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Physics Definitions

This document defines 60 physics concepts related to density, forces, motion, energy, heat, and states of matter. Key terms include density, which is mass per unit volume, vectors which have both magnitude and direction unlike scalars, Newton's laws of motion, momentum as the product of mass and velocity, and forms of energy including kinetic from motion and potential from stored or elevated objects. Heat transfer and states of matter are also defined, such as specific heat capacity, latent heat, and the particulate model of matter.

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Chelsea
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17 views

Physics Definitions

This document defines 60 physics concepts related to density, forces, motion, energy, heat, and states of matter. Key terms include density, which is mass per unit volume, vectors which have both magnitude and direction unlike scalars, Newton's laws of motion, momentum as the product of mass and velocity, and forms of energy including kinetic from motion and potential from stored or elevated objects. Heat transfer and states of matter are also defined, such as specific heat capacity, latent heat, and the particulate model of matter.

Uploaded by

Chelsea
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Physics Definitions

1. Density- mass per unit volume


2. Relative density- density of a substance compared to water
3. Scalar- magnitude but no direction
4. Vector- both magnitude and direction
5. Force- push or pull that one object exerts on another through mutual interaction
6. Weight- force due to gravity acting on it
7. Centre of gravity- point of a body in which entire weight acts
8. Stability- object returns to original position after being tilted slightly
9. Unstable equilibrium- topples over when displaced slightly
10. Neutral equilibrium- remains in new position after displacement
11. Moment- turning effect of a force
12. Principle of moments- when a body is in equilibrium, sum of clockwise moments = sum of anti-
clockwise moments
13. Lever- simple machine where effort applied at one point can move a load on the other
14. Deformation- change in shape or size of an object
15. Distance- total length traversed by an object
16. Displacement- change in an object’s position
17. Speed- distance moved per unit time
18. Average speed- total distance travelled divided by total time taken
19. Instantaneous speed- speed of a body at that moment in time
20. Velocity- rate of change of a body’s displacement
21. Acceleration- rate of change of speed & rate of change of velocity
22. Newton’s 1st law- a body will remain in its state of rest in a straight line of motion unless acted
upon by an external force
23. Newton’s 2nd law- a resultant external force acting on a body will cause the body to accelerate in
the direction of the resultant force. The magnitude of the resultant force is equal to the product
of the mass of the body and its acceleration.
24. Newton’s 3rd law- if body A exerts a force on body B, body B will exert an equal and opposite
force on body A
25. Momentum- mass*velocity
26. Impulse- product of the magnitude of force acting on a body and the duration which the force
acts on the body
27. Conservation of momentum- total moments before = total moments after
28. Linear momentum- total momentum of an isolated system
29. Energy- ability to do work
30. Potential energy- energy of a stored object
31. Gravitational potential energy- energy possessed by an object due n to its change in its position
when it is present in a gravitational field
32. Kinetic energy- energy due to motion
33. Law of conservation of energy- energy cannot be created nor destroyed but can be converted
from one form to another
34. Power- rate of work done
35. Friction- force that resists the relative motion of one solid object over another
36. Force multipliers- small, applied force can be used to move a larger load
37. Distance multipliers- distance moved by load is larger than the distance moved by the applied
force
38. Inclined plane- a plank or slope with a flat surface that is higher at one end
39. Screw- inclined plane that winds around a shaft or cylinder
40. Wedge- translates motion in one direction into another at right angle to itself
41. Pulley- used to change direction of a force
42. Efficiency- the ratio of output value to input value
43. Wind power- electrically generated by wind turbines rotated by wind
44. Biomass- where biological material is burnt to provide energy
45. Tidal power- only source of energy that is produced from the earth-moon systems
46. Hydropower- is the harnessing of energy from the force of moving water
47. Geothermal power- harnessing of energy from the heat stored in the earth
48. Pressure- force per unit area
49. Pascal’s law- if a pressure is applied to a fluid, that pressure will be transmitted equally to every
point in the fluid
50. Archimedes’ principle- a body that is partially or fully submerged in a fluid will experience an
upward force (upthrust) equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the water
51. Temperature- physical property of a body in relation to its degree of hotness
52. Laboratory thermometer- is a liquid-in-glass thermometer
53. Caloric theory of heat- heat was believed to be a fluid called caloric that flows from hotter to
colder bodies
54. Kinetic theory- matter is made up of particles that are constantly in motion
55. Kinetic theory of heat- the temperature will increase with the rise of kinetic motion
56. Joule’s experiment- equivalence between thermal energy and mechanical work done
57. Specific heat capacity- amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of an object by I unit
58. Latent heat- heat absorbed or released when substances change state or phase
59. Specific latent heat of fusion- is the heat required to convert 1kg of a substance of a fixed
temperature (usually its melting point from solid to liquid state)
60. Specific latent heat of vaporization- heat required to convert 1kg of a substance of a fixed
temperature (usually its boiling point from 1atp from liquid to gaseous state)
61. Matter- anything that has mass and occupies space
62. Particulate model of matter- all matter is made up of tiny particles, these particles are in
constant motion, there exists spaces between them and with the application of heat, particles
move faster
63. Melting point- particular point at which a solid is converted to a liquid
64. Boiling point- particular point at which a liquid is converted to a gas

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