PHYSICS UPCAT

(Physics)

The study of matter, energy, and the fundamental forces that govern the universe.

(Scientific Method)

A systematic approach to researching phenomena involving observation, hypothesis formulation, experimentation, and analysis.

(Hypothesis)

A testable, tentative explanation for a scientific observation or phenomenon.

(Scientific Theory)

A thoroughly tested and widely accepted explanation for a set of natural observations or experiences.

(Scientific Law)

A concise statement or description that reliably predicts how nature will behave under specific conditions.

(Measurement Error)

The difference between the actual value of a physical quantity and the value obtained through measurement.

(Precision)

A measure of how close multiple independent measurements of the same quantity are to each other.

(Accuracy)

A description of how close a measurement is to the true or correct value.

(Scalar Quantity)

A physical quantity that is completely described by its magnitude or size alone, without any direction.

(Vector Quantity)

A physical quantity that requires both a magnitude and a specific direction to be fully described.

(Magnitude)

The size, amount, or extent of a physical quantity regardless of its direction.

(Resultant Vector)

A single vector that represents the combined cumulative effect of two or more individual vectors acting together.

(Vector Resolution)

The process of breaking a single vector down into independent components, usually along horizontal and vertical axes.

(Component Vectors)

The perpendicular parts into which a vector can be separated, typically representing its effects along specific coordinate axes.

(Kinematics)

The branch of mechanics concerned with describing the motion of objects without considering the forces causing that motion.

(Distance)

The total length of the actual path traveled by an object, regardless of the direction of movement.

(Displacement)

The straight-line distance and direction from an object's initial starting position to its final position.

(Speed)

The rate at which an object covers distance over time, acting as a scalar quantity.

(Velocity)

The rate at which an object changes its position in a specific direction, acting as a vector quantity.

(Acceleration)

The rate at which an object's velocity changes over time, whether in magnitude, direction, or both.

(Free Fall)

The state of motion of an object falling solely under the gravitational influence of a planet, with air resistance ignored.

(Projectile Motion)

The predictable curved path followed by an object thrown or launched into the air, influenced only by gravity and inertia.

(Frame of Reference)

A coordinate system or viewpoint used to observe, measure, and describe the position and motion of objects.

(Relative Velocity)

The velocity of an object as observed and measured from a specific moving or stationary frame of reference.

(Inertial Frame of Reference)

A reference frame that is either at rest or moving at a constant velocity, where Newton's laws of motion hold true without modification.

(Non

(Relative Motion)

The continuous change in position of an object relative to another object or observer serving as a baseline viewpoint.

(Apparent Velocity)

The perceived speed and direction of an object from the perspective of an observer who is also in motion.

(Galilean Relativity)

The concept that the fundamental laws of motion are identical in all inertial reference frames, and velocities can be added linearly.

(Force)

A push or a pull exerted on an object resulting from its interaction with another object.

(Net Force)

The overall, single vector force that remains when all the individual forces acting on an object are combined.

(Inertia)

The natural tendency of an object to resist any change in its current state of rest or uniform motion.

(Newton's First Law of Motion)

The principle stating that an object will remain at rest or keep moving at a constant velocity unless acted upon by a net external force.

(Newton's Second Law of Motion)

The principle stating that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass.

(Newton's Third Law of Motion)

The principle stating that for every action force exerted, there is an equal and opposite reaction force generated.

(Mass)

A fundamental measure of the amount of matter in an object and its resistance to being accelerated by a force.

(Weight)

The downward gravitational force exerted on an object's mass by a massive body like Earth.

(Friction)

A resistive contact force that opposes the relative motion or tendency of motion between two surfaces in contact.

(Static Friction)

The frictional force that prevents two surfaces from sliding past each other when a force is applied but no motion occurs yet.

(Kinetic Friction)

The constant resistive force that acts between sliding surfaces once relative motion between them has begun.

(Normal Force)

The perpendicular support force exerted by a solid surface against an object resting on or pressing into it.

(Coefficient of Friction)

A dimensionless value that describes the relative roughness and interaction strength between two contacting materials.

(Air Resistance)

The fluid friction or drag force that opposes the motion of an object as it moves through the atmosphere.

(Terminal Velocity)

The constant maximum speed achievable by a falling object when the upward air resistance perfectly balances the downward force of gravity.

(Work)

The transfer of energy that occurs when a force acts on an object and causes it to move a distance in the direction of that force.

(Energy)

The fundamental capacity or ability of a physical system to perform work.

(Kinetic Energy)

The energy possessed by an object due to its motion.

(Potential Energy)

The stored energy an object possesses because of its position, shape, or configuration relative to a force field.

(Gravitational Potential Energy)

The stored energy an object has due to its elevated position in a gravitational field.

(Mechanical Energy)

The total sum of the kinetic energy and potential energy present within a physical system.

(Law of Conservation of Energy)

The principle stating that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.

(Power)

The rate at which work is done or the rate at which energy is transferred or transformed over time.

Linear Momentum)

A vector quantity representing the product of an object's mass and its velocity, indicating its quantity of motion.

(Impulse)

The product of a force and the time interval over which it acts, which causes a direct change in an object's momentum.

(Impulse

Momentum Theorem)

(Law of Conservation of Momentum)

The principle stating that the total momentum of a closed, isolated system remains constant if no external net forces act on it.

(Elastic Collision)

A collision in which both total kinetic energy and total momentum are perfectly conserved after the impact.

(Inelastic Collision)

A collision in which total momentum is conserved, but some kinetic energy is lost to other forms like heat or deformation.

(Perfectly Inelastic Collision)

A collision where colliding objects stick together completely after impact, moving forward as a single combined mass.

(Isolated System)

A collection of objects that do not interact with or exchange matter or energy with any external environment.

(Fluid)

Any substance, such as a liquid or a gas, that can flow freely and alters its shape to conform to its container.

(Density)

A measure of how much mass is contained within a given unit of volume for a specific substance.

(Pressure)

The amount of perpendicular force exerted per unit of surface area on an object.

(Atmospheric Pressure)

The pressure exerted by the weight of the Earth's atmosphere pushing down on a surface.

(Buoyant Force)

The upward supporting force exerted by a fluid on any object immersed or floating in it.

(Archimedes' Principle)

The rule stating that the upward buoyant force on an object equals the weight of the fluid that the object displaces.

(Pascal's Principle)

The principle stating that a change in pressure applied to an enclosed fluid is transmitted undiminished to every portion of the fluid.

(Bernoulli's Principle)

The concept stating that as the speed of a moving fluid increases, the internal pressure within that fluid decreases.

(Wave)

A traveling disturbance that transfers energy from one location to another through space or a medium without transferring matter.

(Mechanical Wave)

A wave that strictly requires a physical material or medium to travel through, such as sound waves or water waves.

(Transverse Wave)

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

(Longitudinal Wave)

A wave in which the particles of the medium vibrate parallel to the direction of the wave's motion.

(Wavelength)

The physical distance between two successive identical points on a wave, such as from crest to crest.

(Frequency)

The number of complete wave cycles or oscillations that pass a given point per second.

(Reflection)

The bouncing back of a wave when it hits a boundary surface that it cannot pass through.

(Refraction)

The bending of a wave's path caused by a change in its speed as it passes from one medium into another.

(Diffraction)

The bending, spreading, or scattering of waves as they pass through an opening or travel around the edge of an obstacle.

(Electric Charge)

A fundamental property of matter that causes it to experience a force when placed in an electromagnetic field.

(Electric Field)

A region of space around a charged object where another charged object will experience an electric force.

(Electric Current)

The continuous, directed flow of electric charge through a conducting material.

(Voltage)

The electrical potential difference between two points, driving the movement of electric charges.

(Electrical Resistance)

The inherent opposition that a material offers to the free flow of an electric current passing through it.

(Magnetic Field)

A region of space surrounding a magnet or a moving electric charge where magnetic forces can be detected.

(Electromagnetic Induction)

The generation of an electromotive force or current across a conductor caused by a changing magnetic field.

(Conductor)

A material that allows electric charges or thermal energy to flow through it easily and with minimal resistance.

(Insulator)

A material that strongly resists the flow of electric charges or thermal energy.

(Temperature)

A measure of the average kinetic energy of the individual particles within a substance.

(Heat)

The spontaneous transfer of thermal energy from an object at a higher temperature to an object at a lower temperature.

(Thermal Equilibrium)

The state in which two or more objects in thermal contact reach equal temperatures and cease exchanging net heat.

(Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics)

The principle stating that if two systems are each in thermal equilibrium with a third system, they are in equilibrium with each other.

(First Law of Thermodynamics)

A statement of energy conservation for thermal systems, where the change in internal energy equals heat added minus work done.

(Second Law of Thermodynamics)

The principle stating that natural processes tend to increase the total entropy or disorder of the universe.

(Entropy)

A measure of the degree of disorder, randomness, or unavailable energy within a closed thermodynamic system.

(Absolute Zero)

The lowest possible theoretical temperature where all molecular motion stops entirely.

(Nucleus)

The incredibly dense, positively charged central core of an atom containing protons and neutrons.