Science Glossary

What is alternating current?

A circuit where the direction of the current switches back and forth.

What does Ampere's law relate?

It relates the electric current passing through a closed loop to the strength of the magnetic field pointing along that loop.

What is amplitude in the context of waves?

The maximum amount a wave oscillates, also known as the intensity of the wave.

What are atoms?

The building blocks of matter, containing a nucleus with protons and neutrons, surrounded by electrons.

What does a battery do?

Maintains a constant voltage that allows current to keep flowing.

Define a capacitor.

Two oppositely charged conductors some small distance apart, used in a circuit to temporarily store charge.

What is a cathode ray tube?

A device that accelerates electrons and magnetically deflects them onto different parts of a screen to create an image.

What is the role of a conductor?

A material that allows electric charge to flow freely through it; opposite of an insulator.

What does Coulomb's law describe?

The electric force between objects with electric charge.

What is a dielectric?

Material inserted in a capacitor to allow it to store more charge by reducing the electric field within.

What occurs during dielectric breakdown?

It occurs when the voltage becomes too high for the dielectric to resist current flow, causing a big burst of current.

What is a diode?

An element of an electric circuit that allows current to flow in one direction only.

What is direct current?

A circuit where current flows in one direction.

What is electric charge?

A fundamental quantity of particles that determines how much the particle experiences electric and magnetic forces.

What is an electric circuit?

A closed loop that allows the continuous flow of current.

How is electric current measured?

In amps, which is coulombs per second.

What defines an electric dipole?

A configuration of charge with positive and negative charge separated by a short distance.

What is an electric field?

A vector field created by a charged particle, indicating how other charges interact with it.

What is electric field flux?

The amount of electric field passing through a certain area.

What describes electric force?

It is known as Coulomb's law.

What is electric polarization?

The separation of positive and negative charges within a neutral object, allowing it to feel electric forces.

Define electric potential.

The amount of energy per charge that a particle experiences traveling between two points, also known as voltage.

What is electric potential energy?

The energy associated with an object's position in an electric field, which can be converted into kinetic energy.

What is the electromagnetic force?

The fundamental force that gives rise to both electric and magnetic forces.

What is an electromagnetic wave?

A wave of alternating electric and magnetic fields.

What is an electron?

A particle within an atom that carries a negative charge and is a primary element of electricity.

What are elements?

Different types of atoms on the Periodic Table, each with a different number of protons.

What does Faraday's law state?

A changing magnetic field can generate a voltage in a wire without any other power source.

What is a ferromagnetic material?

A material that can retain its own large-scale magnetic field.

What are fundamental forces?

Forces of nature between fundamental particles that cannot be broken down further.

What is a gamma ray?

A type of electromagnetic wave, mainly from nuclear reactions.

What does Gauss's law relate?

It relates the electric field flux through a closed surface around a charged object to the amount of charge enclosed.

What function does a generator serve?

Turns the energy of motion into electricity.

What is a gravitational field?

A vector field pointing toward massive objects, indicating how other masses should accelerate toward it.

Define gravitational force.

A fundamental force that attracts mass to other mass.

What is gravitational potential energy?

The energy associated with an object's position in a gravitational field.

What is an inductor?

A solenoid connected to a circuit to resist sudden changes in current.

What is inertia?

Resistance to changes in motion; directly related to mass.

What are infrared waves?

Electromagnetic waves mainly felt as heat from moderately warm objects.

What does an insulator do?

Does not allow electric charge to flow easily through it.

What is the inverse square law?

An equation that describes a quantity that decreases with the square of the distance.

What is an ion?

An atom with an electric charge due to having unequal numbers of protons and electrons.

Define kinetic energy.

The energy an object has due to its motion.

What is length contraction?

The appearance that something moving at high speeds is shorter in length than when it is stationary.

What does Lenz's law state?

The induced current in a loop of wire by a changing magnetic field will create its own magnetic field to oppose that change.

What is a longitudinal wave?

A type of wave where the direction of oscillation is parallel to the wave motion.

What is a magnetic dipole?

A combination of a north and south pole that cannot be separated.

What is a magnetic field?

A vector field created by moving charges that affects other moving charges.

Define magnetic field flux.

The amount of magnetic field passing through a certain area.

What is a magnetic force?

A force that deflects moving charges without changing their speed.

What is a magnetic monopole?

A hypothetical particle that has a single magnetic pole; no monopoles have yet been found.

What is mass?

A fundamental quantity that determines an object's resistance to forces and gravitational effects.

What are Maxwell's equations?

A set of four equations describing the behavior of electromagnetic fields.

What are microwaves used for?

In microwave ovens and wireless communication.

What does a motor do?

Takes electrical energy and causes something to move.

What is a neutron?

A particle within the nucleus of an atom that is electrically neutral.

What are Newton's laws of motion?

Three laws defining the relationship between a body and the forces acting on it.

What is a nucleus?

The center of an atom containing protons and neutrons.

What does Ohm's law describe?

Current is proportional to voltage and inversely proportional to resistance.

What defines a parallel circuit?

When multiple objects are connected in such a way that the current is split between them.

What is paramagnetic material?

A material that can become magnetized in the presence of a magnetic field but doesn't retain that magnetism.

What is a particle?

A fundamental constituent of matter.

Define power in physics.

The rate of energy change, measured in Watts.

What is a proton?

A positively charged particle within the nucleus of an atom.

What are radio waves?

Electromagnetic waves mainly used in wireless communication.

What is electrical resistance?

A quantity describing how much a material resists the flow of current.

What is a scalar?

A quantity with no direction.

What is a scalar field?

A quantity that has a scalar value at every point in space.

What is a series circuit?

When multiple objects are connected in a way that they share the same current.

What is a solenoid?

A cylinder made of wire looping around itself multiple times.

What defines a superconductor?

A material with zero resistance, typically at extremely low temperatures.

What is time dilation?

The effect where an object moving at high speeds appears to experience less time than a stationary observer.

What is a transverse wave?

A wave where the direction of oscillation is perpendicular to the direction of wave motion.

What is ultraviolet radiation?

Electromagnetic waves commonly associated with suntans or sunburns.

What is a vector?

A quantity with both magnitude and direction.

What is a vector field?

A quantity that has a vector value at every point in space.

What is voltage?

The amount of energy per charge experienced traveling between two points.

What is wave frequency?

The number of times a wave oscillates per second.

What is wave polarization?

The direction that an electromagnetic wave oscillates compared to the direction it travels.

What is wavelength?

The distance between two crests of a wave.

What are X-rays?

Electromagnetic waves associated with high-energy chemical processes and medical imaging.