Physics Advanced Subsidiary Level

List of Definitions

Scalar : Has magnitude only. Examples are

Mass, Volume and Energy.
Vector : Has magnitude and direction.
Examples are Force, Velocity and
acceleration.
Accuracy : Is how close to the real value
a measurement is.
Precision : Is that part of accuracy that
the experimenter controls by the choice of
measuring instrument and the skill with
which it is used.
Uncertainty : Is the range of values in
which a measurement can fall.
Distance : Is the length between two
points measured along the straight line
joining the two points.
Displacement : Is the distance of an
object from a fixed reference point in a
specified direction.
Speed : Is the distance travelled per unit
time.
Velocity : Is the change in displacement
per unit time.
Acceleration : Is the rate of change of
velocity.
Mass : Is the total amount of matter in a
body. Mass is a base quantity and the base
unit is the kilogram (kg).
Weight : Is the gravitational pull on a
body. Weight is a type of force and like all
forces its unit is the newton (N).
Linear momentum : Is defined as the
product of mass and velocity.
 Newtons 2nd law : A resultant force
acting on a body will cause a change in
momentum in the direction of the force.
The rate of change of momentum is
proportional to the magnitude of the force.
Conservation of momentum law : The
total momentum of a closed system before
an interaction is equal to the total
momentum of that system after the
interaction.
Centre of gravity : Is the point through
which all the weight of the body may be
considered to act.
Density : Is the mass per unit volume.
Pressure : Is the normal force per unit
area.
Work : Is defined as being done when a
force moves its point of application in the
direction in which the force acts.
1 Joule : Is when a force of 1 newton
moves its point of application 1 metre in
the direction of the force.
Energy : Is defined as the ability to do
work.
Power : Is the rate of doing work or
transforming energy. The unit of power is
the watt (W).
Elastic deformation : Means that the
body will return to its original shape when
the load is removed.
Plastic deformation : Means that the
body will NOT return to its original shape
when the load is removed.
Stress : Is defined as the force per unit
cross-sectional area of the wire.
Strain : Is the extension per unit length of
the unstretched wire.
Young modulus : Is the quantity
Stress/Strain gives information about the
elasticity of a material. The unit of Young
 modulus is pascals (Pa)

Displacement of a particle : Is its

distance from its equilibrium position. The
unit is the metre (m).
Amplitude : Is the maximum displacement
of a particle from its equilibrium position.
The unit is metre (m).
Period : Is the time taken for one complete
oscillation of a particle in the wave. The
unit is the second (s).
Frequency : Is the number of complete
oscillations of a particle in the wave per
unit time. The unit is Hertz (Hz).
Wavelength : Is the distance between
points on successive oscillations of the
wave that are vibrating exactly in phase.
The unit in metre (m).
Wave speed : Is the distance travelled by
the wave energy per unit time. The unit is
the metre per second (ms-1).
Intensity : Is defined as the energy
transmitted per unit time per unit area at
right angles to the wave velocity. Energy
transmitted per unit time is the power
transmitted. The unit is watts per metre
squared (W m-2).
Transverse wave : The particles vibrate
at right angles to the direction of transfer
of energy.
Longitudinal wave : The particles vibrate
parallel to the direction of transfer of
energy.
Doppler effect : Is the change in
frequency of waves due to the relative
motion of the wave source and the
observer.
Principle of superposition : Is when to or
more waves meet at a point, the resultant
displacement at that point is equal to the
algebraic sum of the individual waves at
 that point.
Wavefront : Is an imaginary line on a
wave that joins points that are exactly in
phase.

Constructive interference : Is if the two

sets of waves are exactly in phase, the
combined wave has an amplitude equal to
the sum of the two amplitudes.
Destructive interference : Is if the two
sets of waves are 180* out of phase, the
two waves will subtract.
Electric Field Strength : Is the force per
unit positive charge on a stationary point
charge. The unit of electric field strength is
newtons per coulomb (NC-1).
Current : Movement of electric charge. (A)
Charge : Bits of electricity. (Q). (Not the
formal definition).
Potential difference : Work done in
moving a unit positive charge from one
place to another place. (V).
Resistance : Potential difference/current.
(ohms).
Ohms law : The current through a
metallic conductor is proportional to the
potential difference across the conductor
provided the temperature remains
constant.
Kirchhoffs 1st law : The sum of currents
entering any point in a circle is equal to the
sum of the currents leaving that point.
Kirchhoffs 2nd law : In any loop in an
electric circuit, the algebraic sum of the
e.m.f s is equal to the algebraic sum of
potential differences.
Null method : Is one in which the
apparatus is arranged so that a zero
 reading is required. The zero reading
implies that the apparatus is balanced and
that the value of an unknown can be found
from the values of the constituent parts of
the apparatus only.
Proton number : Is the number of protons
in a nucleus.

Nucleon number : Is the total number of

protons plus(+) neutrons in a nucleus.
Isotopes : Have the same number of
protons in the nucleus but different
numbers of neutrons.
Nuclide : Is a single type of nucleus with a
specific nucleon number and a specific
proton number.
Leptons : Are electrons, positrons,
neutrions and antineutrions which have no
further structure.
Hadrons : Are protons, neutrons and their
antiparticles.
Quarks : Are different types of hadrons,
each type made up of different
combinations of two or three smaller
particles.
Independent variable : Is the variable
that you control or change in an
experiment.
Dependent variable : Is the variable that
changes as a result of the changing of the
independent variable.
Error : Is a mistake in taking a reading.
Random errors : Lead to values differing
from the true value by random amounts.
Systematic errors : Lead to values
differing from the true value by the same
amount or by the same fraction each time.