AQA GCSE Physics key terms

The change from a solid to a liquid.

The curved surface of a liquid in a narrow container; for water, the scale is read at the bottom of the curve.

An instrument used to measure very small lengths, such as the thickness or diameter of an object, to high precision.

A simplified representation used to describe, explain or predict how something behaves.

The turning effect of a force about a pivot, measured in newton-metres (Nm).

The turning effect of a force about a pivot, measured in newton-metres (Nm).

The product of an object's mass and velocity, measured in kilograms metres per second (kg m/s). It has a direction because velocity has a direction.

A natural satellite that orbits a planet.

The force on a current-carrying conductor when it is in a magnetic field.

A device in which a current-carrying coil moves in a permanent magnet’s field and drives a cone or diaphragm to produce sound.

A microphone in which sound makes a coil move relative to a magnetic field, inducing an electrical signal.

A network of cables and transformers that transfers electrical power from power stations to consumers.

Natural frequency is a frequency at which an object tends to vibrate readily.

A cloud of gas and dust in space from which a star can form.

The state of an object that has gained electrons and therefore has more electrons than protons.

The reduction in an emission compared with its initial value, often expressed as a fraction or ratio of the initial emission.

The blue conductor that completes the normal circuit and is at or close to earth potential, approximately 0 V.

An uncharged particle found in atomic nuclei and sometimes emitted during nuclear processes.

An extremely dense remnant that can be left after a supernova.

A calibrated spring balance used to measure force in newtons.

A force that acts between objects without them touching.

A circuit element whose current–potential difference graph is curved, showing that its resistance changes between operating points.

An energy resource that is used faster than it is replenished and will eventually run out.

Motion in which speed changes rather than staying constant.

A line drawn at right angles to a boundary at the point where a ray meets it.

A force exerted by a touching surface at right angles to that surface.

The end of a magnet or compass needle that points towards north when free to turn.