AQA GCSE Physics key terms

A point at which a circuit divides into, or rejoins from, separate branches.

The energy an object has because it is moving.

A component that produces light when current flows through it.

Energy transferred when a substance changes state without changing temperature.

A light-dependent resistor whose resistance decreases as the light falling on it becomes brighter.

A light-emitting diode: a diode that gives out light when current flows through it in the forward direction.

A transparent object that forms an image by refracting light.

A rigid bar that turns about a pivot and transmits the turning effect of an applied force.

A nucleus with relatively few protons and neutrons and therefore a relatively small mass.

The point beyond which extension is no longer directly proportional to the applied force.

A circuit element whose current–potential difference graph is a straight line through the origin, showing a constant ratio of potential difference to current.

An imaginary straight line extending in the direction in which a force acts.

The pressure caused by the weight of the liquid column above a point.

The brown conductor in a mains cable that is at an alternating potential difference of about 230 V relative to earth.

A wave in which the vibration is parallel to the direction the wave travels.

A substance placed between moving surfaces to reduce friction.

The production of a magnetic field around a conductor when an electric current flows through it.

A region in which a magnet or magnetic material experiences a force.

An imaginary line used to show the direction of a magnetic field; lines drawn closer together indicate a stronger field.

A measure of the strength of a magnetic field, represented by $B$ and measured in tesla (T).

One of the two ends of a magnet, where its magnetic force is strongest; the poles are called north and south.

The ratio of image height to object height.

The size or amount of a quantity, expressed using a numerical value and an appropriate unit.

A stable stage of a star's life during which hydrogen nuclei fuse in its core.

A stable stage of a star’s life in which fusion supplies energy and the star is in equilibrium.

The amount of matter in an object, measured in kilograms (kg).

The change of some mass into energy, consistent with the mass–energy relationship $E=mc^2$.