the composite particle consisting of two protons and two neutrons
radionuclides (symbol, 𝛼𝛼 or 42He) (Tipler & Mosca 2003,
tightly bounded together, emitted from the nucleus of some
alpha radiation
Giancoli 2008)
the distance from the rest position of a wave (equilibrium position)
to the crest position, which is half the vertical distance from a
amplitude
trough to a crest (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
the midway point between each pair of nodes where there is
antinode
maximum amplitude of vibration (Tipler & Mosca 2003)
a particle with the same mass and opposite charge and/or spin to
antiparticle a corresponding particle, for example positron and electron (Tipler
& Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
1 by 𝐵𝐵 = (𝑛𝑛𝑞𝑞 − 𝑛𝑛𝑞𝑞), where 𝑛𝑛𝑞𝑞 is the number of
a strictly conserved additive quantum number of a system defined
baryon number quarks and 𝑛𝑛𝑞𝑞 is the
3
number of antiquarks (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
composite subatomic particles made up of three quarks (Tipler &
baryons
a type of radioactive decay in which an energetic electron (−10𝑒𝑒)
Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
and associated antineutrino (00𝜈𝜈̅) are emitted from an atomic
nucleus (symbol 𝛽𝛽−) (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
beta negative radiation
a type of radioactive decay in which an energetic positron (01𝑒𝑒)
and associated neutrino (00𝜈𝜈) are emitted from an atomic
nucleus (symbol 𝛽𝛽+) (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
beta positive radiation
the radiation emitted by a black body from the conversion of
black-body radiation thermal energy; a black body is a perfect absorber or emitter of
radiation (Tipler & Mosca 2003; Giancoli 2008)
path directed towards the centre of motion (symbol, 𝑎𝑎𝑐𝑐; SI unit
the acceleration experienced by any object moving in a circular
centripetal acceleration
is m/s2) (Tipler & Mosca 2003; Giancoli 2008)
the force acting on an object travelling in a circle that constantly
(symbol, 𝐹𝐹𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑘𝑘; SI unit is N) (Tipler & Mosca 2003; Giancoli
either pulls or pushes the object in towards the centre of motion
centripetal force
2008)
the interference of two or more waves of the same, or almost the
constructive interference same, frequency and in phase with each other, superposing to
produce an observable pattern in intensity (Tipler & Mosca 2003)
a law stating that like electric charges repel and opposite electric
charges attract, with a force proportional to the product of the
electric charges and inversely proportional to the square of the
1 𝑄𝑄𝑞𝑞
distance between them, expressed by the formula 𝐹𝐹 =
Coulomb’s law
2
4𝜋𝜋𝜖𝜖0 𝑏𝑏
(Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
the interference of two or more waves of the same, or almost the
same frequency and 180° out of phase with each other,
destructive interference
superposing to produce a resultant wave with reduced amplitude
(Tipler & Mosca 2003)
a phenomenon in which waves either bend behind a barrier or the
diffraction wavefront is broken up into many small sources (Tipler & Mosca
2003, Giancoli 2008)
a collision in which both momentum and kinetic energy are
elastic collision
conserved (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
a physical property of an object that causes it to experience a
electric charge force when placed in an electromagnetic field (Tipler & Mosca
2003, Giancoli 2008)
the rate of movement of electric charge carriers from one part of a
electric current
conductor to another (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
the intensity of an electric field at a particular location (Tipler &
electric field strength
Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
electric fields regions around an electrically charged particle or object within
which a force would be exerted on other electrically charged
particles or objects (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
the change in potential energy per unit charge between two
is volts 𝑉𝑉; sometimes referred to as the voltage (Tipler &
defined points in a circuit; the unit of electrical potential difference
electrical potential difference
Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
the capacity of electric charge carriers to do work due to their
electrical potential energy
position in an electric circuit (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
one of the four fundamental forces; the electromagnetic force is
electromagnetic force
mediated by photons (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
the production of an electromotive force (EMF) or voltage across
electromagnetic induction an electrical conductor due to its dynamic interaction with a
magnetic field (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
radiant energy consisting of synchronised oscillations of electric
electromagnetic radiation and magnetic fields, or electromagnetic waves, propagated at the
speed of light in a vacuum (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
produced by an oscillating electric charge resulting in mutually
electromagnetic waves perpendicular electric and magnetic fields (Tipler & Mosca 2003,
Giancoli 2008)
current, also written as 𝑒𝑒𝑚𝑚𝑓𝑓 (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli
a difference in potential that tends to give rise to an electric
electromotive force
2008)
electron a lepton with a negative electric charge
a unit of energy equal to the work done on an electron in
electron volt accelerating it through an electrical potential difference of 1 volt
(unit, eV) (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
electrostatic repulsion the repulsion experienced by two like charged particles
a particle whose substructure is unknown (Tipler & Mosca 2003,
elementary particle
Giancoli 2008)
the capacity to do mechanical work; the higher the energy content
energy the greater the impact when it is transformed or transferred (Tipler
& Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
graphical representation of particle interactions showing time
Feynman diagram along the horizontal axis and space along the vertical axis. The
axis may be reversed, however not in this syllabus
a position in space where susceptible objects experience (are
affected by) a force or acquire potential energy as they are
‘worked’ into that position; gravitational fields affect the mass of
field an object; electric fields affect electrically charged objects;
magnetic fields affect ferromagnetic objects; electromagnetic
fields affect electric charge carriers in matter (Tipler & Mosca
2003, Giancoli 2008)
one of four forces that act between bodies of matter and that are
mediated by one or more particles; they are, in order from
fundamental forces strongest to weakest: the strong nuclear, the electromagnetic, the
weak nuclear and the gravitational force. (ACARA 2015c, Tipler &
Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
extremely high-frequency electromagnetic radiation
radionuclides (symbol, 𝛾𝛾) (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
gamma radiation (highfrequency photons) emitted from the nucleus of some
carrier or exchange particles that govern particle interaction and
the mediation of the four fundamental forces; there are four
gauge boson
gauge bosons in the Standard Model: the gluon, photon, Z boson
and W boson
the net force per unit mass at a particular point in the gravitational
gravitational field strength
field (ACARA 2015c)
the region of space surrounding a body in which another body
gravitational fields experiences a force of gravitational attraction (Tipler & Mosca
2003, Giancoli 2008)
the energy stored in an object as a result of its position relative to
(abbreviation, 𝐺𝐺𝑃𝑃𝐸𝐸) (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
gravitational potential energy another object to which it is attracted by the force of gravity
any frame of reference with respect to which the acceleration of
inertial frame of reference
the object of observation remains zero (Tipler & Mosca 2003)
the first law states that all planets move about the Sun in elliptical
orbits, having the Sun as one of the foci; the second law states
that a radius vector joining any planet to the Sun sweeps out
Kepler’s laws of planetary motion equal areas in equal lengths of time; the third law states that the
squares of the sidereal periods of the planets are directly
proportional to the cubes of their mean distance from the Sun
(Tipler & Mosca 2003)
the energy resulting from the movement of an object. When
motion of particles in a substance (symbol, 𝐸𝐸𝑘𝑘; SI unit, J)
associated with temperature, kinetic energy is associated with the
kinetic energy
(Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
a model in which matter is made up of particles that are
kinetic particle model of matter
constantly moving (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
the total electric charge of an isolated system remains constant
law of conservation of electric charge regardless of changes within the system (Tipler & Mosca 2003,
Giancoli 2008)
the total energy of a system remains constant; energy can neither
law of conservation of energy be created nor destroyed, rather, it transforms from one form to
another (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
an observer at rest relative to a moving object would observe the
length contraction
moving object to be shorter along the dimension of motion
states that the direction of an induced electric current always
Lenz’s law opposes the change in the circuit or the magnetic field that
a conserved quantum number defined by 𝐿𝐿 = 𝑛𝑛𝑙𝑙 −𝑛𝑛𝑙𝑙̅,
produces it (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
lepton number where 𝑛𝑛𝑙𝑙 is the number of leptons and 𝑛𝑛𝑙𝑙̅ is the number of
antileptons (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
particles that are governed by the weak nuclear force and, since
they have charge, are also influenced by electromagnetism; there
leptons
are six leptons in the Standard Model: electron, electron neutrino,
muon, muon neutrino, tau and tau neutrino
a region of space near a magnet, electric current or moving
electrically charged particle in which a magnetic force acts on any
magnetic field
other magnet, electric current or moving electrically charged
particle (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
a measurement of the total magnetic field that passes through a
passing through the given area (symbol, 𝜙𝜙; SI unit, Wb) (Tipler
given area; a measure of the number of magnetic field lines
magnetic flux
& Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
lines per unit area (symbol, 𝐵𝐵; SI unit, Wb/m2 or T) (Tipler &
the strength of a magnetic field or the number of magnetic field
magnetic flux density
Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
the force of attraction between each pair of point particles that is
directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely
Newton’s law of universal gravitation
proportional to the square of the distance between them (Tipler &
Mosca 2003)
the force acting along an imaginary line drawn perpendicular to
normal force
the surface (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
a quantum of all forms of electromagnetic radiation; a gauge
photon
boson responsible for mediating the electromagnetic force
(symbol, ℎ; SI unit, Js) (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
a fundamental constant used in quantum mechanics
Planck’s constant
the length measured in the frame of reference in which the object
proper length
is at rest (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
the time interval measured in the frame of reference in which the
proper time interval
object is at rest (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
subatomic particles governed by the strong nuclear force that
quarks constitute hadrons; there are six quarks in the Standard Model:
the up, down, charm, strange, top and bottom quark
relativistic length the length measured in the frame of reference in which the object
is in motion (symbol, 𝐿𝐿; SI unit, m) (Tipler & Mosca 2003,
Giancoli 2008)
reference in which the object is in motion (symbol, 𝑝𝑝𝑣𝑣; SI unit,
the momentum of an object when measured in the frame of
relativistic momentum
Ns) (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
object is in motion (symbol, 𝑎𝑎; SI unit, s) (Tipler & Mosca 2003,
the time interval measured in the frame of reference in which the
relativistic time interval
Giancoli 2008)
one of the four fundamental forces; the strong nuclear force acts
over small distances in the nucleus to hold the nucleons together
strong nuclear force against the repulsive electrostatic forces exerted between the
protons; the strong nuclear force is mediated by gluons (Tipler &
Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
one of the four fundamental forces; the weak nuclear force is
weak nuclear force responsible for radioactive decay and is mediated by W and Z
bosons (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
(symbol, 𝑊𝑊; SI unit, J) (Tipler & Mosca 2003, Giancoli 2008)
the minimum energy required to remove an electron from a solid
work function