Physics: The Science of the Study of Matter and Energy.
Physical Quantities: A quantity which can be measured. It is denoted by a Numerical Magnitude and Unit. SI Unit: A symbol used to denote a Physical Quantity. Precision: Precision refers to the closeness of two or more measurements to each other. Accuracy: Accuracy refers to the closeness of a measured value to a standard or known value. Scalar Quantity: A physical quantity denoted by magnitude alone. Vector Quantity: A physical quantity denoted by both magnitude and direction. Zero Error: An error which occurs when a tool does not give a zero reading when it should. Parallax Error: An error which occurs due to wrong positioning of eye to attain a reading. Human Error: Error caused by a person in noting measurements due to reaction time. Distance: The length between two points. Displacement: The shortest distance between two points in a specific direction. Time: The measure of passage of time. Speed: Distance travelled per unit time. Velocity: Rate of change of Displacement. Acceleration: Rate of change of Velocity. Uniform Acceleration: Constant or proportional rate of change of Velocity. Uniform Deceleration: Constant or proportional rate of decreasing change of Velocity. Terminal Velocity: The weight and air resistance of a body become equal and cancel out. Gravity: The attractive pull force of the Earth. Gravitational Field: A region in which a body experiences gravitational pull force. Gravitational Field Strength: The gravitational force acting per unit mass. Inertia: The ability of a body to retain its state of motion. Friction: The contact force which opposes motion between surfaces in contact. Resistance: Friction or opposite drag force which acts on a body moving through a medium. Force: A pull or push on a body which tends to change its state of motion. Tension: A force experienced by a body when it is stretched or compressed. Newton’s 1st Law: A body will stay in its state of motion unless an external force acts on it. Newton’s 2nd Law: When a force acts on a body of constant mass, the body will accelerate in the direction of the resultant force. Newton’s 3rd Law: To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Thinking Distance: The distance travelled by the vehicle during the reaction time of the driver before he applies the brakes. Braking Distance: The distance travelled by the vehicle during the time the brakes are applied. Stopping Distance: The total distance travelled by the vehicle in reaction time and braking. Mass: The amount of matter in a body. Weight: The gravitational force acting on a body. Volume: Quantity of space occupied by a body. Density: Mass per unit Volume. Moment: The product of the force and the perpendicular distance from the pivot to the line of action of the force. Principal of Moments: When a body is in equilibrium, the sum of clockwise moments is equal to the sum of anti-clockwise moments. Centre of Mass/Gravity: The point of a body where its entire weight seems to act. Plumb line: A string with a mass attached to one end. Pendulum: A simple Pendulum consists of a metal bob attached at the end of a string, hanging from a support. Oscillation: A complete round trip of a pendulum from and back to its original position. Time Period: Time taken by the pendulum to complete one oscillation. Frequency: Number of oscillations completed in one second. Stability: The ability of a body to return to its original position after being slightly displaced. Elasticity: The ability of a body to regain its original shape after being deformed Elastic Potential Energy: Energy stored as a result of applying a force to deform an elastic object. Hooke’s Law: Within the elastic limit, the extension produced by an elastic body is directly proportional to the force applied. Limit (Point) of Proportionality: The maximum extension of an elastic body, after which it breaks or permanently deforms. --- Pressure: Force acting per Unit Area Atmospheric Pressure: The pressure exerted due to the collision of air molecules present in the atmosphere. 100,000 Pa Pascal: The SI Unit denoting Force acting per Unit Area. Pascal’s Law: The pressure transmitted in all directions throughout the liquid is equal. Boyle’s Law: If Temperature is constant, Volume of Gas in inversely proportional to Pressure. Formula: P1V1 = P1V2 ---- Kinetic Particle Theory of Matter: Matter is made of tiny particles, which always vibrate in continuous motion. Heat: The amount of thermal energy being transferred from a hotter to a colder region. Thermometric Property: The property of a body which varies continuously with Temperature. Temperature: The measure of degree of hotness or coldness of a body. Calibration: To put a physical quantity to scale (by marking readings). Sensitivity: The increase in liquid length of a thermometer per rise in temperature. Responsiveness: The quickness of a thermometer to respond to changes in temperature. Range: The difference between the maximum and minimum temperatures a thermometer can measure. Linearity: The proportional increase in liquid length per temperature change. Bulb: The region which stores liquid of thermometer. Capillary Tube: A tube with narrow bore, in which the liquid rises on expansion. One end is closed and other end is open and connected to bulb. Constriction: The bend in capillary tube to stop backward flow of mercury into bulb, to retain reading for a short while. Stem: The outer casing of a thermometer, usually oval in shape to magnify the reading. Scale: The temperature divisions marked on the stem of the thermometer. Ice Point: The temperature at which pure ice melts, at constant atmospheric pressure. It is assigned the value of 0*C Steam Point: The temperature at which pure water boils, at constant atmospheric pressure. It is assigned the value of 100*C Melting Point: The temperature of a body at which it changes from solid to liquid state. Boiling Point: The temperature of a body at which it changes from liquid to gas state. Conduction: The transfer of thermal energy through a medium without any movement of medium itself. Conductor: Substances which can easily conduct heat. Insulator: Substances which are poor conductors of heat. Convection: The transfer of thermal energy due to differences in densities in a fluid through convection currents. Radiation: The transfer of thermal energy in the form the electromagnetic waves without the aid of a medium. Heat Capacity: The heat energy required to raise the temperature of a body by 1K. Specific Heat Capacity: The heat energy required to raise the temperature of 1Kg of the body by 1K. Latent Heat: The amount of energy required by a body for a change in state Specific Latent Heat: The amount of energy required by 1Kg of a body for a change in state, without change in temperature. Specific Latent Heat of Fusion: The amount of energy required by a body for a change in state, without change in temperature. Specific Latent Heat of Vaporisation: The amount of energy required by a body for a change in state, without change in temperature. Thermal Expansion: The increase of volume of a body on heating. Contraction: The decrease of volume of a body on loosing heat. ---
Work: The product of the force and distance moved by a body.
Power: The rate of work done OR the rate of energy conversion. Energy: The capacity to do work. Kinetic Energy: Energy possessed by a body due to its state of motion. Internal Energy: The sum of Kinetic and Potential Energy of molecules of a substance. Chemical Energy: Electrical Energy: Energy possessed by a body due to passing of electric current through it. Gravitational Potential Energy: The energy possessed by a body due to its vertical height in a gravitational field. Renewable Energy Source: An energy source which does not run out. Non-Renewable Energy Source: An energy source which can run out. Principal of Conservation of Energy: Energy cannot be destroyed nor created, it can only be changed from one form to another. Einstein’s Mass Energy Equation: Mass and Energy can only be inter-changed between each other by the equation E = mc2 Efficiency: Ratio percentage of Power/Energy Output to Power/Energy Input --- Reflection: The bouncing back of light off a regular surface in the same medium. 1st Law of Reflection: The incident ray, reflected ray and the normal all lie in the same plane. 2nd Law of Reflection: The Angle of Incidence is equal to the Angle of Reflection. Normal: An imaginary perpendicular line at the point of incidence. Angle of Incidence: The angle made between the incident ray and the normal. Angle of Reflection: The angle made between the reflected ray and the normal. Refraction: The bending of light as it changes medium. Angle of Refraction: The angle made between the refracted ray and the normal. 1st Law of Refraction: The incident ray, refracted ray and the normal all lie in the same plane. 2nd Law of Refraction (SNELL’S LAW): The ratio of sine of angle of incidence to sine of angle of refraction for two given media is always constant. Refractive Index: The ratio of sine of angle of incidence to sine of angle of refraction. Critical Angle: The angle of incidence in a dense medium which causes the angle of refraction in the rare medium to be 90o. Total Internal Reflection: When the angle of incidence is increased beyond the critical angle, the ray reflects in the same medium. Convex Lens: It converges or focuses the light rays to a point. Thin at edges, thick at centre. Curved towards Outside. Concave Lens: It diverges or spreads the light rays. Thin at centre, thick at edges. Curved Inside Linear Magnification: Ratio of image length or distance to object length or distance. Short Sightedness: Near objects seen clearly, far objects blurry. Rays focus before hitting the retina (screen at back of eye) Long Sightedness: Near objects seen blurry, far objects clearly. Rays tend to focus after retina. Dispersion of Light: The splitting of white light into a spectrum of its component colours. --- Wave: A mechanism through which energy transfer occurs, without medium transfer. Oscillation: A complete cycle of a wave from and to its original position Wave front: An imaginary line on a wave that joins all points in the same phase. Motion of Wave: The oscillation movement of a wave through which energy is transferred. Transverse Waves: Wave in which particles vibrate perpendicular to wave direction. (Water) Longitudinal Waves: Wave in which particles vibrate parallel to wave direction. (Spring waves) They consist of Compressions and Rarefactions. Wavelength: The shortest distance between any two same points on a wave in phase. Time Period: Time taken to complete one oscillation. Frequency: Number of complete waves per second. Electromagnetic Spectrum: A spectrum of the 7 Electromagnetic Rays arranged by wavelengths and frequencies. --- Sound: A form of energy that is transferred from one point to another as a longitudinal wave. Compressions: The region in which molecules of the medium are closer. Air pressure higher than surrounding pressure. Rarefactions: The region in which molecules of the medium are further apart. Air pressure lower than surrounding pressure. Infra-Sound: Sound frequencies below human range of audibility (Below 20 Hz) Ultra-Sound: Sound frequencies above human range of audibility (Above 20,000 Hz) Echo: Repetition of a sound due to the reflection of sound. Loudness: The amplitude of the sound wave. Pitch: The frequency of the sound wave. Quality/Timbre: The tone of the sound. --- Charge: The physical property of a body that causes it to experience a force when placed in an electromagnetic field. Electric Force: Attractive or repulsive force that electric charges exert on each other. Electric Field: The region in which an electric charge experiences an electric force. Electrostatic Induction: The process by which a conductor becomes charged when a charged body is brought near it but is not in direct contact with it. Earthing: The process of directing charges to or from the Earth to neutralize a body. Thundering/Lightning: Electric Currents Rays caused by clouds due to friction between water molecules. --- Current: Rate of flow of Charge. Conventional Current: Opposite direction to electron flow. Electrons flow from negative to positive. Resistance: Hindrance or opposition to flow of charge through a wire. Voltage: Energy supplied per unit Charge. Work done per unit Charge. Electromotive Force: Work done by a source to drive a unit charge through a complete circuit. Potential Difference: The energy/work done in driving unit charge through a component. Ohm’s Law: The current passing through a wire is directly proportional to its potential difference. Condition that Temperature is constant. Live Wire: The brown high-voltage wire though which current enters the appliance. Neutral Wire: The blue zero volt wire through which current leaves the appliance. Earth Wire: The green/yellow wire which connects metal casing of appliance to the Earth. --- Magnetic Field: The region surrounding a magnet, in which a body of magnetic material experiences a magnetic force. Magnetic Material: A substance that can be attracted towards a magnet. Induced Magnets: A substance which is induced magnetism without any contact with magnet. Magnetic Induction: The induction of magnetism in a magnetic material without any contact with the magnet. Magnetic Shielding: The protection of equipment from the influence of magnetism. Electromagnet: A magnet which only magnetizes when current passes through it. Permanent Magnets: Magnets made of materials which can retain magnetism for long time. Temporary Magnets: Magnets which only magnetize on passing of current. Circuit Breaker: An appliance used to switch off the current if it exceeds limit. Electromagnetic Induction: The process in which an induced EMF is produced in a conductor due to a changing magnetic field. Magnetic Flux: The magnetic field lines being cut the coil. Induced EMF: Driving force of electrons in the coil produced due to change in magnetic flux. Induced Current: Rate of flow of electrons in the coil produced due to change in magnetic flux. Faraday’s Law: The induced EMF is directly proportional to rate of change of magnetic flux. Lenz’s Law: The induced current produced acts in opposite direction of magnetic field. Motor Effect: When a current carrying conductor experiences a force in a magnetic field. Fleming’s Hand Rule: The force, current and magnetic field are at right angles to each other. AC Generator: A mechanical device which uses electromagnetic induction to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. Transformer: A device used to step-down or step-up alternating voltage. Thermionic Emission (Edison Effect): The emission of electrons from a metal filament when it gains heat due to resistance by passing current. --- Isotopes: Atoms of the same element with same Atomic Number but different Mass Numbers. GM Discovery of Nucleus: When Alpha Particles were bombarded on a thin gold foil, most of them passed straight through the foil. Only few particles deflected at different angles. The resultant observations were that: - Major Part of Atom is empty. - Central Portion (Nucleus) carries positive charge. - Size of Nucleus is negligible compared to size of atom. Radioactivity: The spontaneous and random emission of radiations from unstable nuclei. Background Radiation: The Nuclear Radiations always present and emitted by surroundings. Radioactive Decay: The spontaneous and random emission of radiations from unstable nuclei. Spontaneous Decay: Radiation emissions are independent of external changes. Random Decay: Radioactive emissions occur randomly over space and time. It is impossible to exactly predict which nucleus will decay next and when. Alpha Particle: A particle with a nuclear structure of Helium. Beta Particle: A high energy electron. Gamma Ray: A high frequency electromagnetic ray. Half-Life: The time taken for half of the unstable nuclei to decay. Nuclear Fission (Power Plants): The splitting of a heavy nucleus into two lighter nuclei and release of immense energy. When a nucleus is bombarded by a neutron, the nucleus splits into two daughter nuclei, three neutrons and energy is released. Nuclear Fusion (Stars): The fusing of two lighter nuclei to produce a heavy nucleus with release of immense energy. Formation of Stars: Due to high gravitational force, immense heat and pressure; dust particles come closer together, this causes nuclear fusion to take place. Two lighter nuclei fuse to produce a heavy nucleus with release of energy.