Physics Honors Culciar Unit 5-8 Key Terms

solar system

Sun

Inner Planets

Asteroid Belt

Outer Planets

Kuiper Belt Objects/Oort Cloud

inner planets

Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars (closest to the sun and have heavy elements)

asteroid belt

small rocky objects without atmosphere that orbit around the sun

outer planets

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune (gas giants)

Kuiper belt

beyond Neptune - mostly ice

nebula

large cloud of dust and gas in space

galaxy

vast cosmic islands of stars, gas, dust, and dark matter held together by gravity

Stellar spectra

A star's spectrum contains information about its temperature, chemical composition, and intrinsic luminosity

sun

earth's star/energy source

red giants

comparatively cool, source of energy is the fusion of some elements other than hydrogen

white & brown dwarf

comparatively hot, fusion is no longer taking place, Eventually it will cease to give out light when it becomes sufficiently cold

Electromagnetic wave

Oscillating electric and magnetic fields that radiate outward at the speed of light

Electromagnetic spectrum

the entire distribution of electromagnetic radiation according to frequency or wavelength (radio, microwave, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, x-ray, gamma-ray)

Photoelectric effect

electrically charged particles that are released from or within a material when it absorbs electromagnetic radiation

Visible light

light we can see - ROYGBIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet)

Polarization

linear polarization - alignment of electromagnetic waves

Reflection

bounce off in one direction (specular - smooth surface, diffuse - rough)

Refraction

the change in direction of a wave passing from one medium to another caused by its change in speed (happens when light enters into different mediums = speed is different = light ray will change direction unless along the normal)

Critical angle

the incident angle for which the refracted light makes 90 degrees with normal

Total internal reflection

takes place in the denser medium when the angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle

Diffraction

spread of waves around objects or when encounter an opening or edge (ex: sound waves go through an open door)

Dispersion

the separation of light into colors; separate polychromatic light into component wavelengths

Additive color of light

create white light (red, green, and blue)

Subtractive color of light

filter out all light when combined (magenta, yellow, and cyan)

Emission spectra

the range of wavelengths emitted by an atom or compound stimulated by either heat or electric current; diagram of wavelengths that they emit

Absorption spectra

elements absorbing light at a specific wavelength manifested especially as a pattern of dark lines or bands

charge

electron or proton (electron = 1.60 x 10^-19 C)

like charges repel, unlike charges attract

electric force

two charges near each other exert force onto each other (coulomb constant x charge1xcharge2)/(distance^2)

conductor

charge that move freely (metal), may be charged by contact such as induction

insulator

charges that cant move freely like plastic such as polarization

electroscope

tool to find electric charge

coulomb

SI unit for charge

electric field

area of influence around a charged object, points away from positive and towards negative

coulomb x (charge/distance^2)

magnetism

a physical phenomenon produced by the motion of electric charge, resulting in attractive and repulsive forces between objects; moving charges create a magnetic field

magnetic south is near the geographic north

magnetic north is near the geographic south

Electromagnetic induction

creating a current in a circuit by changing a magnetic field

generator

converts mechanical energy into electrical energy via induction (coils of wire spins in a magnetic field)

motor

converts electrical energy into mechanical energy (pushes current through a loop of wire)

fossil fuel

created from organic matter after high temperature and pressure

wave

a disturbance that transfer energy, not matter

medium

the substance that transfers the energy, or light from one place to another or from one surface to another; the medium acts as a carrier here; The medium can transfer any form of energy, sound wave, light, and heat.

longitudinal wave

particles move parallel to energy transfer

transverse wave

particles move perpendicular to energy transfer

amplitude

max displacement from equilibrium; the greater the amp = more energy transfer

period

the amount of time for a complete cycle; measured seconds, inverse of frequency

frequency

the number of cycles in a unit of time; measured in hertz, Hz; f=1/time

mechanical wave

a mechanical wave is a wave that is an oscillation of matter, and therefore transfers energy through a medium

crest

highest point of a wave

trough

bottom point of wave

wavelength

the distance between identical points (adjacent crests) in the adjacent cycles of a waveform signal

constructive interference

same side of equilibrium added together to create a result wave

destructive interference

opposite side of equilibrium added together to create a result wave

standing wave

created by same amplitude, wavelength, and frequency that travel in opposite directions

node

a point of minimum/zero displacement

antinode

a point of maximum displacement