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Flashcards

Physics Key Words

alexandra holdstock English 55 cards

Cards in this deck (55)

  1. 1Conservation of energyenergy cannot be created or destroyed
  2. 2dissipated energythe energy that is not usefully transferred and stored in less useful ways
  3. 3efficiencyuseful energy transferred by a device ÷ total energy supplied to the device
  4. 4elastic potential energyenergy stored in an elastic object as a result of it being deformed. For example, a stretched spring
  5. 5Hooke’s Lawthe extension of a spring is directly proportional to the force applied, as long as its limit of proportionality is not exceeded
  6. 6input energyenergy supplied to a device
  7. 7powerthe energy transformed or transferred per second. The unit of power is the watt (W)
  8. 8spring constantforce per unit extension of a spring
  9. 9useful energyenergy transferred to where it is wanted in the way that is wanted
  10. 10wasted energyenergy that is not usefully transferred
  11. 11workthe energy transferred by a force. Work done (joules, J) = force (newtons, N) x distance moved in the direction of the force (metres, m)
  12. 12biofuelany fuel taken from living or recently living materials, such as animal waste
  13. 13carbon-neutrala biofuel from a living organism that takes in as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as is released when the fuel is burned
  14. 14geothermal energyenergy released by radioactive substances deep within the Earth
  15. 15national gridthe network of cables and transformers used to transfer electricity from power stations to consumers (i.e., homes, shops, offices, factories etc.)
  16. 16nuclear fuelsubstance used in nuclear reactors that releases energy due to nuclear fission
  17. 17nucleustiny positively charged object composed of protons and neutrons at the centre of every atom
  18. 18reactor corethe thick steel vessel used to contain fuel rods, control rods and the moderator in a nuclear fission reactor
  19. 19renewable energyenergy from natural sources that is always being replenished so it never runs out
  20. 20black body radiationthe radiation emitted by a perfect black body (a body that absorbs all the radiation that hits it)
  21. 21infrared radiationelectromagnetic waves between visible light and microwaves in the electromagnetic spectrum
  22. 22specific heat capacityenergy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1 °C
  23. 23thermal conductivityproperty of a material that determines the energy transfer through it by conduction
  24. 24carrier waveswaves used to carry any type of signal
  25. 25charge-coupled device (CCD)an electronic device that creates an electronic signal from an optical image formed on the CCD’s array of pixels
  26. 26contrast mediuman X-ray absorbing substance used to fill a body organ so the organ can be seen on a radiograph
  27. 27electromagnetic spectrumthe continuous spectrum of electromagnetic waves
  28. 28ionisationany process in which atoms become charged
  29. 29microwaveselectromagnetic waves between infrared radiation and radio waves in the electromagnetic spectrum
  30. 30optical fibrethin glass fibre used to transmit light signals
  31. 31radiation doseamount of ionising radiation a person receives
  32. 32radio waveselectromagnetic waves of wavelengths greater than 0.10m
  33. 33ultraviolet radiation (UV)electromagnetic waves between visible light and X-rays in the electromagnetic spectrum
  34. 34wave speedthe distance travelled per second by a wave crest or trough
  35. 35white lightlight that includes all the colours of the spectrum
  36. 36amplitudethe height of a wave crest or trough of a transverse wave from the rest position. For oscillating motion, the amplitude is the maximum distance moved by an oscillating object from its equilibrium position
  37. 37compressionsqueezing together
  38. 38echoreflection of sound that can be heard
  39. 39electromagnetic waveselectric and magnetic disturbances that transfer energy from one place to another
  40. 40frequencythe number of wave crests passing a fixed point every second
  41. 41longitudinal waveswaves in which the vibrations are parallel to the direction of energy transfer
  42. 42mechanical wavevibration that travels through a substance
  43. 43oscillatemove to and fro about a certain position along a line
  44. 44primary seismic wave (P-wave)longitudinal waves that push or pull on the material that they move through as they travel through the Earth
  45. 45rarefactionstretched apart
  46. 46reflectionthe change of direction of a light ray or wave at a boundary when the ray or wave stays in the incident medium
  47. 47refractionthe change of direction of a light ray when it passes across a boundary between two transparent substances (including air)
  48. 48secondary seismic wave (S-wave)transverse waves that shake the Earth side to side as they pass through
  49. 49seismic wavessound wave at frequency greater than 20 000 Hz (the upper frequency limit of the human ear)
  50. 50speedthe speed of an object (metres per second) = distance moved by the object (metres) ÷ time taken to move the distance travelled (seconds)
  51. 51transmission/transmitteda wave passing through a substance
  52. 52transverse wavea wave where the vibration is perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer
  53. 53ultrasound wavesound wave at frequency greater than 20 000 Hz (the upper frequency limit of the human ear)
  54. 54vibrateoscillate (move to and fro) rapidly about a certain position
  55. 55wavelengththe distance from one wave crest to the next

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Flashcards on Physics Key Words, created by alexandra holdstock on 31/10/2017.
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