Glossary

Question 1

Absolute uncertainty

Answer 1

The uncertainty of a measurement given as a fixed quantity

Question 2

Absorption (fibre optics)

Answer 2

Where some of the energy of a fibre optic signal is absorbed by the material of the optical fibre

Question 3

Acceleration

Answer 3

The rate of change of velocity

Question 4

Accurate result

Answer 4

An accurate result is really close to the true answer

Question 5

Alpha decay

Answer 5

A type of decay in which an unstable nucleus of an atom emits an alpha particle.

Question 6

Alpha particle

Answer 6

A particle made up of two protons and two neutrons

Question 7

Ammeter

Answer 7

A component used to measure the current flowing through a circuit

Question 8

Amplitude

Answer 8

The maximum displacement of a wave, i.e. The distance from the undisturbed position to a crest or trough

Question 9

Angle of incidence

Answer 9

The angle that incoming light makes with the normal of a boundary

Question 10

Angle of refraction

Answer 10

The angle that refracted light makes with the normal of a boundary

Question 11

Annihilation

Answer 11

The process by which a particle and its antiparticle meet and their mass gets converted to energy in the form of a pair of gamma ray photons

Question 12

Anomalous result

Answer 12

A result that doesn’t fit in with the pattern of the other results in a set of data

Question 13

Antimatter

Answer 13

The name given to all antiparticles

Question 14

Anti neutrino

Answer 14

Antiparticle of a neutrino

Question 15

Antineutron

Answer 15

Antiparticle of a neutron

Question 16

Antinode

Answer 16

A point of maximum amplitude on a stationary wave

Question 17

Antiparticle

Answer 17

A particle with the same rest mass and energy as its corresponding particle, but equal and opposite charge

Question 18

Antiproton

Answer 18

The antiparticle of a proton

Question 19

Atom

Answer 19

A particle made up of protons and neutrons in a central nucleus, and electrons orbiting the nucleus

Question 20

Atomic number

Answer 20

The number of protons in an atom of an element

Question 21

Average velocity

Answer 21

The change in displacement of an object divided by the time taken

Question 22

Baryon

Answer 22

A type of hadron made up of three quarks. For example, protons and neutrons

Question 23

Baryon number

Answer 23

The number of baryons in a particle

Question 24

Beta-minus decay

Answer 24

A type of decay in which an unstable nucleus of an atom emits a beta-minus particle (electron) and an antineutrino

Question 25

Beta-plus decay

Answer 25

A type of decay in which an unstable nucleus of an atom emits a beta-plus particle (positron) and a neutrino

Question 26

Breaking stress

Answer 26

The lowest stress that’s big enough to break a material

Question 27

Brittle

Answer 27

A brittle material doesn’t deform plastically, but snaps when the stress on it reaches a certain point

Question 28

Brittle fracture

Answer 28

When a stress applied to a brittle material causes tiny cracks at the materials surface to get bigger until the material breaks completely

Question 29

Categoric data

Answer 29

Data that can be sorted into categories

Question 30

Absolute refractive index

Answer 30

The ratio between the speed of light in a vacuum and the speed of light in a material