Physics for Senior High Schools - Year 2 Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards based on the Year 2 Physics curriculum, covering mechanics, thermal physics, electrostatics, atomic physics, electromagnetism, waves, and digital electronics.

Dimensional Analysis

The study of the relationship between physical quantities by consideration of their dimensions, used to identify units and check if an equation is dimensionally consistent.

Vectors

A class of physical quantities that have both magnitude and direction, such as momentum, velocity, and acceleration.

Archimedes’ Principle

States that when a body is wholly or partially immersed in a fluid, it experiences an upward force (upthrust) which is equal to the weight of fluid displaced.

Principle of Flotation

States that a floating body displaces its own weight in the fluid in which it floats.

Elastic Deformation

A type of deformation in which the body regains its shape and size after the applied force is removed.

Plastic Deformation

A type of deformation in which the body does not regain its shape and size after the applied force is removed.

Hooke’s Law

Provided the elastic limit is not exceeded, the extension in an elastic material is proportional to the load or applied force ($F = ke$).

Young’s Modulus

The ratio of the stress (force per unit area) on a material to the strain (extension per unit length) on that material.

Density

The mass per unit volume of a substance, expressed in the S.I. unit $kg\,m^{-3}$.

Upthrust (Buoyant Force)

The upward force exerted by a fluid that opposes the weight of an immersed body; mathematically given by $u = \rho Vg$.

Heat Capacity

The quantity of heat that must be supplied or removed from a body to change its temperature by $1\,^{\circ}C$ or by $1\,K$ without a change in state.

Specific Heat Capacity

The quantity of heat that must be supplied or removed from a body to change the temperature of $1\,kg$ of a substance by $1\,^{\circ}C$ or by $1\,K$ without a change in state.

Latent Heat

The heat energy absorbed or lost when there is a change of phase or state of a substance without any change in temperature.

Specific Latent Heat of Fusion

The quantity of heat required to change $1\,kg$ of a substance from the solid state to the liquid state (or vice versa) without a change in temperature.

Specific Latent Heat of Vaporisation

The quantity of heat required to change $1\,kg$ of the liquid state of a substance to the gaseous state (or vice versa) without a change in temperature.

Sublimation

The process of a solid changing directly into a gas without passing through the liquid state, requiring the addition of heat energy.

Coulomb’s Law of Electrostatics

States that the magnitude of the electrostatic force between two point charges is directly proportional to the product of the magnitudes of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

Capacitor

An electronic device essential for storing electrical energy in a circuit.

Capacitance

The ratio of the charge ($Q$) to the potential ($V$) to which it is raised ($C = \frac{Q}{V}$).

Electric Field

The region or area around a charged body where the electric force of the charged body can be experienced.

Electric Field Strength

The force per unit positive charge at a point in an electric field ($E = \frac{F}{q}$).

Potential Difference

The work done in moving a unit charge from one point to another in an electric field.

Dielectric

An insulating material placed between the plates of a capacitor to increase its capacitance.

Photoelectric Effect

The emission of electrons from the surface of a metal when exposed to radiation which meets or exceeds the threshold frequency for that metal.

Threshold Frequency ($f_{0}$)

The minimum frequency of electromagnetic radiation required to eject electrons from the surface of a given metal.

Work Function ($W_{0}$)

The minimum amount of energy needed to just liberate an electron from a metal surface ($W_{0} = hf_{0}$).

Wave-Particle Duality

The concept that quantum objects, such as light and electrons, can exhibit both wave-like and particle-like properties.

Photon

A discrete packet or quantum of energy carried by electromagnetic radiation.

Radioactivity

The spontaneous disintegration or decay of an unstable nucleus with the emission of radiation and release of energy to form a more stable nucleus.

Half-life ($T_{1/2}$)

The time interval during which half of a given number of radioactive nuclei in a sample decay.

Decay Constant ($\lambda$)

The time rate of disintegration per unit nucleus of a radioactive element at an instant.

Projectile

Any object that is launched or thrown into the air and moves solely under the influence of gravity.

Centripetal Force

The force required to maintain a body in motion along a curved path or circle, directed toward the centre.

Banking

The act of constructing roads with a raised outer edge to help vehicles negotiate curves at higher speeds with reduced reliance on friction.

Friction

The force that opposes the relative motion or the tendency of such motion of two surfaces in contact.

Angular Displacement ($\theta$)

The angle through which a radius vector sweeps as a body moves along a circular arc ($s = \theta r$).

Angular Velocity ($\omega$)

The rate of change of angular displacement with time ($\omega = \frac{\theta}{t}$).

Centrifuge

A device used to separate mixtures based on density by spinning them at high speeds, using centrifugal force.

Fleming’s Left-Hand Rule

States that if the forefinger (field), thumb (motion), and second finger (current) of the left hand are held at right angles, they indicate respective directions in electromagnetism.

Solenoid

A long coil of wire with many turns that produces a strong and uniform magnetic field inside when carrying an electric current.

Magnetic Flux Density ($B$)

The strength of a magnetic field, measured in teslas ($T$).

Torque ($\tau$)

A rotational force experienced by a current-carrying coil in a magnetic field ($\tau = nIBA\sin(\theta)$).

Galvanometer

An instrument used for detecting and measuring small electric currents via the deflection of a coil in a magnetic field.

Electromagnetic Relay

An electromagnetic switch that uses a small control current to operate a larger current circuit.

Wave

A disturbance that transfers energy from one point to another through a medium (or vacuum) without the transfer of matter.

Transverse Wave

A wave in which the particles of the medium vibrate perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation.

Longitudinal Wave

A wave in which the particles of the medium vibrate parallel to the direction of wave propagation, such as sound waves.

Diffraction

The spreading out of waves when they pass through small openings or bend around the edges of obstacles.

Refraction

The change in speed and direction (bending) of a wave when it moves from one medium to another of a different density.

Interference

The phenomenon where two or more waves meet, overlap, and combine to form a new resultant wave pattern.

Polarisation

A process by which wave oscillations are restricted to a single plane, applicable to transverse waves like light.

Resonance

The phenomenon where a system vibrates with maximum amplitude when subjected to an external force matching its natural frequency.

Analogue Signal

A continuous signal that varies smoothly over time, representing information through variations in amplitude or frequency.

Digital Signal

A discrete signal that switches between two levels, typically represented as binary digits $0$ (low) and $1$ (high).

Logic Gate

An electronic circuit that performs logical operations (like AND, OR, NOT) on one or more binary inputs to produce a single output.

Truth Table

A tabular representation of all possible input combinations and their corresponding outputs for a specific logic gate or circuit.

7-Segment Display

An electronic component consisting of seven LEDs arranged to display numbers from $0$ to $9$ and some alphabetic characters.

Microcontroller

A compact integrated circuit designed to manage specific operations in embedded systems, integrating a processor, memory, and I/O peripherals.

Pull-Up Resistor

A resistor that connects an input pin to a high voltage ($+5\,V$) to ensure the logic state is high ($1$) when the pin is not active.

Integrated Circuit (IC)

A small semiconductor chip containing interconnected electronic components like transistors and resistors designed to perform specific functions.