AQA GCSE Physics key terms

Energy an object gains when it is raised in a gravitational field.

The attractive force between objects with mass; it pulls the material in a nebula inwards.

A gas that reduces the rate at which thermal energy escapes from Earth to space; carbon dioxide is an example.

The ability of tyres to exert frictional forces on the road without sliding.

The time taken for the number of undecayed radioactive nuclei in a sample, or its activity, to fall to half its initial value.

The transfer of energy to a system because of a temperature difference.

The relationship in which the extension or compression of an elastic object is directly proportional to the applied force, provided the limit of proportionality is not exceeded.

Radiation that reaches and falls on a surface.

The variable deliberately changed during an investigation.

A current produced by the generator effect when the conductor is part of a complete circuit.

A material that becomes a magnet when placed in a magnetic field and quickly loses most or all of that magnetism when the field is removed.

A potential difference produced across a conductor by the generator effect.

Deformation in which an object does not return completely to its original shape and size when the forces are removed.

An object's tendency to remain at rest or continue moving at uniform velocity. This term is Higher Tier only.

A measure of how difficult it is to change an object's velocity, defined as resultant force divided by the acceleration it produces.

Electromagnetic radiation associated with heating that can transfer energy to or from an object.

Infrasound is sound with a frequency below 20 Hz, the lower limit of normal human hearing.

The velocity at the beginning of the period of motion being considered, represented by $u$.

A material through which charge cannot move freely, so transferred electrons can remain in place.

The rate at which radiation transfers energy per unit area, measured in watts per square metre (W/m²).

A boundary between two materials at which a wave may be reflected, transmitted or absorbed.

A supply that varies or stops because the conditions needed for it are not always present.

The total kinetic energy and potential energy of all the particles in a system.

A relationship in which one quantity increases in the same ratio as the other decreases, so their product remains constant.

An atom or group of atoms with an overall electrical charge because it has gained or lost electrons.

Radiation with enough energy to remove electrons from atoms, forming ions.

The process of exposing an object to nuclear radiation from an external source; the irradiated object does not become radioactive.