Physics GCSE
Ionisation
What Ionisation means in Physics GCSE, as defined for AQA, OCR.
Definitions of Ionisation
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Reference: AQA
If the radiation absorbed is energetic enough, such as ultraviolet or an X-ray, the electron is removed from the atom completely and the atom becomes a positive ion.
An atom becomes a positive ion when it loses one or more outer electrons, and this removal is called ionisation.
The process by which an atom or a molecule acquires a negative or positive charge by gaining or losing electrons.
Topics that use Ionisation
- The structure of an atom (AQA GCSE)
- Radioactive emissions (OCR GCSE)
- The electromagnetic spectrum (OCR GCSE)
Related terms
- Absorbing materials
- absorption and emission
- Alpha emission
- Beta emission
- Communication and medicine
- conservation of charge
- conservation of mass number
- Conventional nuclear notation
Using Ionisation in the exam
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