GCSE Spanish Words to Learn – Day 4 – 'D'

The following words are especially helpful for students taking any GCSE Spanish qualification. You will find that these words often show up in reading and listening papers, and are very useful during writing and speaking controlled assessments.

Every day GCSE Zone publish a list of important and useful Spanish words, one for each letter of the alphabet. Please note that we have only included nouns and adjectives – make sure to learn new verbs and their conjugations, too!

Spanish words are provided in the singular, masculine form.

Daft	Chiflado
Dancer	Bailador
Danger	Peligro
Dangerous	Peligroso
Daredevil	Temerario
Data	Datos
Day	Día
Deaf	Sordo
Dealer	Comerciante
Death	Muerte
Debt	Deuda
Decimal point	Coma decimal
Desire	Deseo
Diagram	Diagrama
Dice	Dados
Difficult	Difícil
Dinner	Cena
Disgusting	Repugnante
Disk	Disco
Doctor	Médico
Documentary	Documental
Dog	Perro
Dollar	Dólar
Drama	Teatro
Drug	Droga

Wave Reflection and Refraction

Reflection of Waves
This occurs when a wave hits the boundary between two mediums. At it hits the boundary, some of its energy is reflected, for example seeing a reflection in puddles – visible light waves are reflected into your eyes.

Visible light is reflected because of a change in density, as water is denser than air and so whenever a wave reaches a medium with a different density, some of the wave's energy is reflected at the boundary.

Remember: the angle of reflection is the same as the angle of incidence.

Refraction of Waves
Waves also travel at different speeds in mediums which have different densities. Electromagnetic (EM) waves travel slower in dense media, whereas sound waves travel faster in them. Therefore, when a wave crosses a boundary between two mediums, it changes in speed.

An example of refraction is when light passes from air into glass when shining through a window. The glass is a denser medium than air, and so the visible light wave slows down, causing the ray of light to change direction towards the normal.

When this ray of light has passed through the glass and reaches the boundary between glass and air, it is passing into a less dense medium and so speeds up, changing direction away from the normal. Some light is also reflected at this point.

The light ray emerges from the window pane on the other side and is travelling in the same direction as it was when it went in.

Basic Principles of Waves

Image source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/higher/physics/radiation/waves/revision/1/

Introduction to Waves
All waves have the following:

• Wavelength (Metres, m) – the distance from one peak to the next
• Frequency (Hertz, Hz) – how many complete waves there are per second, passing a specified point
• Speed (Metres per Second, m/s) – how fast the wave is travelling
• Amplitude – the height of the wave, from the mid-line to the peak

Waves transfer energy and information, without transferring matter.

Formulas for Waves

1. Speed = Frequency x Wavelength
2. Wave Speed = Distance / Time

Types of Waves

In transverse waves, the vibrations are at 90 degrees to the direction of travel of the wave. Most waves are transverse, including: electromagnetic (EM) waves and S-waves.

In longitudinal waves, the vibrations are along the same direction as the wave is travelling. Examples include sound, ultrasound, P-waves and the slinky example when pushing and pulling the end.

Note: longitudinal waves are presented as transverse on an oscilloscope – representing longitudinal waves on paper is very difficult!

What Visible Light tells us about the Universe

Image source: http://www.vkastronomy.com/gallery_clusters.html.en

Some objects in space, like stars, are enormous and are very hot. Although they are very far away from planet Earth, they give out a lot of visible light and so we can see them. Planets in our Solar System don't give out any visible light of their own, yet we can still see them as they reflect sunlight.

Early astronomers made observations about the Universe using just the naked eye – many important discoveries were made this way, however the human eye isn't ideal for viewing objects so far away and so are only useful for mapping their positions.

Telescopes enable us to make observations about distant objects by magnifying an image, so that we can see them in more detail, as well as more objects that are further away than the naked eye can see.

One benefit of telescopes is that we can take photographs using them – this allows us to 'zoom in' to look at objects at closer detail, and makes it easier to monitor the changing positions of objects in space and compare them over time, as well as sharing findings with other astronomers. A long exposure time allows the camera to collect more light, therefore fainter objects can be observed.

GCSE Spanish Words to Learn – Day 3 – 'C'

The following words are especially helpful for students taking any GCSE Spanish qualification. You will find that these words often show up in reading and listening papers, and are very useful during writing and speaking controlled assessments.

Every day GCSE Zone publish a list of important and useful Spanish words, one for each letter of the alphabet. Please note that we have only included nouns and adjectives – make sure to learn new verbs and their conjugations, too!

Spanish words are provided in the singular, masculine form.

Caffeine	Cafeína
Calculator	Calculadora
Calender	Calendario
Calm	Tranquilo
Calorie	Caloría
Candle	Vela
Can opener	Abrelatas
Canteen	Comedor
Car	Coche
Carbon	Carbono
Cardigan	Chaqueta
Cargo	Cargamento
Carpet	Alfombra
Cat	Gato
Category	Categoría
Cathedral	Catedral
Catholic	Católico
Celebrity	Celebridad
Cemetery	Cementerio
Ceremony	Ceremonia
Certificate	Certificado
Chair	Silla
Chapter	Capítulo
Charity	Caridad
Chat room	Chat
Cheap	Barato
Cherry	Cereza
Christian	Cristiano
Church	Iglesia
City centre	Centro de la ciudad
Climate	Clima
Clothes	Ropa
Coach (transport)	Autocar, autobús
Coffee	Café
Coin	Moneda
College	Colegio
Colour	Color
Comb	Peine
Comfortable	Cómodo
Community	Comunidad
Company	Compañía
Compass	Brújula
Complex	Complejo
Comrade	Compañero
Cough (illness)	Tos
Council	Consejo
Crazy	Loco
Cress	Berro
Crime	Crimen
Crop	Cultivo
Crown	Corona
Cup	Taza
Curly	Rizado
Cycling	Ciclismo

Changing Ideas about the Solar System

Geocentric model
Image source: http://scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/2010/09/13/geocentrism-was-galileo-wrong/

Geocentric Model
The ancient Greek astronomers believed that the Sun, Moon, planets and stars all orbited planet Earth in perfect circles. This is known as the geocentric model, and was the accepted model of the Universe until the 1500s.

Heliocentric model
Image source: http://scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/2010/09/13/geocentrism-was-galileo-wrong/

Heliocentric Model
Introduced in a book by Copernicus in 1543, however it had been around for around 2000 years. It states that planet Earth and the other planets in our Solar System all orbit the Sun, which is at the centre of the Universe. His book presented astronomical observations that could be explained without having the Earth at the centre of the Universe.

Copernicus' ideas were dismissed by the Church, however one of the most convincing pieces of evidence for the heliocentric model was Galileo's observations of Jupiter's moons. In 1610, Galileo observed Jupiter using a telescope and saw three stars in a line near the planet. The next evening, he noticed that these stars had moved in the wrong direction, and after a week, a fourth star appeared. These four stars never moved away from Jupiter and appeared to be carried along with it – Galileo realised that these objects were not stars, but moons in orbit around Jupiter. This proved that not everything was in orbit around planet Earth, and so the geocentric model was incorrect.

Current Model of the Solar System
The current model states that the planets in the Solar System orbit the Sun, although these orbits are elliptical rather than circular, as suggested by the heliocentric model.

GCSE Spanish Words to Learn – Day 2 – 'B'

The following words are especially helpful for students taking any GCSE Spanish qualification. You will find that these words often show up in reading and listening papers, and are very useful during writing and speaking controlled assessments.

Every day GCSE Zone publish a list of important and useful Spanish words, one for each letter of the alphabet. Please note that we have only included nouns and adjectives – make sure to learn new verbs and their conjugations, too!

Spanish words are provided in the singular, masculine form.

Baby sitter	Canguro
Bachelor	Soltero
Bachelor’s degree	Licenciatura
Back (of animal)	Espalda
Background	Fondo
Badge	Insignia
Badminton	Bádminton
Baggage	Equipaje
Bailiff	Alguacil
Baker	Panadero
Bald	Calvo
Ball	Bola, balón
Banana	Plátano
Bandage	Venda, vendaje
Bank	Banco
Bar code	Código de barras
Barge	Barcaza
Barn	Granero
Basement	Sótano
Bath	Baño
Bathroom	Cuarto de baño
Beard	Barba
Beautiful	Hermoso, lindo
Beer	Cerveza
Beginner	Principiante
Belt	Cinturón
Benefit	Beneficio
Berry	Baya
Bicycle	Bicicleta
Bike	Bici
Bill	Cuenta
Binoculars	Prismáticos
Bird	Pájero
Birthday	Cumpleaños
Blood	Sangre
Bread	Pan
Britain	Gran Bretaña
British	Británico

Life Cycle and Formation of Stars

Image source: http://mail.colonial.net/~hkaiter/life_cycle_of_a_star.htm

The following contains all you need to know about the life cycle of stars and their formation for GCSE Physics under Edexcel's specifications.

1. Stars start as clouds of dust and gas called nebulas
2. The force of gravity causes the dust and gas to spiral together as gravitational energy is converted to heat energy, causing a temperature increase
3. When the temperature increases high enough, hydrogen nuclei undergo thermonuclear fusion to form helium nuclei, which gives out massive amounts of energy – and so a star is created. It enters a long stable period where the heat generated by fusion provides an outward pressure to balance the force of gravity – everything is pulled inwards – lasting several billion years. This is called a main sequence star
4. The hydrogen in the core eventually begins to run out and the star will swell, turning into a red giant

 If it is a small star:

•  A small-to-medium sized star, like our Sun, will become unstable and eject its outer layer of dust and gas as a planetary nebula
• This process leaves a hot, dense solid core known as a white dwarf, which cools down and eventually disappears

If it is a large star:

• It will glow brightly again as it undergoes more fusion reactions and also expand and contract several times, forming heavier elements during nuclear reactions – it will explode as a supernova
• Next, it may become a neutron star when the supernova ejects its outer layers of dust and gas into space, to leave just a dense core
• Or, if the star is big enough, it will become a black hole

GCSE Spanish Words to Learn – Day 1 – 'A'

The following words are especially helpful for students taking any GCSE Spanish qualification. You will find that these words often show up in reading and listening papers, and are very useful during writing and speaking controlled assessments.

Every day GCSE Zone will publish a list of important and useful Spanish words, one for each letter of the alphabet. Please note that we have only included nouns and adjectives – make sure to learn new verbs and their conjugations, too!

Spanish words are provided in the singular, masculine form.

Abbey	Abadía
Ability	Habilidad, capacidad
Address	Dirección
Adequate	Suficiente
Advanced	Avanzado
Advantageous	Ventajoso, provechoso
Adventure	Aventura
Advertisement	Anuncio
Advice	Consejo
Age	Edad
Agility	Agilidad
Agriculture	Agricultura
Album	Álbum
A Level	Bachillerato
Algebra	Álgebra
Alibi	Coartada
Amazing	Extraordinario
Analyse	Analizar
Anarchy	Anarquía
Angel	Ángel
Anniversary	Anniversaries
Antagonist	Antagonista
Antarctic	Antártico
Antarctica	Antártida
Anxious	Inquieto
Apocalypse	Apocalipsis
Apology	Disculpa, excusa
Application	Aplicación
Area code	Prefijo
Argument	Argumento
Armchair	Sillón
Army	Ejército
Atmosphere	Atmósfera, ambiente
Autograph	Autógrafo
Awkward	Desmañado, incómodo