proton
Alpha Particle
the same as a helium nucleus
Beta Particle
the same as a high-energy electron
Alpha
two protons, two neutrons, stopped by a sheet of paper, very high ionising ability, slow speed, positive charge
Beta
electron, medium ionising ability, stopped by 5mm aluminium, negative charge, fast
Gamma
electromagnetic wave, least ionising, stopped by thick concrete, no charge, travels at the speed of light
Speed of Light
3x10^8mps
Half Life
the time it takes for the count rate to halve
Activity
the number of unstable atoms that decay per second in a radioactive source, measured in Bacquerei
Net Decline
the overall amount that the activity of a source has fallen in a period of time
Gamma Knife
used to treat cancers, small doses are targeted at the tumour from a moveable box, concentrated on the tumour
Radioactive Tracers
used in medicine to trace the flow of a substance through an organ
Radioactive Implants
used to destroy cancer cells in some tumours
Nuclear Fission
involves isotopes being split up, releasing energy
Nuclear Fusion
involves isotopes being joined together, releasing energy
Induced Nuclear Fission
occurs when a stable isotope is struck by a neutron, where the isotope absorbs the neutron, becomes unstable and splits into smaller fragments, releasing neutrons and energy
Nuclear Bombs
uncontrolled fission reactions
Chain Reaction
where one fission reaction goes on to cause several more
Spontaneous Nuclear Fission
roughly the same as induced, but happens without a neutron being absorbed
Static Charge
where an insulator is charged up by friction, causing electrons to either be rubbed onto or rubbed off the object causing them to be charged, only the negative charge move
Earthing
the process in which electric energy is instantly discharged directly to the earth through a low resistance wire, e.g. lightening wires, reducing risk of electric shock as energy is transferred down the wire quicker than it could anyone
Pipe Earthing
when electricity is sent down a pipe to the ground
Plate Earthing
when electricity is sent into an underground plate
Series Circuit
increasing voltage makes lights brighter, adding an extra bulb makes lights dimmer, unscrewing one breaks the circuit, current stays the same, potential difference is shared
Parallel Circuit
increasing voltage makes bulbs brighter, adding an extra bulb has little effect, unscrewing one bulb has no effect on other bulbs, current is shared, potential difference stays the same
Ammeter
measures current, must be in series with the component you are measuring
Voltmeter
measures potential difference, must be in parallel with the component you are measuring
Current
rate of flow of electrons
Conventional Current
flows from positive to negative, whilst electrons flow from negative to positive
Energy Transferred
E = VxQ
Potential Difference
V = IxR
Ohm’s Law
current is directly proportional to voltage when the temperature of the conductor is constant
Light Dependent Resistor
resistance decreases when light intensity increases
Thermistor
resistance decreases when temperature increases
Direct Current
current from cells and batteries which always flows in the same direction
Alternating Current
current from the mains, which is constantly changing direction
Oscilloscope
allows a visual representation of electrical signals, such as sound signals or electrical signals from someone’s heart
Amplitude
the top of a wave on an oscilloscope
Frequency
amount of waves per second
Period
time for one wave
Fuse
a thin piece of wire that gets hot and blows if too high a current flows, breaking the circuit and preventing fires
Residual Current Circuit Breaker (RCCB)/Residual Current Device (RCD)
resettable fuses, usually found in homes, which are more sensible than plug fuses
Neutral Wire
the blue wire, goes on the left
Live Wire
the brown wire, goes on the right
Earth Wire
the yellow and green wire, goes through the middle, connects to the metal case of an appliance, occurs when the current flows down from the earth wire instead of through you if you touch it, prevents electric shock
Plugs
contains the cable, cable grip, three wires and a fuse, made of copper because it is flexible, brass because it’s an alloy, strong and durable, copper because it is a good conductor, plastic because it is an insulating, hence a casing
Double Insulation
improves safety by making sure an item that has two plastic cases without any wires touching the case, meaning the case cannot become live, because plastic does not conduct electricity, meaning that if one layer of insulation is damaged, the appliance is still safe for use
Power
P = I x A x V
P = I x A^2 x R
P = E/t
National Grid
a system of transformers and cables
Step-up Transformer
increases the potential difference, which reduces energy loss in transmission cells
Step-down Transformer
reduce the potential difference before the electricity crosses to homes
Scalar Quantity
a quantity that has magnitude but no specific direction
Vector Quantity
a quantity that has magnitude and a specific direction
Resultant Force
the net force acting, the sum of all forces acting on the object
Contact Force
something like air resistance, which involves contact