AQA PHYSICS EXAMINATION TEST
✔✔Control Rods - ✔✔Made of *neutron absorbing* materials such as *cadmium* or
*boron*. Moved in and out of reactor core to change rate of fission events to ensure it is
*constant*.
✔✔Coolant - ✔✔Pumped through nuclear reactor core to transfer thermal energy from
core to turn turbine.
✔✔Count Rate - ✔✔Number of counts per unit time detected by a Geiger-Muller tube.
*Corrected by subtracting background count rate*.
✔✔Couple - ✔✔Pair of equal and opposite forces acting on a body but not along the
same line.
✔✔Critical Angle - ✔✔Angle of incidence of light ray must exceed the critical angle for
total internal reflection to occur.
sin(Critical Angle) = *n2/n1*, where n1>n2
✔✔Critical Mass - ✔✔Minimum mas of fissile isotope in a nuclear reactor needed to
create a chain reaction.
✔✔Critical Temperature - ✔✔Temperature below which a superconductor will have zero
resistance.
✔✔Cycle - ✔✔Interval for a vibrating particle (or wave) from a certain displacement and
velocity to the next time the particle (or wave) has the same displacement and velocity.
✔✔Light Damping - ✔✔Amplitude of oscillations decreases gradually.
✔✔Heavy Damping - ✔✔System released and returns to equilibrium without oscillation.
✔✔Critical Damping - ✔✔System returns to equilibrium in least possible time without
oscillating.
✔✔de Broglie Wavelength - ✔✔Wavelength of matter particle due to wave-particle
duality.
✔✔Decay Constant - ✔✔Probability of an individual nucleus decaying per second.
✔✔De-excitation - ✔✔Atom loses energy by photon emission as a result of an electron
moving from an outer shell to an inner shell.
,✔✔Density - ✔✔Mass per unit volume.
✔✔Dielectric - ✔✔Material that increases the capacity of a parallel-plate capacitor when
between the plates e.g. polythene and waxed paper.
✔✔Diffraction - ✔✔*Spreading of waves after passing through gap or round an
obstacle*.
X-ray diffraction - determine structure of crystals
Electron diffraction - structure of materials
High energy electron scattering - determine diameter of nucleus
✔✔Dispersion - ✔✔Splitting of beam of white light by prism into colors.
✔✔Drag Force - ✔✔Force of fluid resistance on an object moving through the fluid.
✔✔Ductile - ✔✔Stretches easily without breaking.
✔✔Eddy Currents - ✔✔Induced currents in metal parts of ac machines.
✔✔Efficiency - ✔✔Ratio of useful energy transferred by a machine to the energy
supplied to it.
✔✔Elastic Collision - ✔✔A collision where the total kinetic energy after collision is equal
to total kinetic energy before collision. Momentum is also conserved.
p(1-initial) + p(2-initial) = p(1-final) + p(2-final)
✔✔Elasticity - ✔✔Able to regain shape after deformed or distorted.
✔✔Elastic Limit - ✔✔Point beyond which a material is permanently stretched.
✔✔Electric Field Strength, E - ✔✔Force per unit charge on a positively charged object
at a point in an electric field.
E = kQ/r²
✔✔Electric Potential, V - ✔✔Work done per unit charge on a positively charged object
to move it from infinity to that point in an electric field.
V = kQ/r
✔✔Electrolysis - ✔✔Electrical conduction in a solution or molten compound due to ions
moving to oppositely charged electrode.
✔✔Electrolyte - ✔✔Solution or molten compound that conducts electricity.
, ✔✔Electromagnetic Induction - ✔✔Generation of an emf when the magnetic flux linkage
through a coil changes or a conductor cuts across the magnetic field lines.
✔✔Electromagnetic Wave - ✔✔Electric and magnetic waves that progress though
space without the need for a substance.
✔✔Electromotive Force (emf) - ✔✔Amount of electrical energy per unit charge
produced inside a source of electrical energy.
✔✔Electron Capture - ✔✔*Proton-rich nucleus* captures an *inner shell electron*
causing a *proton to change into a neutron*. *Electron neutrino emitted* by nucleus. X-
ray photon subsequently emitted by atom when inner shell vacancy filled.
✔✔Electron Volt - ✔✔Work done when an electron is moved through a pd of 1V.
✔✔Energy Levels - ✔✔Energy of an electron in an electron shell of an atom.
✔✔Equilibrium - ✔✔State of an object when at rest or in uniform motion.
✔✔Equipotential - ✔✔Line or surface in field along which the electric or gravitational
potential is constant.
✔✔Escape Velocity - ✔✔Minimum velocity an object must be given to escape from a
planet when projected vertically from the surface.
✔✔Excitation - ✔✔When an electron in an energy level gains energy to move to a
higher energy level.
✔✔Standing Waves - ✔✔When a wave reflects upon itself and the reflected wave has
the same amplitude and same frequency/wavelength.
✔✔Specific Latent Heat of Fusion - ✔✔The energy needed to change a unit mass / 1 kg
from a *solid to a liquid* without a change in temperature.
Q = ml(fusion)
✔✔Specific Latent Heat of Vaporisation - ✔✔The energy needed to change a unit mass
/ 1 kg from a *liquid to a gas* without a change in temperature.
Q = ml(vaporisation)
✔✔Work Function - ✔✔Minimum amount of energy needed by an electron to escape
from a metal surface
✔✔Ionisation Energy - ✔✔The energy required to remove an electron from an atom.
✔✔Control Rods - ✔✔Made of *neutron absorbing* materials such as *cadmium* or
*boron*. Moved in and out of reactor core to change rate of fission events to ensure it is
*constant*.
✔✔Coolant - ✔✔Pumped through nuclear reactor core to transfer thermal energy from
core to turn turbine.
✔✔Count Rate - ✔✔Number of counts per unit time detected by a Geiger-Muller tube.
*Corrected by subtracting background count rate*.
✔✔Couple - ✔✔Pair of equal and opposite forces acting on a body but not along the
same line.
✔✔Critical Angle - ✔✔Angle of incidence of light ray must exceed the critical angle for
total internal reflection to occur.
sin(Critical Angle) = *n2/n1*, where n1>n2
✔✔Critical Mass - ✔✔Minimum mas of fissile isotope in a nuclear reactor needed to
create a chain reaction.
✔✔Critical Temperature - ✔✔Temperature below which a superconductor will have zero
resistance.
✔✔Cycle - ✔✔Interval for a vibrating particle (or wave) from a certain displacement and
velocity to the next time the particle (or wave) has the same displacement and velocity.
✔✔Light Damping - ✔✔Amplitude of oscillations decreases gradually.
✔✔Heavy Damping - ✔✔System released and returns to equilibrium without oscillation.
✔✔Critical Damping - ✔✔System returns to equilibrium in least possible time without
oscillating.
✔✔de Broglie Wavelength - ✔✔Wavelength of matter particle due to wave-particle
duality.
✔✔Decay Constant - ✔✔Probability of an individual nucleus decaying per second.
✔✔De-excitation - ✔✔Atom loses energy by photon emission as a result of an electron
moving from an outer shell to an inner shell.
,✔✔Density - ✔✔Mass per unit volume.
✔✔Dielectric - ✔✔Material that increases the capacity of a parallel-plate capacitor when
between the plates e.g. polythene and waxed paper.
✔✔Diffraction - ✔✔*Spreading of waves after passing through gap or round an
obstacle*.
X-ray diffraction - determine structure of crystals
Electron diffraction - structure of materials
High energy electron scattering - determine diameter of nucleus
✔✔Dispersion - ✔✔Splitting of beam of white light by prism into colors.
✔✔Drag Force - ✔✔Force of fluid resistance on an object moving through the fluid.
✔✔Ductile - ✔✔Stretches easily without breaking.
✔✔Eddy Currents - ✔✔Induced currents in metal parts of ac machines.
✔✔Efficiency - ✔✔Ratio of useful energy transferred by a machine to the energy
supplied to it.
✔✔Elastic Collision - ✔✔A collision where the total kinetic energy after collision is equal
to total kinetic energy before collision. Momentum is also conserved.
p(1-initial) + p(2-initial) = p(1-final) + p(2-final)
✔✔Elasticity - ✔✔Able to regain shape after deformed or distorted.
✔✔Elastic Limit - ✔✔Point beyond which a material is permanently stretched.
✔✔Electric Field Strength, E - ✔✔Force per unit charge on a positively charged object
at a point in an electric field.
E = kQ/r²
✔✔Electric Potential, V - ✔✔Work done per unit charge on a positively charged object
to move it from infinity to that point in an electric field.
V = kQ/r
✔✔Electrolysis - ✔✔Electrical conduction in a solution or molten compound due to ions
moving to oppositely charged electrode.
✔✔Electrolyte - ✔✔Solution or molten compound that conducts electricity.
, ✔✔Electromagnetic Induction - ✔✔Generation of an emf when the magnetic flux linkage
through a coil changes or a conductor cuts across the magnetic field lines.
✔✔Electromagnetic Wave - ✔✔Electric and magnetic waves that progress though
space without the need for a substance.
✔✔Electromotive Force (emf) - ✔✔Amount of electrical energy per unit charge
produced inside a source of electrical energy.
✔✔Electron Capture - ✔✔*Proton-rich nucleus* captures an *inner shell electron*
causing a *proton to change into a neutron*. *Electron neutrino emitted* by nucleus. X-
ray photon subsequently emitted by atom when inner shell vacancy filled.
✔✔Electron Volt - ✔✔Work done when an electron is moved through a pd of 1V.
✔✔Energy Levels - ✔✔Energy of an electron in an electron shell of an atom.
✔✔Equilibrium - ✔✔State of an object when at rest or in uniform motion.
✔✔Equipotential - ✔✔Line or surface in field along which the electric or gravitational
potential is constant.
✔✔Escape Velocity - ✔✔Minimum velocity an object must be given to escape from a
planet when projected vertically from the surface.
✔✔Excitation - ✔✔When an electron in an energy level gains energy to move to a
higher energy level.
✔✔Standing Waves - ✔✔When a wave reflects upon itself and the reflected wave has
the same amplitude and same frequency/wavelength.
✔✔Specific Latent Heat of Fusion - ✔✔The energy needed to change a unit mass / 1 kg
from a *solid to a liquid* without a change in temperature.
Q = ml(fusion)
✔✔Specific Latent Heat of Vaporisation - ✔✔The energy needed to change a unit mass
/ 1 kg from a *liquid to a gas* without a change in temperature.
Q = ml(vaporisation)
✔✔Work Function - ✔✔Minimum amount of energy needed by an electron to escape
from a metal surface
✔✔Ionisation Energy - ✔✔The energy required to remove an electron from an atom.
