Physics Dictionary

Physics Dictionary

Key Terms

Absolute Temperature Scale

Absolute Zero

Acceleration

Acceleration Constraint

Action/Reaction Pair

Adiabatic Process

Agent

Algebraic Addition of Vectors

Amorphous Solid

Amplitude

Angular Acceleration

Angular Displacement

Angular Momentum

Angular Position

Angular Velocity

Antinode

Apparent Weight

Arc Length

Atomic Mass

Atomic Mass Number

Atomic Model

Average Acceleration

Average Speed

Average Velocity

Axis

Balanced Force

Beats

Bernoulli Effect (Bernoulli's Principle)

Blue Shift

Boiling Point

Boltzmann Constant

Buoyant Force

Calorimetry

Cartesian Coordinates

Center of Mass

Central Maximum

Centripetal Acceleration

Circular Motion

Circular Wave

Coefficient of Friction

Coefficient of Kinetic Friction

Coefficient of Performance (COP)

Coefficient of Rolling Friction

Coefficient of Static Friction

Coefficient of Viscosity

Colinear

Collision

Combination Motion

Concave Mirror

Condensation Point

Conduction

Conductor

Conservative Force

Constraint

Constructive Interference

Contact Force

Continuity

Convection

Conversion Factor

Coordinate

Coordinate System

Couple

Coupled System

Crystal

Damped Oscillation

Decibels

Decomposition

Dependent Variable

Destructive Interference

Diatomic Gas

Diffraction

Diffraction Grating

Displaced Fluid

Displacement

Displacement from Equilibrium

Displacement Vector

Dissipative Forces

Doppler Effect/Shift

Double Slit

Drag

Drag Coefficient

Drag Force

Driven Oscillation

Driving Frequency

Dynamic Equilibrium

Dynamics

Elastic

Elastic Potential Energy

Electromagnetic Wave

Energy Diagram

Energy Transfer

Energy Transformations

Entropy

Environment

Equilibrium

Equilibrium Length

Explosion

External Force

Fictitious Force

Fire

First Law of Thermodynamics

Flat-earth Approximation

Force

Force Pair

Free Fall

Free Fall Acceleration

Free-body Diagram

Freezing Point

Frequency

Friction

Fringe Spending

Gas

Graphical Addition

Gravitational Force

Gravitational Potential Energy

Harmonics

Heat

Heat of Transformation

Heat Pump

Hertz

Hooke's Law

Hydrostatic Pressure

Ideal Gas

Ideal Gas Law

Impulse

Impulse Approximation

Impulse-Momentum Theorem

Impulsive Force

Inclined Plane

Independent Variable

Index of Refraction

Inertia

Inertial Mass, m

Inertial Reference Frame

Instantaneous Velocity

Intensity

Interaction

Interaction Diagram

Interference

Interference Fringes

Internal Force

Irreversible Process

Isobaric Process

Isochoric Process

Isolated System

Joule

Kinematics

Kinetic Energy

Kinetic Friction

Laminar Flow

Launch

Launch Angle

Law of Conservation of Energy

Law of Conservation of Mechanical Energy

Law of Conservation of Momentum

Lever

Limiting Case

Line of Action

Linear Density

Liquid

Long-range Force

Longitudinal Wave

Macrophysics

Magnitude

Mass

Mass Density

Massless String Approximation

Mechanical Advantage

Mechanical Energy

Mechanical Equilibrium

Mechanical Wave

Mechanics

Melting Point

Microphysics

Mode Number

Model

Models of Light

Molar Mass

Mole

Molecular Mass

Moment Arm

Moment of Inertia

Momentum

Momentum Bar Chart

Monatomic Gas

Motion

Motion Diagram

Natural Frequency

Net Force

Neutral Buoyancy

Newton

Newton's First Law

Newton's Second Law

Newton's Third Law

Node

Nonconservative Force

Nonuniform Circular Motion

Normal Force

Number Density

One-dimensional

Orbit

Order-of-Magnitude Estimate

Origin

Oscillation

Parallel-axis Theorem

Particle

Particle Model

Pendulum

Perfectly Inelastic Collision

Period

Phase Diagram

Phase Equilibrium

Phases

Pictorial Representation

Plane Wave

Poiseuille's Equation

Position

Position Vector

Position vs. Time Graph

Power

Pressure Gradient

Projectile

Projectile Motion

Proportional Reasoning

Proportionality

Proportionality Constant

Propulsion

Pulley System

PV Diagram

Quadrants

Radial (Centripetal) Acceleration

Radial Direction

Radians

Radiation

Radius

Red Shift

Reference Frame

Representation of Knowledge

Resistive Force

Resonance

Restoring Force

Resultant Vector

Rigid Body

Rigid-body Model

Rolling Constraint

Rolling Friction

Rotated Axis

Rotational Energy

Rotational Motion

Scalar Quantity

Screw

Second Law of Thermodynamics

Shock Wave

SI Units

Significant Figures

Simple Harmonic Motion

Simple Machine

Sinusoidal

Sliding Friction

Slope

Small-angle Approximation

Solid

Sonic Boom

Specific Heat

Speed

Spring Constant

Spring Force

Stable Equilibrium

Standing Wave

State Variables

Static Equilibrium

Static Friction

Straight Line Motion

Streamline

Sublimation

Superposition of Forces

Supersonic

System

System Energy

Tangential Acceleration

Tangential Direction

Tension Force

Terminal Speed

Thermal Conductivity

Thermal Energy

Thermal Equilibrium

Thermal Expansion

Thermal Interaction

Thrust

Time Interval

Torque

Total Momentum

Trajectory

Traveling Wave

Triple Point

Turning Point

Two-dimensional

Unbalanced Force

Uniform Circular Motion

Uniform Motion

Uniformly Accelerated Motion

Unit Vector ( i , j )

Unstable Equilibrium

Vector Component

Vector Quantity

Velocity

Velocity Vector

Velocity vs. Time Graph

Viscosity

Volume Flow Rate

Watt

Wave Fronts

Wavelength

Wedge

Weight

Wheel and Axle

Work

y-Intercept

Zero Vector