scientific principles

• what is an isotope


  • different forms of the same element
  • atoms have the same same number of protons but different number of neutrons
• what is atomic number 


  number of protons in the nucleus
• what is atomic mass


  the combined number of protons and neutrons
• what is an element


  a substance that cannot be broken down into a simpler substance
• what is the structure of an atom


  • protons found in the nucleus and have a positive charge
  • neutrons found in the nucleus and have no charge
  • negatively charged electrons found in shells orbiting the nucleus
• what is binding energy


  • the nuclear force holding the atom together
  • it is the minimum amount of energy required to:
  • remove an electron from its atomic orbital
  • overcome the electromagnetic attraction between the electron and nucleus
  • separate the electron completely from the atom
• how does the burning energy vary for different energy levels

  • inner shells have higher binding energy
  • outer shell electrons have lower binding energy
• what happens when an electron is removed from its orbit


  it becomes an ion
• what is the electromagnetic spectrum


  includes radiowaves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, x rays and gamma rays
• low frequency waves vs high frequency waves 


  • waves with a low frequncy have a longer wavelength
  • waves with a high frequency have a shorter wavelength
• what are the mechanisms of heat transfer 


  • conduction
  • convection
  • radiation
• what is conduction 


  the transfer of heat via direct molecular collisions
• what is convention 


  the transfer of heat through liquid and gases
• radiation


  transfer of heat through waves
• what is ionising radiation


  radiation that has enough energy to remove tightly bound electrons from atoms
• what is non ionising radiation 


  radiation that doesn’t have enough energy to remove electrons from atoms