Vijay Shankar Sharma
Textbook physics terms. Not a BFUT reinterpretation. 371 terms. Textbook meanings only.
8 terms. Page 1 of 1.
particle · intermediate
A type of meson, a hadron made of one quark and one antiquark, containing a strange quark or antiquark paired with an up or down quark or antiquark. Kaons played a historically important role in particle physics, including the discovery of the phenomenon known as CP violation, a small asymmetry between matter and antimatter behavior. They are unstable and decay quickly into lighter particles.
thermo · intro
An absolute temperature scale used throughout science, in which zero kelvin corresponds to absolute zero, the theoretical lowest possible temperature, and each degree, called a kelvin, is the same size as a degree Celsius. Unlike Celsius or Fahrenheit, the Kelvin scale has no negative values under normal physical conditions, which makes it especially convenient for equations in thermodynamics and gas laws where temperature must be expressed relative to absolute zero.
mechanics · intro
Three laws describing planetary motion, formulated by Johannes Kepler in the early seventeenth century from careful astronomical observations. The first law states that planets orbit the Sun in ellipses with the Sun at one focus; the second states that a planet sweeps out equal areas in equal times, moving faster when closer to the Sun; and the third relates a planet's orbital period to its average distance from the Sun. Newton later showed these laws follow from his law of gravitation.
mechanics · intro
The branch of mechanics that describes the motion of objects, including their position, velocity, and acceleration, without considering the forces that cause that motion. Kinematic equations relate displacement, initial and final velocity, acceleration, and time for objects moving with constant acceleration, such as objects in free fall. Kinematics is contrasted with dynamics, which incorporates the forces responsible for the observed motion.
mechanics · intro
The energy an object possesses because of its motion, calculated for an everyday object as one half its mass multiplied by the square of its velocity. Kinetic energy increases rapidly with speed, since it depends on velocity squared, which is why a small increase in speed significantly raises the energy involved in a collision. It converts to and from other energy forms, such as potential energy, as an object speeds up or slows down.
thermo · intermediate
A model that explains the macroscopic properties of gases, such as pressure and temperature, in terms of the microscopic motion of their constituent particles, treating gas molecules as small particles in constant, random motion that collide elastically with each other and their container's walls. Kinetic theory successfully derives the ideal gas law and explains temperature as a measure of the average kinetic energy of gas particles.
em · intermediate
Two fundamental rules used to analyze electrical circuits, developed by Gustav Kirchhoff. The current law states that the total current flowing into a junction in a circuit must equal the total current flowing out, reflecting conservation of charge. The voltage law states that the sum of voltage changes around any closed loop in a circuit must equal zero, reflecting conservation of energy. Together they allow calculation of current and voltage throughout complex circuits.
particle · intermediate
An empirical mathematical relationship, discovered by physicist Yoshio Koide in 1981, that relates the measured masses of the three charged leptons, the electron, muon, and tau, through a specific formula that yields a value extremely close to two-thirds when applied to their experimentally measured masses. The formula's striking numerical accuracy has never been derived from first principles within the Standard Model of particle physics, and whether it reflects a deeper underlying physical principle or is simply a numerical coincidence remains an open question.