Physics 2 - General Overview

Absolute Pressure

The total pressure including atmospheric pressure.

Ampere

The unit of electric current, equal to one coulomb per second.

Archimedes’ Principle

The magnitude of the buoyant force on an object always equals the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.

Area Expansion

The change in area of an object due to temperature change.

Atmospheric Pressure

The pressure exerted by the atmosphere, approximately 101.3 kPa.

Battery

A source of electromotive force that supplies a constant potential difference.

British Thermal Unit

The quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 pound of water by 1°F.

Buoyant Force

The upward force exerted by a fluid on a submerged object.

Calorie

The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water from 14.5°C to 15.5°C.

Calorimetry

The measurement of heat.

Capacitance

The amount of charge that must be stored in the conductors to produce a certain potential difference.

Capacitor

A passive two-terminal electrical component that stores potential energy in an electric field.

Charge Conservation

Electric charge is always conserved in an isolated system.

Charge Invariance

The numerical value of a charge is independent of the frame of reference.

Charge Quantization

Electric charge can have only discrete values.

Charging by Conduction

Charging that involves contact between objects.

Charging by Friction

Charging where objects are rubbed together and charges transfer.

Charging by Induction

Charging process that does not involve contact.

Charles Augustin de Coulomb

The scientist after whom the unit of charge is named.

Circuit

A closed loop through which electric current can flow.

Conduction

Transfer of heat energy by molecular and electron collision within a substance.

Conductor

Material that permits electric charge to move easily.

Conservation of Energy

The total energy in an isolated system remains constant.

Convection

Transfer of heat energy in a gas or liquid by means of currents in the heated fluid.

Conventional Current

The direction of current flow assumed to be the direction of positive charge movement.

Coulomb

The unit of electrical charge.

Coulomb’s Law

The magnitude of the electric force between two point charges is directly proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

Current Density

The electric current flowing per unit cross-sectional area of a material.

Density

Mass per unit volume.

Dielectric

A non-conducting material between the conducting plates of a capacitor.

Dielectric Constant

A factor that increases the capacitance when a dielectric is inserted.

Drift Velocity

The average velocity of free charges in a conductor under an electric field.

Electric Charge

A property of matter that causes it to produce and experience electrical and magnetic effects.

Electric Current

The rate of flow of electric charge.

Electric Dipole

Two equal charges of opposite signs separated by a small distance.

Electric Field

The region where an electric force is experienced by a charge.

Electric Field Lines

Imaginary lines representing the direction and strength of the electric field.

Electric Force

The force between two charged particles as described by Coulomb’s Law.

Electric Potential

The electric potential energy per unit charge.

Electric Potential Difference

The change in electric potential energy per unit charge between two points.

Electric Potential Energy

The energy due to the position of a charge in an electric field.

Electromotive Force

The energy provided per unit charge by a source like a battery.

Electron

A negatively charged subatomic particle with charge -1.602 × 10^-19 C.

Electrostatics

The study of electric charges at rest.

Equipotential Surface

A surface where the electric potential is constant.

Farad

The unit of capacitance.

First Law of Thermodynamics

The change in internal energy of a system is equal to the heat added minus the work done.

Fluid

Any substance that can flow, either a liquid or a gas.

Fluid Dynamics

The study of fluids in motion.

Fluid Mechanics

The branch of science dealing with the behavior of fluids.

Fluid Pressure

The pressure exerted by a fluid, given by ρgh.

Fluid Statics

The study of fluids at rest.

Gauge Pressure

The pressure above atmospheric pressure.

Gravitational Force

The attractive force between masses.

Heat

Energy transferred due to temperature difference.

Hydraulic Pressure

Pressure in a fluid system used in devices like hydraulic jacks.

Induction

Charging process without contact.

Insulator

Material that does not easily permit electric charge to flow.

Internal Resistance

The resistance within a source of emf like a battery.

Joule

The unit of energy.

Kinetic Energy

Energy due to motion, (1/2)mv².

Linear Expansion

The change in length of an object due to temperature change.

Neutron

A neutral subatomic particle.

Ohm

The unit of electrical resistance.

Ohm’s Law

The current in a circuit is directly proportional to voltage and inversely proportional to resistance.

Parallel Plate Capacitor

A capacitor consisting of two parallel conducting plates separated by a dielectric.

Pascal

The unit of pressure, N/m².

Pascal’s Principle

Pressure applied to an enclosed fluid is transmitted uniformly throughout.

Polarization

The separation of charges in insulators at the atomic level.

Potential Energy

Energy due to position.

Power

The rate at which energy is used or work is done.

Pressure

Force per unit area.

Proton

A positively charged subatomic particle with charge +1.602 × 10^-19 C.

Radiation

Transfer of energy through electromagnetic waves.

Relative Density

The ratio of a material's density to the density of water.

Resistance

The opposition to the flow of electric current.

Resistivity

A material property that quantifies how strongly it resists electric current.

Semiconductor

Material with intermediate conductivity between conductor and insulator.

Specific Heat

The heat required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1°C.

Superposition Principle

The net force on a charge is the vector sum of forces from other charges.

Temperature

The degree of hotness or coldness.

Thermal Expansion

The change in size of an object due to temperature change.

Thermal Physics

The branch of physics dealing with temperature, heat, and their relation to matter.

Thermometric Properties

Properties of materials that change with temperature.

Vector Form of Coulomb’s Law

The force between charges including direction.

Volt

The unit of electric potential difference.

Volume Expansion

The change in volume due to temperature change.

Work

Force times displacement in the direction of the force.

Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics

If two systems are in thermal equilibrium with a third, they are in equilibrium with each other.