A-Level Physics · Topic 6
Further mechanics and thermal physics: every key term you need (+ practice quiz)
16 flashcard terms for A-Level Physics Topic 6, written to match the course framework. Study them here, then drill them as interactive flashcards, or test yourself with the 8-question quiz — free, no account needed.
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Angular velocity Rate of change of angle in radians per second. Equal to linear speed divided by radius.
Centripetal acceleration Directed towards the centre of the circle. Its magnitude is speed squared divided by radius.
Centripetal force The resultant force keeping an object in circular motion. It is provided by tension, gravity or friction — never a separate new force.
Simple harmonic motion Acceleration is proportional to displacement and directed towards equilibrium, giving sinusoidal position-time graphs.
SHM energy exchange Kinetic energy is greatest at equilibrium and zero at maximum displacement, where potential energy peaks. The total stays constant.
Damping Resistive forces remove energy, reducing amplitude. Critical damping returns the system to equilibrium fastest without overshooting.
Resonance Large amplitude oscillation when the driving frequency matches the natural frequency. Damping lowers and broadens the peak.
Specific heat capacity Energy needed to raise one kilogram of a substance by one kelvin, without a change of state.
Specific latent heat Energy to change the state of one kilogram at constant temperature, used to break bonds rather than raise temperature.
Absolute zero Zero kelvin, where particles have minimum internal energy. Extrapolating a pressure-temperature graph to zero pressure locates it.
Boyle's law At constant temperature, pressure is inversely proportional to volume for a fixed mass of gas.
Ideal gas equation Pressure times volume equals number of moles times the molar gas constant times absolute temperature.
Kinetic theory assumptions Molecules are point masses in random motion, collisions are elastic, and intermolecular forces are negligible except during collisions.
Internal energy The sum of the randomly distributed kinetic and potential energies of a system's particles.
Brownian motion The random jittering of smoke particles, evidence that they are being struck by fast-moving invisible molecules.
Mean kinetic energy of a molecule Directly proportional to absolute temperature, which is why temperature is a measure of average molecular kinetic energy.
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