We hope you enjoy this glossary of terms. You should be able
to look up any of the concepts that we have taught on this page.
Use the alphabetical links below or just scroll down.
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Acceleration : Acceleration is the change in velocity in a certain amount of
time. The unit for acceleration is the m/s/s.
Ammeter : A device used to measure
current. The ammeter is always connected in series in a circuit
and has very very low resistance so it doesn’t affect the circuit
it is measuring.
Ampere : An Ampere (A) is the unit of
electric current. It is the flow of one Coulomb of charge per
second. In formulas, current in Amperes is given as the letter
I. The Ampere is named after the scientist by that name, and is
sometimes abbreviated to "Amps."
Amplitude : In any wave motion, the
maximum displacement from the equilibrium position. (The
distance from the equilibrium to the crest or trough).
Angle of Incidence : The angle between
the direction of the wave (incidence ray) and the line
perpendicular to the surface the waves are striking (normal).
Always equal to the angle of reflection.
Angle of Refraction : The angle between
the line perpendicular to the surface the waves are striking
(normal) and the direction of the waves after they (incidence
ray) have crossed the barrier.
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Back EMF : The application
of Snell's Law. When an electric motor is running it induces a
current in the opposite direction of that current which is
powering it.
Battery : A device that converts
chemical energy to electrical; one of the compulsory parts of a
circuit. Sometimes called the power supply.
Cartoon Physics : See our
LINKS section.
Centripetal force : Force that causes
acceleration towards the center of a circular motion. Centripetal
means "Center Seeking."
Charging by conduction : Charging a
neutral object by touching it to a charged one.
Charging by induction : By bringing a
charged object near a neutral one, the neutral object becomes
charged by induction.
Conductor : A material in which heat or
electricity is able to flow through readily. Contrary to popular
belief, water is not a conductor. Good conductors are usually
metals like gold and copper.
Constant Acceleration : Acceleration
which does not change during the course of the object’s motion.
Constructive Interference :
Superposition of waves resulting in a combined
wave with an amplitude the equal to the sum of both original wave
amplitudes.
Coulomb : Unit of electrical charge (C).
It is the charge caused by flow of one ampere of current for one
second. In formulas, charge is shown with a q. This unit was
named after the scientist named Coulomb. It's one of the fringe
benefits of being really good at physics.
Crest : A toothpaste 3 out of 4 dentists
recommend most. . . just kidding. The maximum displacement a
wave motion has from the equilibrium. The top of the "hill" of
the wave.
Critical Angle : The smallest angle of
incidence that will produce total internal reflection.
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Destructive Interference :
When out of phase waves come together, the
resulting wave is the difference of the two original waves.
Opposite of constructive interference.
Dependant Variable : In an experiment,
this variable changes according to the changes that are made to
the independent variable. The dependant variable depends on the
independent variable.
Diffraction : Bending of waves around an
object in their path.
Displacement : The term for a change in
position, it differs from distance because it is a vector
quantity.
Distance : The measurement of the
separation between two things. A scalar quantity.
Efficiency : The ratio of
output work done to input work. The higher this ratio, the
better the machine is, since it loses less heat, and does more
for the energy it intakes. A low efficiency means more heat is
being lost.
Electric Circuit : A continuous path
through which electric charges can flow. The three compulsory
parts of an electric circuit are the battery (or power supply),
wires, and at least one resistor(series) or at least two
resistors (parallel).
Electric Current : Flow of electrons.
Current is measured in amperes (A) and is represented by the
letter I in formulas.
Electric Field : The space around a
charged objects which exerts forces on other objects. The
direction of an electric field is the direction a positive test
charge will move. Electric fields are represented by field lines,
which are drawn to show where the field would be if we could see
it.
Electromagnet : A device that uses an
electric current to produce a concentrated magnetic field. Any
coil with current flowing through it is an electromagnet. All
current, however, produces some sort of magnetic field.
Electromagnetic Induction : Production
of electric field or current due to change in magnetic flux.
Electron : Subatomic particle of
negative charge and small (negligible) mass found in every atom.
Electroscope : A device which is used to
detect the presence of electric charges.
Elementary Charge : Magnitude of the
charge of an electron: 1.602E-19
Energy : Non-material property capable
of causing changes in matter and motion.
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Frequency : Number of
occurrences of a certain event in a specific amount of time
(usually seconds) The unit for the frequency is Hertz (Hz).
Frequency is usually represented by the letter f.
Friction : Force opposing relative
motion of two objects which are in contact. Friction is what
causes a lot of heat loss, which lowers efficiency.
Generator : A device which
converts mechanical energy to electrical.
Grounding : The process of connecting a
charged object to the earth to remove the unbalanced of charges.
The most popular method of punishment by parents.
Heat : The quantity of
energy transferred from one object to another because of the
difference of temperature. A Miami sports team.
Hyperbola : Mathematical curve that
describes an inverse relationship between two
variables.
Incident Wave : The wave
that strikes the barrier where its either reflected or refracted.
Independent Variable : Variable that is
manipulated or changed in an experiment.
Index of Refraction : The ratio of the
speed of light in a vacuum to its speed in the material. The
index of refraction of air is 1.000.
Interference : The interaction of two or
more waves, can be constructive or destructive.
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Joule : The unit of energy
given the letter J, which is equal to a
newton-meter.
Kinematics : The study of
motion of objects, without regard to what caused the motion of
these objects. Very low level physics.
Lens : A lens is anything
which bends light. Lenses can either diverge or converge light
waves.
Light : Electromagnetic radiation with
wavelengths between 400 and 700nm that is visible. The primary
colors of light are Red, Green and Blue. The opposite of heavy.
Magnetic field : The space
in which magnetic forces will act on an object or particle.
Magnetic fields are represented by magnetic field lines. Magnetic
field lines never cross, they go from north to south outside the
magnet, and inside they go south to north.
Mechanical wave : A wave containing a
periodic motion of matter. Any wave which requires a medium.
Mirror : An object which reflects light.
Most mirrors are flat and made out of silver and glass.
Scientists use spherical mirrors and parabolic mirrors in light
and wave experiments.
Net force : Vector sum of
forces on an object. If you have a force of 2N to the west, and
3N to the east, the vectors add up to 1N to the east. The net
force then is 1N.
Neutral : Object that has no net
electric charge.
Newton : The unit for force. The newton
was named after Sir Isaac Newton. Newton was a genius who
formulated many of the laws of physics. He is more familiarly
known as the guy who got smacked on the head with an apple, and
thus discovered gravity.
Node : A point where two waves come
together and yet and there is no disturbance of the medium. Node
points result when two wave,s which are 180 degrees out of phase
but otherwise identical, interact. You can also observe node
points in standing waves.
Normal : Perpendicular to the barrier
which a wave hits. An immaginary line of reference.
Normal force : A force perpendicular to
the surface.
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Ohm : The unit for
resistance. Named after the scientist Ohm, who formulated what is
known as Ohm's law. The symbol for resistance is R and the symbol
for the Ohm is the greek letter Omega (
).
Parallel circuit : A
circuit where there are two or more paths for current to flow.
The voltage is the same throughout each branch of a parallel
circuit, but the current is different. (Vice versa in a series
circuit.)
Period : The time needed to complete one
cycle of motion.
PHYSICS : The study of matter, energy
and their RELATIONSHIPS.
Position : Separation between an object
and a reference point.
Potential difference : The measure of
how readily charge will flow between conductors.
Potential energy : Energy of an object
due to its position.
Power : The rate of doing work; power is
measured in Watts. In formulas, power is given the symbol P.
Primary Colors : The primary colors of
light are Red, Green and Blue. The primary colors of day to day
pigments are Yellow, Blue and Red.
Refraction : Bending or
changing of direction of light ray when passing from one medium
into another. Stick a pencil in a glass of water and look at it,
and you will see howlight refracts.
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Scalar : A quantity, like
distance, which has only a magnitude or size. Quantities which
are not scalar are knon as vector quantities.
Series circuit : A circuit where
electrical current flows through each component, one after the
other.
Slope : The ratio of the vertical
separation, or rise, to the horizontal, or run.
Standing wave : A wave which oscillates
between node points, it has no apparent motion in the direction
in the wave, instead it seems to have increasing and decreasing
amplitude.
Static Electricity : The uneven balance
of charge on an object. The charges are not in motion because
they have no where to go.
Surface wave : Wave on the surface of a
medium with characteristics of both longitudinal and transverse
waves.
Total Internal Reflection :
Also known as TIR. Total Internal Reflection
occurs when light striking the barrier refracts at an angle
greater or equal to 90 degrees from the normal. As a result, all
of the light reflects off of the barrier between the mediums.
Trajectory : The path followed by a
projectile.
Transformer : Device which uses two
coils to either increase voltage and reduce current, or vice
versa. Power is constant is a transformer. This device opperates
by inducing current. Transformers are also giant robots which can
disguise themselves as cars or other machines.
Transverse wave : A wave where the
disturbance of the material is in a direction which is
perpendicular to the direction of the wave.
Trough : The lowest point of the wave.
The trough is the opposite of the crest.
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Vector quantity : A
quantity having both magnitude and direction. See also: Scalar
Watt : The unit for power
(W). It is equal to one Joule per second.
Wavelength : The distance between two
corresponding points on two successive waves. Wavelength is given
the symbol 
.
Weight : The force of gravity on an
object. Weight, like all other forces is measured in newtons.
Work : The product of force and
displacement in the direction of the force. Work is the adding of
energy to an object.
X-Rays : A type of
electromagnetic wave; has many uses and can be either harmfull or
useful.
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