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Physics Definitions

The document outlines fundamental concepts in physics, including measurements, kinematics, forces, energy, and thermal physics. It explains the differences between base and derived quantities, scalar and vector quantities, and details Newton's laws of motion, energy conservation, and thermal processes. Additionally, it covers wave properties, electricity, electromagnetic induction, and radioactivity, providing definitions and principles essential for understanding these topics.

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Sheheryar Malik
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30 views6 pages

Physics Definitions

The document outlines fundamental concepts in physics, including measurements, kinematics, forces, energy, and thermal physics. It explains the differences between base and derived quantities, scalar and vector quantities, and details Newton's laws of motion, energy conservation, and thermal processes. Additionally, it covers wave properties, electricity, electromagnetic induction, and radioactivity, providing definitions and principles essential for understanding these topics.

Uploaded by

Sheheryar Malik
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Measurements

A base quantity (or basic quantity) is chosen and arbitrarily


defined, rather than being derived from a combination of
other physical quantities.

A derived quantity is defined based on a combination of base


quantities and has a derived unit that is the exponent, product or
quotient of these base units.

Scalar quantities are quantities in which the magnitude is stated, but


the direction is either not applicable or not specified.

Vector quantities are quantities in which both the magnitude and the
direction must be stated.

Kinematics
Distance travelled by an object is the length of path taken.

Displacement is the shortest distance from the initial to the final


position of an object.

Speed is the distance moved per unit time.

Velocity (v) of an object is the rate of change of displacement with


respect to time.

Acceleration of an object is the rate of change of velocity with


respect to time.

Forces and Turning effect of Force


Newton’s First Law states that an object will continue in its state of
rest or uniform motion in a straight line as long as there is no net force
acting on the body.
Newton’s Second Law states that when a resultant force acts on an
object of a constant mass, the object will accelerate in the direction of
the resultant force.

Newton’s Third Law states that if object A exerts a force on object B,


then object B will also exert an equal and opposite force on object A

The moment of a force (torque) is defined as the turning effect of


the force about a pivot and is the product of the force and the
perpendicular distance from the line of action of the force to the pivot.

The centre of mass of a body of matter is an imaginary point at which


the entire mass of the body seems to act.

The centre of gravity of a body of matter is an imaginary point at


which the entire weight of the body seems to act.

Mass, Weight & Density


Mass is defined as the amount of matter in an object

Weight is defined as the gravitational force acting on an object

Inertia is defined as the reluctance on an object to change its state of


rest or motion, due to its mass.

A Gravitational Field is a region in which a mass experiences a force


due to gravitational attraction

Gravitational Field Strength is defined as the gravitational force


acting per unit mass .

Density (ρ) is defined as the mass of a substance per unit volume.

Terminal velocity is the highest velocity attainable by an object in


free fall.

Pressure
Pressure is defined as the perpendicular force acting on unit area of a
surface or the force per unit area.

Boyle’s Law states that the volume of a fixed mass of gas at constant
temperature is inversely proportional to the pressure applied to the
gas.

Work, Energy & Power


The Principle of conservation of energy states that energy cannot
be created nor destroyed but can be converted from one form to
another and the total amount of energy of a enclosed system
remains constant.

Kinetic Energy, Ek is the energy a body possesses by virtue of its


motion.

Gravitational Potential Energy is defined as the amount of work


done in order to raise the body to the height h from a reference level.

Power is defined as the rate of work done OR;

Power is defined as the rate of energy converted with respect to time.

Thermal Physics
Melting is the process in which energy absorbed by a substance
results in a change of state from solid to liquid, without a change in
temperature.

Solidification is the process in which energy taken away from a


substance results in a change of state from liquid to solid, without a
change in temperature.
Boiling is the process in which the energy absorbed by a substance
changes it from liquid state to gaseous state, without a change in
temperature.

Condensation is the process in which energy taken away from


substance changes it from gaseous state to liquid state, without a
change in temperature.

Heat Capacity, C,of a body is defined as the amount of heat (Q)


required to raise its temperature (θ) by one degree, without going
through a change of state.

Specific heat capacity, c, of a body is defined as the amount of heat


(Q) required to raise the temperature (θ) of a unit mass of it by one
degree, without going through a change in state.

Specific latent heat of fusion of a substance is defined as the


amount of heat required to change a unit mass of the substance
from solid to liquid state, without any change in the temperature.

Specific latent heat of vapourization of a substance is defined as


the amount of heat required to change unit mass of the substance
from liquid state to gas state without a temperature change.

Conduction is the transfer of thermal energy from one place to


another without any flow of the medium.

Convection is the transfer of thermal energy from one place to


another by means of convection currents in a fluid (gas or liquid), due
to a difference in density

Radiation is the transfer of thermal energy from one place to another


by means of electromagnetic radiation, without the need of an
intervening material medium.

Waves, Reflection & Refraction of


light, Converging Lens
Amplitude is the maximum displacement from the rest or central
position, in either directions.

Frequency (f) is defined as the number of complete waves produced


per unit time.

Wavelength (λ) is the distance between corresponding points of two


consecutive waves.

Speed of the wave propagation is defined as the distance travelled by


a wave per unit time.

Period (T) is defined as the time taken to produce one complete wave.

First law of reflection states that the incident ray, the reflected ray
and the normal to the surface all lie in the same plane.

Second law of reflection states that the angle of incidence is equal


to the angle of reflection.

Refraction of light is the change in direction (bending of light rays)


when it passes from one optically transparent medium to another.

First law of refraction states that the incident ray, the refracted ray
and the normal to the interface all lie in the same plane.

Second law of refraction states that for two given media, the
ratio constantsin⁡isin⁡r=constant, where i is the angle of incidence
and r is the angle of refraction.

Electricity and D.C. Circuits


Electric Current is defined as the rate of flow of charges.

Electromotive Force (e.m.f) of a source is defined as the the work


done by the source in driving a unit charge around a complete circuit.

Potential difference across a component is defined as the work done


to drive a unit charge through the component.
Ohm’s law states that the current flowing through a metallic
conductor is directly proportional to the potential difference across it,
provided that the physical conditions remain constant.

Electromagnetic
Force and Electromagnetic
Induction
Faraday’s Law of Electromagnetic induction is the process in
which an electromotive force (emf) is induced in a closed circuit due to
changes in the magnetic field around the circuit.

Lenz’s law states that the direction of the induced e.m.f. and hence
the induced current in a closed circuit is always such that it opposes
the change in producing it.

Radioactivity & the nuclear atom


Isotopes are different atoms of an element which have the same
number of protons, but a different number of neutrons from each
other.

Radioactive decay refers to the process in which α-particles and β-


particles are emitted by an unstable nuclei (contains too many
neutrons or protons) of an element in order to form a more stable
nuclei of another element.

The half-life of a sample of a radioactive isotope is defined as the


time taken for half the original unstable radioactive nuclei to decay.

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