Physics Definitions by Hammad Ahmad

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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.