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P4 Glossary AW
Glossary of Key Words for P4- Radiation for Life
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Alpha particles | Radioactive particles which are helium nuclei- helium atoms without the electrons (they have a positive charge). |
| Alternating current or volatage | An electric current that is not a one-way flow. |
| Ammeter | Meter used to in an electric circuit for measuring current. |
| Ampere(A) | The unit used to measure electrical current, often abbreviated to amp. |
| Attract | Move towards, for example opposite charges attract. |
| Background radiation | Ionising radiation from space and rocks, especially granite, that is around us all the time but is at a very low level. |
| Battery | Two or more electrical cells joined together. |
| Becquerels (Bq) | Unit of activity or count rate; 1Bq = 1 count per second. |
| Beta particles | Particles given off by some radioactive materials (they have a negative charge). |
| Boron control rods | Rods that are raised or lowered in a nuclear reactor to control the rate of fission. |
| Cancer | Life-threatening condition where body cells divide uncontrollably. |
| Carbon | A very important element, carbon is present in all living things and forms a huge range of compounds with other elements. |
| Carbon-14 | Radioactived isotope of carbon. |
| Chain reaction | A reaction where the products cause the reaction to go further or faster, e.g. in nuclear fission. |
| Charge(s) | A property of matter exists in two forms, positive and negative, which attract each other. |
| Circuit breakers | Resettable fuses. |
| “Cold fusion” | Attempts to produce fusion at normal room temperature that have not been validated since other scientists could not reproduce the results. |
| Conducting gel | Applied to a patient’s chest before using a defribillator to ensure good electrical contact. |
| Conductors | Materials that transfer thermal energy easily; electrical conductors allow electricity to flow through them. |
| Conservation of energy | Principle stating that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but can be altered from one form to another. |
| Cosmic rays | Radiation from space that contributes to background radiation. |
| Count rate | Average number of nuclei that decay every second. |
| Current | Flow of electrons in an electric circuit. |
| Defribillator | Machine which gives the heart an electric shock to start it beating regularly. |
| Diagnostic | Process for identifying the nature or cause of a medical problem. |
| Direct current | An electric current that flows in one direction only. |
| Double insulated | An electrical device in which there are at least two layers of insulation between the user and the electric wires. |
| Earth wire | The third wire in a mains cable which connects the case of an electric appliance to the ground so the case cannot become charged and cause an electric shock. |
| Earthed (electrically) | Connected to the ground (at 0 (zero) volts). |
| Echoes | Reflection of sound (or ultrasound). |
| Electric cars | Cars running on solar power or batteries. |
| Electric windows | Windows that can be opened or closed at the push of a button. |
| Electrical conductivity | The measurement of the ability to conduct electricity. |
| Electrical conductors | Materials that will allow electricity to pass through them. |
| Electromagnet | A magnet that is magnetic only when a current is switched on. |
| Electromagnetic waves | A group of waves that carry different amounts of energy- they range from low frequency radio waves to high frequency gamma rays. |
| Electrostatic attractions | Attraction between opposite charges, e.g. between Na+ and Cl-. |
| Electrostatic dust precipitators | Charged plates inside factory chimneys remove dust particles from smoke. |
| (Electrostatic) paint sprayer | Charges paint droplets to give even coverage. |
| Enriched uranium | Uranium containing more of the U-235 isotope than occurs naturally. |
| Filament | A very fine wire, typically in an old-style incandescent lamp, that emits heat and light when a current passes through it. |
| Fission | Splitting apart, especially of large radioactive nuclei such as uranium. |
| Frequency | The number of waves passing a set point per second. |
| Fuel rods | Rods of enriched uranium produced to provide fuel for nuclear power stations. |
| Fuse(s) | A special component in an electric circuit containing a thin wire which is designed to melt if too much current flows through it, breaking the circuit. |
| Fusion | The joining together of small nuclei, such as hydrogen isotopes, at very high temperatures with the release of energy. |
| Fusion bomb | Hydrogen bombs or H-bombs based on fusion reactions. |
| Gamma rays | Ionising electromagnetic waves that are radioactive and dangerous to human health- but are useful in killing cancer cells. |
| Geiger counter | A device used to detect some types of radiation. |
| Geiger-Muller tube | A device used to detect some types of radiation. |
| Generator | Device that converts rotational kinetic energy into electrical energy. |
| Granite | Mineral containing low levels of uranium. |
| Graphite | A type of carbon used as a moderator in a nuclear power station. |
| Half-life | Average time taken for half the nuclei in a radioactive sample to decay. |
| Insulator | A material that transfers thermal energy only very slowly and will not allow electricity to pass through it. |
| Iodine | Radioactive isotope of iodine are used in diagnosing and treating thyroid cancer. |
| Isotopes | Atoms with the same number of protons but different number of neutrons. |
| Lead | Heaviest element having a stable isotope; all isotopes of the elements above it in the periodic table are unstable. |
| Live (wire) | Carries a high voltage into and around the house. |
| Longitudinal (wave) | Wave in which the vibrations are in the same direction as the direction in which the wave travels. |
| Moderator | Material used to slow down neutrons in a nuclear power station. |
| Mutation | Where the DNA of within cells have been altered (this happens in cancer). |
| Neutral (wire) | Provides a return path for the current in a mains supply to a local electricity substation. |
| Nuclear equation | Equation showing changes to the nuclei in a nuclear reaction. |
| Nuclear power stations | Power stations using the energy produced by nuclear fission to generate heat. |
| Paddles | Charged plates in a defribillator that are placed on the patient’s chest. |
| Parallel circuit | Electric circuit formed by more than one loop so that the electrons can go through different paths. |
| Photocopier | Uses electrostatics to copy documents. |
| Potential difference | Another word for voltage (a measure of the energy carried by the electric circuit). |
| Power | Rate of transfer of energy; electric power=voltage x current. |
| Power station | Facility that generates electricity on a large scale. |
| Power transmission | Transmission of electricity. |
| Radioactive waste | Waste produced by radioactive materials used at nuclear power stations, research centres and some hospitals. |
| Radiocarbon dating | Method of dating some old artefacts using carbon-14. |
| Radiographer | A technician who works in a hospital radiography department, possibly taking x-rays or treating some types of cancer with radiation. |
| Radioisotope | Isotope of an element that is radioactive. |
| Radiotherapy | Using ionizing radiation to kill cancer cells in the body. |
| Rarefactions | Particles further apart than usual, decreasing pressure. |
| Ratemeter | A device that measures the amount of radiation detected by a Geiger-Muller tube. |
| Recharging | Battery being charged with a flow of electric current. |
| Reflected | Radiation rebounding off a surface. |
| Resistance | Measurement of how hard it is for an electric current to flow through a material. |
| Rheostat | A variable resistor. |
| Series circuit | Circuit formed by a single loop of electrical conductors. |
| Shock | Occurs when a person comes into contact with an electrical energy source so that electrical energy flows through a portion of the body. |
| Smoke detector | Device to detect smoke, some forms of which contain a source of alpha radiation. |
| Sound energy | Anything making a noise gives out sound energy. |
| Sparks | Type of electrostatic discharge briefly producing light and sound. |
| Stable (nucleus) | (Nucleus) is not radioactive; it will not decay. |
| Superconductors | Materials that conduct electricity with little or no resistance. |
| Therapy | Treatment of a medical problem. |
| Thyroid gland | Gland at the base of the neck which makes the hormone thyroxin. |
| Tracers | A radioactive, radiation emitting substance used to follow movement of a particular chemical, e.g. in nuclear medicine, tracking the path of underground pipe etc. |
| Transmitted | Radiation passing through an object. |
| Transverse (wave) | Wave in which the vibrations are at right angles to the direction in which the wave travels. |
| Turbine | Device for generating electricity- the turbine moves through a magnetic field and electricity is generated. |
| Ultrasound | High-pitched sounds which are too high for detection by human ears. |
| Unstable (nucleus) | Liable to decay. |
| Uranium | Radioactive element with a very long half-life used in nuclear power stations. |
| Vacuum | Space containing hardly any particles. |
| Van de Graff generator | A machine which uses a moving belt to accumulate very high charges on a hollow metal globe. |
| Variable resistor | A resistor whose resistance can change. |
| Voltage | A measure of the energy carried by an electric current (also called the potential difference). |
| Voltmeter | Instrument used to measure voltage or potential difference. |
| Volts (V) | Units used to measure voltage. |
| Watt (W) | A unit of power, 1 watt equals 1 joule of energy being transferred per second. |
| Wave | Oscillatory motion. |
| X-rays | Ionising electromagnetic waves used in x-ray photography (where x-rays are used to generate pictures of bones). |
Created by:
Brimsham
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