Vocabulary list for physics

David Bar-Tzur

GENERAL PHYSICS

accuracy	accurate	astronomy	asymmetry	approximate	approximately	approximately equal
approximation	bank (row)	braces (for formulas)	brackets (for formulas)	calculate	calibrate	capacity
centimeter-gram-second	characteristic(s)	chart	configuration	constant->	hold/held ~	remains ~
conversion	convert	cross multiply	degree celsius	degree fahrenheit	dense	density
deteriorate	determine (a value)	deviate, deviation	device	diagram	diameter	directly proportional
distribute	distributed	divide	~ both sides by	do (calculate) it in your head	efficiency	efficient
empirical	equation->	drop out (of an ~)	equivalence	estimate	expand	experiment
extract	figure (illustration)	filter	foot-pound	formula	gas	gauge
generate	generator	given	gram	graphically expressed	gravimetric	heterogeneous
homogeneous	horizontal	induce	induced	infrared	instrumentation	in terms of
invention	isotropy	laser-induced fluorescence	law	liter	mass density	matter
mean free path	measure	mechanics	mechanism	metric system	milligram	modulus
nanometer	nanosecond	National Science Board	National Science Foundation	needle (gauge)	negligible (error)	newton per square meter
non-zero	normal	notation	n times	occupy (space)	operate	over (as in "A over B")
parentheses (for formulas)	perpendicular	physics	plasma	plug	pound-force per square inch	pound per square inch
precise	pressure	pulse	radar	radian	radiant	reference
right angle	right-hand rule	rigid	rise (in any quantity)	round off	root mean square	run (operate)
science	scientific notation	sensitive	sensor	sign->	~ed	consistent ~ convention
significant figures	simultaneity, simultaneous	source	specific gravity	spec(s)	square centimeter	square foot
square inch	square meter	square yard	stabilize	structure	sub-	substance
successive time frames	symmetry	table	term (equation)	theorem	theory	thermal
ultraviolet alpha	ultraviolet eta	unit	universality	vacuum fluorecent	volumetric density	weigh
weight	weight density

DYNAMICS

For "Fluid Dynamics", see under same in Vocabulary list for Engineering.

angle of inclination	angular acceleration	coefficient of kinetic friction	coefficient of static friction	conservation of energy	conservation of momentum	damped
elastic	elastic collision	equilibrium->	static ~	exert a force	foot	foot per minute
foot per second	force	force diagram	force lines	free-body diagram	friction->	static ~
function of time	gram	gravitational force	gravity	hour	inch	inch per second
inelastic collision	inertia	kilogram	kilometer	kinetic energy	meter	meters per second
meters per second squared	minute	moment	momentum	motion	position->	change in ~
potential energy	(at) rest	second	speed	standing wave	stationary	surface
time->	change in ~	velocity->	change in ~

ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM

See also Engineering under "Circuitry".

admittance	alternating current	alternating current or direct current	ammeter	ampere	ampere hour	amplifier
area density	attract	bandwidth	battery	charge->	~d	~ up (a battery)
like ~s repel	~ is conserved	(receive) ~	(send) ~	charge density	circuit	clockwise
coulomb	Coulomb's Laws	counter clockwise	counter electromotive force	current	dielectric constant	dielectric flux
discharge	electric	electric conductivity	electric field	electric field intensity	electric flux density	electricity
electric potential	electromagnet	electromagnetic	electromagnetic force	electromotive force	electrostatic flux	electron
electronic	electrostatics	extremely high frequency	extremely low frequency	field	flow	flux
flux density	gauss	henry	hertz	high frequency	induce	induced
intensity	intermediate frequency	kilohertz	luminous flux	magnet->	permanent ~	magnetic
magnetic circulation	magnetic dipole moment	magnetic field	magnetic field intensity	magnetic flux	magnetic flux density	magnetic permeability
magnetic potential	magnetic spin	magnetizing flux	magnetomotive force	magnetron	medium	meter-kilogram-second
microwaves	nuclear magnetic resonance	permanent magnet	permeability	permittivity	permittivity of free space	radiant
repel	right-hand rule	siemens	solenoid	spin (magnetic)	superposition	tesla
transverse electric	transverse magnetic	ultraviolet	weber	weigh	(a) weight	zero (a gauge/meter)

ELEMENTARY PARTICLES

antibaryon	antiparticle	baryon	boson	bottom (quark)	charm (quark)	delta resonance baryon
down (quark)	electron	electron neutrino	eta-c meson	eta resonance meson	fermion	gluon
kaon	k-star resonance meson	lambda baryon	lambda resonance baryon	leptons	meson	muon
muon neutrino	N resonance baryon	neutron	omega baryon	omega resonance baryon	omega resonance	particle
phi resonance meson	photon	pion	proton	quark	rho meson	rho resonance
sigma	strange (quark)	tau fermion	tau neutrino	top (quark)	up (quark)	W boson
xi baryon	Z-zero boson

ENERGY, WORK, AND POWER

conservation of energy	electron volt	erg	fulcrum	horsepower	impulse	kilowatt
kinetic energy	mechanical advantage	microwatt	milliwatt	nanowatt	newton-meter	picowatt
potential energy	power	run down (power)	watt	work

HARMONIC MOTION

See also "Wave Mechanics" below.

damped	damping constant	decay constant	harmonic motion	harmonic oscillation	oscillate	oscillator
pendulum	retarding (motion)	spring	spring constant	undamped	vibrate, vibration	vibrating body

HEAT

area expansion	calorie	celsius	conduct	convection	fahrenheit	degree celsius
degree fahrenheit	degree kelvin	heat	kelvin	radiant	specific heat	volumetric expansion

KINEMATICS

See also "Dynamics" above and "Vectors and scalars" below.

acceleration	air resistance	arrow (vector)	centimeter	concurrent	displacement	distance
distance formula	final (position, velocity, or acceleration)	horizontal component	initial (position, velocity, or acceleration)	instantaneous	kinematics	magnitude
mass	minute	net force	newton	Newton's laws of motion	pound-mass	projectile motion
pulley	second	tangential	tension	vertical component	yard

NUCLEAR AND PARTICLE PHYSICS

See also Chemistry under "Elements and compounds" and "States of matter".

alpha particle	anti- (particle)	antibaryon	antimatter	antiparticle	atom	atomic mass unit
atomic number	atomic theory of matter	atomic weight	B⁰ meson	baryon	beta particle	binding energy
Bohr magneton	boson	bottom (quark)	charm (quark)	collide, collision	conservation of matter	decay
delta resonance baryon	disintegration constant	down (quark)	electron	electron neutrino	eta-c meson	eta resonance meson
fermion	fission	fusion	gamma ray	gluon	ground state	ion
ionic	ionization	ionize	isotope	kaon	k-star resonance meson	lambda baryon
lambda resonance baryon	leptons	mass defect	mass number	matter	meson	micron
molar mass	molecule	muon	muon neutrino	N resonance baryon	neutral	neutron
non-baryonic matter	nuclear	nuclear reactor	nucleus	occupy (space)	omega baryon	omega resonance baryon
omega resonance meson	orbital	orbital quantum number	parity	particle	permitted orbits	phi resonance meson
photon	pion	proton	quark	radioactive	radiation	radiation absorbed dose
radiation hard	reactor (nuclear)	recombination	reduced mass	repulse, repulsion	rho meson	rho resonance meson
right-hand rule	roentgen	roentgen equivalent man	roentgen equivalent physical	shell (electron)	sigma baryon	spin
strange (quark)	tau fermion	tau neutrino	top (quark)	transition (between energy levels)	up (quark)	valence
vibrate, vibration	W boson	xi baryon	x-ray	Z-zero boson

OPTICS

candela	candela per square foot	candela per square meter	concave	converge	convex	curvature
diffraction	diverge	erect image	electroluminescent	fiber optics	focus	footcandle
footlambert	inverted image	lambert	lens->	concave ~	concave-concave ~	concave-convex ~
converging ~	convex ~	convex-convex ~	diverging ~	plano-concave ~	plano-convex ~	light
light beam	lumen	lumen per square foot	lumen per square meter	lumen per watt	lumen-second	lux
magnification	magnify	medium	mirror	opaque	optical time-domain reflectrometry	optics
parabolic	phase difference	polarize	polarized light	polarizability	photon	photonics
prism	radius of curvature	rainbow	rain drop(s)	ray	reflection->	diffuse ~
regular ~	refraction->	index of ~	spectrum	steradian	superposition principle	translucent
transparent	triplet	vibrate, vibration	visible	watt per steradian	watt per steradian square meter	yttrium aluminum garnet
yttrium iron garnet

orbital	Planck's constant	principal quantum number	quantum	quantum leap	quantum mechanics	Schroedinger wave function
Uncertainty Principle	work function (of a metal)

angular frequency	angular velocity	angular velocity of precession	center of gravity	center of mass	centripetal acceleration	clockwise
counter clockwise	cycle	cycles per second	line of rotation	radian	revolution	revolutions per minute
revolutions per second	right-hand rule	rotate	tangential	torque	uniform circular motion

absorption spectrum	binding energy	continuous spectrum	emission spectrum	ground state	permitted orbits	radial velocity
transition (between energy levels)	wavelength of maximum intensity

component	direction	geometric method	negative of a vector	quantity	resolve(d)	resultant
right-hand rule	scalar	vector->	the A ~	tail to head (adding ~s)	the ~ A

absolute zero	celsius	conduction	convection	degree celsius	degree fahrenheit	degree kelvin
enthalpy	entropy	fahrenheit	flow	heat	isobaric	isothermal
kelvin	thermodynamics	vibrate, vibration

amplitude	amplitude modulation	amplitude modulation or frequency modulation	angstrom	antinode	audio frequency	baud
cathode ray oscilloscope	cause	cause and effect	causality	compression	constructive interference	crest
cycle	cycles per second	cyclical	destructive interference	Doppler effect	Doppler shift	frequency
frequency at resonance	billion electron volts	British thermal units	incidence->	plane of ~	Hertz	incident
incident ray	increment	in phase	interference	longitudinal compression	longitudinal rarefaction	longitudinal wave
medium	nodal points	node	out of phase	peak	peak to peak	period
periodic	phase->	~ angle	~ shift	in ~	out of ~	pitch
principle of superposition	radian	rarefaction	resonance	sawtooth wave	sinusoidal wave	slit
spherical wave	square wave	superposition principle	surface acoustic wave	sympathetic vibration	tetrahertz	total harmonic distortion
transverse electromagnetic (wave)	transverse magnetic (wave)	transverse wave	travelling wave tube	triangular (wave)	trough	tuning fork
vibrate, vibration	wave	wave characteristic	wave compression	wave condensation	wave displacement function	waveform
wavelength	wave rarefaction