Physics glossary

ELECTRICITY

Word Definition
alternating current Also called a.c. - it is an electric current which regularly changes direction
and size.
ammeter A device used to measure electric current.
ampere The unit of electric current, symbol A.
capacitor Device that can store energy in the electric field between a pair of
conductors. It stores charge.
circuit The path taken by an electric current, often comprising a cell, an electrical
device and connecting wires.
circuit breaker A device that automatically opens an electric circuit when the current
becomes too high.
coulomb The unit of electric charge, symbol C. One coulomb is the amount of charge
transferred by a current of 1 ampere in 1 second.
current Moving electric charges, for example, electrons moving through a metal
wire.
diode An electrical device which allows current to flow in one direction only.
direct current Also called d.c. - it is electric current that flows in one direction only.
dynamo A type of electrical generator.
electric charge The electrical state of an object, which can be positively charged or
negatively charged.
electrical energy Energy transferred by electricity.
electromagnet A magnet made by wrapping a coil of wire around an iron bar and passing
an electric current through the coil.
electrostatic Electric charges that accumulate on an insulator.
charges
fuse An electrical component that protects circuits and electrical devices from
overload by melting when the current becomes too high.
generator An electromagnetic device that produces electricity when it is turned.
induction The production of electricity in an object by the influence of magnetic fields .

insulators Materials that are poor conductors of electricity or heat.

ions Electrically charged particles formed when an atom or molecule gains or
loses electrons.

joule The unit of energy or work, symbol J.

kilowatt-hours The units used to charge for electricity. One kilowatt-hour, 1 kWh, is the
amount of electrical energy transferred when one kilowatt is drawn for one
hour
light-dependent Also known as the LDR, the light-dependent resistor is an electrical device
resistors whose resistance decreases when light shines on it.

Light emitting This a semiconductor diode that emits incoherent narrow-spectrum light
diode when electrically biased in the forward direction of the p-n junction

NOT gate (inverter) The NOT gate or inverter is a digital logic gate that implements logical
negation

potential The voltage between two points that makes an electric current flow between
difference them.

power The rate at which energy is transferred or work is done, measured in W.

Power = work done divided by time taken.

resistance The opposition in an electrical component to the flow of electricity through it.
Resistance is measured in ohms, symbol O.

thermistor An electrical device whose resistance decreases as its temperature

increases.

transformer A device used to increase or decrease the voltage of an electricity supply.

Units Electricity is charged in Units: 1 Unit is 1 kilowatt-hour, 1kWh.

voltage The potential difference of a cell, electrical supply or electric component. It is

measured in volts, V.

voltmeter A device used to measure potential difference or voltage.

volts The unit of potential difference, symbol V.

watts The unit of power: 1 watt is 1 joule per second.

FORCES AND MOTION

Word Definition
acceleration The rate of change of velocity, measured in metres per second squared.
Acceleration = change of velocity divided by time taken.
air A force of friction produced when an object moves through the air.
resistance
braking The distance travelled by a car while the brakes are applied.
distance
frictional Forces that resist one object moving through or over another, such as air
forces resistance on a car.
kilogram The unit of mass, symbol kg.
mass The amount of matter an object contains. Mass is measured in kg.
newton The unit of force, symbol N.
speed The rate of travel of an object. It is measured in m/s, and speed = distance
travelled divided by time taken.
terminal The maximum speed of an object, reached when the forces moving the object are
velocity balanced by its frictional forces.
thinking The distance travelled by a car between the driver realising that they need to stop
distance and putting the brakes on.
velocity The speed of an object in a particular direction.

WAVES
Word Definition
amplitude The maximum height of a wave, measured from the mid-point of its vibration.
analogue A signal that carries information as changes in amplitude and/or frequency.
critical angle The smallest angle of incidence at which total internal reflection occurs.
diffraction The spreading out of waves when they pass through a gap or around an
obstacle.
digital A signal that carries information as a series of on and off pulses.
electromagnetic Energy travelling as waves in the form of changing electrical and magnetic
radiation fields.
electromagnetic The different types of electromagnetic radiation, arranged in order of
spectrum frequency or wavelength.
frequency The number of waves per second. The unit of frequency is the hertz, Hz.
hertz The unit of frequency, symbol Hz. 1 Hz is 1 wave or cycle per second.
infra red radiation Electromagnetic radiation emitted from a hot object.
longitudinal Waves in which the vibrations happen in the same direction as the direction
waves of travel. Sound waves are longitudinal waves.
microwaves Electromagnetic radiation with a frequency between that of visible light and
radio waves.
noise Random, unwanted additions to a signal.
prism A block of glass or other transparent material that disperses light to form a
spectrum.
radio waves Low frequency electromagnetic radiation used to transmit information such
as television and radio programs.
reflection When waves bounce off a surface.
refraction When waves change direction as they move from one transparent substance
to another.
spectrum A series of similar waves, arranged in order of wavelength or frequency.
total internal When light is entirely reflected inside a transparent material.
reflection
transverse waves Waves in which the vibrations happen at right angles to the direction of
travel. Light travels as transverse waves.
ultrasound High frequency sound, above 20 kHz, that is too high-pitched to hear.
ultraviolet Electromagnetic radiation with a frequency between that of visible light and
radiation X-rays.
vacuum A volume that contains no matter - space is almost a vacuum.
wave speed The speed at which a wave travels, measured in m/s.
wavelength The length of a single wave, measured from one wave crest to the next.
X-rays High frequency electromagnetic radiation used for medical imaging

ENERGY

Word Definition
acid rain Rain that contains dissolved acidic gases such as nitrogen oxides and
sulphur dioxide.
boiler A device to heat water. In a power station, water is heated in a boiler to
produce steam at high pressure.
conduction The transfer of heat energy through a material without the material itself
moving.
convection The transfer of heat energy through a moving liquid or gas.
efficiency The fraction of the energy supplied to a device which transferred in a useful
form.
energy resource Sources or stores of energy, such as hydroelectric power and coal.
energy transfer When energy is passed from one object to another or from place to place.
force A push or a pull. The unit of force is the newton, N.
fossil fuels Fuels made from the remains of ancient plants and animals, such as coal, oil
and natural gas.
geothermal Heat energy released deep underground as a result of radioactive
energy processes.
global warming The gradual increase in the average temperature of the Earth.
gravitational The energy stored by an object lifted up against the force of gravity.
potential energy
greenhouse effect The absorption of heat energy by gases in the atmosphere, especially
carbon dioxide and methane.
heat energy Energy that is transferred because of a difference in temperature between
two objects.
hydroelectric Electricity generated from moving water stored behind a dam.
power
kinetic energy Energy that moving objects have.
light energy Visible electromagnetic radiation.
non-renewable Something in a limited supply that cannot be replaced once it is all used up.
nuclear fuels Radioactive materials used in nuclear reactors, usually uranium or plutonium.
reliable A reliable source of electricity is constantly available over long periods of
time.
renewable Energy resources that can be replaced after being used up.
solar cells Electronic devices that convert light energy directly into electrical energy.
solar energy Energy from the Sun, including heat and light energy.
turbines Revolving machinery with many blades turned by wind, water or steam.
Turbines in a power station turn the generators.
weight The force on an object caused by the pull of the Earth's gravity.
wind farms Groups of wind turbines.
wind turbines Electricity generators turned by the wind.
work Energy transferred by a force. Work done = force x distance moved in the
direction of the force.

SPACE
Word Definition
Big Bang The explosion that, according to scientific theory, began the Universe.
black hole The dense remains of a massive star, with such a strong gravitational field
that light cannot escape from it.
comet Icy objects orbiting the Sun that produce long glowing tails when they
approach the Sun.
communications A spacecraft in orbit around the Earth that transmits telephone and TV
satellite signals.
elliptical A shape like a squashed circle.
fusion The joining of two atomic nuclei to make a large nucleus, with the release of
radiation.
galaxy A cluster of billions of stars, held together by gravity.
geostationary On orbit over the equator that takes 24 hours to complete so that the satellite
orbit stays in the same part of sky relative to the ground.
gravity The force of attraction between all objects. The more mass an object has, the
larger the force of gravity it exerts.
milky way Our galaxy.
neutron star A type of very dense star formed after a supernova.
orbit The path taken by one object around another, such as a planet around a star
or a satellite around a planet.
planets Large objects in orbit around a star, but excluding comets and asteroids.
polar orbits Orbits that take satellites over a planet's poles.
red giant A large relatively cool star.
red-shift The change in wavelength of light from a distant star moving away from us.
satellite An object in orbit around a planet, such as the Moon or a spacecraft.
star A large object that produces its own heat and light using nuclear fusion
reactions.
supernova The explosion of a star as it runs out of nuclear fuel.
Universe All the energy and matter that exists.
white dwarf A small, dense, relatively bright star.

RADIATION
Word Definition
alpha radiation Radiation consisting of alpha particles, which are each made from two protons
and two neutrons, and are identical to helium nuclei.
atoms An atom is the smallest part of an element that still has the properties of that
element, comprising electrons surrounding a nucleus of protons and neutrons.
atomic number The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom, also called the proton number.
background Radiation from radioactive sources all around us, some of them natural and
radiation some of them artificial.
beta radiation Radiation consisting of beta particles, which are high-energy electrons emitted
by unstable atomic nuclei.
chain reaction Nuclear reaction where a neutrons splits a nucleus, releasing more neutrons that
go on to split even more nuclei.
decay The disintegration of an unstable nucleus with the emission of radiation.
electron A subatomic particle with a negative charge and a negligible mass relative to
protons and neutrons.
element A substance made of one type of atom only.
fission The splitting of a nucleus to produce radiation and smaller nuclei.
gamma High frequency electromagnetic radiation emitted during radioactive decay.
radiation Many centimetres of lead or metres of concrete are needed to absorb it.
Geiger-Muller A type of radiation detector that produces electrical signals when radiation
detector passes into it.
half-life The average time taken for half the atoms in a sample of a radioactive
substance to decay. It is also the time for the count rate to halve.
ionise To convert an uncharged atom or molecule into a charged particle by adding or
removing electrons.
isotope Atoms of an element with the same number of protons and electrons but
different numbers of neutrons.
mass number The total number of protons and neutrons in an atomic nucleus. Also called
nucleon number.
neutrons Uncharged sub-atomic particles with a mass of 1 relative to a proton.
nuclear model The scientific idea that an atom has electrons surrounding a nucleus that
contains protons and neutrons.
nucleon The number of nucleons (total number of protons and neutrons) in a nucleus.
number
plum pudding The scientific idea that an atom is a sphere of positive charge with negatively-
model charged electrons in it.
proton number The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom. Also called the atomic
number.
protons Sub-atomic particles with a positive charge and a relative mass of 1.
radiation Energy carried by particles from a radioactive substance or spreading out from a
source.
radioactive A substance that emits radiation is said to be radioactive.
tracers A radioactive substance use to study biological processes.
unstable An unstable nucleus may break apart, releasing radiation and forming smaller
nuclei.