Forces and Energy Flashcards

Flashcards for GCSE Combined Physics Revision

What is the difference between scalars and vectors?

Scalars have magnitude only, while vectors have both magnitude and direction.

Give examples of scalar quantities.

Mass, speed, time

Give examples of vector quantities.

Acceleration, displacement, velocity

What is the difference between speed and velocity?

Speed is the rate of change of distance, while velocity is the rate of change of displacement.

How can a car moving around a traffic island at a steady speed be constantly accelerating?

Because the direction of the car is constantly changing, and acceleration is a vector quantity.

Give one example of a non-contact force other than gravity.

Electrostatic force or magnetic force

Give two examples of contact forces.

Friction, air resistance, tension

What equation links gravitational field strength, mass, and weight?

Weight = mass x gravitational field strength (W = mg)

Define tension in the context of a spring.

Tension is the force that stretches a spring.

Define compression in the context of a spring.

Compression is the force that squashes a spring.

State the equation used to find the spring constant of a spring.

Force = spring constant x extension (F = kx)

Describe the difference between distance and displacement.

Distance is the total length travelled, while displacement is the shortest distance from the starting point to the ending point in a specific direction.

What is the displacement of a runner who completes four loops of a 400m track?

Zero, because the runner ends up back at the starting point.

State Newton's First Law of Motion.

An object remains at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless acted upon by a net external force.

State the equation used to commonly show Newton's Second Law of motion.

Force = mass x acceleration (F = ma)

Define the term 'work done'.

Work done is the energy transferred when a force causes an object to move.

State the equation that links distance, force, and work done.

Work done = force x distance (W = Fd)

What is the equation that links braking distance, stopping distance and thinking distance?

Stopping distance = Thinking distance + Braking Distance

Define thinking distance.

The distance travelled by the vehicle during the driver's reaction time.

Define braking distance.

The distance travelled by the vehicle under the braking force.

What is meant by renewable energy resource?

An energy resource that is naturally replenished, such as sunlight, wind, or water.

Name four renewable energy resources.

Solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal

Name four non-renewable energy resources.

Coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear (uranium)

Define 'specific heat capacity'.

The amount of heat energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1°C.

State two variables the student controlled in the experiment.

Same mass, same starting temperature, same power supply

State one component shown in Figure 1.

Power Supply, Resistor, Ammeter, Voltmeter, Wires, Switch

Describe what the effect of adding resistance would have on the current flowing in the circuit.

Increasing the resistance would decrease the current flowing in the circuit as current = voltage / resistance

What is meant by an ohmic conductor?

A resistor is an ohmic conductor if it obeys ohm's law therefore the current flowing is proportional to the potential difference across the resistor when at a constant temperature

Give two uses of electric motors in the home.

Washing machines, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, blenders, electric fans

State three changes that you could make to get the motor to spin faster.

Increase the current, increase the strength of the magnetic field, increase the number of turns on the coil

Name two other magnetic elements.

Nickel, Cobalt

Name the parts labelled a, b and c in the diagram of Beryllium.

a = proton, b = neutron, c = electron

Which parts make up the nucleus of the atom?

protons and neutrons

What is meant by the half-life of a radioactive isotope?

The time taken for half of the radioactive nuclei in a sample to decay.

List these radioactive sources as natural

Cosmic rays, radon from rocks, building materials

List these radioactive sources as man-made.

fallout from nuclear weapons, Nuclear power waste, medical tracers

Why would this system not work if an alpha source were used instead of the beta source?

Alpha radiation is not penetrating enough and would be absorbed by the box

What is the frequency of the a.c. mains electricity supply in the UK?

50 Hz

State the names of any four appliances designed to transform electrical energy into heat

Fan heater, kettle, immersion heater, lighting and cooking equipment, such as electric ovens, stoves and microwave cookers.