Science Glossary

"Describe alternating current."

"A circuit where the direction of the current switches back and forth, as opposed to direct current."

"Define Ampere’s law."

"An equation relating the electric current passing through a closed loop to the strength of the magnetic field pointing along that loop."

"Explain amplitude in the context of waves."

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

"What is an atom?"

"The building block of matter; it contains a nucleus with protons and neutrons, which is surrounded by electrons."

"How does a battery function?"

"A device that maintains a constant voltage that allows current to keep flowing."

"Describe the purpose of 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 then magnetically deflects them onto different parts of a screen to create an image."

"Define a conductor."

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

"Explain Coulomb’s law."

"An equation describing 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 it."

"Describe dielectric breakdown."

"Occurs when the voltage becomes too high for the dielectric to resist current flow within the capacitor, resulting in a temporary big burst of current."

"What is the function of a diode?"

"An element of an electric circuit that only allows current to flow through it in one direction, often used to convert alternating current to direct current."

"Define direct current."

"A circuit where current flows in one direction, as opposed to alternating current."

"Explain 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, typically with wire, that allows the continuous flow of current."

"Describe electric current."

"The amount of charge flow, measured in amps (coulombs per second)."

"Define electric dipole."

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

"Explain the concept of an electric field."

"A vector field created by a charged particle that tells other charges how to interact with it and points in the direction in which a charge will be accelerated."

"What is electric field flux?"

"The amount of electric field passing through some area."

"Define electric force."

"The force experienced by charged particles due to their electric charges."

"Describe a pure substance in terms of its atomic composition."

"A pure substance is comprised of only one type of atom, each with a different number of protons in its nucleus."

"Explain Faraday’s law in the context of magnetic fields."

"Faraday’s law states that a changing magnetic field can generate a voltage in a wire without any other power source."

"Define ferromagnetic materials and their significance."

"Ferromagnetic materials are those that can retain their own large-scale magnetic field, and permanent magnets are made of such materials."

"How many fundamental forces are known in our universe?"

"There are four known fundamental forces in our universe."

"What is a gamma ray and its origin?"

"A gamma ray is a type of electromagnetic wave, mainly produced from nuclear reactions."

"Explain Gauss’s law and its application."

"Gauss’s law relates the electric field flux through a closed surface around a charged object to the amount of charge enclosed by that surface."

"Describe the function of a generator."

"A generator is a device that converts the energy of motion into electricity."

"What is a gravitational field and its direction?"

"A gravitational field is a vector field that points toward massive objects, indicating the direction in which other massive objects will accelerate due to gravitational force."

"Define gravitational force and its role in nature."

"Gravitational force is a fundamental force that attracts mass to other mass."

"Explain gravitational potential energy and its conversion."

"Gravitational potential energy is the energy associated with an object's position in a gravitational field, which can be converted into kinetic energy."

"What is the purpose of an inductor in a circuit?"

"An inductor is a solenoid connected to a circuit that resists sudden changes in current."

"Define inertia and its relationship with mass."

"Inertia is the resistance to changes in motion, and it directly correlates to the mass of an object."

"Describe infrared waves and their common perception."

"Infrared waves are a type of electromagnetic wave that is mainly felt as heat from moderately warm objects."

"What characterizes an insulator in terms of electric charge?"

"An insulator is a type of material that does not allow electric charge to flow easily through it, making it the opposite of a conductor."

"Explain the inverse square law and its implications."

"The inverse square law describes a quantity that decreases with the square of the distance from a source."

"Define an ion and its charge characteristics."

"An ion is an atom that has an electric charge due to having unequal numbers of protons and electrons."

"What is kinetic energy and how is it related to motion?"

"Kinetic energy is the energy an object possesses due to its motion."

"Describe length contraction in the context of relativity."

"Length contraction refers to the phenomenon where an object moving at very fast speeds appears shorter in length than it would when stationary."

"Explain Lenz’s law and its effect on induced current."

"Lenz’s law states that the current induced in a loop of wire by a changing magnetic field will create its own magnetic field to oppose the change."

"What distinguishes a longitudinal wave from a transverse wave?"

"A longitudinal wave is characterized by oscillation in the same direction as the wave motion, unlike a transverse wave."

"Define a magnetic dipole and its components."

"A magnetic dipole consists of a north and south pole together."

"Define nucleus in the context of an atom."

"The nucleus is the center of an atom, containing protons and neutrons."

"Explain Ohm’s law."

"Ohm’s law is an equation that shows current is proportional to voltage and inversely proportional to resistance."

"Describe a parallel circuit."

"A parallel circuit is when multiple objects are connected with wires in such a way that the current is split between them, as opposed to a series circuit."

"What is a paramagnetic material?"

"A paramagnetic material can become magnetized in the presence of a surrounding magnetic field but will not hold onto that magnetism permanently."

"Define a particle in the context of matter."

"A particle is a fundamental constituent of matter of which everything else is made."

"How is power defined in physics?"

"Power is the rate of energy change, measured in Watts."

"What is a proton?"

"A proton is a particle within the nucleus of an atom that carries a positive charge."

"Describe a radio wave."

"A radio wave is a type of electromagnetic wave mainly used in wireless communication."

"Explain resistance in electrical terms."

"Resistance is a quantity describing how much a material resists the flow of current."

"Define a scalar quantity."

"A scalar is a quantity with no direction, as opposed to a vector."

"What is a scalar field?"

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

"Describe a series circuit."

"A series circuit is when multiple objects are connected with wires in such a way that they share the same current, as opposed to a parallel circuit."

"What is a solenoid?"

"A solenoid is a cylinder made of a wire looping around on top of itself multiple times."

"Define a superconductor."

"A superconductor is a material with zero resistance, which is only possible at extremely low temperatures."

"Explain time dilation in the context of relativity."

"Time dilation refers to the fact that due to the effects of relativity, something moving past you at very fast speeds will appear to experience less time than you do."

"Describe a transverse wave."

"A transverse wave is a type of wave where the direction of oscillation is perpendicular to the direction of wave motion, as opposed to a longitudinal wave."

"What is ultraviolet radiation?"

"Ultraviolet is a type of electromagnetic wave, commonly associated with getting a suntan or sunburn."

"Define a vector quantity."

"A vector is a quantity with both magnitude and direction, as opposed to a scalar."

"Explain a vector field."

"A vector field is a quantity with a vector value at every point in space."

"What is voltage?"

"Voltage is the amount of energy per charge that a particle will experience traveling between two points, also known as electric potential."

"Describe wave frequency."

"Wave frequency is the number of times a wave oscillates per second."

"What is wave polarization?"

"Wave polarization is the direction that an electromagnetic wave oscillates, compared to the direction it travels."

"Define wavelength."

"Wavelength is the distance between the two crests of a wave."

"What is an X-ray?"

"An X-ray is a type of electromagnetic radiation used primarily for medical imaging."