Tag: zimsec physics notes

A wave is made up of a periodic motion. Now what is periodic motion? It is motion that is repeated at regular intervals. For example, a pendulum bob moving from one extreme end to the other and then back to it’s starting position is said to be periodic. We’ll use the term oscillation and vibration to describe periodic motion.

Thermal energy can be transferred by any of the three processes: conduction, convection and radiation. Regardless of the method of transfer, only heat can be transferred because cold is the absence of heat.

First of all, what is Heat capacity? It is the amount of thermal energy required  to raise the temperature of a body by 1K or 1°C.

Temperature is the degree of hotness or coldness of a room, a bowl of soup or that of ice cream. Temperature is measured using the instrument thermometer with which we all are familiar.

Electrostatics is the study of static charges, just like the case of hair we just discussed. Some objects like duster and polythene will acquire electric charges when they are rubbed together. How do they acquire the charges? This happens because the electrons are transferred from one object to another.

Sound is a longitudinal wave. We have already studied about transverse and longitudinal waves  in one of the previous lectures on Waves.

what is pressure basically? So pressure can be defined as the force acting per unit area. p = F / A where p is pressure, F is force in Newtons (N) while A is area in square metres. The SI unit of pressure is newton per metre square or Pascal (Pa).

We are going to learn more about electricity. But before that, have you ever noticed the power ratings on the electrical appliances in your home? And wondered how they are measured? Don’t worry, we’ll discuss that! Starting with power, we have learned in the tutorial on Work, Energy and Power that power is the rate of work done or rate of energy converted.

What is the difference between mass and weight? Mass is the measure of amount of substance in a body, irrespective of it’s shape, location and speed. In fact, mass depends on the number and composition of atoms and molecules that make up the body.