Definitions to learn for O level physics

Measurements
Scalar quantities are quantities in which the magnitude is stated, but the direction is either not
applicable or not specified.
Vector quantities are quantities in which both the magnitude and the direction must be stated.

Kinematics
Distance travelled by an object is the length of path taken.
Displacement is the shortest distance from the initial to the final position of an object.
Speed is the distance moved per unit time.
Velocity (v) of an object is the rate of change of displacement with respect to time.
Acceleration of an object is the rate of change of velocity with respect to time.

Forces and Turning effect of Force

Newtons First Law states that a body continues to stay in its state of rest or uniform motion in a
straight line as long as there is no net force acting on the body.
Newtons Second Law states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net
force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass.
Newtons Third Law states that for every force object A acts on object B, object B will exert an
equal and opposite force on object A giving rise to reaction force.
The moment of a force or torque, r is defined as the turning effect of the force about a pivot and
is the product of the force (F) and the perpendicular distance (d) from the line of action of the
force to the pivot.

Mass, Weight and Density

The mass (m) of a body of matter is quantitative measure of its inertia, i.e., its resistance to a
change in the state of rest or motion of the body, when a force is applied.
Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to any change in its state of motion, including
changes to its speed and direction or the state of rest.
Density () is defined as the mass (m) of a substance per unit volume.
The gravitational field strength (g) at any point in a gravitational field is the gravitational force
per unit mass exerted on any body placed at that point.
The weight (W) of a body is the gravitational force exerted on it by Earth.
Terminal velocity is the highest velocity attainable by an object in free fall.

Pressure
Pressure (p) is defined as the perpendicular force (F) acting on unit area of a surface or the force
per unit area (A).
Boyles Law states that the volume of a fixed mass of gas at constant temperature is inversely
proportional to the pressure applied to the gas.

Work, Energy and Power

The Principle of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created nor destroyed in
any process and the total amount of energy of a closed system remains constant.
Kinetic Energy, Ek is the energy a body possessed by virtue of its motion.
Gravitational Potential Energy is defined as the amount of work done in order to raise the body to
the height h from a reference level.
Power is defined as the rate of work done or energy converted with respect to time.

Thermal Physics
Heat Capacity of a body is defined as the amount of heat (Q) required to raise its temperature
(T) by one degree, without going through a change of state.
Specific heat capacity, c, of a body is defined as the amount of heat (Q) required to raise the
temperature (T) of a unit mass of it by one degree, without going through a change in state.
Specific latent heat of fusion, lf, of a substance is defined as the amount of heat required to
change a unit mass of the substance from solid to liquid state, without any change in the
temperature.
Specific latent heat of vapourization, lv, of a substance is defined as the amount of heat required
to change unit mass of the substance from liquid state to gas state without a temperature change.
Conduction is the transfer of thermal energy from one place to another without any flow of the
material medium.
Convection is the transfer of thermal energy from one place to another by means of bulk fluid
movement in the material medium.
Radiation is the transfer of thermal energy from one place to another by means of electromagnetic
radiation, without the need of an intervening material medium.

Waves, Reflection and Refraction of light, Converging lens

Amplitude is the maximum displacement from the rest or central position, in either directions.
Frequency (f) is defined as the number of complete waves produced per unit time.
Wavelength () is the distance between corresponding points of two consecutive waves.
Speed of the wave propagation is defined as the distance travelled by a wave per unit time.
Period (T) is defined as the time taken to produce one complete wave.
First law of reflection states that the incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal to the
surface all lie in the same plane.
Second law of reflection states that the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.
Refraction of light is the change in direction (bending of light rays) when it passes from one
optically transparent medium to another.
First law of refraction states that the incident ray, the refracted ray and the normal to the
interface all lie in the same plane.
Second law of refraction states that for two given media, the ratio sinisinr=constant, where i is
the angle of incidence and r is the angle of refraction.

Electricity and D.C. Circuits

Electric current (I) is the rate of flow of charges.(Q)
Electromotive Force (e.m.f.) of a source is the energy converted from non-electrical to electrical
form when one coulomb of positive charge passes through the source.
Potential difference between two points is defined as the energy converted from electrical to
other forms when a coulomb of positive charge passes between the two points.

Electromagnetic force and Electromagnetic Induction:

Faradays Law of Electromagnetic induction is the process in which an electromotive force (emf)
is induced in a closed circuit due to changes in the magnetic field around the circuit.
Lenzs law states that the direction of the induced e.m.f. and hence the induced current in a closed
circuit is always such as to oppose the change in magnetic flux producing it.

Radioactivity and the nuclear atom

Isotopes are different atoms of an element which have the same number of protons, but a
different number of neutrons from each other.
The half-life of a sample of a radioactive isotope is defined as the time taken for half the original
unstable radioactive nuclei to decay.