Glossary

Any change in the internal energy of a system must in the process of exchanging heat, doing work, or both.

a lever with the effort between the load and the fulcrum.

A lower limit of temperature corresponding to the minimum possible average kinetic energy of atoms and molecules.

the change in velocity per unit time, the slope of a velocity vs. time graph

the rate at which an object changes velocity when gravity is the only force acting on the object

refers to the closeness of a measured value to a standard or known value

a tough band of fibrous tissue that connects the calf muscles to the heel bone

a force acting opposite to the relative motion of any object moving with respect to a surrounding fluid

examine methodically and in detail the constitution or structure of information for purposes of explanation and interpretation

having a physical property that has a different value when measured in different directions

the reading on a scale that is used to measure the weight of an object that is submerged in a fluid

a rough value obtained without making a measurement by using prior knowledge and assumptions.

The upward buoyant force that is exerted on a body immersed in a fluid, whether fully or partially submerged, is equal to the weight of the fluid being displaced by the body

ignoring some compilation of the in order to simplify the analysis or proceed even though information is lacking

not moving

the pressure exerted by the gasses in the atmosphere

average change in velocity per unit time, calculated as change in velocity during a time interval divided by the time interval

average rate at which distance was traversed, equal to total distance traveled within a time interval, divided by the time interval

the average of all instantaneous velocities that occurred within a certain time interval, equal to the displacement divided by the time interval

Objects, events, or conditions that hinder access.

hard rock exposed or buried at the earth's surface

prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair or inaccurate.

(of an animal) using only two legs for walking

an ideal object which absorbs all radiation that strikes it, with no reflection, and releases that energy as thermal radiation in a way that depends only on its temperature

A framework for categorizing educational goals.

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. BMI can be used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems but it is not diagnostic of the body fatness or health of an individual

liable to break or shatter due to relatively inability to deform under stress (not ductile)

the upward force exerted by any fluid upon a body placed in it

defining the values of an instrument's readings by comparison to a standard

unit of energy equivalent to 4.184 Joules

any rigid structure projecting from a support, especially one in which the projection is great in relation to the depth of the structure

heart, blood and blood vessels

the maximum theoretical efficiency that a heat engine could achieve when operating between two set temperatures, as permitted by the Second Law of Thermodynamics

the most common relative temperature scale

a point at which the force of gravity on body or system (weight) may be considered to act. In uniform gravity it is the same as the center of mass.

a point representing the mean (average) position of the matter in a body or system

component of the acceleration directed toward the center of a circular motion

a name given to the component of the net force acting perpendicular to an objects motion and causing to take a circular path

a specific method for unit conversion that is designed to aid in reducing mistakes.

the change of a substance between states of being solid, liquid, or gas (or other more exotic phases)

energy stored in the chemical bonds of a substance

the fraction of relative velocity remaining after a collision, for collision with a stationary object equal to the ratio of final speed to initial speed

The mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses

the process of burning, the rapid chemical combination of a substance with oxygen, involving the production of heat and light

reduction in size caused by application of compressive forces (opposing forces applied inward to the object).

using a computer program that is designed to simulate what might or what did happen in a situation

relative amount of one substance or quantity contained or stored within another substance or quantity, such as thermal energy per molecule

a judgment or decision reached by reasoning and logic based on results provided by analysis of data

Process of vapor changing phase into a liquid.

the process by which heat or directly transmitted through a substance when there is a difference of temperature between adjoining regions, without movement of the material

forces that do work which converts energy between forms of mechanical energy (potential energy and kinetic energy)

work that converts energy between mechanical forms of energy (potential energy and kinetic energy)

a physical quantity is said to be conserved when its total value does not change

not changing, having the same value within a specified interval of time, space, or other physical variable

cyclic fluid flow caused by natural convection

a number that relates two different units of measure for the same quantity and allows conversion between the two units

an effect whereby a mass moving in a rotating system behaves as though experiencing a force (the Coriolis force) that acts perpendicular to the direction of motion. On the earth, the effect tends to deflect moving objects to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern and is important in the formation of cyclonic weather systems

The cross-sectional area is the area of a two-dimensional shape that is obtained when a three-dimensional object - such as a cylinder - is sliced perpendicular to some specified axis at a point. For example, the cross-section of a cylinder - when sliced parallel to its base - is a circle

the relatively thin layer of rock that makes up the outermost solid shell of our planet

collection of values measured during an experiment

relation between the amount of a material and the space it takes up, calculated as mass divided by volume.

a factor, condition, or property that changes in response to purposeful changes in the independent variable

a sequence of steps, logical, mathematical, or computational, combining one or more results to obtain another result

water that condenses on cool surfaces at night, when decreasing temperature forces humidity to 100% or higher

the action or process of distributing a quantity over a wide space

pushed out of original position, typically in reference to fluid pushed out of the way by an object placed in the fluid, or an object being displaced from its equilibrium position

change in position, typically in reference to a change away from an equilibrium position or a change occurring over a specified time interval

method for determining the volume of an object by measuring how much water it displaces

a number characterizing the effect of object shape and orientation on the drag force, usually determined experimentally

a force applied by a fluid to any object moving with respect to the fluid, which acts opposite to the relative motion of the object relative to the fluid

able to be deformed without failure, pliable, not brittle

a state of being in motion, but having no net force, thus the motion is constant

ratio of useful work performed to total energy expended

referring to a lever system, the force applied in order to hold or lift the load

in a lever, the distance from the line of action of the effort to the fulcrum or pivot

collision in which no permanent deformation occurs, and kinetic energy is conserved

the maximum stress that can be applied to a material before it leaves the linear region

measures of resistance to being deformed elastically under applied stress, defined as the slope of the stress vs. strain curve in the elastic region

energy stored in the deformation of a material

the range of values for stress and strain values over which a material returns to its original shape after deformation

light waves, or coupled oscillating electric and magnetic fields fields that can travel through empty space and carry both energy and momentum without moving mass

the range of wavelengths or frequencies over which electromagnetic radiation extends

data which describes the relative amount of electromagnetic radiation emitted by an object across a range of wavelengths, or conversely frequencies.

measure of a material's effectiveness at emitting energy as thermal radiation

mathematical explanation of the relation between measured values that is used for making predictions

A quantity representing the capacity of an object or system to do work.

the process of transferring chemical potential energy stored in food to useful work and thermal energy

A measure of energy dispersion in a system.

a state of having no unbalanced forces or torques

vaporization that occurs on the surface of a liquid as it changes into the gas phase

heat transferred to the environment rather than being used to do useful work

a relative temperature scale commonly used in the U.S.

1) information about reactions to a product, a person's performance of a task, etc. which is used as a basis for improvement.

2) the modification or control of a process or system by its results or effects, e.g., in a biochemical pathway or behavioral response

position at the end of the time interval over which motion is being analyzed

the value of velocity at the end of the time interval over which motion is being analyzed

levers with the fulcrum placed between the effort and load

the change in internal energy of a system is equal to the heat added to the system minus the work done by the system

any interaction that causes objects with mass to change speed and/or direction of motion, except when balanced by other forces. We experience forces as pushes and pulls.

attraction between two objects due to their mass as described by Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation

transfer of heat due to the movement of fluid molecules driven by external factors other than thermal expansion.

that part of the drag on an object that arises from its shape and angle at which it moves the fluid and which can be decreased by streamlining

the separation of an object or material into two or more pieces under the action of stress and associated strain

a graphical illustration used to visualize the forces applied to an object

the motion experienced by an object when gravity is the only force acting on the object.

the number of cycles or oscillations occurring per second, as in the frequency of the electromagnetic oscillations in a light wave

a force that acts on surfaces in opposition to sliding motion between the surfaces

coefficient describing the combined roughness of two surfaces and serving as the proportionality constant between friction force and normal force

the point on which a lever rests or is supported and on which it pivots

The glossary feature includes rollover definition capability.

potential energy stored in objects based on their relative position within a gravitational field

Elevation of Earth's temperature relative to the atmosphere-free condition caused differential absorption of UV, visible, and IR light by specific gases and particles present in the atmosphere.

An amount of thermal energy transferred due to a difference in temperature.

The amount of energy required to raise the temperature of an object by one temperature unit.

the degradation of energy quality associated with a spontaneous processes.

devices for converting thermal energy to useful work and exhaust heat

a measure of how hot feels (according to difficult in exhausting heat) when relative humidity is factored in with the actual air temperature

the amount of heat (thermal energy transferred due to a temperature difference) that leaves an object per unit time

a measure how well thermal energy is transferred as heat for a given temperature and contact area

A graph of relating how often a value falls within a certain range.

is the state of steady internal physical and chemical conditions maintained by living systems

the restoring force exerted by a spring is equal to the displacement multiplied by spring constant

a unit for power equal to 746 Watts

a technique for measuring the mass per unit volume of a living person's body. It is a direct application of Archimedes' principle, that an object displaces its own volume of water

The condition of having a body temperature well above the normal range.

The condition of having a body temperature well below the normal range.

a proposed explanation made on the basis evidence that can be supported or refuted by the result of experimentation

the average force applied during a time interval multiplied by the time interval

the change in momentum experienced by an object is equal to the net impulse applied to the object

the factor, property, or condition that is purposefully changed within an experiment

a collision for which kinetic energy is not conserved

the tenancy of an object to resist changes in motion

having a frequency just lower than visible red light but higher microwaves.

position at the start of the time interval over which motion is being analyzed

the value of velocity at the start of the time interval over which motion is being analyzed

existing or measured at a particular instant

the total of a systems thermal energy and chemical potential energy, the total energy stored microscopically within the system

a process that is not a reversible process in which the system and environment can be restored to exactly the same initial states that they were in before the process

a system for which neither thermal energy or particles are allowed to leave or enter.

having a physical property which has the same value when measured in different directions

relating to or involving repetition of a mathematical or computational procedure applied to the result of a previous application

International standard (SI) unit of Energy

SI unit of temperature

energy which a body possesses by virtue of being in motion, energy stored by an object in motion

a force that resists the sliding motion between two surfaces

the thermal energy required to change the phase of a substance (or released by the substance when it changes phase)

the thermal energy required to melt a unit mass of a substance

Thermal energy input required to change a unit mass of liquid into vapor.

a statement, usually in the form of a mathematical equation, that summarizes, but not explains, the results of repeated experiments or observations that describe some aspect of the natural, usually within a certain range of application.

the net work on a system must be equal to the sum of the changes in kinetic, potential, and thermal energies

the combined total momentum of all objects in system immediately prior to a collision be the same as the total momentum of all objects in the system immediately after the collision

a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, and delivery of educational courses, training programs, or learning and development programs

a rigid structure rotating on a pivot and acting on a load, used multiply the effect of an applied effort (force) or enhance the range of motion

perpendicular distance between the line of action of a force causing a torque and the pivot about which the torque occurs

There are three types or classes of levers, according to where the load and effort are located with respect to the fulcrum

an imaginary line that is parallel to a force and extends in both directions from the point of application of the force

region of the stress vs. strain curve for which stress is proportional to strain and the material follows Hooke's Law

Material property that relates the fractional change in length experienced by an object due to a unit change in temperature.

a weight or other force being moved or held by a structure such as a lever

movement or the ability to move from one place to another

running lengthwise rather than across

the size or extent of a vector quantity, regardless of direction

able to be hammered or pressed permanently out of shape without breaking or cracking

the mantle is the mostly-solid bulk of Earth's interior. The mantle lies between Earth's dense, super-heated core and its thin outer layer, the crust.

a measurement of the amount of matter in an object made by determining its resistance to changes in motion (inertial mass) or the force of gravity applied to it by another known mass from a known distance (gravitational mass). The gravitational mass and an inertial mass appear equal.

Measurement Error (also called Observational Error) is the difference between a measured quantity and its true value. It includes random error (naturally occurring errors that are to be expected with any experiment) and systematic error (caused by a mis-calibrated instrument that affects all measurements)

a unit of measurement is a definite magnitude of a quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law, that is used as a standard for measurement of the same kind of quantity. Any other quantity of that kind can be expressed as a multiple of the unit of measurement.

ratio of the output and input forces of a machine

the effectiveness of a machine in transforming the energy input to the device to mechanical energy output

the sum of potential and kinetic energy

changing phase from solid to liquid.

awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes

a state in which a slight disturbance results in a restoring force that maintains stability, but a sufficiently large disturbance moves the system into an unstable region (or different metastable region)

using the number of digits provided in a measurement value to indicate the measurement uncertainty

a unit prefix that precedes a basic unit of measure to indicate a multiple or fraction of the unit

a representation of something that is often too difficult (or impossible) to observe or display directly

the combined effect of mass and velocity, defined as mass multiplied by velocity

graphs or plots with time on the horizontal axis and position or velocity or acceleration on the vertical axis

Splitting attention between more than one task at a time.

Transfer of heat due to fluid movement caused by thermal expansion of the fluid

small enough as to not push the results of an analysis outside the desired level of accuracy

the network of nerve cells and fibers which transmits nerve impulses between parts of the body

the total amount of remaining unbalanced force on an object

remaining unbalanced torque on an object

total work done on an object, equal to the addition of all separate works done on the object, or the work done by the net force

the SI unit of force. It is equal to the force that would give a mass of one kilogram an acceleration of one meter per second per second

an object's motion will not change unless it experiences a net force

Observation that the rate of change of the temperature of an object is proportional to the difference between its own temperature and the environmental temperature

the acceleration experienced by an object is equal to the net force on the object divided my the object's mass

for every force applied by an object on a second object, a force equal in size, but opposite in direction, will be applied to the first object by the second object

forces that do non-conservative work, which is work that does not transfer energy only among kinetic and potential forms (mechanical energy)

the outward force supplied by an object in response to being compressed from opposite directions, typically in reference to solid objects.

default position that there is no relation between two measured quantities

a calculation that is run on a computer following a program that implements a mathematical model for a physical system

designating which power of 10 (e.g. 1,10,100,100)

the process of approximating a value to obtain a result you expect to at least be within one order of magnitude of the correct answer.

location where the position is zero

repetitive variation, typically in time, of some measure about a central value

side by side, pointing in exactly the same direction, or having the same distance continuously between them

the SI derived unit of pressure used to quantify internal pressure, stress, Young's modulus and ultimate tensile strength. It is defined as one newton per square meter

a collision for which initial and final values of the total kinetic energy of all objects in the system are the same

collisions in which the colliding objects stick together (explosions are perfectly inelastic collisions in reverse)

at an angle of 90° to a given line, plane, or surface

mechanistic explanation of how a physical system works

the ability of certain materials to generate an electric charge in response to applied mechanical stress

the central point, pin, or shaft on which a mechanism turns or oscillates

the range of values for stress and strain over which a material experiences permanent deformation

location in space defined relative to a chosen origin, or location where the value of position is zero

the energy stored within an object, due to the object's position, arrangement or state. Examples are gravitational potential energy due to the relative position of masses and elastic potential energy caused by being under stress

a unit of force equal to 4.44822 Newtons, or the the weight of a 0.4536 kg mass on Earth's surface

the rate at which work is done, the rate at which energy is converted from one form to another

refers to the closeness of two or more measurements to each other

the quality or fact of being greater in number, quantity, or importance

force per unit area

principles summarize rules created and followed by scientists when formulating hypotheses, designing experiments, analyzing results.

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred from one type to another and/or from one object to another

the momentum of an object or collection of objects (system) remains constant if the net impulse on the system is zero

lying horizontally with the face and torso facing down

having a constant ratio to another quantity

describing what happens, but not how much happens

describing what and how much happens

a unit of angle, equal to an angle at the center of a circle that produces an arc length equal to the radius

random errors are fluctuations (in both directions) in the measured data due to the precision limitations of the measurement device. Random errors usually result from the experimenter's inability to take the same measurement in exactly the same way to get exact the same number

distance or angle traversed by a body part

amount of thermal energy transferred into our, out of an object as heat, per unit time

a type of force supplied by an object in response to application of a different force on the object. Friction is a reactive force

a measure of how many water molecules are in the vapor phase relative to the maximum number that could possibly be in the vapor phase at at a given temperature. A relative humidity of 100% means that no more water molecules can be added to the vapor phase.

the force working against the rotation of a lever that would be caused by the effort

shortest distance from the line of action of the resistance to the fulcrum

a force that tends to move a system back toward the equilibrium position

information acquired by analyzing data

a state of having not net torque and no change in rotational motion

the sudden and complete failure of a material under stress

a method of procedure that has characterized natural science since the 17th century, consisting in systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses

a way of writing very large or very small numbers. A number is written in scientific notation when a number between 1 and 10 is multiplied by a power of 10.

self-contained underwater breathing apparatus

levers with the resistance (load) in-between the effort and the fulcrum

the total entropy of an isolated system can never decrease over time, meaning objects left to themselves will always trend toward thermal equilibrium, meaning that thermal energy will always spontaneously transfer from hot system to cold system

an unexpected occurrence involving death or serious physical or psychological injury, or the risk thereof. Serious injury specifically includes loss of limb or function.

each of the digits of a number that are used to express it to the required degree of accuracy, starting from the first nonzero digit

friction caused by the viscous nature of fluids

method for measuring body fat percentage using specially designed calipers to measure the thickness of skinfolds that are pinched from several specific locations on the body as inputs to empirical equations

the steepness of a line, defined as vertical change between two points (rise), divided by the horizontal change between the same two points (run)

the sound associated with the shock waves created whenever an object travelling through the air travels faster than the speed of sound

sudden increase in aerodynamic drag and other undesirable effects experienced by an object when it approaches the speed of sound

the ratio of the density of a substance to the density of a standard, usually water for a liquid or solid, and air for a gas

A material property that determines the amount of energy required to raise the temperature one mass unit of the material by one temperature unit.

distance traveled per unit time

a process which occurs naturally on its own, without the need for work to be done in forcing it to happen.

measure of the stiffness of a spring, defined as the slope of the force vs. displacement curve for a spring

a measure of the displacement from equilibrium an object can experience and still move back toward equilibrium

a state in which a body tends to return to its original position after being disturbed

is a measure that is used to quantify the amount of variation or dispersion of a set of data values

a system of physical units ( SI units ) based on the meter, kilogram, second, ampere, kelvin, candela, and mole

the state being in equilibrium (no unbalanced forces or torques) and also having no motion

a force that resists the tenancy of surfaces to slide across one another due to a force(s) being applied to one or both of the surfaces

The total radiant heat energy emitted from a surface is proportional to the fourth power of its absolute temperature.

the measure of the relative deformation of the material

a physical quantity that expresses the internal forces that neighboring particles of material exert on each other

a thoughtful and specific process for self-directed learning.

region defined by lines connecting points of contact with the supporting surface

an error having a nonzero mean (average), so that its effect is not reduced when many observations are averaged. Usually occurring because
there is something wrong with the instrument or how it is used.

a measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles (e.g., atoms and molecules) in an object, which determines how relatively hot or cold an object feels

the force that is provided by an object in response to being pulled tight by forces acting from opposite ends, typically in reference to a rope, cable or wire

the speed at which restive forces such as friction and drag balance driving forces and speed stops increasing, e.g. the gravitational force on a falling object is balanced by air resistance

an item or event of a component or system that could be verified by one or more test cases, e.g., a function, transaction, feature, quality, attribute, or structural element

an explanation of an aspect of the natural world that can be repeatedly tested and verified in accordance with the scientific method using accepted standard protocols

a measure of a material's ability to conduct heat

energy stored in the microscopic motion of atoms and molecules (microscopic kinetic energy)

a two systems are in thermal equilibrium when they do not exchange heat, which means they must be at the same temperature

The increase change in volume of an object resulting from a change in temperature.

image created by substituting visible color variations for temperature variations determined by measuring variations in thermal radiation intensity and/or wavelengths

materials designed to slow the rate of heat transfer

rate at which chemical potential energy is converted to thermal energy by the body, batteries, or heat engines. Also, rate at which thermal energy is converted to electrical energy by a thermal power plant.

Electromagnetic radiation spontaneously emitted by all objects with temperature above absolute zero.

a device that measures temperature

a pair of equal and opposite forces applied between two different objects as described by Newton's Third Law of Motion

the point at which an object is displaced from a region of stable equilibrium

range of values for stress and strain over which a material experiences large strain for relatively small stress due to un-crimping

the result of a force applied to an object in such a way that the object would change its rotational speed, except when the torque is balanced by other torques

a state of having no net force and thus no change in translational motion, though the net torque may be non-zero

motion by which a body shifts from one point in space to another (up-down, back-forth, left-right)

allow light to pass through with minimal absorption

situated or extending across something, (crosswise)

the maximum stress a material can withstand

Amount by which a measured, calculated, or approximated value could be different from the actual value

non-permanent re-alignment of substructures (fibers) in a material that results in non-linear behavior at stress values less than the yield stress.

apparent weight when submerged in water

motion of an object traveling at a constant speed on a circular path

in a way that is the same in all cases, across a defined set of space and times

act of ensuring that the units resulting from a calculation match the type of quantity calculated.

every particle attracts every other particle in the universe with a force which is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers

a state of equilibrium such that when the body is slightly displaced it departs further from the original position

work done on the external environment, such as moving objects, as apposed to work done internally, such as pumping blood

a factor, property, or condition that can change during an experiment

a quantity having direction as well as magnitude

a quantity of speed with a defined direction, the change in speed per unit time, the slope of the position vs. time graph

a fluid that exhibits a large degree of internal friction (between sections of the fluid moving with different speed or direction)

the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to the human eye

a quantity of space, such as the volume within a box or the volume taken up by an object.

international standard unit of power, equal to one Joule per second

the distance between successive crests of a wave, such as a sound wave or electromagnetic wave

the force of gravity on on object, typically in reference to the force of gravity caused by Earth or another celestial body

Increase in rate of heat loss from objects that are warmer than air caused by the flow of air across the object surface.

A quantity representing the effect of applying a force to an object or system while it moves some distance.

the change in kinetic energy of an object or system is equal to the net work done on the object or system

the value of the stress (yield stress) and strain (yield strain) beyond which a material will maintain some permanent deformation