Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

AQA GCSE PHYSICS 9-1 PAPER 1 > P16- Waves and the universe > Flashcards

P16- Waves and the universe Flashcards

(65 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

What process occurs in stars?

A

Nuclear Fusion

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Why do we know that our solar system is the result of a supernova?

A

Elements have been found which are heavier than Iron

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

How was the Sun formed?

A

Sun formed at the centre of a spinning cloud of dust, gas, and rock due to the force of gravitational attraction
Sun’s heat evaporated the ice and drove the gas away from the inner solar system. leaving rocks behind
Rocky planets formed near the Sun
Gas Giants formed further away
Minor planets orbit beyond the gas giants

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What are the gas giant planets?

A

Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptun

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What are the rocky planets?

A

Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Where is the asteroid belt located?

A

Between Mars and Jupiter

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What force pulls together the gas, rocks and dust?

A

Gravitational attraction

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

When the clouds merge together, they become a what?

A

Protostar

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

As the protostar becomes denser, what happens to the particles and temperature?

A

They speed up

Temperature increases

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

When the protostar becomes denser, what energy transfer occurs?

A

Gravitational Potential into thermal energy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What happens when the protostar becomes hot enough?

A

The Hydrogen nuclei fuse

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is released by nuclear fusion and what happens to the star?

A

Energy is released

This causes the star to get hotter, brighter and starts to shine

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Some objects may form which are far too small to become stars. What happens to them?

A

They can be attracted to a protostar to become planets orbiting the star

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Stars such as the Sun radiate energy because of Hydrogen fusion in the core. What are these called?

A

Main Sequence Stars`

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

How long can main sequence stars maintain their energy output for?

A

Millions of years

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

How does radiation such as gamma radiation flow out from the core?

A

Steadily, in all directions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Why are stars stable?

A

Forces within it are balanced
Inwards force of gravity
Outwards force of radiation
These forces stay in equilibrium until most of the H nuclei have been fused to He nuclei

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What is the heaviest known natural element and what is its half life?

A

Uranium - 4.5 Billion years

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What has happened to elements heavier than Uranium?

A

They have decayed

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What happens to stars smaller in size than our Sun?

A

They become a red giant

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What happens to stars larger in size than our Sun?

A

They become a red supergiant

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What happens to a red giant?

A

They become a white dwarf then a black dwarf?

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What happens to a red supergiant?

A

They explode (die) as a supernova

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What happens after a supernova?

A

A neutron star or black hole is formed, depending on its mass

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Why can't elements heavier than Iron be formed via nuclear fusion?
It requires too much energy
26
Around how old is the Sun?
5 Billion years old
27
In what shape does the Earth orbit the sun?
Circular
28
In what shape do most other planets orbit the Sun?
Elliptical
29
Give an example of a natural satellite?
The Moon
30
What shape is the Moon's orbit?
Circular
31
Describe centripetal force in terms of the solar system
The force of gravity acting on a planet from the Sun, acts towards the centre of the Sun. This force is the resultant force on the planet because no other forces act on it. This is an example of centripetal force because it acts towards the centre of the circle
32
What is changed by centripetal force?
A planet's velocity
33
What is true about the direction of motion of any planet?
In a circular orbit, it is at right angles to the direction of the force of gravity on it.
34
In which direction does a planet in a circular orbit experience acceleration? Why?
Towards the centre of the circle | The resultant force on it acts towards the centre of the circle
35
Explain why the speed of a planet in a circular orbit does not change.
The force on it is at right angles to its direction of motion No work is done by the force on the planet Kinetic energy and speed of the planet do not change
36
What happens to satellites which orbit too close to the Earth? Why?
They gradually lose speed | Atmospheric drag of Earth's upper atmosphere.
37
What will happen when a satellite loses speed?
It will gradually spiral inwards until it hits the Earth
38
A satellite in a circular orbit above the Earth's atmosphere moves around the Earth at a constant height above the surface. True or False?
True
39
What must happen for a satellite to stay in an orbit of a particular radius?
It has to move at a particular speed | The same is true for a planet orbiting the Sun in a circular motion.
40
The further a planet is from the Sun, means what?
The less speed it needs to travel at to stay in a circular orbit The longer the planet takes to make a full orbit
41
Is the speed of a satellite in orbit changes, what must happen?
The radius of the orbit must change
42
At what distance do communications satellites often orbit at?
36,000 km
43
Describe the orbit of communications satellites
36,000km above the surface of the Earth Orbits in the same direction as the Earth's rotation Geostationary - They stay above the same place.
44
Uses of monitoring satellites?
They are fitted with TV cameras so: Weather forecasting Monitoring the environment
45
Describe the orbit of monitoring satellites
Lower than geostationary satellites | Orbits the Earth once every two to three hours
46
What galaxy is our solar system found in?
The milky way
47
What can be used to split light into the colours of its spectrum?
A glass prism
48
What is red shift?
The increase of the wavelengths of the light emitted by galaxies moving away
49
What is the name of the shift of a galaxy moving towards you?
Blue shift
50
In 1929, what did an astronomer discover, and who was he?
Edwin Hubble Discovered: Light from distant galaxies were red-shifted The further a galaxy is, the larger its red shift
51
What did the astronomer in 1929 conclude?
Distant galaxies are moving away from the Earth | The greater the distance a galaxy is from Earth, the greater the speed at which it is receding
52
Describe the Big Bang Theory?
A theory which states that the universe has been forever expanding after exploding suddenly, from a very small and extremely hot and dense region.
53
What was created in the Big Bang?
Space, Time and Matter
54
Describe the Steady State Theory
A theory which states that the galaxies are being pushed apart by the matter entering the universe through "white holes" (the opposite of black holes)
55
Until what year was the Steady State Theory widely accepted?
1965
56
What evidence is there for the Big Bang?
High energy radiation is thought to have been emitted by the Big Bang As the universe has been expanding, the radiation would have stretched into low level radiation Experiments were formulated to detect this radiation.
57
In 1965, what was concluded?
The existence of CMBR (Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation) This could only be explained by the Big Bang Theory
58
What is CMBR?
High energy gamma radiation which has stretched into Microwaves with the expansion of the universe.
59
What do astronomers call the missing mass of the universe? Why?
Dark matter because it cannot be seen
60
What does dark matter's presence mean?
The average density of the universe is much larger than it would be if dark matter did not exist
61
What would happen if the universe's density was below a particular amount?
It will expand forever. The stars will die out, as will everything else. This is called the "Big Yawn"
62
What would happen if the universe's density was more than a particular amount?
The universe will stop expanding and fall back on itself - "The Big Crunch"
63
What have astronomers concluded about the universe's future?
It could be that the universe is heading for a Big Ride then a Big Yawn
64
What is dark energy?
The name given to the energy thought to be pushing the galaxies apart
65
Why can't gravity be used to explain the acceleration/expansion of the universe?
It is an attractive force

AQA GCSE PHYSICS 9-1 PAPER 1 (16 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions