Concise Revision Course: CSEC Physics

Flashcards created from lecture notes on various concepts in Physics to aid in exam preparation.

Conduction

The transfer of thermal energy by direct contact between adjacent particles, with no net displacement of particles.

Convection

The transfer of thermal energy in a fluid through the movement of warmer, less dense particles rising and cooler, denser particles sinking.

Radiation

The transfer of thermal energy through electromagnetic waves without the need for a medium.

Wavelength

The distance between successive crests of a wave.

Amplitude

The maximum displacement of points on a wave from their rest position.

Frequency

The number of cycles of a wave that pass a given point per unit time.

Period

The time taken for one complete cycle of a wave to pass a given point.

Total internal reflection

The complete reflection of a wave back into a medium when it hits the boundary at an angle greater than the critical angle.

Electromagnetic wave

A wave that is propagated by simultaneous oscillations of electric and magnetic fields.

Huygens' principle

A theory that states that every point on a wavefront is a source of wavelets that spread out in the forward direction.

Newton's first law of motion

An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion continues in motion at constant velocity unless acted upon by a net external force.

Ideal gas law

The equation of state for a gas that relates pressure, volume, and temperature.

Specific heat capacity

The amount of heat required to change the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one degree Celsius.

Specific latent heat of fusion

The amount of heat needed to change a unit mass of a solid into a liquid without a temperature change.

Specific latent heat of vaporization

The amount of heat needed to change a unit mass of a liquid into a gas without a temperature change.

Archimedes' principle

A body immersed in a fluid experiences a buoyant force equal to the weight of the fluid it displaces.

Rayleigh scattering

A phenomenon where light or other electromagnetic waves are scattered by particles much smaller than the wavelength of the light.

Fleming's left-hand rule

A rule used to determine the direction of the force experienced by a current-carrying conductor in a magnetic field.