- Physics Notes for UPSC IAS Prelims (Part II)
- Physics - Home
- Physics - Introduction
- Physics - Branches
- Physics - Acoustics
- Physics - Biophysics
- Physics - Econophysics
- Physics - Geophysics
- Physics - Nanotechnology
- Physics - Neurophysics
- Physics - Psychophysics
- Physics - Astrophysics
- Physics - Measurement Units
- Major Instruments & Their Uses
- Inventions and Inventors in Physics
- Physics - Timeline in Physics
- Physics - Unsolved Problems
- Physics - Terminologies in Physics
- Major Theories and Laws in Physics
- Physics - Nobel Prize in Physics
- Physics - Awards Given in Physics
- Scientific Units Named After Inventors
- Physics - Top Institutes
Terminologies in Physics
The following table illustrates the major ‘Terms’ in physics −
| Terms | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Absolute Zero | It means the theoretical lowest possible temperature |
| Acoustics | The branch of physics that studies sound |
| Adhesion | The propensity of dissimilar particles or surfaces to adhere or cling to one another |
| Alpha particles | It consists of two protons and two neutrons bound together into a particle (i.e. identical to a helium nucleus) |
| Amorphous solid | It is non-crystalline solid, which has no definite shape |
| Amplitude | It is height of a wave, which is measured from its center position |
| Angstrom (Å) | It is an unit of linear measurement that measures micro-particles |
| Atomic mass unit | It is one-twelfth the mass of an atom of the isotope 12⁄6C |
| Beta Particles | It is high-energy, high-speed electrons or positrons emitted by the particular types of radioactive nuclei |
| Big Bang | The cosmological model that explains the early development of the Universe |
| Binding energy | The mechanical energy that is required to disassemble a whole into separate parts |
| Black hole | A region of space-time, which gravity is very powerful and prevents anything, including light, from escaping |
| Boson | It is one of two classes of elementary particles; second one is fermions |
| Cathode | An electrode through which electric current flows out of a polarized electrical device |
| Centrifugal force | Center fleeing |
| Centripetal force | Center seeking |
| Condensed matter physics | A branch of physics that studies the physical properties of condensed phases of matter |
| Convection | The process of transfer of heat by the actual transfer of matter |
| Crest | The point on a wave with the maximum value |
| Doppler effect | The change in frequency of a wave for an observer moving relative to its source |
| Ductility | It is the property of solid material that deform under tensile stress |
| Elasticity | It is physical property of materials which return to their original shape once they are deformed. |
| Electromagnet | A typical magnet in which the magnetic field is produced by passing the electric current |
| Entropy | A quantity that describes the randomness of a substance or a system |
| Escape velocity | The speed at which the kinetic energy and the gravitational potential energy of an object is zero. Likewise, the escape velocity is the speed required to "break free" from a gravitational field without further propulsion |
| Free fall | Any motion of a body where its weight is the only force acting upon it |
| Ice point | A transitional phase of a substance from a liquid to a solid. |
| Inertia | It is the tendency of an object to resist any change in its motion |
| Kinematics | Geometry of motion |
| Neutrino | An electrically neutral subatomic particle |
| Photon | It is an elementary particle |
| Quark | It is an elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter |
| Redshift | Shifting towards the red end of the spectrum |
| Screw | It is a mechanism that converts rotational motion to linear motion |
| Siphon | An inverted U tube that causes a liquid to flow uphill without support of any pump. It is basically powered by the fall of the liquid as it flows down the tube under the force of gravity |
| Sublimation | It is a process of transformation in which solid directly changed to gas without passing through an intermediate liquid phase |
| Supernova | A stellar explosion, which is more energetic than a nova |
| Vector | Vector is a quantity, which has both magnitude and direction |
| White dwarf | It is a stellar remnant, which is composed largely of electron-degenerate matter. These are very dense |
| Wind shear | It is the difference between wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere |
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