AQA GCSE Combined Science Trilogy key terms

Energy transferred when charge flows through a potential difference in a circuit; the work done equals the energy transferred.

A property of matter. Moving electrical charge produces an electric current; the amount of charge is measured in coulombs (C).

The flow of electric charge. Conventional current is taken to flow from positive to negative through an external circuit.

A device that uses the force on a current-carrying conductor in a magnetic field to produce rotation, transferring energy electrically into mechanical movement.

The harmful passage of an electric current through a person’s body.

An electrical conductor through which current enters or leaves an electrolyte.

The breakdown of a compound using an electric current.

A liquid containing mobile ions that conducts electricity and is decomposed during electrolysis.

A solenoid with an iron core that produces a stronger magnetic field when current flows.

Energy carried by electromagnetic waves, such as visible light.

The continuous range of electromagnetic waves, arranged by wavelength or frequency.

A wave that transfers energy through oscillating electric and magnetic fields and can travel through a vacuum.

A subatomic particle with a relative electrical charge of −1, occupying shells around the nucleus.

The distribution of an atom's electrons among its shells, or energy levels.

The arrangement of electrons in an atom or ion, often written as the number in each shell, such as 2,8,1.

A microscope that uses electrons to produce an image, with much higher magnification and resolving power than a light microscope.

An energy level outside an atom’s nucleus that contains electrons.

The attractive force between particles with opposite electrical charges.

A force between electrically charged particles. Opposite charges attract; like charges repel.

A substance containing only one type of atom.

An early developing organism formed as a fertilised egg divides.

A stem cell from an early embryo that can produce more stem cells and differentiate into most types of human cell.

Testing cells from embryos for genetic conditions, allowing the results to inform decisions about which embryos to place in the womb.

The release of electromagnetic waves, transferring energy away from their source.

A formula showing the simplest whole-number ratio of the elements in a compound.

The breakdown of large fat droplets into smaller droplets, increasing the total surface area available to lipase.

A mixture in which tiny droplets of one liquid are dispersed through another. A cloudy emulsion is a positive result in the ethanol test for lipids.