Definitions

Question 1

What is internal energy?

Answer 1

Sum of kinetic and potential energies of particles.

Question 2

What is specific heat capacity?

Answer 2

Energy to raise 1 kg by 1°C.

Question 3

What is specific latent heat?

Answer 3

Energy to change state of 1 kg.

Question 4

What is absolute zero?

Answer 4

-273°C; no kinetic energy.

Question 5

What does Boyle’s Law state?

Answer 5

P ∝ 1/V (at constant T).

Question 6

What does Charles’ Law state?

Answer 6

V ∝ T (at constant P).

Question 7

What does the Pressure Law state?

Answer 7

P ∝ T (at constant V).

Question 8

What is an ideal gas?

Answer 8

Obeys gas laws; no intermolecular forces.

Question 9

What is a mole?

Answer 9

6.02 × 10²³ particles.

Question 10

What is molar mass?

Answer 10

Mass of one mole.

Question 11

What is Brownian motion?

Answer 11

Random movement from collisions.

Question 12

What is a force field?

Answer 12

Region of non-contact force.

Question 13

What is gravity?

Answer 13

Attractive force between masses.

Question 14

What is gravitational field strength?

Answer 14

Force per unit mass.

Question 15

What does Newton’s Law of Gravitation state?

Answer 15

F ∝ m₁m₂/r².

Question 16

What is gravitational potential?

Answer 16

Work per unit mass from infinity to a point.

Question 17

What is gravitational potential difference?

Answer 17

Work per unit mass between points.

Question 18

What are equipotential surfaces?

Answer 18

Same potential at every point.

Question 19

What is escape velocity?

Answer 19

Min velocity to leave gravitational field.

Question 20

What does Kepler’s third law state?

Answer 20

T² ∝ r³.

Question 21

What is a synchronous orbit?

Answer 21

Satellite period = planet rotation.

Question 22

What is a geostationary orbit?

Answer 22

Equatorial orbit, 24 hrs, same Earth location.

Question 23

What does Coulomb’s law state?

Answer 23

F ∝ q₁q₂/r².

Question 24

What is electric field strength?

Answer 24

Force per unit charge.

Question 25

What is absolute electric potential?

Answer 25

Work per unit charge from infinity.

Question 26

What is electric potential difference?

Answer 26

Energy per unit charge between two points.

Question 27

What is capacitance?

Answer 27

Charge stored per unit voltage.

Question 28

What is permittivity?

Answer 28

How easily a field is stored in material.

Question 29

What is relative permittivity?

Answer 29

Ratio of material permittivity to vacuum.

Question 30

What is time constant (RC)?

Answer 30

Time to charge to 63% or discharge to 37%.

Question 31

What is a Tesla?

Answer 31

Magnetic flux density unit; 1 N force on 1 m, 1 A wire.

Question 32

What is magnetic flux?

Answer 32

Flux density × area.

Question 33

What is flux linkage?

Answer 33

Flux × number of coils.

Question 34

What does Faraday’s law state?

Answer 34

EMF ∝ rate of change of flux linkage.

Question 35

What does Lenz’s law state?

Answer 35

Induced EMF opposes change causing it.

Question 36

What is RMS value?

Answer 36

Equivalent DC value for same energy dissipation.

Question 37

What is peak voltage?

Answer 37

Max voltage from zero.

Question 38

What is peak-to-peak voltage?

Answer 38

Voltage from max positive to max negative.

Question 39

What is decay constant?

Answer 39

Probability of decay per unit time.

Question 40

What is half-life?

Answer 40

Time for half the nuclei to decay.

Question 41

What is activity?

Answer 41

Decays per second.

Question 42

What is atomic mass unit?

Answer 42

1/12 of a carbon-12 atom’s mass.

Question 43

What is binding energy?

Answer 43

Energy to split nucleus into nucleons.

Question 44

What is mass defect?

Answer 44

Difference between nucleon mass and nucleus mass.

Question 45

What is critical mass?

Answer 45

Minimum fissile mass for chain reaction.

Question 46

What is fission?

Answer 46

Large nucleus splits into smaller nuclei.

Question 47

What is fusion?

Answer 47

Small nuclei combine into larger nucleus.