Base quantities: a set of quantities that can be combined to form all the

other quantities. They cannot be simplified.

Derived units: units obtained by combining base units.
Distance: length of path along which an object has travelled.
Displacement: shortest distance between initial and final position.
Speed: distance travelled per unit time.
Velocity: speed in a specific direction.
Acceleration: rate of change of velocity.
Newtons first law: if no external resultant force acts upon a body, it will
remain stationary or continue to travel in a straight line with constant
velocity.
Newtons second law: rate of change of momentum is directly
proportional to the resultant force acting on the body in the direction of
that force.
Newtons third law: to every action there is an equal opposite reaction.
Inertia: inability of object to change its position or direction by itself.
Mass: property of object due to which it resists change in motion
Weight: gravitys force acting on an object.
Momentum: it is the product of mass and velocity. (quantity of motion of
an object)
Impulse: change of momentum.
Newton: the force that cause an object of mass 1 kg to accelerate at 1
m/s^2.
Law of conservation of momentum: if no resultant external forces act
upon a system of interacting bodies, then the total momentum is
constant in magnitude and direction.
Gravitational force: forces between two masses.
Electrical force: force between two charges.
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Frictional force: force that opposes the motion.

Viscous drag: internal friction between layers of the fluid.
Upthrust: an upward force exerted by the fluid on the object that is
immersed in it.
Moment/torque: the product of force applied and its perpendicular
distance from the point of rotation.
Centre of gravity: a point on an object in which the entire weight of the
object is considered to act.
Couple: a pair of forces that are equal in magnitude, opposite in
direction, and having different line of action.
Work done: product of force applied and distance moved along the
direction of force.
Joule: 1 N force moves an object through a distance of 1 m along the
direction of forces.
Energy: ability to do work.
Kinetic energy: energy due to the motion of an object.
Potential energy: energy stored in an object.
Internal energy: sum of PE and KE of all particles of a substance.
Power: rate at which work is done/ rate of transfer of energy.
Efficiency: the ratio of output power to input power.
Density: mass per unit volume.
Pressure: normal force acting per unit area.
Brownian motion: the erratic random movement of tiny suspended
particles in a fluid.
Crystalline solids: material that has atoms arranged in a regular
pattern. Its unit cell is repeated throughout the material and has a longrange order.
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Amorphous solids: material that has no regular pattern (short-range

order).
Polymers: materials that have long-chain molecules. Its shorter units are
called monomers.
Elastic deformation: when a material is returned to its original shape
and size on removal of deforming forces. No bonds are broken.
Hookes law: it is obeyed when the extension of the material is
proportional to the resultant deform force.
Plastic deformation: when a material will not return to its original shape
and size on removal of deforming forces. Bonds between atoms are
broken and reform between different atoms.
Strain energy: it is the work done in stretching a sample and is given by
the area under the force-extension graph.
Stress: the ratio of the force applied to a sample to the original crosssectional area of the sample.
Strain: ratio of the extension to the original length of the sample.
Youngs modulus: it is the ratio of stress to strain.
Progressive wave: a wave that transmits energy without transferring
any of the medium that they travel through.
Transverse wave: particles of the medium vibrate perpendicular to the
direction of energy transfer.
Longitudinal wave: particles of the medium vibrate parallel to the
direction of energy transfer.
Displacement: distance travelled by a particle from mean position.
Amplitude: the maximum displacement of particles in wave medium
from equilibrium.
Wavelength: distance travelled by 1 complete wave along the direction
of wave motion.
Period: time for one complete wave to pass a point.
Frequency: number of waves passing a point each second.
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Intensity: power per unit area of the wave, proportional to amplitude

squared.
Phase: a measure of the fraction of a complete wave cycle completed
from a chosen start point.
Path difference: a measure of the fraction of a complete wavelength
completed from a chosen start point.
Superposition: when two or more waves of the same type, travelling in
the same medium meet at a point, then the resultant displacement at
that point is equal to vector sum of individual displacements of the waves
at that point.
Constructive interference: when waves completely add together.
Destructive interference: when the waves completely cancel each
other out.
Diffraction: the bending of a wave.
Diffraction grating: piece of transparent material containing number of
parallel, equally sized and spaced slits.
Stationary waves: theyre produced when two progressive waves
travelling in opposite directions of the same frequency, speed,
wavelength, and similar amplitude.
Node: zero amplitude point.
Antinode: maximum amplitude point.
Electric field: space around a charge in which other charged particles
can experience an electric force.
Electric field strength: it is defined as force per unit positive charge.
Uniform field: when the field strength is the same at every point. Its
created between charged parallel plates.
Current: rate of flow of charged particles.
Coulomb: the amount of charge passes a point when a current of 1A
flows for 1 s.

Potential difference: the energy transferred when 1 c of charge move

between two points. (electrical energy to other forms)
Electromotive force: the energy transferred by a source in driving unit
charge round a complete circuit. (chemical energy to electrical)
Volt: 1 J of energy is transferred per coulomb.
Resistance: the ratio of P.D to the current between 2 points.
Resistivity: resistance of a conductor of length 1 m and cross sectional
area of 1 m^2.
Ohms law: at a constant temperature, P.D across a conductor is directly
proportional to current through the conductor.
Internal resistance: the resistance within a source of E.M.F.
Kirchhoffs first law: the sum of current flowing towards a junction
equals the sum of current flowing away from the junction.
Kirchhoffs second law: in a closed path of a circuit, sum of the E.M.F in
the path equal the sum of the P.D in the path.
Potentiometers: a device used to compare E.M.Fs of two cells. It is more
accurate than a voltmeter.
Isotopes: element having same atomic number but different mass
number due to different number of neutrons.
Radioactive decay: the process of emission of nuclear radiations from
the unstable nucleus.
Spontaneous decay: decay that is independent of external factors like
pressure and temperature.
Random decay: cannot predict which particular nucleus will decay next
but probability of decay per unit time of a nucleus is constant.