8 K

Word Sheets

8Ka – Temperature changes

Word Pronunciation Meaning
degrees Celsius (°C) sell-see-us A unit for measuring temperature.
evaporate When a liquid turns into a gas.
internal energy The energy stored in the movement of particles.
Sometimes called thermal energy.
joule (J) jool A unit for measuring energy.
temperature How hot something is, usually measured in degrees
Celsius.
thermal energy Another term for internal energy.

8Kb – Transferring energy

Word Pronunciation Meaning
absorb ‘To soak up’ or ‘to take in’.
conduction con-duck-shun The way energy is transferred through solids by heating.
convection con-veck-shun The way energy is transferred by heating in fluids.
convection current con-veck-shun A flow of liquid or gas caused by part of it being heated
or cooled more than the rest.
density The amount of mass that one cubic centimetre of a
substance has. Often measured in grams per cubic
centimetre (g/cm3).
emit To give out.
fluid A gas or a liquid.
infrared radiation ray-dee-ay-shun A way of transferring energy by heating that does not
need a medium (material). Infrared radiation can travel
through transparent things and a vacuum (empty space).
medium Any substance through which something travels.
radiation ray-dee-ay-shun A way of transferring energy by heating. Also known as
infrared radiation. Infrared radiation can travel through
transparent things and a vacuum (empty space).
reflect To bounce off a surface instead of passing through it or
being absorbed.
thermal conductor A material that allows internal (thermal) energy to be
transferred through it easily.
thermal imager A device like a camera that makes images by detecting
infrared radiation.
thermal insulator A material that does not allow internal (thermal) energy
to be transferred through it easily.

8Kc – Controlling energy transfers

Word Pronunciation Meaning
solar cell sell A flat plate that uses energy transferred by the light to
produce electricity.
solar panel A panel that uses energy from the Sun to heat water.

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 8 K
Word Sheets

8Kc WS – Accuracy and precision

Word Pronunciation Meaning
accurate ak-yer-it A measurement that is close to the true value.
precise Measurements that are close to one another.
random error An error that can be different for every reading.
systematic error sis-tem-at-ick An error that is the same for all readings, such as when
forgetting to zero a balance before using it to measure a
series of masses.
valid Something is valid if it is doing what it is supposed to do.
A measurement is valid if it measures what it is
supposed to measure. A valid conclusion is drawn only
from the data that the conclusion is supposed to be
drawn from.

8Kd – Power and efficiency

Word Pronunciation Meaning
appliance A machine, usually one powered by electricity and used
in the home.
efficiency e-fish-en-see A way of saying how much energy something wastes.
kilowatt (kW) A unit for measuring power. There are 1000 watts (W) in
1 kilowatt (kW).
power The amount of energy (in joules, J) transferred every
second. It is measured in watts (W).
power rating The number of joules of energy an appliance uses every
second.
Sankey diagram A diagram showing energy transfers, where the width of
each arrow is proportional to the amount of energy it
represents.
watt (W) A unit for measuring power. 1 watt (W) is 1 joule (J) per
second.

8Ke – Paying for energy

Word Pronunciation Meaning
kilowatt-hour (kWh) The amount of energy used by a 1 kilowatt (kW)
appliance in one hour. It is equal to 3600 kilojoules (kJ).
payback time The time it takes to get back (in energy savings) the
money you spent on making an energy-saving change.

8Ke – Keeping warm

Word Pronunciation Meaning
climate change Changes that will happen to the weather as a result of
global warming.
fossil fuel A fuel formed from the dead remains of organisms over
millions of years (e.g. coal, oil or natural gas).

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