Topic Word Definition

1 Accuracy How close it is to the true/accepted value

Precision How close a group of measurements are to each other

Systematic Results in all readings/measurements being always above/always below

errors the true value by a fixed amount

Random errors Results in readings/measurements being scattered about a mean value.

These errors have equal chance of being positive/negative

Period (T) for Time taken to make one complete oscillation

pendulum

2 Displacement (s) Distance moved in a specified direction from a reference point

Speed Rate of change of distance travelled with respect to time/distance

travelled by an object per unit time

Velocity (v) Rate of change of displacement with respect to time

Acceleration Rate of change of velocity with respect to time

3 Scalars Quantities that are fully described by a magnitude alone

Vectors Quantities that are fully described by both a magnitude & a direction

4 Friction (contact Acts in direction to resist relative motion/tendency of motion between

– physical the surfaces
contact with an
object)

Air resistance Resistive force exerted by air on an object moving through it

(contact)

Normal (contact) Acts outwardly perpendicular to the surfaces

Right angle, perpendicular to friction

Tension Pulling force along a string/rod/spring/wire/rope

(contact)

Weight (non- Gravitational force exerted by Earth on an object

contact –
Gravitational field: region in which a mass experiences a force due to
 interaction with gravitational attraction
a field)
Gravitational field strength = 9.81 N/kg

Common example: bowling ball and feather in the absence of air

resistance → same speed because they only experience gravitational
force (gravitational acceleration = 9.81 m/s²)

Electrostatic Forces exerted by electric charges on each other

(non-contact)

Magnetic (non- Force exerted by magnets on magnetic materials

contact) (force originates from moving charges)

Mass Measure of inertia of an object, which is the resistance of a body to

change its state of rest/motion

Gravitational Region in which a mass experiences a force due to gravitational

field attraction

Weight Gravitational force exerted on the object by the Earth

Density Mass per unit volume

5 Moment of a Product of the force and the perpendicular distance from the pivot to
force about a the line of action of the force
pivot

Principle of For a body in equilibrium, the algebraic sum of the moments of all the
moments external forces acting on the body about any axis is equal to zero.

Sum of CW moments = sum of ACW moments

Centre of gravity Point at which the whole weight of the object appears to act

Stability Measure of an object’s ability to return to its original position after it is

slightly displaced

Translational Fr = 0
equilibrium

Rotational Momentr = 0
equilibrium

6 Kinetic store Any object in motion has energy in the kinetic store (kinetic energy)
 KE = ½ mv²

Gravitational An object raised above ground has energy in the gravitational potential
potential store store (gravitational potential energy)

GPE = mgh

Elastic potential A stretched rubber band or a compressed spring has energy in the
store elastic potential store (elastic potential energy).

Chemical The food we eat, fossil fuels and batteries have energy in the chemical
potential store potential store (chemical potential store).

Internal store A hot object, such as hot metal or a hot drink, has energy in the internal
(thermal energy) store (internal energy).

Nuclear store The nuclei of atoms have energy in the nuclear store (nuclear energy)

Principle of Energy cannot be created/destroyed. Energy can be transferred from

conservation of one store to another. The total energy of an isolated system is constant.
energy
Einitial = Efinal

Work Product of the force and the distance moved by the object in the
direction of the force

Power Rate of work done/rate of energy conversion

7 Amplitude Maximum magnitude of displacement from its rest position (applicable

to longitudinal waves too!)

Period (T) Time taken by each point on the wave to complete one
oscillation/complete cycle (especially applicable to sinusoidal wave)

Frequency (f) Number of oscillations each point completes per second

Wavelength (λ) Transverse: shortest distance between two successive

crests/troughs/successive wavefronts

Longitudinal: shortest distance between two centres of

rarefaction/compression

Wavefronts Lines that join all the crests/troughs of a water wave OR all identical
points of a water wave

Wave speed Distance travelled by a wave per second

 (is usually Particles do not move with propagation of wave, instead they only
generically vibrate about their equilibrium positions
referred to as
“velocity”)

8 EM waves All EM waves are transverse waves and travel through a vacuum with
the same high speed of 3.0 x 10 8 m/s, which is the speed of light in
vacuum

9 Lenses Hah poopoo don’t have

10 Pressure Normal force acting per unit area

11 Kinetic Particle Internal energy is an energy store that is made up of the kinetic energy
Model of Matter associated with the random motion of the particles and the total
potential energy between the particles in the system.
12 Thermal
Properties of
Matter IE = PE + KE

T 𝛳
= +273.15
K ℃

Heat capacity of an object is the change of its internal energy per unit
change in its temperature.

Specific heat capacity of a material is the change of its internal energy

per unit mass for each unit change in its temperature.

Latent heat is the energy released or absorbed to change the state of a

substance, at constant temperature

The specific latent heat of fusion is the amount of energy transferred per
unit mass of a substance to change between the solid and liquid states,
at constant temperature.

The specific latent heat of vaporisation is the amount of energy

transferred per unit mass of a substance to change between the liquid
and gaseous states, at constant temperature.

Boiling is the change from the liquid state to the gaseous state when
energy is transferred to the substance without a change in temperature.