OCR GCSE Physics A key terms

The region around a charged object where another charged object experiences an electrostatic force.

A line drawn to represent an electric field. Its arrow shows the direction of the force on a positive charge.

The proportion of a country's electricity generated using each energy resource.

A device that uses forces on current-carrying conductors in a magnetic field to transfer electrical energy into kinetic energy.

Harm caused when electric current passes through the body.

A magnet produced by an electric current, usually consisting of a current-carrying coil around a soft iron core.

The production of a potential difference across a conductor when the magnetic field through it changes, for example as it moves through a magnetic field.

An electromagnetic wave, or a stream of electromagnetic energy travelling away from a source.

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

A wave formed from oscillating electric and magnetic fields that can transfer energy through a vacuum.

A negatively charged subatomic particle found in the region surrounding an atomic nucleus; its mass is very small compared with the masses of protons and neutrons.

An allowed region around the nucleus that has a particular energy in the Bohr model.

A force of attraction or repulsion between electrically charged objects.

An attractive or repulsive interaction involving electric charges.

The giving out of electromagnetic radiation by a body, transferring energy away from it.

The region bounded by the plotted line, the time axis and the relevant start and finish times.

The capacity of a system to cause change, measured in joules (J).

Energy spreading into the surroundings so that it is stored in less useful ways, usually in thermal energy stores.

One of the permitted energy arrangements for an electron in an atom; higher energy levels are generally further from the nucleus.

A source from which people obtain energy for heating, transport or generating electricity.

A way energy is held by an object or system, such as in a kinetic, gravitational potential, elastic potential or thermal store.

The movement of energy from one object or place to another; electromagnetic waves can achieve this without transferring matter.

The state in which the resultant force on an object is zero.

The undisturbed central position about which a quantity or particle vibrates.

The single resistance that would have the same overall effect on the current as a combination of resistors.

An approximate value based on reasonable assumptions rather than an exact measurement.

An overflow vessel with a spout used to collect liquid displaced by an immersed object.