Term
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Definition
| A Push or a pull OR That which changes or tend to chage the state of rest or motion of a body.
OR That which produces acceleration or deformation in a body.
Measured in newton (N). |
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Term
| Definition of a vector quantity. |
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Definition
| A quantity that has direction as well as magnitude (or size!) |
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Term
| Definition of a scalar quantity. |
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Definition
| A quantity that has only size associated with it. |
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Term
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Definition
| The quantity of matter that a body contains. This is the same wherever the body is and is measured in kilogrammes (kg). |
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Term
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Definition
| The force with which the mass of a body is pulled by gravity. This changes depending upon where the body is placed within a gravitational field. It is a force so weight is measured in newtons (N). |
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Term
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Definition
| Matter is anything which occupies space. There are four forms of matter - plasma (which you won't come across until you are older) - gas - liquid - solid The three common forms of matter are made up of atoms. |
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Term
| Definition of gravitational field strength. |
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Definition
| GFS tells you with what force a 1kg mass would be pulled if it were placed in that field of gravity. On Earth each kilogram is pulled by gravity towards the centre of the Earth with a pull of 10N, so the g.f.s. of Earth is 10N/kg |
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Term
| State the Law of Conservation of Energy |
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Definition
| Energy is neither created nor destroyed, it merely changes from one form to another |
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Term
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Definition
| Movement energy - a body only possesses it if it is moving. The faster it moves the more kinetic energy it has. |
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Term
| What is gravitational potential energy? |
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Definition
| Energy due to the position of the body in the gravitational field. The further away the object is from the centre of the Earth the greater the GPE is. |
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Term
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Definition
| It is a form of potential energy due to the stored energy from a stretched or squashed piece of material. If a body would spring into a different shape or position when released it has some stored (or potential) elastic energy in it. |
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Term
| What types of energy usually accompany a change into kinetic energy? |
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Definition
| Sound (any movement sets up vibrations) and heat (movement usually results in friction which produces a change into heat energy) |
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Term
| What type of energy change usually accompanies a change into electrical energy |
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Definition
| Heat (wires always get hotter ehen a current passes through them). |
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Term
| What is a transfer of electrical energy? |
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Definition
| Electrical energy transfer is via an electrical current passing across a potential difference (a voltage). The bigger the current the bigger the transfer of electrical energy The bigger the potential difference the bigger the transfer of electrical energy and the longer the current flows the bigger the transfer of electrical energy. |
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Term
| What is necessary in a circuit for a current to flow? |
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Definition
| There must be a power supply to provide the potential difference (either a mains run lab pack or a battery) and a complete circuit of conductor for the current to run through (no gaps or insulators in the pathway!) |
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Term
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Definition
| A material that allows electrical charge to pass through it. |
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Term
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Definition
| Metals are good conductors. Copper is very good, but not as good as silver or gold! |
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Term
| What is an electrical insulator? |
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Definition
| A material that does not allow charge to pass through it easily. Gases are good insulators (that is why an air gap in a circuit stops the currrent flowing!) and so are plastics. |
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Term
| What moves when a current passes through a wire? |
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Definition
| The electrons or the atoms that make up the wire. |
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Term
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Definition
| The extension of a spring (how much bigger it gets!) is directly proportional to the load applied (force with which it is pulled) as long as the elastic limit has not been exceeded.
(If you stretch it past the elastic limit it will not return to its original size and its properties have been altered). |
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Term
| What is potential difference? |
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Definition
| Voltage It is potential difference that provides a kind of 'electrical slope' for the electrons to 'slide down'. Without a potential difference no current will flow - the bigger the potential difference the faster the electrons move and the larger the current flow. |
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Term
| What is electrical current? |
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Definition
A flow of charge. In a wire it is the movement of electrons (which have negative charge) that make up the current.
Never say the current is 'fast' or 'slow' - it is always big or small. It is the charge movement that is fast or slow! |
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Term
| Which is correct:
There was 6V of potential difference through the lamp or There was 6V of potential difference across the lamp? |
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Definition
| There was 6V of potential difference across the lamp?
NEVER say voltage 'through' anything.... it is always across! |
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Term
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Definition
| A fuse is a piece of wire that only allows a current up to the value stamped on it to flow through it. If the current exceeds that value the fuse-wire gets too hot and melts. This makes a gap in the circuit and the current can no longer flow. |
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Term
| What is a short circuit?
[image] |
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Definition
| This occurs when a wire is connected across a component giving the current the chance to go through it rather than the component. The component then is by-passed and usually does not get enough voltage across it to make it function. If it is a lamp it just goes out. [image] |
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Term
| What is a parallel circuit? |
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Definition
| A circuit where the components are connected as shown in the diagram below: [image]
Each component has its own link to the power supply without having to go through the others. Each component gets the full voltage from the power supply. |
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Term
| What is a series circuit? |
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Definition
| A circuit where the components are connected as shown in the diagram below: [image]
There is no separate route to the power supply for each component - they are joined and share out the voltage. |
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