DEFINATION LIST (AS)

PHYSICAL QUANTITIES
1) Vector quantites are one which has magnitude and direction.
2) Physical quantities comprises a numerical, magnitude and units.

MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUE
3) Errors are uncertainties in measured quantities.
4) Systematic errors are errors of measurements which occurs according to
some fix pattern and always one sided.
5) Random errors are errors with different magnitude and signs in repeated
measurement.
6) Precision degree of scattering of the measurements about its mean value or
the number

of digits from which a value is expressed.

7) Accuracy the degree of closeness of measurements of a quantity to its actual

(true) value.

..

KINEMATICS
8) Displacement(s) is refers to the linear distance of the position of the
moving object from a given reference point.
9) Average speed(u) refers to the total distance traveled over the total time
taken. Its a Scalar quantity.
10)Average velocity refers to the total displacement over the total time taken.
Its a vector quantity.

Constant-Acceleration Linear Motion

v = v + at
without x
x = vt + at
without v
v = v + 2a x
without t
x = ( v + v) t
without a

DYNAMIC
11) Newtons first law:Every body continues in its state of rest or uniform motion
in a straight line unless a net external force acts on it to change that state.
12)Newtons second law: The rate of change of momentum of a body is directly
proportional to the net force acting on it and takes place in the direction of the
force. Fnet = FExt = ma
13)Newtons third law: When two bodies interact, they exert equal and opposite
forces on one another.
14)Inertia is the reluctance of a body to change its state of rest or motion.
15)The Principle of Conservation of Momentum:The total momentum of a
system is constant, provided no external resultant force acts on it.

Linear Momentum
momentum = p = mv = mass velocity
momentum is conserved in all types of collisions
16)Impulse is define as the change in momentum .

FORCES
17)Centre of gravity of a rigid body is define as the point through which its all
weight is considered to act.
18)Couple is define as the pair of equal and oppositely directed parallel forces ,
whose lines of action do not coincide.
TORQUE=F D( perpendicular distance)

19)Principle of Moments, which states that when an object is in equilibrium, the

sum of the clockwise moments about any point is equal to the sum of the
anticlockwise moments about the same point.

WORK, ENERGY POWER

20)Principle of conservation of Energy can neither be created nor destroyed
in any process. It can be transformed from one form to another, and

transferred from one body to another, but the total amount remains constant.
21) Work is defined as the product of the magnitude of the force and the
component of the displacement in the direction of the force. W =F . S cos
22)Internal energy is the sum of the Kinetic and Potential energies
associated with the random motion of the molecules and atoms within an

EP
objects. E K + )
U=

23)Power is defined as the rate at which work is done or rate of which energy is
transferred. P=FV =
Other formulas:

W
t

1
2
E K = m v , E p=mgh
2

PHASES OF MATTER
24)Density of a substance is defined as its mass per unit volume. =

M
V

25)Pressure is defined as the force acting normally, per unit area. P=

F
=hg
A

DEFORMATION OF SOLID
26)Hookes law states that within the limit of proportionality , the extension
produced in a material is directly proportional to the load applied.
Mathematically

1
1
F=KXENERGY STORED E= K X 2 = FX
2
2

27) Stress to be applied force per unit cross-sectional area. =

28) Strain to be the ratio of extension to original length.
3

X
L

F
A

29) Young Modulus to be the ratio of stress to strain.

E=

FL
AX

30) Ductility: ability to deform under tensile stress; this is often characterized by
the material's ability to be stretched into a wire.
31) Malleability: a similar property, is a material's ability to deform under
compressive stress;
32)Strength of a material is its ability to withstand an applied stress without
breaking. The applied stress may be tensile, compressive, or shear.
33) Stiffness: the resistance of a material to changes it shape.
34) Elasticity: the property of material that allow it to return to its original shape
& size after force deforming it has been removed
35) Hardness: the measure of difficulty of scratching a material. Diamonds are
the hardest known material.

WAVE
36)Transverse waves the displacement of the medium is perpendicular to the
direction of propagation of the wave.
37) Longitudinal waves the displacement of the medium is parallel to the
propagation of the wave.
38) Progressive wave: A wave which transfers energy from one part of a
medium to another.
39)Period: the time required to complete a full cycle, T in seconds/cycle.
40)Frequency: the number of cycles per second, f in 1/seconds or Hertz (Hz).
41)Amplitude: the maximum displacement from equilibrium position.
42)Wavelength: distance between two adjacent points on the wavefront which
are in phase .
43)Polarisation Process by which a waves oscillations are made to occur in one
plane only perpendicular to the direction of propagationof the wave. Only
experienced by transverse waves.
4

44)Phase difference: Phase difference between 2 points (2 particles) along the

wave is the fraction of a cycle by which one moves behind the other.
45)Intensity of a wave (I) is defined as the power per unit area.
I=

P
1
2
, I A , I 2
A
d

Other formulas:

V =f

, T =

1
f

SUPERPOSITION
46)Principle of superposition says that whenever two or more wave meets a
point.the total displacement at any point is equal to the vector sum of their
individual displacement at that point .
47)Diffraction The bending of waves around corners that occurs when a portion
of a wavefront is cut off by a barrier or obstacle.
48)Coherent Sources :Sources are said to be coherent if they have a constant
phase difference which necessarily implies that their frequencies must be the
same.
49)Interference: is the superposing of two or more waves to give a resultant
wave whose amplitude is given by the Principle of superposition.
50)Path difference is defined as the differences in the distance traveled by two
waves meets a point.

51)

Diffraction gratings are realized as fine parallel and equally spaced

grooves or rulings on material surface. d sin=n

aX
Other formulas: D

ELECTRIC FIELD

52)Electric field strength E at point in an electric field is defined as electric

force per unit positive charge acting by the field at that point.

E=

F V
=
Q d

53)Electric field is defined as the region where a charge particle experiences

force due to the field.

CURRENT ELECTRICITY
54)Current (I) is a measure of the rate of flow of electric charge Q through a
given cross section of the conductor. I =

Q
t

55) Potential difference V between two points in a circuit or across a conductor

is defined as the energy converted from electrical energy to other form of
energy when unit charge passes from one point to the other. V =

W
Q

56) Resistance R of a conductor is defined as the ratio of is the potential

difference across the conductor(V) and is the current (I)flowing in it.

R=

V
I

57)Electromotive force(emf) of any source of electrical energy is the amount of

other form of energy converted into electrical energy per unit charge
supplied. E=IR + Ir
Other formulas:

P=I 2 R=IV =

V2
R

D.C CIRCUIT
58)Kirchhoff's First Law The Current Law At any junction (or branch point),
the total current entering the junction is equal to the total current leaving the
junction

I = IOUT

59)

Kirchhoff's Second Law The Voltage Law:In any closed loop of a

circuit, the algebraic sum of the voltage drops across the resistors is equal to
the algebraic sum of the e.m.f.s.

emf = potential drop

NUCLEAR PHYSICS
60)Isotopes are atoms with the same proton number, but different in nucleon
number.
61)Radioactivity is a type of process experience by unstable nuclei become
stable by emitting energetic radiations.