France Seconde Physics-Chemistry
Chapters: 3
1. Matter
Pure substances, mixtures, solutions, mass concentration · Microscopic model: atoms, ions, molecules, electrons · Periodic table and valence · Amount of substance: the mole · Physical changes and energy · Chemical reactions: equation, limiting reagent, synthesis · Nuclear changes: isotopes, fusion, fission
- Solutions: How Things Dissolve and How Much Can Dissolve – A solution is a uniform mixture of a solute dissolved in a solvent. In water (an aqueous solution) the solute breaks into particles too small to see, so it never settles and passes through filter paper. Concentration tells how much solute is present (mass % = solute ÷ solution × 100). Solubility is the most that can dissolve in 100 g of solvent at a given temperature; beyond it the solution is saturated. Evaporation, crystallisation and distillation separate solutions.
- Structure of the Atom – An atom has a tiny, heavy, positive nucleus made of protons and neutrons. Electrons move around it in fixed shells K, L, M, N. The number of protons (Z) tells the element; protons + neutrons give the mass number (A). Outer electrons decide valency. Isotopes share Z; isobars share A.
- Periodic Classification of Elements – Scientists sorted elements so that similar ones sit together. Döbereiner made triads, Newlands found that every 8th element repeats (octaves), Mendeleev arranged elements by atomic mass and left gaps for unknown ones. Moseley showed that atomic number is the real key. Modern periodic law: the properties of elements are a periodic function of their atomic numbers. The modern table has 7 periods and 18 groups. Elements with Z > 100 get temporary IUPAC names built from digit roots (nil, un, bi, tri, quad, pent, hex, sept, oct, enn) plus -ium.
- Mole Concept, Molar Mass and Chemical Formulas – Atoms are far too small to count one by one, so chemists count them by weighing. Atomic masses are given in u, where 1 u is one-twelfth the mass of a carbon-12 atom. One mole is 6.022 × 10²³ particles, and its mass in grams equals the formula mass in u. With moles we can find the percentage of each element in a compound, and work back from percentages to the empirical and molecular formulas.
- Changes of State: Melting, Boiling, Evaporation and More – A substance can change between solid, liquid and gas when we heat it or cool it. Melting, boiling, evaporation and sublimation need heat. Freezing, condensation and deposition give heat out. While the state is changing, the temperature stays the same, because the heat is used to break (or is released by making) the pull between particles. This hidden heat is called latent heat. Evaporation happens at any temperature, only from the surface, and it cools things down. Changes of state are physical changes: no new substance forms and the mass stays the same.
- Chemical Reactions and Balancing Equations – In a chemical reaction atoms are not made or destroyed; they only change partners. So a chemical equation must have the same number of each kind of atom on both sides. We balance it by changing the numbers in front of formulas, never the formulas themselves.
- Nuclear Fission and Fusion – Fission is the splitting of a large, unstable nucleus such as uranium-235 or plutonium-239. A slow neutron is absorbed, the nucleus splits into two smaller nuclei and releases 2 or 3 neutrons, gamma rays and a lot of energy. The new neutrons can split more nuclei: a chain reaction. In a nuclear reactor, a moderator slows neutrons and control rods absorb some, so the chain reaction stays steady. Fusion is the joining of two light nuclei, such as hydrogen, to make a heavier nucleus, such as helium. Some mass turns into energy. Fusion powers the Sun and stars, but it needs very high temperature and pressure.
2. Motion and interactions
Describing motion: frame of reference, velocity vector · Modelling forces · Principle of inertia
- Motion: Distance, Speed, Velocity, Acceleration and Graphs – An object is in motion when its position changes with time. Distance is the full path length (a scalar); displacement is the straight gap from start to finish with a direction (a vector). Speed = distance ÷ time; velocity = displacement ÷ time. Acceleration = change in velocity ÷ time. The slope of an s–t graph gives velocity, the slope of a v–t graph gives acceleration, and the area under a v–t graph gives the distance. For uniform acceleration: v = u + at, s = ut + ½at², v² = u² + 2as.
- Forces: Pushes and Pulls – A force is a push or a pull between two objects. It is measured in newtons (N). Contact forces need touching (push, friction, normal force, tension, buoyancy); non-contact forces act at a distance (gravity, magnetism, electric). A force is drawn as an arrow: start = point of application, direction, length = size. Forces can change an object's speed, direction or shape. If forces balance, a still object stays still (equilibrium). Forces always come in pairs: if A pushes B, B pushes A back equally (Newton's third law).
- Force and Laws of Motion – A force is a push or a pull. Balanced forces (net force zero) do not change motion; an unbalanced force changes speed or direction. Friction opposes sliding. First law: a body keeps its state of rest or uniform motion unless an unbalanced force acts (inertia; heavier bodies have more inertia). Momentum p = mv. Second law: F = ma (rate of change of momentum), 1 N = 1 kg m/s². Third law: forces come in equal and opposite pairs acting on two different bodies. For a system with no outside force, internal forces cancel and total momentum is conserved.
3. Waves and signals
Sound: frequency and loudness · Lenses, spectra and refraction · Circuits, Ohm’s law, sensors
- Sound – Sound is made by vibrating objects. It travels through a medium (air, water, solids) as a longitudinal wave: particles move back and forth, making crowded parts (compressions) and spread-out parts (rarefactions). Frequency (Hz) sets the pitch, amplitude sets the loudness, and speed v = f × λ. Sound cannot travel in vacuum. Humans hear 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz; below is infrasound, above is ultrasound. Reflected sound gives echoes, used and controlled in buildings.
- Refraction of Light: Laws, Refractive Index and the Glass Slab – Light changes speed when it goes from one transparent medium to another, and so it bends at the boundary (unless it hits along the normal). Going into an optically denser medium it slows down and bends toward the normal; coming out it speeds up and bends away. For a pair of media, sin i / sin r stays constant (Snell's law); this constant is the refractive index, which also equals the ratio of the speeds of light, n = c/v. In a rectangular glass slab the emergent ray is parallel to the incident ray but shifted sideways (lateral displacement).
- Ohm's Law – At constant temperature, the current through a conductor is directly proportional to the potential difference across it: V = I × R. R is the resistance, measured in ohms (Ω); 1 Ω = 1 V/1 A. The V–I graph of an ohmic conductor is a straight line through the origin.