BSL Glossary - Physics curriculum terms

physics icon: image of a red_blue plasma ball light

A to Z

Signs by Subject

AC supply alternating current ammeter ampere / amp (A) bulb capacitor charge circuit conductor connector lead crocodile clip current DC supply diode direct current dynamo earth (electricity) electric charge electric field electric motor electrical power electrical unit electricity electricity generator electrostatic energy field, electric fuse gain generator hydroelectric power input voltage insulation insulator (electrical) lead connector live mains electricity mains voltage multimeter neutral (electrical) ohm Ohm's Law oscilloscope output voltage parallel circuit plug potential difference power power rating power supply power supply (battery) resistance resistor rotor coil series circuit short circuit solenoid transformer Van de Graaff generator variable resistor volt (V) voltage voltmeter wire
amplitude electromagnetic spectrum gamma ray infrared radiation line emission spectrum microwave radiation peak value radio wave ultraviolet ultraviolet radiation visible light visible spectrum white light x-ray
attract electromagnet magnet magnetic magnetic field magnetic field strength (H) magnetism repel
alarm analogue AND gate binary counter binary number block diagram buzzer component digital display electronics heat sensor input input device light gate light sensor logic 0 logic 1 logic gate motion sensor motor NAND gate NOR gate NOT gate OR gate output output device pressure sensor sensor smoke/gas sensor switch temperature sensor vibration sensor
biofuel biomass energy change of energy coal-fired power station conservation consumption (of energy) consumption (of power) dam dissipation of energy efficiency elastic potential energy electrical energy electricity generator energy change energy consumption energy dissipation energy input energy output energy stored energy transfer energy wastage engine fossil fuel power station gas-fired power station generator geothermal geothermal power station gravitational potential energy heat energy heat radiant energy hydroelectric scheme input of energy Joule (J) joulemeter kilowatt-hour (kWh) kinetic energy light energy magnetic energy magnetism non-renewable energy non-renewable resource output of energy potential energy renewable energy solar cell solar energy solar panel solar power sound energy specific heat capacity specific latent heat of fusion specific latent heat of vaporisation stored (energy) tidal power tidal power station tidal turbine transfer of energy turbine wastage of energy waste watt (W) wave turbine wind farm wind power wind turbine
acceleration air friction air resistance average speed balanced forces Brownian motion constant speed deceleration displacement freefall friction gravity instantaneous speed instantaneous velocity kinetic model mass maximum speed metres per second momentum metres per second (m/s) Newton (N) Newton balance Newton's Laws pressure projectile motion Pythagoras' Theorem resultant force scalar quantity speed stationary streamline tension terminal velocity thrust trigonometry unbalanced force uniform acceleration vector (force) vector quantity velocity vibration water friction weight weightless
endoscope image guide (endoscope) light guide (endoscope)
absolute zero kelvin absorb (heat) absorber (heat) conduction of heat convection current convection of heat emitter fluid heat absorber heat conduction heat convection heat loss heat sink heat transfer Kelvin zero loss of heat radiate reflector sink (heat) temperature thermal conduction rod thermometer transfer of heat vacuum flask vibration
angle of emergence angle of incidence angle of reflection angle of refraction bulb critical angle diffraction dimmed lighting emerge emit filament fluoresce frequency glass image image retention incident ray interface laser law of reflection normal (eg; angle of incidence) optical fibre parallel rays (of light) path of rays (of light) perspex block plane mirror Polarisation (light) Polarised light Polarisers Principle of reversibility prism ray diagram ray of light rays converge reflected ray reflection refraction right angle scatter speed of light total internal reflection wave wavelength
delay density depth depth from surface distance height horizontal interval length metres per second mps (metres per second) surface depth time time delay time interval timer vertical width
chain reaction (nuclear) nuclear energy nuclear fuel nuclear power station nuclear reactor reactor
alpha particle alpha radiation background radiation Becquerel (Bq) beta particle beta radiation gamma radiation gamma ray radiation Sievert, Sv
blurred vision concave convex correct vision dioptre eye defect focal length focus lens long sight short sight spectacles virtual image
amplifier audio signal communication device compression decibel digital signal echo electrical signal epicentre gigahertz (GHz) hertz (Hz) high frequency high pitch kilohertz (KHz) longitudinal wave loud loudness loudspeaker low pitch medium megahertz (MHz) microphone noise pollution oscilloscope oscilloscope traces pitch quiet rarefaction of sound seismic wave sound compression sound detector sound energy sound level sound rarefaction sound vibration sound wave speed of sound transverse wave ultrasound vacuum vibration wave wave equation wave speed
Earth's pull eyepiece lens galaxy gravitational field strength launch vehicle light year Milky Way moon objective lens orbit period (of orbit) planet reflecting telescope refracting telescope solar system space spacecraft star Sun telescope universe See also ASTRONOMY
air resistance average speed bulb/filament critical angle Earth's pull electromagnet electronics force galaxy gravitational field strength heat convection instantaneous speed magnetic field Newton balance Newton's laws projectile motion radiation refracting/reflecting telescopes total internal reflection tidal power station electronics white light

A to Z of Physics Signs

absolute zero kelvin absorb (heat) absorber (heat) acceleration AC supply air friction air resistance alarm alpha particle alpha radiation alternating current ammeter ampere / amp (A) amplifier amplitude analogue AND gate angle of emergence angle of incidence angle of reflection angle of refraction attract audio signal average speed
background radiation balanced forces Becquerel (Bq) beta particle beta radiation binary counter binary number biofuel biomass energy block diagram blurred vision Brownian motion bulb buzzer
capacitor chain reaction (nuclear) change of energy charge circuit coal-fired power station communication device component compression concave conduction of heat conductor connector lead conservation constant speed consumption (of energy) consumption (of power) convection current convection of heat convex correct vision critical angle crocodile clip current
dam DC supply deceleration decibel delay density depth depth from surface diffraction digital digital signal dimmed lighting diode dioptre direct current displacement display dissipation of energy distance dynamo
earth (electricity) Earth's pull echo efficiency elastic potential energy electric charge electric field electric motor electrical energy electrical power electrical signal electrical unit electricity electricity generator electromagnet electromagnetic spectrum electronics electrostatic emerge emit emitter endoscope energy energy change energy consumption energy dissipation energy input energy output energy stored energy transfer energy wastage engine epicentre eye defect eyepiece lens
field filament fluid fluoresce focal length focus fossil fuel power station freefall frequency friction fuse
gain galaxy gamma radiation gamma ray gas-fired power station generator geothermal geothermal power station gigahertz (GHz) glass gravitational field strength gravitational potential energy gravity
heat absorber heat conduction heat convection heat energy heat loss heat radiant energy heat sensor heat sink heat transfer height hertz (Hz) high frequency high pitch horizontal hydroelectric power hydroelectric scheme
image image guide (endoscope) image retention incident ray infrared radiation input input device input of energy input voltage instantaneous speed instantaneous velocity insulation insulator (electrical) interface interval
Joule (J) joulemeter
Kelvin zero kilohertz (KHz) kilowatt-hour (kWh) kinetic energy kinetic model
laser launch vehicle law of reflection lead connector length lens light energy light gate light guide (endoscope) light sensor light year line emission spectrum live logic 0 logic 1 logic gate long sight longitudinal wave loss of heat loud loudness loudspeaker low pitch
magnet magnetic magnetic energy magnetic field magnetic field strength (H) magnetism mains electricity mains voltage mass maximum speed medium metres per second megahertz (MHz) microphone microwave radiation Milky Way momentum moon motion sensor motor metres per second (m/s) multimeter
NAND gate neutral (electrical) Newton (N) Newton balance Newton's Laws noise pollution non-renewable energy non-renewable resource NOR gate normal (eg; angle of incidence) NOT gate nuclear energy nuclear fuel nuclear power station nuclear reactor
objective lens ohm Ohm's Law optical fibre orbit OR gate oscilloscope oscilloscope traces output output device output voltage output of energy
parallel circuit parallel rays (of light) path of rays (of light) peak value period (of orbit) perspex block pitch plane mirror planet plug Polarisation (light) Polarised light Polarisers potential difference potential energy power consumption (of power) power rating power supply power supply (battery) pressure pressure sensor Principle of reversibility prism projectile motion Pythagoras' Theorem
quiet
radiate radiation radio wave rarefaction of sound ray diagram ray of light rays converge reactor reflected ray reflecting telescope reflection reflector refracting telescope refraction renewable energy repel resistance resistor resultant force Principle of reversibility right angle rotor coil
scalar quantity scatter seismic wave sensor series circuit short sight short circuit Sievert, Sv sink (heat) smoke/gas sensor solar cell solar energy solar panel solar power solar system solenoid sound compression sound detector sound energy sound level sound rarefaction sound vibration sound wave space spacecraft specific heat capacity specific latent heat of fusion specific latent heat of vaporisation spectacles speed speed of light speed of sound star stationary stored (energy) streamline sun surface depth switch
telescope temperature temperature sensor tension terminal velocity thermal conduction rod thermometer thrust tidal power tidal power station tidal turbine time time delay time interval timer total internal reflection transfer of energy transfer of heat transformer transverse wave trigonometry turbine
ultrasound ultraviolet ultraviolet radiation unbalanced force uniform acceleration universe
vacuum vacuum flask Van de Graaff generator variable resistor vector (force) vector quantity velocity vertical vibration vibration sensor virtual image visible light visible spectrum volt (V) voltage voltmeter
wastage of energy waste water friction watt (W) wave wave equation wave speed wave turbine wavelength weight weightless white light width wind farm wind power wind turbine wire
x-ray