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Physics > Definitions > Flashcards

Definitions Flashcards

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1
Q

Speed

A

Distance travelled per unit time

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2
Q

Velocity

A

Rate of change of displacement

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3
Q

Acceleration

A

Rate of change of velocity

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4
Q

Mass

A

Mass is the amount of matter in a body

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5
Q

Weight

A

Amount of gravitational force acting on a body

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6
Q

Gravitational Field

A

A region in which a mass experiences a force due to gravitational attraction

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7
Q

Gravitational Field Strength

A

gravitational force acting per unit mass placed at that point.

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8
Q

Inertia

A

Reluctance of a body to change its state of rest or motion due to its mass

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9
Q

Moment

A

product of the force and the perpendicular distance from pivot to force

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10
Q

Principle of Moments

A

For a body in an equilibrium (balanced), the total sum of clockwise moments about any point is equal to the total sum of anti-clockwise moments about the same point.

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11
Q

Center of Gravity

A

a point where all the weight of the object appears to act on, regardless of its orientation.

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12
Q

Pressure

A

force acting per unit area.

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13
Q

Pascal’s Principle

A

A pressure applied to an enclosed liquid will betransmitted equallyto all parts of the liquid.

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14
Q

Energy

A

the capacity to do work

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15
Q

Principle of conservation of energy

A

Energy cannot be created or destroyed. Energy can be transferred from one store to another. The total energy of an isolated* system is constant

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16
Q

Kinetic Energy

A

energy possessed by an object due to its motion

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17
Q

Gravitational Potential Energy

A

Energy possessed by an object due its mass and position in a gravitational field

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18
Q

Work

A

product of the force and the distance moved by the object in the direction of the force.

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19
Q

Power

A

Power is defined as rate of energy transfer

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20
Q

Efficiency

A

Efficiency is the ratio of useful energy output to the total energy input as a percentage

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21
Q

Conduction

A

transfer of thermal energy due to collisions/vibrations of particles

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22
Q

Convection

A

Transfer of thermal energy by means of convection currents of a fluid, due to a difference in density

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23
Q

Radiation

A

Transfer of thermal energy by infrared radiation without the need for a medium

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24
Q

Specific Heat Capacity

A

amount of thermal energy required to raise the temperature of a unit mass (e.g. 1 kg) of a substance by 1 K (or 1°C).

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25
Q

Specific Latent Heat of Fusion

A

Amount of thermal energy required to change a unit mass (e.g. 1 kg) of the substance from a solid state to a liquid state (or vice versa), without a change in temperature

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26
Q

Temperature

A

average kinetic energyof all the particles in the body.

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27
Q

Internal Energy

A

totalkinetic energyassociated with the motion of the particles and the totalpotential energybetweenintermolecular forces

28
Q

Waves

A

transfer of energy through a medium with no net movement of medium

29
Q

Frequency

A

number of complete waves produced per second

30
Q

Wavelength

A

Shortest Distance between two consecutive throughs or crests or any two points in phase

31
Q

Period

A

Time taken for one complete wave to be produced

32
Q

Amplitude

A

Maximum displacement of wave from rest or equillibrium position

33
Q

In phase

A

Any two points on a wave that have the same displacement from rest position and moving in the same direction

34
Q

Wavefront

A

An imaginary line on the wave that connects all adjacent points that are in phase.

35
Q

Transverse Wave

A

Wave which travel in a direction perpendicular to the vibration of particles

36
Q

Longitudinal Waves

A

Waves which travel in a direction parallel to the vibration of particles

37
Q

Ultrasound

A

Sound with frequencies above the upper limit of human range of audibility

38
Q

Refraction

A

bending of light due to a change in speed of light as light rays travel from one optical medium to another medium.

39
Q

Total internal reflection

A

Complete reflection of a light ray in an optically denser medium at the boundary with an optically less dense medium

40
Q

Critical angle

A

Angle of incidence in the optically denser medium where the an angle of refraction in the optically less dense medium is 90°.

41
Q

Focal Point

A

Point where a parallel beam of light will converge at after passing through the lens.

42
Q

Focal Length

A

Distance between the centre of the lens and the focal point.

43
Q

Law of electrostatics

A

Unlike charges attract and like charges repel

44
Q

Electric field

A

An electric field is region in which an electric charge experiences a force.

45
Q

Current

A

rate of flow of electric charge.

46
Q

Potential Difference

A

thework doneto driveunit chargethrough thecomponent.

47
Q

e.m.f

A

work doneby the source in drivingunit chargearound a complete circuit.

48
Q

resistance

A

ratio of the potential difference across it to the current flowing through it.

49
Q

Transducers

A

transduceris an electrical device that converts energy from one form to another

50
Q

Ohms Law

A

Current through a metallic conductor is directly proportional to the potential difference across it, provided that physical conditions (such as temperature) remain constant

51
Q

Semiconductor diode

A

Device that allows current to flow in one direction only

52
Q

Magnetic Field

A

Magnetic field is a region in which the force of magnetism acts.

53
Q

North Pole of a Magnet

A

End of the magnet that points to the Earth’s Geographical North Pole

54
Q

Split-ring commutator

A

reverse the direction of the current in the coil every half a revolution so that the coil continues to turn in the same direction.

55
Q

Faradays Law

A

Magnitude of the induced electromotive force in any closed circuit is directly proportional to the rate of change of the magnetic flux through the circuit.

56
Q

Lenz Law

A

Direction of the induced e.m.f. (and hence the direction of the induced current) in a closed circuit is such that its magnetic effect always opposes the change causing it

57
Q

a.c current

A

electric current that changes its direction of flow with time

58
Q

Alternating Voltage

A

Positive and negative terminals of electrical source switches at regular intervals

59
Q

Slip rings

A

provide an electrical contact between carbon brushes and the coil

60
Q

Proton number

A

number of protons of an element

61
Q

Nucleon number

A

Total number of neutrons and protons in the nucleus of an atom

62
Q

Isotopes

A

Atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons but different number of neutrons

63
Q

Radioactive decay

A

Random and spontaneous process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses its energy by emission of electromagnetic radiation or particle(s).

64
Q

Half-life

A

time taken for half the remaining unstable nuclei in a radioactive sample to decay.

65
Q

Nuclear fission

A

Process in which the nucleus of an atom splits and releases a huge amount of energy.

66
Q

Nuclear fusion

A

process in which 2 light atomic nuclei combine to form one heavier atomic nucleus and releases a huge amount of energy.

Physics (7 decks)

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