Specialised Cells, Chemistry, and Physics Lecture Notes

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering specialized biological cells, human and plant reproduction, chemical classification, atomic structure, and physics concepts including energy and heating curves.

Specialised cell

A cell that performs a specific function, with a shape and organelles that enable it to carry out that role.

Muscle cell function

To contract (shorten) and relax (lengthen)

Adaptations of muscle cell

• They contain proteins that slide over each other making the muscle fibres contract

• They contain a lot of mitochondria to transfer the energy needed for chemical reactions that take place as cells contract and relax

Puberty

The name for the physical and psychological changes that take place when a child becomes an adult.

Growth spurt

The process of a human becoming taller during puberty.

Menstrual cycle

A sequence of events in the female reproductive system controlled by hormones, taking on average $28$ days, to prepare for pregnancy.

Menstruation

The stage (usually Days $1$ to $7$) where the thick, blood-filled lining of the uterus breaks down and is lost through the vagina.

Ovulation

The release of a fully matured egg from the ovary on approximately Day $14$ of the menstrual cycle.

Sepals

Floral structures that protect the unopened flower.

Stamens

The male parts of the flower, each consisting of an anther held up on a filament.

Anthers

The part of the flower that produces pollen, which contains the male gametes.

Stigma

The top of the female part of the flower which collects pollen grains.

Ovary (Flower)

The structure that produces female sex cells contained in the ovule and later forms the fruit surrounding the seed.

Nectary

A structure in insect-pollinated flowers that produces a sugary solution called nectar to attract insects.

Element

A substance made from just one type of atom that cannot be broken down into other substances.

Compound

A substance containing atoms of two or more different elements chemically bonded together.

Mixture

A substance containing two or more different elements or compounds that are not chemically bonded and can be separated by physical methods.

Reactants

The chemicals present at the start of a chemical reaction, located on the left-hand side of the arrow in a word equation.

Products

The chemicals formed at the end of a chemical reaction, located on the right-hand side of the arrow in a word equation.

Law of conservation of mass

A principle stating that atoms are not lost or gained in a chemical reaction; therefore, the mass of reactants equals the mass of products.

Protons and Neutrons

The sub-atomic particles found in the nucleus of an atom.

Electrons

Sub-atomic particles that orbit the nucleus on electron shells.

Kinetic energy

The energy possessed by a moving object, such as an athlete sprinting.

Gravitational potential energy

Energy stored in objects above the ground that have the potential to fall.

Chemical energy

Energy stored in chemicals, food, and fuel.

Law of conservation of energy

A principle stating that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred from one form to another.

Kilowatt hour (kWh)

The unit of energy used by energy companies, where $1\,kWh$ is the energy used by a $1\,kW$ appliance for $1$ hour, equal to $3.6 \times 10^6\,J$.

Melting point

The temperature at which a substance changes state from a solid to a liquid.

Boiling point

The temperature at which a substance changes state from a liquid to a gas.