IEB Definitions – Physics
Term Definition
Vector A physical quantity that has both magnitude and direction.
Scalar quantity A physical quantity that has magnitude only.
The single vector which has the same effect as the original vectors acting
Resultant vector
together.
Distance The length of path travelled (scalar quantity).
Displacement A change in position (vector quantity).
Speed The rate of change of distance (scalar quantity).
The rate of change of position / The rate of change of displacement / The rate of
Velocity
displacement (vector quantity).
Acceleration The rate of change of velocity (vector quantity).
Weight The gravitational force the Earth exerts on any object on or near its surface.
Normal force The perpendicular force exerted by a surface on an object in contact with it.
Frictional force The force that opposes the motion of an object.
Description: A region in space where a mass will experience a force.
Gravitational field
Def: A force acting per unit mass.
An object continues in a state of rest or uniform (moving with constant) velocity
Newton’s 1st law
unless it is acted upon by a net or resultant force.
When a net force, Fnet, is applied to an object of mass, m, it accelerates in the
Newton’s 2nd law direction of the net force. The acceleration is directly proportional to the net
force and inversely proportional to the mass.
When object A exerts a force on object B, object B simultaneously exerts an
Newton’s 3rd law
oppositely directed force of equal magnitude on object A.
Every particle with mass in the universe attracts every other particle with a force
Newton’s law of
which is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely
universal gravitation
proportional to the square of the distance between their centres.
Gravitational potential The energy an object possesses due to its position relative to a reference
energy point.
Kinetic energy The energy an object has as a result of the object’s motion.
Mechanical energy The sum of gravitational potential and kinetic energy at a point.
The law of
The total energy in a system cannot be created nor destroyed, only transformed
conservation of
from one form to another.
energy
Principle of
In the absence of air resistance or any external forces, the mechanical energy of
conservation of
an object is constant.
mechanical energy
Power The rate at which work is done OR the rate at which energy is transferred.
Efficiency The ratio of output power to input power.
Two point charges exert forces on each other. The force is directly proportional
Coulomb’s law to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the
distance between the charges.
Electric field at a point The force per unit positive charge
Potential difference The work done per unit positive charge.
Current The rate of flow of charge.
The current through a conductor is directly proportional to the potential
Ohm’s law
difference across the conductor at constant temperature.
Emf The total energy supplied per coulomb of charge by the cell.
Magnetic flux linkage The product of the number of turns on the coil and the flux through the coil.
Faraday’s law of
The emf induced is directly proportional to the rate of change of magnetic flux
electromagnetic
(flux linkage).
induction
The induced current flows in a direction so as to set up a magnetic field to
Lenz’s law
oppose the change in magnetic flux.
The property of an object that causes it to resist a change in its state of rest or
Inertia
uniform/constant motion.
Work done on an The product of the displacement and the component of the force parallel
object by a force to the displacement (scalar quantity).
Linear momentum The product of the mass and velocity of the object (vector quantity).
Newton’s 2nd law in
The net force acting on an object is equal to the rate of change of momentum.
terms of momentum
Law of conservation
The total linear momentum of an isolated system remains constant.
of linear momentum
Elastic collision A collision in which both momentum and kinetic energy are conserved.
Inelastic collision A collision in which only momentum is conserved.
Impulse (J) The product of the net force and the contact time.
Work – energy The work done by a net force on an object is equal to the change in the kinetic
theorem energy of the object.
Diode A component that only allows current to flow in one direction.
Photoelectric effect The process that occurs when light shines on a metal and electrons are ejected.
Threshold frequency The minimum frequency of incident radiation at which electrons will be emitted
(cut-off frequency) from a particular metal.
The minimum amount of energy needed to emit an electron from the surface of
Work function
a metal (material specific).