Every term, defined

Physics glossary

393 terms from the books, quoted word for word, each linked to its chapter.

A

• Absolute and relative uncertainty
• Absolute temperature
• Absorption spectrum
• Absorption, spontaneous and stimulated emission
• Acceleration vector
• Acoustic perturbation
• Activity
• Additive synthesis
• Air
• Alternator
• Ammeter
• Amplitude
• Amplitude and phase
• Angular magnification
• Angular momentum
• Angular size and resolution
• Apparent weight
• Astronomical unit and light-year
• Atmospheric pressure
• Atoms
• Attenuation
• Average speed 2 definitions
• Axis and orbit

B

• Balance point
• Balance scale
• Barometer
• Barycentric frame
• Base units of the SI
• Binding energy per nucleon
• Biot number
• Boiling point

C

• Camera; f-number
• Canonical second-order form
• Capacitance
• Capacitor and capacitance
• Carnot cycle
• Center of mass
• Center of mass; momentum of a system
• Centered system; Gauss conditions
• Centimetre and metre
• Central force; central conservative force
• Chain reaction and critical mass
• Characteristic; resistor; Ohm’s law
• Charge density; current density
• Charging by friction and by contact
• Circuit diagram
• Closed loop; loop gain
• Closed system; momentum conservation
• Coherent sources, path difference
• Coil and solenoid
• Color as a perception
• Color temperature
• Compass
• Compensating forces
• Complex amplitude
• Complex wavenumber: propagation and attenuation
• Compound microscope
• Conductor
• Cones and trichromatic vision
• Conservative and non-conservative forces
• Conservative force; potential energy
• Constellation
• Contact and distance forces
• Contact force, normal and tangential
• Continuous spectrum
• Control volume; open system
• Converging and diverging lenses
• Critical angle and total internal reflection
• Current and the coulomb
• Curvilinear abscissa; Frenet basis
• Cylindrical coordinates and basis

D

• Damped oscillations
• Day and night
• De Broglie wavelength
• Decay constant
• Decibels; Bode diagram
• Decomposition of white light
• Delay
• Density
• Density and particle current
• Density, by formula
• Diffraction
• Diffusing objects
• Diffusion and object color
• Dimension
• Direct and alternating current
• Dispersion 2 definitions
• Dispersion relation; phase velocity
• Dissipation
• Doppler effect
• Duration
• Dynamometer

E

• Efficiency 2 definitions
• Efficiency and coefficients of performance
• Electric charge 2 definitions
• Electric circuit
• Electric current 2 definitions
• Electric dipole
• Electric field
• Electromagnet 2 definitions
• Electron-volt and atomic mass unit
• Electrostatic field
• Elementary charge
• Ellipse
• EMF and internal resistance
• Emission line spectrum
• Energy
• Energy and the joule
• Energy diagram, turning points
• Energy levels
• Energy stores
• Enthalpy; heat capacities
• Entropy diagram
• Equilibrium
• Evaporating and condensing
• Event, proper time
• Exponential decay

F

• Far point, near point
• Field
• Field lines
• First-order linear system
• Fission
• Floating and sinking
• Fluid particle; the continuum hypothesis
• Flux of the field
• Focal point and focal length
• Focal points and focal length
• Force 2 definitions
• Force diagram
• Forced oscillations and resonance
• Free fall
• Frenet frame
• Frequency 2 definitions
• Fringes and interfringe
• Fuse
• Fusion

G

• Gas
• Geocentric and terrestrial frames
• Geostationary orbit
• Gradient, divergence, curl, Laplacian
• Gram and kilogram
• Gravitation
• Gravitational field
• Gravitational field strength
• Gravitational force
• Gravitational potential energy 2 definitions

H

• Half-life
• Harmonic oscillator
• Harmonics
• Heat 2 definitions
• Heat conductors and insulators
• Heat current density
• Helmholtz free energy, Gibbs free enthalpy
• Hot and cold
• Huygens–Fresnel principle

I

• Ideal and real sources
• Ideal operational amplifier
• Impedance, admittance
• In parallel
• In phase, in phase opposition
• In series
• Incandescent sources
• Incidence
• Inclined plane
• Inductance
• Inductor and inductance
• Inertial frame
• Inertial reference frame
• Instantaneous speed
• Insulator
• Intensity
• Internal energy
• Iridescence

J

• Joule effect

K

• Kinetic energy 2 definitions
• Kinetic temperature; equation of state

L

• Lagrangian and Eulerian descriptions
• Laser cavity
• LEDs
• Lever and pivot
• Light ray
• Light ray; homogeneous medium
• Light sources
• Light waves
• Light-year
• Linear dipole, linear circuit
• Liquid
• Lorentz force
• Lunar eclipse

M

• Magnet and poles
• Magnetic field
• Magnetic field lines
• Magnetic flux through a circuit
• Magnetic moment
• Magnetostatic field
• Magnets
• Magnification
• Mass
• Mass defect and binding energy
• Mass flow rate and volume flow rate
• Mass, momentum, force
• Measurand, error, uncertainty
• Measuring a length
• Measuring a quantity
• Mechanical energy
• Mechanical wave
• Medium
• Melting and freezing
• Melting point
• Microscopic and macroscopic scales
• Molecules
• Moment about a point; about an axis
• Momentum
• Motor, resistive, zero work
• Myopia and hyperopia

N

• Natural period and frequency
• Net force
• Newtonian viscosity
• Nominal voltage
• Normal and angle of incidence
• Normal force and friction
• Normalized deviation
• Nuclear notation

O

• Object, image, stigmatism
• Observation
• Open system, control volume, steady flow
• Operational amplifier
• Optical fiber
• Optical path and phase
• Order of magnitude 2 definitions
• Oscillator, period, frequency, amplitude
• Oscilloscope

P

• Parallel-plate capacitor
• Perfect fluid
• Perfect gas, microscopic model
• Perfect pivot
• Period and frequency
• Periodic signal, period
• Periodic wave
• Phase portrait
• Phases
• Physical quantities and SI units
• Physical quantity and unit
• Pitch and loudness
• Planet
• Plasma; the free-electron model
• Polarization states
• Poles
• Position vector
• Potential and voltage
• Potential energy
• Power 2 definitions
• Power and the watt
• Power and work of a force
• Pressure 2 definitions
• Primary sources
• Projectile
• Propagation speed
• Pseudo-periodic and aperiodic regimes
• Pulley
• Pure substance, phase, phase change

Q

• Quasi-steady regime (ARQS)

R

• Radial velocity
• Radioactivity
• Range
• Ray and beam
• Real and virtual images
• Redshift and blueshift
• Reduced eye
• Reference frame
• Reference frame; position; trajectory
• Reflection
• Refraction
• Refractive index 2 definitions
• Relative motion; frame in translation, in rotation
• Resistance 2 definitions
• Resistor
• Restoring force of a spring
• Reynolds number
• Rigid body
• RMS value
• Rolling without slipping

S

• Satellite and orbit
• Scalar model; monochromatic wave
• Scientific notation
• Shadow
• Short circuit
• Short circuit of a device
• Short circuit of the battery
• SI prefixes
• Signal
• Signal; sinusoidal signal
• Significant figures 2 definitions
• Simple machine
• Simple pendulum
• Solar eclipse
• Solid
• Solid; rotation about a fixed axis
• Sound 2 definitions
• Sound intensity
• Sound level 2 definitions
• Sound wave
• Spectral analysis
• Spectral lamps and lasers
• Spectrum and timbre
• Speed
• Speed, by formula
• Spherical coordinates
• Spherical mirror
• Spring scale
• Standing wave
• Star
• Static and kinetic friction
• Step-index fiber
• Stopping potential
• Straight uniform motion
• Subtractive synthesis
• Sundial
• Supercooling, superheating
• System, transformation

T

• Temperature 2 definitions
• Terminal speed
• The atmosphere and its pressure
• The battery
• The bulb
• The common contact forces
• The Coulomb barrier
• The Earth’s magnetic field
• The electron-volt
• The eye as an optical system
• The five senses
• The forms of energy
• The four interactions
• The gravitational constant
• The joule
• The kilowatt-hour 2 definitions
• The magnifier
• The Michelson interferometer
• The Moon
• The newton
• The other forms
• The photon
• The quasi-stationary approximations
• The reactor, tamed
• The scientist’s starter kit
• The second
• The six changes of state
• The Solar System
• The strong interaction
• The structure ladder
• The three historic radiations
• The three standard frames
• The weak interaction
• The year and the seasons
• Thermal radiation, absorptivity, black body
• Thermodynamic equilibrium
• Thermodynamic machine
• Thin lens 2 definitions
• Time constant
• Timed position records
• Trajectory 2 definitions
• Transfer function
• Transfer, conversion, chain
• Transparent, translucent, opaque
• Transverse and longitudinal waves
• Travelling wave, celerity
• Turning points; bound and free motion

U

• Ultrasound and infrasound
• Uniform and varied motion
• Uniform circular motion 2 definitions
• Uniform rectilinear motion
• Universal gravitation

V

• Vapour-compression cycle
• Velocity and acceleration
• Velocity potential; circulation
• Velocity vector
• Vergence
• Vibration
• Voltage
• Voltage and the volt
• Voltmeter
• Volume
• Vorticity

W

• Wave
• Wave function and Born’s rule
• Wavefront
• Wavefunction
• Wavelength
• Wavelength, the identity card of a radiation
• Weight 2 definitions
• Wind
• Work along a path
• Work of a constant force