Form 4 Physics Terms and Definition/Meaning.

Base Quantities
Name
Length Time Mass Electric Current Thermodynamic Temperature Amount of substance Luminous intensity m I T n Lv N J

Symbol

Symbol for dimension

L T M I

SI base unit
Meter (m) Second (s) Kilogram (kg) Ampere (A) Kelvin (K) mole Candela

Important
Terms
Scalars Vectors Precision Accuracy Sensitivity Systematic error Zero error Random error Parallax error Inertia Newtons First Law of Motion

Definition
Quantities described by a magnitude (numerical value) alone. Quantities described by a magnitude and direction. Ability of an instrument in measuring a quantity in a consistent manner with only a small relative deviation between readings. Approximation of the measurement to the actual value for a certain quantity of physics. Ability of an instrument to detect small changes in quantity that is being measured. Errors which tend to shift all measurements in a systematic way so that their mean value is displaced. Systematic errors can be compensated if the errors are know. Arises when the measuring doest not start exactly from zero. Arise from unknown and unpredictable variation in condition. Error in reading an instrument due to the eye of the observer and the pointer are not in a line perpendicular to the plane of the scale. Tendency of an object to remain at rest/keep moving at a constant speed in a straight line. Also known as Law of Inertia. Definition : Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it.

Principle of conservation of momentum

Total momentum before collision = total momentum after collision.

Newtons Second Law of Motion Impulse

The acceleration of a body, a, is directly proportional to the net force acting upon it, F, and inversely proportional to its mass, m.

Change of momentum

Impulsive force

Rate of change of momentum

Weight

Gravitational force acting on the respective object.

Newtons Third Law Work

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Product of the applied force and the distance moved in the direction of force

Energy Kinetic energy

Potential or ability of a system to do work. Energy an object has due to its motion.

Gravitational potential energy Power

Energy an object has due to its position

Rate of work done/ Rate of energy transfer.

Efficientcy Elasticity Hookes Law Elastic limit Pressure

The ratio at which useful output energy is compared to the input energy. Ability of an object to return to its original shape and size after the external force applied onto it has been removed. Extension of a spring is directly proportional to the force acting on it provided the elastic limit of the spring has not been exceeded. Maximum weight that can be loaded on a spring so that it remain elastic. Force which is acts per unit are of contact

Pascals Principle

When pressure is applied to an enclosed fluid, the pressure will be transmitted equally throughout the whole fluid.

Archimedes Principle

When an object is immersed in a fluid, the buoyant force on the object is equal to the weight of fluid displaced by the object

Bernoullis Principle Thermal equilibrium Temperature Heat Specific heat capacity.

When the speed of a fluid increases, the internal pressure in the fluid decreases and vice-versa. The net transfer of heat is zero or the two objects have the same temperature. A measure of the degree of hotness of a body. A form of energy transferred from a hotter body to a colder body. Amount of heat required to change the temperature by 1C for a mass of one kg of the substance.

Specific latent heat

Heat absorbed/released at a constant temperature during the change of phase.