GLOSSARY OF PHYSICS TERMS

 

(This glossary is constantly being updated, feel free to send us suggestions.)

 

A:

Acceleration: The rate of change of velocity with respect to time.

Action and Reaction: Newton's third law of motion, stating that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Amplitude: The maximum displacement of a wave from its equilibrium position.

Angular Momentum: The rotational equivalent of linear momentum, calculated as the product of rotational inertia and angular velocity.

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B:

Bernoulli's Principle: The principle that as the speed of a fluid (such as air or water) increases, its pressure decreases.

Bohr Model: A model of the atom proposed by Niels Bohr, where electrons orbit the nucleus in discrete energy levels.

Buoyancy: The upward force exerted by a fluid (liquid or gas) on an object placed in it.

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C:

Centripetal Force: A force that acts on an object moving in a circular path, directed towards the center of the circle.

Conservation Laws: Principles stating that certain properties (such as energy, momentum, and charge) remain constant in a closed system.

Coulomb's Law: Describes the electrostatic force between charged particles; it is directly proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

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D:

Diffraction: The bending of waves around obstacles and the spreading of waves when they pass through narrow openings.

Doppler Effect: The change in frequency or wavelength of a wave in relation to an observer moving relative to its source.

Dynamics: The study of the forces and torques on objects and their resulting motion.

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E:

Elastic Collision: A collision in which both kinetic energy and momentum are conserved.

Electric Field: The region around a charged object where another charged object experiences a force.

Electromagnetic Induction: The process of generating an electromotive force (EMF) in a conductor due to a changing magnetic field.

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F:

Faraday's Law: States that the induced electromotive force (EMF) in any closed circuit is equal to the rate of change of the magnetic flux through the circuit.

Force: A push or pull that can change the motion of an object.

Free Fall: The motion of an object under the influence of gravity only, neglecting other forces.

 

G:

Gamma Rays: High-energy electromagnetic radiation emitted during certain nuclear processes.

Gravitational Field: The region of space surrounding a massive object in which another object will experience a gravitational force.

Gravitational Potential Energy: The energy an object possesses due to its position in a gravitational field.

 

H:

Heat Transfer: The movement of thermal energy between objects with different temperatures.

Hooke's Law: Describes the relationship between the force applied to a spring and the resulting displacement.

Hubble's Law: Describes the relationship between the recessional velocity of galaxies and their distance from Earth.

 

I:

Impulse: The product of force and the time over which the force acts, leading to a change in momentum.

Inelastic Collision: A collision in which kinetic energy is not conserved.

Insulator: A material that does not allow the easy flow of electric charge.

 

J:

Joule: The unit of energy in the International System of Units (SI).
 

K:

Kinetic Energy: The energy an object possesses due to its motion.

Kirchhoff's Laws: Two laws governing the behavior of electrical circuits: Kirchhoff's current law and Kirchhoff's voltage law.

 

L:

Laser: A device that produces a narrow and intense beam of coherent light.

Laws of Thermodynamics: Fundamental principles governing the behavior of energy in physical systems.

 

M:

Magnetic Field: The region around a magnet where magnetic forces are exerted on other magnets or magnetic materials.

Mass: A measure of the amount of matter in an object.

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N:

Newton's Laws of Motion: Three fundamental laws describing the relationship between the motion of an object and the forces acting on it.

Newtonian Gravity: The classical description of gravity provided by Newton's law of universal gravitation.

Nuclear Fission: The process of splitting a large atomic nucleus into smaller nuclei.

Nuclear Fusion: The process of combining two smaller atomic nuclei to form a larger nucleus.

 

O:

Ohm's Law: Describes the relationship between current, voltage, and resistance in an electrical circuit.

Optical Fiber: A flexible, transparent fiber made of glass or plastic that can transmit light signals.

 

P:

Pascal's Principle: States that a change in pressure applied to an enclosed fluid is transmitted undiminished to all portions of the fluid and to the walls of its container.

Photoelectric Effect: The emission of electrons from a material when exposed to light.

Projectile Motion: The motion of an object projected into the air, subject only to the force of gravity and air resistance.

 

Q:

Quantum Mechanics: The branch of physics that deals with the behavior of particles at the atomic and subatomic levels.
 

R:

Radioactivity: The spontaneous emission of radiation from an unstable atomic nucleus.

Refraction: The bending of light as it passes from one medium to another with a different refractive index.

Relativity (Special and General): Einstein's theories describing the relationship between space, time, and gravity.

 

S:

Scalar Quantity: A physical quantity that has only magnitude and no direction.

Second Law of Thermodynamics: States that in any energy transfer or transformation, the total entropy of a closed system will always increase over time.

Simple Harmonic Motion: Periodic motion where the restoring force is directly proportional to the displacement and acts in the opposite direction.

 

T:

Terminal Velocity: The constant speed that a freely falling object eventually reaches when the resistance of the medium through which it is falling prevents further acceleration.

Thermal Expansion: The increase in volume (or length) of a material as its temperature increases.

Torque: The measure of the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis.

 

U:

Uniform Circular Motion: Motion in a circular path at a constant speed.

Universal Gas Constant (R): The constant in the ideal gas law equation, relating the pressure, volume, and temperature of an ideal gas.

 

V:

Vector Quantity: A physical quantity that has both magnitude and direction.

Velocity: The rate of change of displacement with respect to time.

Virtual Image: An image formed by the apparent divergence of light rays that do not actually pass through the image.

 

W:

Wave-Particle Duality: The concept in quantum mechanics that particles exhibit both wave-like and particle-like properties.

Wavelength: The distance between two consecutive points in a wave that are in phase.

Work: The product of force and the displacement of an object in the direction of the force.

 

X:

X-ray: Electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths shorter than those of ultraviolet light.
 

Y:

Young's Double-Slit Experiment: An experiment demonstrating the wave-particle duality of light.
 

Z:

Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics: If two systems are each in thermal equilibrium with a third system, then they are in thermal equilibrium with each other.
 

 

(This glossary provides a broad overview of physics concepts covered up to the International Baccalaureate (IB) level. For a more detailed understanding, it's recommended to refer to textbooks and class notes specific to your physics curriculum)