Romania Clasa a VIII-a Physics
Chapters: 4
1. Thermal phenomena
Particle motion and temperature · Heat and its transfer · Calorimetry · States of matter
- The Particle Model of Matter – All matter is made of tiny particles that are always moving. In a solid they are close and only vibrate; in a liquid they are close but slide past each other; in a gas they are far apart and move fast in all directions. Heating gives particles more energy: either they move faster (temperature rises) or the forces between them are broken (the state changes while the temperature stays the same). Gas pressure comes from particles hitting the walls.
- Thermal Expansion, Specific Heat, Calorimetry and Latent Heat – Temperature tells how hot a body is; heat is energy that flows because of a temperature difference. Most things expand when heated: ΔL = αLΔT, ΔA = βAΔT, ΔV = γVΔT, with β = 2α and γ = 3α. Water is an exception between 0 °C and 4 °C, where it shrinks on heating, so it is densest at 4 °C. The heat needed to warm a body is Q = mcΔT, where c is the specific heat; gases have two, Cp > Cv, with Cp − Cv = R per mole. In calorimetry, heat lost by hot bodies equals heat gained by cold ones. During melting or boiling the temperature stays constant and heat Q = mL goes into changing the state.
- Specific Heat Capacity and Heat Balance – Different materials need different amounts of energy to warm up. The specific heat capacity c of a material is the energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of it by 1 °C (or 1 K). Its unit is J/(kg·°C) or J/(kg·K). The energy needed to heat any amount is Q = m × c × ΔT. Water has a very high c (about 4200 J/(kg·°C)), so it heats and cools slowly. When a hot and a cold body touch and nothing is lost, the heat given by the hot body equals the heat taken by the cold body (heat balance). A calorimeter uses this idea to measure c.
2. Electric and magnetic phenomena
Electrostatics · Electric circuits · Resistance and Ohm's law · Electric energy and power · Magnetic effect of current
- Electric Charges and Fields – Charge comes in two kinds, is conserved and comes in whole-number packets of e = 1.6 × 10⁻¹⁹ C. Two point charges push or pull with F = kq₁q₂/r² (k = 9 × 10⁹ N m² C⁻²). Forces and fields from many charges add as vectors (superposition). The field E = F/q₀ of a point charge is kq/r²; field lines show it. A dipole (±q a distance 2a apart) has moment p = q·2a; in a uniform field it feels zero net force but a torque τ = pE sinθ. Electric flux Φ = E·A, and Gauss's law says the flux out of any closed surface is q_enclosed/ε₀, which quickly gives E for a long wire (λ/2πε₀r), a plane sheet (σ/2ε₀) and a thin spherical shell (kq/r² outside, 0 inside).
- Electric Current, Potential Difference and Electric Circuits – Electric current is the rate of flow of charge, I = Q/t, measured in amperes with an ammeter joined in series. Potential difference is the work done to move a unit charge between two points, V = W/Q, measured in volts with a voltmeter joined in parallel. Charge flows only in a closed circuit.
- 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.
- Electric Power and Electrical Energy – Electric power is the rate of using electrical energy: P = VI = I²R = V²/R, in watts. Energy used = power × time. At home energy is measured in kilowatt-hours: 1 kWh = 1 unit = 3.6 × 10⁶ J. Bill = units × rate.
- Magnetic Effect of Electric Current – A wire carrying electric current makes a magnetic field around itself. The field forms circles around a straight wire, becomes nearly straight at the centre of a loop, and is uniform inside a solenoid, which then acts like a bar magnet.
3. Optical phenomena
Light and its propagation · Reflection · Refraction · Thin lenses · Optical instruments
- 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).
- Reflection of Light: Plane and Spherical Mirrors – Light bounces off a shiny surface so that the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection. A plane mirror gives a virtual, upright, same-size image as far behind as the object is in front. A concave mirror can give real or virtual images depending on where the object is; a convex mirror always gives a virtual, upright, smaller image. The mirror formula 1/v + 1/u = 1/f and magnification m = −v/u (with the New Cartesian sign convention) let you find the image without drawing.
- Spherical Lenses: Images, Lens Formula and Power – A convex lens is thick in the middle and bends parallel light to meet at its focus; a concave lens is thin in the middle and spreads light out as if from its focus. With two simple rays (one parallel to the axis, one through the optical centre) you can find the image for any object position. A convex lens gives real, inverted images when the object is beyond F₁ and a virtual, erect, enlarged image inside F₁; a concave lens always gives a virtual, erect, diminished image. The lens formula 1/v − 1/u = 1/f, magnification m = v/u and power P = 1/f (in metres, unit dioptre) let you solve lens numericals.
- The Human Eye: Parts, Accommodation and Defects of Vision – The eye is a camera made of living parts. The cornea and eye lens bend light to make a real, upside-down image on the retina. The ciliary muscles change the lens thickness so both far and near things look sharp (accommodation). When the eyeball is too long or too short, or the lens gets stiff, the image misses the retina; the right spectacle lens puts it back.
4. Energy and life (integrating theme)
Forms and sources of energy
- Work, Energy and Power – Work is done when a force moves an object: W = F × s, measured in joules (J). Energy is the ability to do work. A moving body has kinetic energy ½mv²; a raised body has potential energy mgh. Energy is never made or destroyed, only changed from one form to another. Power is how fast work is done: P = W ÷ t, in watts. Simple machines like levers and pulleys let a small effort move a big load.