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GCSE Physics Flash Card Questions

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P4 Electric circuits

P4.1 Electrical charges and fields (single science only)

Question	Answer
What types of charges exist?	positive and negative charge
What is stationary electrical charge called?	static electricity
What happens when a balloon is rubbed on a dry cotton t-shirt?	the balloon becomes electrical charged because of the friction between the t-shirt and the balloon when they are rubbed together
Name the sub-atomic particles and their charges.	• proton - positive • neutron - neutral • electron - negative
Describe the basic structure of the atom.	• the nucleus is at the centre of the atom and contains the protons and the neutrons • electrons move around the nucleus in energy levels
How do the number of protons and electrons compare on an uncharged atom?	there are an equal number of protons and electrons on an uncharged atom
How does an atom become charged?	by gaining or losing electrons
What is a charged atom called?	an ion
What charge will an ion have that has gained electrons and why?	negative because the number of electrons exceeds the number of protons
What charge will an ion have that has lost electrons and why?	positive because the number of electrons is less than the number of protons
What charged does a polythene rod gain when rubbed with a dry cloth?	negative
What happens when a polythene rod is rubbed with a dry cloth?	rubbing the rod with a dry cloth transfers electrons from the cloth to the surface of the rod making the rod negatively charged
What makes the electrons transfer from the cloth to the polythene rod when it is rubbed with the cloth?	friction
Glass becomes positively charged when it is rubbed with a dry cloth. Explain what happens.	because of the friction between the cloth and the glass, electrons are transferred from the glass to the cloth, making the glass positive
If a rod is rubbed with a dry cloth and becomes positive, what material is the rod made from?	perspex
What does a charged object create around itself?	an electric field
What happens when two charged objects are placed near each other?	their electric fields interact creating a force between the two charged objects
What type of force is exerted between two charged objects?	a non-contact force
How is the direction of the electric field decided?	the convention is that the path and direction reflects the path and direction that a small positive charge will follow in the electric field
Describe the lines that represent the electric field around a circular positively charged object.	• they radiate outwards from the object • they are at 90° to the object
What causes a spark between two oppositely charged particles?	• if the field is strong enough, some electrons will be pulled out of air molecules • these electrons will knock electrons out of other air molecules • this will create a sudden flow of charge (electrons) between the charged particles
State the golden rule of charge.	like charges repel, and unlike charges attract

P4 Electric circuits

P4.2 Current and charge

Question	Answer
What does a circuit diagram show?	it shows how the components in a circuit are connected together
Draw the symbol for each of the following components • a cell • a switch • an indicator • a diode • a light-emitting diode (LED) • an ammeter
Draw the symbol for each of the following components • a fixed resistor • a variable resistor • a fuse • a heater • a voltmeter
What is a cell used for?	to push electrons around a complete circuit
What is a battery?	a battery consists of two or more cells
What is a switch used for?	a switch enables the current in a circuit to be switched on or off
What is an indicator used for?	an indicator like a light bulb, is designed to emit light as a signal when a current passes through it
What does a diode do?	a diode allows current through it in one direction only
What is a light-emitting diode (LED)?	a diode that emits light when a current passes through it
What is an ammeter used for?	to measure electric current in a circuit
What does a fixed resistor do?	it limits the current in a circuit
What is a variable resistor?	a resistor where it is possible to change the resistance to for example vary the current in a circuit
What is a fuse?	is used to protect a circuit by melting and thus breaking the circuit when the current exceeds a certain level
What is a heater?	a device used to transfer energy from an electric current to heat into the surroundings
What is a voltmeter?	a device used to measure the voltage between two points of a circuit
What is an electric current?	a flow of charge
What is the current in a torch made of?	millions of electrons leaving the battery and travelling around the circuit
What is the charge of an electron?	negative
Where are the electrons in a metal?	metals contain many electrons that move freely between the positive metal ions
Why are electrons able to move through a light bulb?	because the bulb filament is made of metal
What do electrons travelling through a light bulb do?	they transfer energy from themselves to the light filament which releases the energy as visible light
What is the size of a current?	the rate of flow of electric charge
What is meant by the rate of flow of electric charge?	the flow of charge per second
How are the number of electrons in a circuit related to the current in the circuit?	the bigger the number of electrons that pass through the circuit in a second, the bigger is the current passing through the circuit
What can be said about the current in a circuit that is a single closed loop?	the current is the same at all points
What is the symbol for electric charge?	Q
What are the units for electric charge?	coulombs
What is the symbol for coulombs?	C
What is the symbol for current?	I
What is current measured in?	amperes
What is the symbol for amperes?	A
What is the symbol for time?	t
What are the units of time?	seconds
What is the symbol for seconds?	s
Define one ampere.	one ampere is a rate of flow of 1 coulomb of charge in 1 second
Write the word equation for charge with a constant current.	charge flow = current x time taken
Write the symbol equation for charge with a constant current.	\( Q = I \times t \)
Rearrange the equation above for current.	\( I = \frac {Q}{t} \)
How are diodes used to protect battery-powered devices?	the device can be damaged if the batteries are put in the wrong way around without a diode which only allows current to flow in one direction

P4 Electric circuits

P4.3 Potential difference and resistance

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P4 Electric circuits

P4.4 Component characteristics

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P4 Electric circuits

P4.5 Series circuits

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P4 Electric circuits

P4.6 Parallel circuits

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