France Terminale Physics-Chemistry (specialty)
Chapters: 4
1. Matter and its changes
Acids/bases and chemical analysis · Kinetics and radioactive decay · Equilibrium, acid strength, cells and electrolysis · Organic synthesis strategies
- Acids and Bases: Properties, Indicators and Reactions – An acid gives H⁺ ions in water and a base gives OH⁻ ions. Indicators show which one is present by a colour or smell change, and when H⁺ meets OH⁻ they make water, leaving a salt behind.
- Rate of a Chemical Reaction – The rate of a reaction tells how fast a reactant is used up or a product is made, per unit time. Rate = −Δ[R]/Δt = +Δ[P]/Δt (unit mol L⁻¹ s⁻¹). The rate law, rate = k[A]^x[B]^y, is found by experiment; x + y is the order. Molecularity is the number of particles that collide in one elementary step.
- Chemical Equilibrium: Kc, Kp, Q and Gibbs Energy – In a closed container a reversible reaction goes both ways. After some time the forward and backward rates become equal, so amounts stop changing, but the reaction does not stop. This is dynamic equilibrium. At equilibrium the ratio of products to reactants (each raised to its coefficient) is a fixed number, the equilibrium constant K. Kc uses concentrations, Kp uses partial pressures, and Kp = Kc(RT)^Δn. Pure solids and liquids are left out of K. The reaction quotient Q tells the direction: Q < K goes forward, Q > K goes backward, Q = K is equilibrium. K and Gibbs energy are linked: ΔG = ΔG° + RT ln Q and ΔG° = −RT ln K.
- Carbon and Its Compounds: Bonding, Hydrocarbons and Naming – Carbon has 4 outer electrons, so it shares electrons (covalent bonds) instead of gaining or losing them. Because it bonds to itself (catenation) and always makes 4 bonds (tetravalency), it forms millions of compounds: chains, branches and rings, saturated or unsaturated. Compounds with the same functional group form a homologous series that differs by –CH₂–, and IUPAC names are built from the number of carbons + a suffix or prefix for the functional group.
2. Motion and interactions
Describing motion · Newton’s laws, motion in fields, Kepler · Fluid flow
- Motion in a Straight Line (Class 11) – To describe motion we first choose a frame of reference: an origin, a direction and a clock. Position x changes with time t. Velocity v = dx/dt is the slope of the x–t graph; acceleration a = dv/dt is the slope of the v–t graph, and the area under the v–t graph is the displacement. For constant a: v = u + at, x = ut + ½at², v² = u² + 2as.
- 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.
- Fluid Flow: Flow Rate, Continuity, Bernoulli and Venturi – The flow rate Q = A × v is the same at every point of a pipe full of flowing liquid, so the fluid speeds up where the pipe narrows (A₁v₁ = A₂v₂). Bernoulli's equation, p + ½ρv² + ρgh = constant, then says pressure drops where speed rises. A Venturi meter uses that pressure drop to measure speed.
3. Energy
Thermodynamic systems and ideal gas · First law and heat transfer
- Perfect Gas Equation PV = nRT and Work in Compressing a Gas – A gas is made of countless tiny molecules flying about. Their hits on the walls make pressure. For a low-density gas, three simple laws hold: at fixed temperature, P × V stays constant (Boyle); at fixed pressure, V grows in step with kelvin temperature (Charles); at the same P and T, equal volumes hold equal numbers of molecules (Avogadro). Put together they give the perfect gas equation PV = nRT = N k T. One mole holds Avogadro's number, 6.022 × 10²³, of particles. Pushing a piston in does work on the gas; the work equals the area under the P–V graph, and at fixed temperature W = nRT ln(V₁/V₂).
- First Law of Thermodynamics – Internal energy U is the total energy of the molecules inside a system. It changes in only two ways: by heat Q (energy that flows because of a temperature difference) and by work W (energy moved by a force, like a moving piston). First law: ΔQ = ΔU + ΔW. Heat given to a gas partly raises its internal energy and partly lets it do work. Work by a gas at constant pressure is PΔV. For an ideal gas Cp − Cv = R.
4. Waves and signals
Wave phenomena: diffraction, interference, Doppler · Telescope images, photons, photoelectric effect · Capacitors and RC circuits
- Interference (Young's Double Slit) and Single Slit Diffraction – Two coherent sources (same frequency, fixed phase difference) make a steady pattern of bright and dark fringes. At a point on the screen the path difference is Δ = yd/D: bright where Δ = nλ, dark where Δ = (n + ½)λ. All fringes have equal width β = λD/d. A single slit of width a gives diffraction: a bright central maximum of width 2λD/a, with first minima where a sin θ = λ, and weaker side maxima.
- Photoelectric Effect and Einstein's Equation – When light of high enough frequency falls on a metal, electrons jump out at once. Light comes in packets called photons, each with energy E = hν. One photon gives all its energy to one electron: hν = φ + KEmax, where φ is the work function. Below the threshold frequency ν₀ = φ/h no electron comes out, however bright the light.
- Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance – Electrostatic potential V at a point is the work done per unit positive charge to bring it from infinity: V = kq/r for a point charge, and potentials of many charges add as plain numbers. Potential difference V_B − V_A = W_AB/q. Equipotential surfaces join equal-V points; E is perpendicular to them and E = −dV/dr. Potential energy of two charges is U = kq₁q₂/r, and of a dipole in a field U = −pE cosθ. Conductors have free charges (E inside = 0); dielectrics have bound charges that polarise and cut the field to E₀/K. A capacitor stores charge Q = CV. A parallel plate capacitor has C = ε₀A/d, and KC with a dielectric. In series 1/C = 1/C₁ + 1/C₂ + …; in parallel C = C₁ + C₂ + …. Energy stored U = ½CV² = Q²/2C = ½QV.