Simple Note Physics Form 5

PHYSICS FORM 5
TERMS AND DEFINITION
CHAPTER 1: WAVES
Waves A TYPE OF DISTURBANCE produced by an oscillating or vibrating motion in
which a point or body moves back and forth along a line about a fixed
central point produces waves.
Wave front LINE OR PLANE on which the vibrations of every points are
in phase and are at the same distance from the source of the wave.
In phase =same direction, same displacement
Transverse Wave WAVE in which the vibration of particles in the medium is
perpendicular
to the direction of propagation of the wave(water waves, light waves,
electromagnetic waves)
Longitudinal Wave WAVE in which the vibration of particles in the medium is
parallel to
the direction of propagation of the wave(sound waves, ultrasound)
Amplitude MAXIMUM DISPLACEMENT from its equilibrium position / MEASURE of
height of the wave crest or depth of the wave trough.
Period TIME TAKEN to complete an oscillation, from one extreme point to the
other and back to the same position.
Frequency NUMBER OF COMPLETE OSCILLATIONS made by a vibrating system in
one second
Wavelength, DISTANCE between successive points of the same phase in a wave
Damping DECREASE in the amplitude of an oscillating system is called
damping.(Internal damping: extension and compression of molecules)(
External damping: frictional force/ air resistance)
a ; f =
Resonance

Resonance occurs when a system is made to oscillate at a frequency
equivalent to its
natural frequency
by an external force. The resonating system oscillates at its maximum
amplitude.
Natural frequency FUNDAMENTAL FREQUENCY of which an object vibrates. It is the
frequency of a system which oscillates freely without external force
Reflection of wave Reflection of wave occurs when a wave strike an obstacle direction
; f = ; a = ; =
Refraction of wave Refraction of wave occurs when a wave travel from one medium to
another
f = ; v ; ; direction
Diffraction of waves PHENOMENON in which waves spread out as they passed through an
aperture or round a small circle
f = ; = ; speed = ; v ; direction
Interference of waves SUPERPOSITION of two waves originating from two coherent sources
coherent
=same frequency, amplitude and in phase
Constructive interference Constructive interference occurs when the both crests or both troughs of
both waves coincide to produce a wave with crests and troughs of
maximum amplitude
Destructive interference Destructive interference occurs when the crest of one wave coincides with
the trough of the other wave, thus cancelling each other with the result
that the resultant amplitude is zero
Antinode POINT where constructive interference occurs.
Node POINT where destructive interference occurs.
Electromagnetic waves

PROPAGATING WAVES in space with electric and magnetic components.
These components oscillate at right angles to each other and to the
direction of propagation of wave.
Monochromatic light LIGHT with only one wavelength and color.

PRINCIPLE
Principle of superposition Principle of superposition states that at any instant, the wave displacement
of the combined motion of any number of interacting
waves at a point is the sum of the displacements of all the components
waves at that point

CHAPTER 2:
Charge, Q WORK DONE to move a unit of voltage in a circuit
Current, I RATE of flow of charge
Potential difference, V WORK DONE in moving one coulomb of charge from one point to another
in an electric field
Electric field A FIELD in which electric charge experiences an electric force / A FIELD in
which electric force acts in a particle with electric charge
Circuit CLOSED LOOP through which charge can continuously flow
Resistance, R RATIO of the potential difference across the conductor to the current
flowing through it / MEASURE of the ability of the conductor to resist the
flow of an electric current through it
Superconductor CONDUCTOR in which its resistance will suddenly become zero when it is
cooled below a certain temperature called the critical temperature
Electromotiveforce
(e.m.f.)
TOTAL ENERGY supplied by a cell to move a unit of electrical charge from
one terminal to the other through the cell and the external circuit
Power rating RATE at which it consumes electrical energy.

PRINCIPLE
Ohms Law Ohms law states that the electric current, I flowing through a conductor is
directly proportional to the potential difference across the ends of
conductor, if temperature and other physical conditions remain constant.
That is, V I

CHAPTER 3: ELECTROMAGNETISM
Electromagnet

DEVICE in which magnetism is produced by an electric current
TEMPORARY MAGNET which acts as a magnet when the current is
switched on and ceases to be a magnet when the current is switched off
Magnetic field REGION in which a magnetic material experiences a force as the result of a
magnet or a current-carrying conductor
Radial field MAGNETIC FIELD with the field lines pointing towards or away from the
centre of a circle.
Electromagnetic induction PRODUCTION of an electric current by a changing magnetic field
(conductor cuts across a magnetic flux OR a change of magnetic flux
linkage with a coil)
Root mean square current
/ voltage
VALUE of a steady current/ voltage, which would produce the same
heating effect in a given resistor.
Transformer EQUIPMENT to raise or lower the potential difference of an
alternating current
supply


PRINCIPLE
Faradays Law The magnitude of the induced electromotive force (e.m.f.) is directly
proportional to the rate of change of magnetic flux linkage with the
solenoid or the rate at which a conductor cuts through the magnetic flux.
Lenzs Law Lenzs law states that an induced electric current always flows in such a
direction so as to oppose the change (or motion) producing it

CHAPTER 4: ELECTRONICS
Thermoionic emission EMISSION of electrons from hot metal surface
Work function MINIMUM ENERGY required to eject electrons from surface
Cathode ray Fast moving ELECTRONS travel in a straight line in vacuum
Cathode ray oscilloscope measuring and testing INSTRUMENT used in study of electricity and
electronics
Conductor MATERIAL which allows current to flow through them
Semi conductor MATERIAL whose resistance is between good conductor and insulator
Insulator MATERIAL which does not conduct electric current
Junction voltage POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE acting from n-type to p-type material of a diode
across the depletion layer
Rectification CONVERSION of a.c. to d.c. by diode
Smoothing PROCESS where output is smoothed by connecting a capacitor across load
that acts as a reservoir and maintains potential difference across load
Logic gates ELECTRONIC SWITCHES with one or more inputs and one output

CHAPTER 5: RADIOACTIVITY
Atom An atom consists of a nucleus which is made up of protons and neutrons,
with electrons orbiting the nucleus.
Nuclide TYPE of nucleus with particular proton number and nucleon number
Proton number NUMBER of protons in the nucleus of an atom
Nucleon number NUMBER of protons and neutrons in an atom
Isotopes ATOMS of an element which have the same proton number but different
nucleon number(similar chemical properties but differs in physical
properties)
Radioactivity SPONTANEOUS DISINTEGRATION of unstable nucleus into a more stable
nucleus with the emission of energetic particles or protons

Radioactive decay
PROCESS where an unstable nucleus becomes a more stable nucleus by
emitting radiations
Radioisotope ISOTOPE that has unstable nucleus that tends to undergo radioactive
decay
Half life

TIME TAKEN for the activity of atoms to fall to half its original value
TIME TAKEN for half the atoms in a given sample to decay
Nuclear fission

PROCESS involving the splitting of a heavy nucleus into two nuclei of
roughly equal mass and shooting out several neutrons at the same time.
Nuclear fusion

PROCESS involving the fusion of two or more small and light nuclei come
together to form a heavier nucleus

PRINCIPLE
Einsteins Principle of
Mass-Energy
Conservation

The change of energy is linked to the change of mass by the equation









Simple Note Physics Form 4
PHYSICS FORM 4
TERMS AND DEFINITION
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICS
Physical quantities QUANTITIES that are measurable
Base quantities
PHYSICAL QUANTITIES that cannot be defined in terms
of other physical quantities but has its own definition
Derived quantities
PHYSICAL QUANTITIES that are derived from base
quantities by multiplication or division or both
Scientific
notation/standard
form
POWERS of the base number 10 to show a very large or
small number
Prefixes
GROUP OF LETTERS placed at the beginning of a word to
modify its meaning, which act as multipliers
Scalar quantity
QUANTITY which has only magnitude or size(time,
temperature, mass, volume, distance, density, power)
Vector quantity
QUANTITY which has both magnitude or size and
direction(force, velocity, displacement, acceleration,
momentum)
Error

DIFFERENCE between actual value of a quantity and the
value obtained in measurement

Systematic errors

CUMULATIVE ERRORS that can be corrected, if the
errors are known.(zero error, incorrect calibration of
measuring instrument)

Random errors

ERRORS that arise from unknown and unpredictable
variations in condition, and will produce a different error
every time. Random errors are caused by factors that are
beyond the control of observers.(human limitations, lack of
sensitivity, natural errors, wrong technique)

Zero Errors ERROR that arises when the measuring instrument does not
start from exactly zero

Parallax error

ERROR in reading an instrument because the observers
eyes and the pointer are not in a line perpendicular to the
plane of scale

Measurement

PROCESS of determining value of a quantity using a
scientific instrument with a standard scale

Consistency

ABILITY to register the same reading when a measurement
is repeated(improve eliminates parallax error, greater care,
not detective instrument)

Accuracy

DEGREE to which a measurement represents the actual
value(improve repeat readings, avoid parallax/zero error,
high accuracy instrument)


Sensitivity


ABILITY to detect quickly a small change in the value of a
measurement(thermometer thin wall bulb, narrow
capillary)


Inferences


EARLY CONCLUSION that you draw from an observation
or event using information that you already have on it

Hypothesis

GENERAL STATEMENT that is assumed to be true
regarding the relationship between the manipulated variable
and responding variable


CHAPTER 2: FORCES AND MOTION
Distance how far a body travels during motion
Displacement CHANGE IN POSITION of an object from its initial
position in a specified direction
Speed RATE OF CHANGE of distance
Velocity RATE OF CHANGE of displacement
Mass MEASURE of an objects inertia /AMOUNT of matter in
the object
Acceleration RATE OF CHANGE of velocity
Inertia PROPERTY of matter that causes it to resist any change in
its motion or state of rest
Momentum PRODUCT of mass and velocity
Force pulling or a pushing ACTION on an object
Impulsive force LARGE FORCE which acts over a very short time interval /
RATE OF CHANGE in momentum

Gravity
FORCE originated from centre of the Earth that pulls all
objects towards the ground
Free fall FALLING of an object without encountering any resistance
from a height towards the earth with an acceleration due to
gravity
Forces inequilibrium An object is said to be in a state of equilibrium when forces
act upon an object and it remains stationary or moves at a
constant velocity
Resultant force SINGLE FORCE which combines two or more forces
which act on an object
Work Work is done when a force causes an object to move in the
direction of the force.
Energy CAPACITY of a system to do work
Gravitational PE ENERGY STORED in the object because of its height
above the earth surface
Elastic PE ENERGY STORED in the object as a result of stretching or
compressing it
Kinetic energy ENERGY possessed by a moving object
Power RATE at which work is done or energy is changed and
transferred
Efficiency ABILITY of an electrical appliance to transform energy
from one form to another without producing useless energy
or wastage
Elasticity PROPERTY of an object that enables it to return to its
original shape and dimensions after an applied force is
removed
Spring constant FORCE needed to extend a spring per unit length

Elastic limit
MAXIMUM STRETCHING FORCE which can be applied
to an elastic material before it ceases to be elastic


PRINCIPLE
Hookes Law Hookes law states that the force, F applied to a spring is
directly proportional to the springs extension or
compression, x, provided the elastic limit is not exceeded
Principle of
conservation of
energy
Principle of conservation of energy states that total energy
in an isolated system is neither increased nor decreased by
any transformation. Energy cannot be created nor destroyed,
but it can be transformed from one kind to another, and the
total amount stays the same.
Principle of
conservation of
momentum
The principle of conservation of momentum states that, in
any collision or interaction between two or more objects in
an isolated system, the total momentum of the system will
remain constant; that is, the total initial momentum will
equal the total final momentum.
Newtons first law of
motion
Newtons first law of motion states that a body will either
remain at rest or continue with constant velocity unless it is
acted on by an external unbalanced force.
Newtons second law
of motion
Newtons second law of motion states that the acceleration a
body experiences is directly proportional to the net force
acting on it, and inversely proportional to its mass.
F =ma
Newtons third law of
motion
Newtons third law of motion states that to every action
there is an equal but opposite reaction.

CHAPTER 3: FORCES AND PRESSURE
Pressure FORCE acting normally on a unit surface area
Gas pressure FORCE per unit area exerted by the gas particles as they
collide with the walls of their container (due to the rate of
change of momentum)
Buoyant force NET FORCE acting upwards due to the difference between
the forces acting on the upper surface and the lower surface

PRINCILPE
Law of Flotation Law of floatation states that the weight of an object floating
on the surface of a liquid is equal to the weight of water
displaced by the object.(weight of object = weight of water
displaced)
Pascals Principle Pascals principle states that a pressure applied to a confined
fluid is transmitted uniformly in all directions throughout
the fluid.
Archimedes principle Archimedes principle states that the buoyant force on a
body immersed in a fluid is equal to the weight of the fluid
displaced by that object(buoyant force = weight of water
displaced)
Bernoullis principle Bernoullis principle states that the pressure of a moving
fluid decreases as the speed of the fluid increases, and the
converse is also true

CHAPTER 4: HEAT
Temperature DEGREE of hotness of an object
Thermometric
property
PHYSICAL PROPERTY of a substance which is sensitive
to and varies linearly with the temperature change
Thermal equilibrium A STATE when heat transfer between the two objects are
equal and the net rate of heat transfer between the two
objects are zero
Heat capacity HEAT ENERGY required to raise its temperature by 1C or
1 K
Specific heat capacity HEAT ENERGY required to produce 1C or 1 K rise in
temperature in a mass of 1 kg.
Latent heat HEAT ABSORBED OR RELEASED when a substance
changes its state without a change in temperature is called
the latent heat of the substance.
Specific latent heat of
fusion
HEAT ENERGY required to change 1 kg of a substance
from solid state to liquid state, without a change in
temperature
Specific latent heat of
vapourisation
HEAT ENERGY required to change 1 kg of a substance
from liquid state to gaseous state, without a change in
temperature

PRINCIPLE
Boyles Law Boyles Law states that the pressure of a fixed mass of gas
is inversely proportional to its volume provided the
temperature of the gas is kept constant(PV = k)
Pressure Law The pressure law states that the pressure of a fixed mass of
gas is directly proportional to its absolute temperature (in
Kelvin), provided the volume of the gas is kept constant(P/T
= k)
Charles Law Charles law states that the volume of a fixed mass of gas is
directly proportional to its absolute temperature (in Kelvin),
provided the pressure of the gas is kept constant(V/T = k)

CHAPTER 5: LIGHT
Refraction PHENOMENON where the direction of light is changed
when it crosses the boundary between two materials of
different optical densities as a result of a change in the
velocity of light.
Apparent depth, d DISTANCE of the image from the surface of water (or the
boundary between the two mediums involved)

Real depth, D
DISTANCE of the object from the surface of the water (or
the boundary between the two mediums involved)
Total internal
reflection
TOTAL REFLECTION of a beam of light at the boundary
of two mediums, when the angle of incidence in the
optically denser medium exceeds a specific critical angle
Critical angle GREATEST ANGLE OF INCIDENCE in the optically
denser medium for which the angle of refraction, r = 90
Power of lens MEASURE OF ITS ABILITY to converge or diverge an
incident beam of light

PRINCIPLE
Laws of Reflection the angle of incidence, i, is equal to the angle of reflection, r
(i = r)
the incident ray, normal and reflected ray will all lie in the
same plane


Law of Refraction

The incident ray and the refracted ray are on the opposite
sides of the normal at the point of incidence, all three lie in
the same plane
Obey Snells law
Snells Law The value of sin i / sin r is a constant.

IMAGE CHARACTERISTICS
Virtual - an image which cannot be projected (focused) onto a screen
Real - an image which can be projected (focused) onto a screen
Laterally inverted - an image which left and right are interchanged
Upright - an image which in vertical position
Diminished - image formed is smaller than the object
Magnified - image formed is larger than the object