Physics definitions

Name of quantity Definitions

Unit 1
Physical quantity Any quantity that can be measured
SI unit Main units that all other units are derived from
Volume It’s the space occupied by the object
Mass Amount of a matter in a body
Density Mass per unit volume
Scalar Any quantity which has magnitude only (speed, distance, volume)
Vector Any quantity which has magnitude and direction (velocity, force)
Speed Distance per unit time
Velocity Displacement per unit time
Distance Actual path covered by the object
Displacement Shortest path from start to end
Linear motion Moving in a straight line
Non-linear motion Circular motion
Acceleration Rate of increase in velocity/ (or) per unit time
Deceleration Rate of decrease in velocity/(or) per unit time
Force Rate of change of momentum (impulse/time)
Weight It’s a gravitational pull on a body / attractive gravitational force
Normal contact force It’s a reaction force from the surface due to the object resting on it/
perpendicular to the surface
Tension force It’s a force when pulling a rope
Resisting forces Forces opposite to the motion of the object
Friction force Force between any two moving objects in contact with each other
Drag force Resisting force inside a fluid
Up thrust force An upward force exerted on an object fully/partially submerged in a fluid
Newton 1st law A body will stay at rest or in a constant velocity unless a resultant force acted
on it
Newton 2nd law F=ma (force is the rate of change in momentum)
(force and acceleration are directly proportional at constant mass)
Driving force (D) Force in direction of motion
Resisting force (R) Force opposite to direction of motion
Centripetal force It’s the inward resultant force directed towards the center of the circle
Deformation It’s change in shape or length due to applied force
Elastic deformation It’s returning back to original shape after removing the applied force
Plastic deformation It’s not returning back to original shape after removing the applied force
Hooke’s law Force and extension are directly proportional until reaching elastic limit or
limit of proportionality
Moment Quantity that measures the turning effect of a force around a pivot
Equilibrium conditions - Resultant moment = 0 Nm
- Resultant force = 0 N
Center of mass Point in the body where the whole weight is considered to act
Momentum (P) Momentum (P) = mass * velocity
Law of conservation of Total momentum before collision = total momentum after collision
momentum
Impulse Change in momentum (mv-mu)
Or
Force * time
Atmospheric pressure Pressure caused due to molecules of the atmosphere
Energy Ability of the body to do work
 Physics definitions

Law of conservation of Energy can’t Be created nor destroyed it can only be changed from one form
energy to another
Electric energy Energy gained by charges as they flow through electric supply
Chemical energy Energy stored in the bonds of chemical compounds
Heat energy Energy transferred due to difference in temperature
Elastic / strain potential energy Energy gained by a body when experience bending
/twisting/compression/stretching
Gravitational Potential energy Energy stored inside a body due to its position
Kinetic energy Energy gained due to motion of the body
Work done Energy gained by an object due to an external force moving the object a
certain distance
Renewable resources Sources of energy that don’t run out and can be replaced
Non-renewable resources Sources of energy that can run out and cannot be replaced
Nuclear fusion Joining of two small nuclei producing on large nucleus
Nuclear fission Splitting of one large nucleus into two smaller nuclei
Power Rate of energy transfer
Unit 2
Temperature The measure of the average kinetic energy possessed by each molecule of
the substance
Evaporation It’s a change in state form liquid to gas at any temperature occur by
escaping of most energetic molecules on the surface causing cooling effect
Heating Heat is absorbed by the matter
Brownian motion A zigzag random motion of solid particles suspended in a fluid
Cooling Heat is released by the matter
Pressure Force per unit area
Specific heat capacity Amount of heat energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 Kg of a body
Boiling point. Specific temp whereby 1°C liquid start to turn into gas
Melting
Heat capacitypoint. Specific tempAmount
whereofsolid startneeded
heat energy to turnto into liquid
raise the temperature of the whole body
by 1°C
Boiling point Temperature at which liquid boils and changes state to gas
Absolute Zero Lowest possible temperature and point of least Kinetic energy and speed

Unit 3
Wave It’s a way of energy transmission due to vibration of particles
Mechanical wave Waves that need a medium to travel, so they can’t travel through a vacuum
(space)
Electromagnetic wave Waves that don’t need a medium to travel, so they are able to travel through
a vacuum (space)
Longitudinal waves Waves where the particles vibrate left and right parallel to energy motion,
and these waves contain regions of compressions and rarefactions
P – Wave Primary seismic wave (Longitudinal)
Compression A region where spacing between molecules is low and pressure is high
 Physics definitions

Rarefaction A region where spacing between molecules is high and pressure is low
Transverse waves Waves where the particles vibrate up and down perpendicular to energy
motion, they do not contain compressions and rarefactions
S – Wave Secondary seismic wave (Transverse)
Amplitude Maximum displacement from mean position
Wavelength Distance between 2 successive crests or troughs, or compressions /
rarefactions
Period time Time taken by the wave to make 1 complete cycle
Wave front Points on same crest and trough
Normal line Virtual line drawn perpendicular to the surface at the point where incident
ray hit the surface
Angle of incidence Angle between incident ray and normal line
Angle of reflection Angle between reflected ray and normal line
Diffraction Spreading of wave due to a barrier
Echo Reflection of sound waves
Refraction Change in speed due to change in medium
Total internal reflection When all light is reflected back into the medium
- I>C
- Moving from more dense to less dense
Optical fiber Very thin solid tube made of glass or plastic
Refractive index Ratio to compare properties of light in air and vacuum with any other
medium
Dispersion of light Separation of white light into seven spectrum colors
Mono chromatic Light that contains one frequency
Point F The optical center of the lens
Point C Point at the center of the lens
Principle axis Line passing through the optical center and perpendicular to lens surface
Principle focus Point on the principle axis where the rays meet after being refracted by the
lens
Focal length Distance between principle focus and center of lens q
Virtual image Image that cannot be seen on a screen, and actual rays do not intersect
Real Image Image that can be seen on a screen, and actual rays intersect
Short sightedness When rays meet before the retina because eye lens is too strong
Long sightedness When rays meet after the retina because eye lens is too weak

Unit 4
Conductors Materials that contain free moving electrons and allow flow of charges
through them
Insulators Materials that don’t contain free moving electrons and don’t allow flow of
charges through them
Electrostatic force Force done by charges where like charges repel, and opposite charges
attract
Electric field Region around charge where any other enter this region it will experience
electrostatic force (attraction/ repulsion)
Current Rate of flow of charges / Charges per unit time
Electromotive force Amount of energy gained (from chemical to electrical) by one charge when
(e.m.f) passing through the battery
Potential difference (p.d) Amount of energy lost (from electrical to any other form) by one charge
when passing through a device
Electromagnetic It’s a phenomena in which e.m.f is induced in a wire as it cuts magnetic field
Induction perpendicularly
Galvanometer It’s a device which measures the magnitude and direction of current
 Physics definitions

Thermistor A resistor that changes its resistance when temperature changes

(Temperature  = Resistance )
LDR (Light dependent A resistor that changes its resistance when light intensity changes
resistor ) (Light intensity  = Resistance )
LED(Light emitting diode) It’s a regular lamp but lights up in high voltage only
Relay It’s a small circuit which drives large circuit
Split ring commutator Reverses the direction of current in coil every half rotation (180) to keep coil
(d.c motor) rotating in one direction
Slip rings Keep continuous connection
(a.c generator)

Analogue devices A device in which voltage can have any value (range of values)
Digital devices A device in which voltage can only have 2 values (0 or 1)
Killowatt-Hour (Kwh) Energy transferred in one hour at a rate of transfer of 1 kw

Unit 5
Isotopes These are atom of the same element with the same proton number but
different number of neutrons
Gamma Radiation It’s an electromagnetic wave can travel through vacuum
Ionization Means losing electron and become +ve Or gaining electron and become –ve
GM-tube Device which counts the amount of radiations, but is not able to tell the type
of radiation it receiving
Background radiation It’s random radiation due to surroundings or natural sources
Half life Time taken for the radiation emitted by the source to decrease to its half

Unit 6
Accretion The addition of matter to each other due to the influence of gravity
Accretion disc A flat rotating disc of matter formed due to the accretion process
Planets Spherical structures in the solar system that orbit the sun, no two planets
can be in the same orbit
Dwarf planets Spherical objects not large enough to be considered a planet that orbit the
sun
Ellipse A squashed circle
Eccentricity A measure of how much the orbit is elliptical
Asteroids and meteoroids Rocky objects that orbit the sun
Comets An object made of ice, gas and dust that orbits the sun in a highly elliptical
orbit
Equator Imaginary line drawn around the earth halfway between the north pole and
the south pole
Solar mass It’s the mass of a sun and it is used to compare with the masses of other
stars, e.g if a star has 8 solar masses, then it is 8 times more massive than
our sun
Solar system A star and a collection of planets and moons
Galaxy A large collection of billions of stars
Universe Space and all the galaxies in it
Light Year Distance traveled by light in one earth year (9.5*1015 meters)
Diameter of milky way 100,000 light years
Physics definitions