IB Physics Topic 7

electron volt (eV)

The Kinetic energy done to accelerate an electron through a potential difference of 1V.

internal energy

the sum of the kinetic and potential energies of all particles in the system

radioactive half-life

the time it takes for half of the radioactive isotopes in a sample to decay to a new form

isotopes

Atoms of the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons

Nuecleon

all the particles inside the nucellus

nuclear binding energy

the energy required to decompose an atomic nucleus into its component protons and neutrons

alpha decay

radioactive decay by emission of an alpha particle

beta decay

A neutron changes into a proto to converse charge and emits an electron

positron decay

When there are too many neutrons compared to protons, they emit a positron, which has the same mass as an electron.

gamma decay

When a nucleus jumps into an energy state, it emits a photon

atomic mass units

A unit for describing the mass of an atom; 1 amu=1/12 the mass of a carbon-12 atom

Ohm's Law

the current in a circuit equals the voltage difference divided by the resistance