Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Glossary of Physics Terms

Glossary of Physics Terms
This glossary of physics is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to physics, its sub-disciplines, and related fields, including mechanics, materials science, nuclear physics, particle physics, and thermodynamics.

Acceleration:
Rate of change of velocity with time
Artificial Satellite:
Man made objects moving in fixed circular orbits around the earth.
Atomic Physics:
The branch of Physics that deals with the study of the structure and properties of atoms.
Axis of rotation:
A straight line passing through the points of a rotating rigid body while the other points of the body move in circle about the axis.
Base quantity:
A quantity which can be expressed independently without the reference of any other quantity.
Base unit:
The units that describe base quantities.
Buoyant force:
The force acting on an object due to buoyancy of a liquid.
Center of gravity:
The point of a body where its weight acts.
Center of mass:
A point where an applied force causes the system to move without rotation.
Centrifugal force:
Centripetal reaction
Centripetal acceleration:
Acceleration produced by the centripetal force.
Circular motion:
Motion of a body along a circular path.
Coefficient of linear expansion:
Change in unit length caused by unit kelvin change in temperature.
Coefficient of volume expansion:
Change in unit volume caused by unit kelvin change in temperature.
Conduction:
Transfer of heat due to interaction of electrons or molecules.
Convection:
Transfer of heat by actual movement of molecules from place to cold place.
Couple:
When two equal and unlike parallel forces act at different points of a body they constitute a couple.
Deceleration:
Negative acceleration
Density:
Mass per unit volume
Derived quantity:
Such quantity which is expressed with reference to base quantities.
Derived units:
The units used to measure derived quantities.
Displacement:
The shortest distance between two points.
Distance:
Length of a path between two points.
Dynamics:
Study of motion of bodies under the action of forces.
Efficiency:
Ratio of output and input.
Effort arm:
The intermediate distance between fulcrum and effort.
Effort moment:
Product of effort and effort arm.
Effort:
Force applied on the machine.
Elastic potential energy:
Energy of a compressed or stretched soring.
Elasticity modulus:
Ratio of stress and strain
Elasticity:
The property of the solids because of which they restore their original when external force ceases to act.
Electromagnetism:
The branch of physics that deals with the study of the charges at rest motion their effects and their relationship with magnetism.
Energy:
Ability of a body to do work
Equilibrium:
A state where acceleration of a body is zero.
Evaporation:
The changing of a liquid into vapours from the surface of a the liquid without heating it.
Field force:
The gravitational pull of the Earth acting on the body whether the body is in contact with the Earth or not.
Force of gravitation:
The force due to which everybody of the universe attracts every other body.
Force:
The agent that changes or tends to change the state of a body.
Friction:
The force of resistance against the relative motion between two surfaces.
Fulcrum:
The point around which lever revolves.
Geophysics:
The branch of Physics that deals with the study of the internal structure of the Earth and tectonic plate motions etc.
Gravitational Acceleration:
Acceleration due to gravity of the Earth.
Gravitational field strength:
The gravitational force per unit mass
Gravitational field:
The field in a region in space in which a particle would experience a gravitational force.
Gravitational force:
Mutual force of attraction between the objects.
Gravitational potential energy:
Energy of a body due to its position in the gravitational field.
Heat capacity:
The quantity of thermal energy absorbed by a body for increase in its temperature.
Heat:
The branch of physics that deals with the nature of heat, modes of transfer of heat and effects of heat.
Heat:
The form of energy which transferred from one place to another because of temperature difference.
Horizontal component:
The component of a force which is along horizontal or x-direction.
Inertia:
The characteristics of a body due to which it resists against any changes in its state of rest or motion.
Input:
A work which is done on the machine.
Internal Energy:
The sum of K.E and P.E associated with the atoms, molecules and particles of a body.
Isolated system:
A group of a interacting bodies on which no force is acting.
Joule:
The amount of work done when a force of one newton displaces a body through one meter in the reaction of force.
Kilowatt-hour:
Work done more hour at a rate of one kilowatt
Kinematics:
Study of motion of bodies without taking into consideration the mass and forces.
Kinematic energy:
Energy of a body due to its motion.
Kinetic friction:
Friction during motion
Latent heat of fusion:
The quantity of heat required to change one kilogramme of a solid substance to liquid state during which its temperature remains constant.
Latent heat of vapourization:
The quantity of heat required to change the state of one kilogramme of a liquid to vapour or gaseous state during which its temperature remains constant.
Lever:
A strong bar revolving around some point.
Light year:
The unit of distance for celestial bodies equal to 9.46 x 1016 m.
Light:
The branch of physics that deals with the physical aspects of light and its properties, working and uses of optical instruments.
Like parallel forces:
Forces acting along parallel lines in the same direction.
Limiting friction:
The maximum value of static friction.
Line of action of a force:
The line along which a force acts.
Linear motion:
The motion of a body along a straight line.
Load arm:
The intermediate distance between fulcrum and load.
Load moment:
Product of load and load arm.
Load:
Resistance of lifted up weight.
Mass:
The characteristic of a body, which determines the acceleration produced by the application of a force.
Mechanical advantage:
Ratio of load and effort.
Mechanics:
The branch of Physics that deals with the motion of objects, causes and effects of motion.
Moment arm:
The perpendicular distance between the axis of rotation and the line of action of the force.
Momentum:
The product of mass and velocity of a body.
Motion:
If a body changes its position with respect to its surroundings.
Negative vector:
A vector which has the same magnitude but opposite direction of another vector.
Neutral equilibrium:
The condition of a body in which its centre of gravity neither rises nor becomes lower of its original position after being distributed.
Nuclear physics:
The branch of Physics that deals with the properties and behaviour of nuclei and the particles within the nuclei.
Orbital velocity:
The critical velocity of a satellite in order to keep on moving around the Earth at a specific height.
Output:
A work, which is done by the machine.
Parallel force:
The forces which are parallel to each other.
Perpendicular components:
The components of a force which are manually perpendicular to each other.
Physical quantities:
All measurable quantities.
Physics:
The branch of Science which explains the properties of matter and energy.
Plasma physics:
The branch of Physics that deals with the study of production, properties of the ionic state of matter – the fourth state of matter.
Position:
Location of a place or a point with respect to some reference point.
Potential Energy:
The energy possessed by a body due to its position.
Power:
Rate of doing work.
Prefixes:
The words or letters added before a unit and stand for the multiplies or submultiples of that unit.
Pressure:
The force acting normally per unit area.
Radiation:
Transfer of heat by intra red radiations requiring no medium for their transmission.
Random motion:
Motion without any consideration of time and direction.
Rate of flow of heat:
The amount of heat that flows in unit time.
Resolution of force:
Splitting up of a force into its components.
Rest:
If a body does not change its position with respect to its surroundings.
Resultant force:
Such a force, which shows the combined effect of two or more forces.
Restardation:
Negative acceleration.
Rolling friction:
The friction produced during the motion of one body over the other with the help of wheels.
Rotatory motion:
The motion in which a body moves around an axis passing through it.
Scalar:
A physical quantity which is completely described by its magnitude only.
Scientific method:
Logical applications of arguments that explain a certain phenomenon.
Significant figures:
In a measurement the correctly known digits and the first doubtful digit.
Simple machine:
A thing which helps in doing work more easily.
Sliding friction:
The friction between two surfaces sliding against each other.
Sound:
The branch of Physics that deals with the physical aspects of sound waves, their production, properties and applications.
Specific heat capacity:
The quantity of heat, which changes the temperature of one kilogramme mass by 1 K.
Speed:
Distance covered by a body in unit time.
Stability:
The property of a body which does not undergo any change without the application of an external agency.
Stable equilibrium:
The condition of a body in which it comes to its original position after being disturbed.
Static friction:
The force of friction arising due to an applied external force before motion.
Strain:
The change in the shape of an object under the action of an external force.
Stress:
Force acting on unit area of an object.
Surface tension:
The force acting along the surface of a liquid.
Temperature:
The degree of hotness or coldness of a body.
Tensile strain:
Change in length per unit original length.
Tension:
The force acting along a string.
Thermal conductivity:
The rate of flow of heat across the opposite faces of a meter cube maintained at a temperature difference of 1K.
Thermal equilibrium:
The property of a system when all parts of the system have the same temperature along with its surrounding.
Thermometer:
A device used to measure temperature.
Thermometry:
Art of measurement of temperature.
Torque:
The capacity of a force to rotate a body.
Translatory motion:
The motion of a body when it moves along a line without rotation.
Trigonometric ratios:
The ratios of the sides of right-angled triangle.
Uniform acceleration:
Equal changes in velocity in equal intervals of time.
Uniform speed:
Equal distances covered by a body in equal intervals of time.
Uniform velocity:
Equal changes in displacement in equal intervals of time.
Unlike parallel forces:
Forces that are parallel but have direction opposite to each other.
Unstable equilibrium:
The condition of a body in which it does not come to its original position after being disturbed.
Vector:
A physical quantity which is described completely by magnitude and direction.
Velocity:
Rate of change of displacement.
Vibratory motion:
Zig-zag motion of the molecules of gases and liquids.
Watt:
The power of a body if it does work at the rate of one joule per second.
Weight:
Force of gravitation acting on a body.
Work:
The product of force and displacement.
Young's modulus:
The ratio of stress to tensile strain.

No comments:

Post a Comment