Natural Science Controlled Test Notes:
RADIATION OF VISIBLE LIGHT:
Visible light – a type of energy that comes from a light source and
can be observed by the human eye
Luminous - term to describe something that gives off light
Radiation – process which light moves away from its origin
Ray diagram – a diagram which uses lines with arrowheads to show
how light reflects off an object
A pinhole camera illustrates that light travels in straight lines. Light travels
from a luminous object through empty space extremely fast ( the speed of
light Is approximately 300 000 km per second )
EXAMPLE:
If the distance from the sun to earth is 130 million km, how many minutes
will it take light to reach from the sun back to earth?
150 000 000 km
ANSWER: 300 000 km = 500 seconds = 8 min and 20
seconds
THE SPECTRUM OF VISIBE LIGHT:
Spectrum of light – a collection of colours that make up white light
Wave – a pattern created by repeated up or down or side to side
movement from one medium (substance) when energy moves
through it
Wavelength – the length one wave pattern
Frequency – number of complete waves that move past a certain
point in a second
Refraction – ability of a wave to change direction when it passes
from one medium to another
Dispersed light - white light that is broken up into different colours
Reflected light – light that changes direction but continues to travel
through the material
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In the visible spectrum, violet has the shortest wavelength and highest
frequency. Red has the longest wavelength and the shortest frequency.
LIGHT REFRACTION:
When white light enters through a clear Perspex triangular prism, the
white light enters the prism and is refracted as it moves from the air to
the Perspex and again when it moves out of the prism. Because of the
shape of the prism and the effect of refraction, the white light is split into
its component colours when it leaves the prism
OPAQUE AND TRANSPARENT SUBSTANCES:
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Opaque – a substance that does not allow light to pass through it
(clay, bricks or any wall object)
Absorbed light – light that is taken in by a material and is unable to
retrieve it any further.
Transparent – a substance that allows light to pass though it
ABSORPTION OF LIGHT:
Light can be absorbed by the surface of some materials
Light is absorbed differently by different materials
A material has a certain colour because it is able to absorb some
and reflect others
The frequencies that are absorbed by objects do not reach the eye
REFLECTION OF LIGHT:
Normal – imaginary line on a reflective surface that is perpendicular
to the surface
Incident ray – light ray that travels to the reflective surface
Reflected ray – light that is reflected by the reflective surface
Angle of incidence – angle between the normal and the incident ray
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Angle of reflection – angle between the normal and the reflection
ray
Plane – an imaginary surface that only has length and width but no
height or depth
SCATTERED LIGHT:
Scattered light is light that reflects in different directions with no
regular pattern apparent in the reflection.
SEEING LIGHT:
Cornea – The cornea is the protective front covering of the eye.
Retina – Sensory layer at the back of the eye where all the light that
enters the eye gathers together.
Pupil – The pupil is the hole in the centre of the iris that controls the
amount of light that enters the eye.
Optic nerve – The nerve that transmits information from the retina
to the brain.
Objects around us reflect
light with different
frequencies that enter the
eye.
Specialised receptor cells in
the eye’s retina react to
specific frequencies or
colours.
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Impulses travel to the brain and the brain interprets them as what
we see
When all light is absorbed by an object and it reflects no light, a
black image is formed.
REFRACTION OF LIGHT:
Tangent – Straight line that does not cross a curve but only touches
the curve at a single point.
Convex – Outward curve
Concave – Inward curve
STEPS TO WRRITE A HYPOTHESIS:
1. Know what the question is that you want to test
2. Write a guess as to what the answer of the question might be
3. To turn this guess into a hypothesis, you need to make sure that it
gives a clear idea on how to test it.
ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS:
COMPONENTS OF A ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT:
Conducting wires – Materials which allow the electrical current to
pass through it.
Switch – device that is used to control the flow of charge in a circuit.
Cell – Chemical system that stores electric potential energy.
Battery – Two or more cells forming a chemical system that stores
electrical potential energy.
Resistors – Devices that oppose the flow of current.
Filament – Resistant wire inside a light bulb that glows to produce
light.
Circuit Diagrams – Simple diagrams of an electrical circuit that use
standard symbols to represent the basic components of the circuit.
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Short circuit – Electric circuit that allows current to flow in an
unintended circuit.
Magnetic field – Lines of force surrounding a permanent magnet or a
moving charged particle.
Electromagnet – Magnet in which the magnetic field which is
produced by a flow of charge.
Ionic solution – Solution with positively and negatively charged
particles.
Anode – the positively charged electrode where current flows in from
outside
Cathode – Negatively charged electrode where current flows out
Electrode – electrical conductor used to make contact with non-
metallic part of a circuit.
Fuse – a device that is used to protect the components in a circuit.
Electrolysis is the process of using electricity to decompose an ionic
compound.
E.g Copper chloride = copper metal + chlorine gas
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SERIES CIRCUIT:
An electrical circuit where the
components are connected one
after another and there is only
one pathway for the current to
flow through.
Resistance is a materials ability
to oppose the flow of current.
PARALLEL CIRCUIT:
An electrical circuit where there is more than one pathway for the
current to flow through
THE SOLAR SYSTEM:
THE SUN:
The sun is a medium sized star which is in the centre of the solar
system.
A star is a body of hot gases in space that produces its own energy.
A nuclear reaction is a type of reaction in which the nucleus of an
atom changes its characteristics and becomes something else.
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OBJECTS AROUND THE SUN:
Solar system – Sun, planets and other objects that move around the
sun
Planet – A rounded body travelling around a star in a clear circular
path
Orbit – a circular path that a body in space follows as it travels
around another body.
Terrestrial – Relating to land
Dwarf planet – Similar to a planet but does not clear its orbital path
of other bodies
THERE ARE 8 PLANETS IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM:
Mercury Earth Venus Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus
Neptune
Moon – Body that revolves around a planet and shines by
reflecting the light of the sun.
Asteroid – Piece of rock in space
Meteoroid – Small piece of rock in space, smaller than an asteroid
Meteor – Meteoroid when it enters the earths atmosphere and
burns up as it falls.
Meteorite – Remains of a meteoroid after it crashes into the
earths surface.
Comets – Icy body that releases gases and dust when it gets
close to the sun.
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Gravity – objects’ natural force that pulls other objects towards
itself.
Kuiper belt – broad region between mars and Jupiter containing
millions of asteroids
The Oort cloud is further than the Kuiper belt. It consists of lumps
of dust and gases. It is in a spherical shape that surrounds the
solar system
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