Vocabularly Flashcards
X-Ray
A penetrating form of high-frequency, short-wavelength electromagnetic radiation.
Only Gamma Rays are more powerful.
Weak Force/Interaction
The fundamental force responsible for radioactive decay processes.
Transmitted by Bosons.
Wave-Particle Duality
Having both wave and particle characteristics.
Wavelength
The distance between repeating parts (crests and troughs) of a wave pattern.
Transmute
To change one substance into another.
Subatomic Particle
A particle smaller than an atom.
One of the atoms component parts.
Strong Force/ Interaction
The force holding the nucleus of an atom together.
Transmitted by Gluons.
Spectral Lines
A distinctive pattern of colored lines (specific wavelengths of light) given off by elements as they are heated.
Radioactivity
The spontaneous breakdown, or decay, of the nucleus of an atom.
Quark
A fundamental subatomic particle.
One of the most basic building blocks of matter.
Quantum
A small unit of energy.
Quanta is the plural form of quantum.
Proton
A positively charged particle in the nucleus of atoms.
Positron
A positively charged electron.
The antiparticle of an electron.
Photon
A particle of light energy.
Orbitals
Zones within an atom in which an electron is likely to be found.
Nucleus
The small, massive, positively charged center of an atom formed by protons and neutrons.
*The hydrogen nucleus contains only a proton
Neutron
A neutral particle in the nucleus of an atom, with roughly the same mass as a proton
Neutrino
A massless or nearly massless subatomic particle that is electrically neutral.
Molecule
A combination of one or more atoms chemically bonded together.
Mass
The amount of matter in something.
Lepton
An elementary subatomic particle that cannot be broken down.
Sensitive to the weak force.
Isotopes
Atoms of the same elements that have different atomic weights(due to the difference of their number of neutrons).
Ions
Atoms that have gained or lost one or more electrons and carry a charge.
Hadron
A subatomic particle made up of quarks that is sensitive to the strong force.
Gravity
The force of attraction between objects with mass.
Gamma Ray
A powerful form of high frequency, short wavelength electromagnetic radiation.
Frequency
The number of times a wave of electromagnetic radiation repeats per unit of time.
Force Carriers
Subatomic particles responsible for transmitting force in particle reactions.
Elements
Substances that can not be physically or chemically broken down into simpler substances.
Electron
A negatively charge subatomic particle that is found outside the atomic nucleus.
One of six types of leptons.
Electromagnetic Radiation
Waves of energy that move through space and have both electric and magnetic properties.
Electrolysis
The process of using an electric current to separate a compound into its component elements.
Cathode Ray Tube
A vacuum tube with electrodes at each end originally used to study electricity.
Cathode Rays
Streams of fast moving electrons emitted by the negative electrode(cathode) in a cathode ray tube.
Beta Particle
Another (older) name for an electron
Beta Decay
A form of radioactive decay in which an atom emits an electron or a positron along with an antineutrino or a neutrino.
Atomic Weight
The average mass of the atoms ( including all isotopes) in a naturally occurring element
Atomic Number
The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom.
Atom
A building block of matter.
The smallest unit of an element that still retains its identity in chemical reactions.
Antimatter
Matter composed of antiparticles.
Alpha Particle
A fast moving helium ion, consisting of two protons and two neutrons, emitted by certain types of radioactive substances
