Vijay Shankar Sharma
Textbook physics terms. Not a BFUT reinterpretation. 371 terms. Textbook meanings only.
19 terms. Page 1 of 1.
mechanics · intermediate
A dimensionless ratio comparing an object's speed to the local speed of sound in the surrounding medium, used especially in aerodynamics. A Mach number less than one indicates subsonic speed, exactly one indicates the speed of sound, and greater than one indicates supersonic speed. Because the speed of sound depends on air temperature and density, the same physical speed corresponds to different Mach numbers at different altitudes.
em · intro
A region of space around a magnet, current-carrying wire, or moving charge in which another moving charge or magnetic material would experience a force. Magnetic field lines run from a magnet's north pole to its south pole outside the magnet, and the strength and direction of the field determine how strongly it influences nearby charges and materials. Magnetic fields are inseparably linked to electric fields and moving charges through the theory of electromagnetism.
em · intermediate
A measure of the total magnetic field passing through a given area, calculated as the product of the magnetic field strength and the area, adjusted for the angle at which field lines cross that area. Magnetic flux is central to Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction, since it is the rate of change of magnetic flux through a loop that determines the voltage induced in it. It is measured in webers.
particle · intermediate
A hypothetical particle that would carry an isolated north or south magnetic pole, unlike all magnets observed so far, which always have both a north and south pole together. Several theories beyond the Standard Model predict that magnetic monopoles should exist, but despite extensive searches, none have ever been detected. Their absence, or extreme rarity, remains an open question connecting particle physics and cosmology.
em · intro
A physical phenomenon produced by the motion of electric charge, resulting in attractive or repulsive forces between certain materials and objects. At the atomic level, magnetism arises from the motion and intrinsic spin of electrons, which act like tiny current loops. Depending on how these atomic magnetic moments interact, materials can display ferromagnetism, paramagnetism, or diamagnetism, producing widely varying magnetic behavior.
optics · intro
The ratio of the size of an image produced by an optical system, such as a lens or mirror, to the actual size of the object being viewed, indicating how much larger or smaller the image appears. A magnification greater than one produces an enlarged image, while a value less than one produces a reduced image, and a negative value indicates an inverted image. Magnification depends on the focal length of the optical elements and the distances involved.
mechanics · intro
A fundamental physical property representing the amount of matter in an object, which determines both its resistance to acceleration under a force, known as inertial mass, and the strength of the gravitational force it exerts and experiences, known as gravitational mass. These two concepts of mass have been measured to be equivalent to extraordinary precision, a fact that underlies Einstein's general theory of relativity. Mass is measured in kilograms and, unlike weight, does not depend on the local strength of gravity.
nuclear · intermediate
The difference between the total mass of an atomic nucleus's individual protons and neutrons when separate and the actual, slightly smaller mass of the assembled nucleus. This missing mass has been converted into the nuclear binding energy that holds the nucleus together, according to Einstein's mass-energy equivalence. The mass defect explains why nuclear reactions, which rearrange nucleons into more or less tightly bound configurations, can release or require enormous amounts of energy.
nuclear · intro
The total number of protons and neutrons, collectively called nucleons, in an atomic nucleus, denoted by the symbol A. It is used together with the atomic number to identify specific isotopes, written for example as carbon-12 or uranium-235, where the number indicates the mass number. Unlike atomic mass, which accounts for the precise measured mass including binding energy effects, mass number is simply a whole-number count of nucleons.
relativity · intro
The principle, expressed in Einstein's famous equation relating energy, mass, and the speed of light, stating that mass and energy are interchangeable forms of the same underlying physical quantity. A small amount of mass corresponds to an enormous amount of energy, because the conversion factor involves the speed of light squared. This principle explains the vast energy released in nuclear reactions and confirms that even a stationary object has a rest energy associated with its mass.
em · intermediate
A set of four equations, unified by James Clerk Maxwell in the 1860s, that together describe all classical electric and magnetic phenomena and predict the existence of electromagnetic waves traveling at the speed of light. They describe how electric charges create electric fields, how magnetic fields have no isolated poles, how changing magnetic fields create electric fields, and how electric currents and changing electric fields create magnetic fields. These equations underpin nearly all classical electrical engineering and optics.
mechanics · intro
The factor by which a simple machine, such as a lever, pulley, or inclined plane, multiplies an input force to produce a larger output force, allowing a smaller effort to move or lift a heavier load. Mechanical advantage comes at the cost of moving the input force over a proportionally greater distance, since energy input must still equal energy output in an ideal, frictionless machine. Real machines have somewhat lower mechanical advantage due to friction losses.
particle · intermediate
A type of hadron composed of one quark and one antiquark bound together by the strong force, making mesons generally less massive and shorter-lived than baryons, which contain three quarks. Pions and kaons are common examples of mesons. Unlike baryons, mesons are bosons, since combining a quark and an antiquark results in an integer total spin.
relativity · intro
A famous experiment performed in 1887 by Albert Michelson and Edward Morley, designed to detect the motion of Earth through a hypothesized medium for light called the luminiferous ether by measuring tiny differences in the speed of light traveling in different directions. The experiment consistently found no such difference, a null result that helped pave the way for Einstein's special theory of relativity, which does away with the need for an ether entirely.
em · intro
A form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths between roughly one millimeter and one meter, longer than infrared but shorter than radio waves. Microwaves are used in radar systems, satellite and mobile phone communication, and microwave ovens, which heat food by causing water molecules to rotate rapidly in response to the oscillating microwave field. The faint cosmic microwave background radiation, a relic of the early universe, also falls within this range.
astro · intro
The barred spiral galaxy that contains our solar system, home to an estimated one hundred to four hundred billion stars along with vast amounts of gas, dust, and dark matter. From Earth, the Milky Way appears as a faint band of light stretching across the night sky, formed by the combined glow of countless distant stars in the galaxy's disk. It is part of the Local Group of galaxies, which includes the Andromeda galaxy.
mechanics · intermediate
A measure of an object's resistance to changes in its rotational motion, analogous to mass in linear motion, depending on both the object's mass and how that mass is distributed relative to the axis of rotation. Mass located farther from the rotation axis contributes more to the moment of inertia than mass located closer to it, which is why a figure skater spins faster when pulling their arms inward. It appears directly in the equation relating torque, moment of inertia, and angular acceleration.
mechanics · intro
The product of an object's mass and its velocity, a vector quantity that describes the quantity of motion an object possesses. In the absence of external forces, the total momentum of a system remains constant, a principle known as conservation of momentum, which is fundamental to analyzing collisions and explosions. Momentum is distinct from kinetic energy, since it depends linearly on velocity rather than on velocity squared.
particle · intermediate
A subatomic particle similar to the electron but roughly 207 times more massive, classified as a lepton and carrying the same electric charge as the electron. Muons are unstable, decaying into an electron and two neutrinos after an average lifetime of about 2.2 microseconds, though time dilation allows muons created by cosmic rays high in the atmosphere to reach Earth's surface before decaying. They are studied extensively in particle physics experiments.