Chemistry Lecture 1: Fundamentals, Atomic Theory, Forces, and Energy

Vocabulary flashcards covering core topics from Chemistry Lecture 1 including scientific explanations, laws and theories, atomic models, fundamental forces, and energy concepts.

Claim

The target statement or answer in a scientific explanation.

Evidence

The data or scientific principles used to support a scientific claim.

Reasoning

The justification that connects a scientific claim to supporting evidence.

Scientific Law

A formal statement resulting from repeated experiments that describes what happens in a natural phenomenon.

Hypothesis

A testable prediction or proposed explanation that can be proven right or wrong through experimentation.

Scientific Theory

The best available, falsifiable explanation of existing observations that explains how and why a phenomenon occurs.

Fact

An indisputable observation of a natural phenomenon that has been confirmed repeatedly and is accepted as true.

Molecule

A particle containing two or more atoms bonded together, which can be from the same or different elements.

Compound

A substance containing two or more atoms from different elements.

Dalton's Atomic Theory

An atomic model stating that elements consist of indivisible atoms, atoms of an element are identical, compounds form from combinations of atoms, and chemical reactions rearrange atoms.

Cathode Ray Tube

A glass tube with two electrodes under low pressure used by J.J. Thomson to emit negatively charged particle rays deflected by electric and magnetic fields.

Thomson's Plum Pudding Model

An atomic model proposing that negatively charged electrons are embedded floating inside a sphere of positive charge.

Alpha Particle

A positively charged high-energy particle emitted during radioactive decay, consisting of two protons and two neutrons (the nucleus of a helium atom).

Force

A push or pull interaction acting between objects.

Gravity (Gravitational Force)

One of the four fundamental forces, responsible for the attractive force between objects with mass.

Electromagnetic Force

One of the four fundamental forces, responsible for the attraction or repulsion between objects with electric charge.

Strong Force

The fundamental physical force that binds protons and neutrons together inside an atomic nucleus.

Weak Force

A fundamental subatomic interaction that changes the flavor of quarks, driving radioactive beta decay and enabling nuclear fusion.

Electrostatic Force

A specific type of electromagnetic force between charged particles where like charges repel and opposite charges attract.

Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation

A law stating that gravitational force $F$ is proportional to the product of two masses ($M_1$ and $M_2$) and inversely proportional to the square of the distance ($r$) between them.

Coulomb's Law

A law stating that electrostatic force $F$ is proportional to the product of two charges ($q_1$ and $q_2$) and inversely proportional to the square of the distance ($r$) between them.

System

The specific part of the universe selected for study when analyzing energy changes.

Surroundings

Everything in the universe outside of the defined system.

First Law of Thermodynamics

The principle stating that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed, keeping total energy constant.

Kinetic Energy

The energy associated with motion, calculated using the formula $KE = \frac{1}{2} m v^2$.

Potential Energy

The energy stored in a field (gravitational, electric, or magnetic) associated with the relative position of two or more objects.

London Dispersion Forces (LDFs)

Attractive electrostatic forces present between all neutral species, caused by temporary fluctuations in electron density that induce dipoles.

Joule

The SI unit of energy, defined as $1\,\text{J} = 1\,\frac{\text{kg}\cdot\text{m}^2}{\text{s}^2}$ or $1\,\text{kg}\cdot\text{m}^2\,\text{s}^{-2}$.

SI Prefix Multipliers

A system of metric prefixes representing powers of 10 ranging from exa ($10^{18}$) down to atto ($10^{-18}$).