Chapter 1Wave A disturbance which moves through the medium. It carries energy from

one location to another without transporting the material of the medium

Sinusoidal waves

A particular type of periodic wave in which the motion of the wave at a particular point in space undergoes simple harmonic motion

Amplitude The magnitude of the maximum displacement of any particle from its equilibrium position

Wavelength The distance between two adjacent crests or troughsPeriod The time for the wave to travel a distance of one wavelength Frequency The number of wavelength per second which pass a given pointTransverse wave

(shear waves) The particle motion is perpendicular to the direction of the motion of the wave

Longitudinal wave

(compressional waves) The particle motion is parallel to the direction of the motion of the wave

Mechanical wave

Wave that requires a material medium for their propagation e.g. Water waves

Electromagnetic wave

Wave that requires no medium for their propagation.e.g. light

Principle of superposition and interference

Whenever two or more traveling waves are moving in the same region the total displacement at any point is equal to the vector of their individual displacements at the point

Interference Refers to what happens when two waves pass through the same region of space at the same time.

Destructive Interference

A combined wave that has a smaller amplitude that the individual waves

Constructive Interference

A combined wave that has a greater amplitude that the individual waves

Total constructive interference

Occurs when two waves of the same frequency and amplitude are exactly in phase.

Total destructive interference

Occurs when two waves of the same frequency and amplitude are completely 180o out of phase

Standing(Stationary wave)

Result when two waves which are traveling in opposite direction and have the same speed and frequency and approximately equal amplitudes, are superposed

Nodes Point of zero amplitudeAntinodes Position of maximum amplitudeResonance A phenomena in wich the vibrational amplitude of a system is greatly

enhanced.It is caused by the match of the driving frequency of an external source to the natural frequency of the system

Chapter 2

Sound waves Longitudinal wave, requires medium, contains compression and decompression, produces by vibrating objects and can be detect by ears, device or instrument.

Pitch How high or low a sound seemsLoudness Related to the energy in the sound wavesSound transducer Any device that transforms one form of power into another Intensity The energy transported by a wave per unit time across unit

area of a sphere.Audible waves Waves that lie within the range of sensitivity of the human ear.

(20Hz to 20000Hz)Infrasonic waves Waves having frequencies below audible range. (less than 20

Hz) e.g. Earthquakes, thunder, volcanoesUltrasonic waves Waves having frequencies above the audible range (more than

20000Hz)Beat A periodic variation in intensity at a given point due to the

superposition of two waves having slightly different frequencies

Beat frequency The numbers of beats one hears per second which is equals to the difference in frequency between the two sources.

Threshold of hearing Faintest sound most humans can hear (1 x 10-2W/m2)Threshold of pain Loudest sound most humans can tolerate (1 W/m2)(Decibel) A unit of gain or loss in power on logarithmic basis, using

base 10 logarithms.Doppler effect A change in pitch(or frequency) of the wave motion should be

observed when a source of sound was moving

Chapter 3

Wave front The line or surface defined by adjacent portions of a wave that is in phase

The law of reflection The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflectionRefraction The change in direction of a wave at a boundary where it passes

from one medium to another as a result of different wave speeds in different media.

Dispersion Each colour of each frequency is refracted in different direction when white light is shone on the surface os a glass prism

Total internal reflection

Occurs when light attempts to move from a medium having a given index of refraction to one having a lower index of refraction.

Center of curvature The point on the optic axis that corresponds o the center of the sphere of which the mirror forms a section

Radius of curvature The distance from the vertex to the center of curvature

Paraxial rays Rays that lie close to the pricipal axisFocal point The point on the principal axis from which such rays appear to

emanate or diverge Focal length The distance between the focal point and the vertex of the

spherical sectionCompound microscope A device consisting of an object and an eyepiece lens which

produces an enlarged inverted, and virtual image of an objectAstronomical telescope

A device which magnifies distant objects with the aid of objective and eyepiece lenses that produces final image which is inverted and virtual

Huygens’ principal All points on a given wave front are taken as point sources for the production of spherical secondary wave, called wavelets, which propagate outward with speeds characteristic of waves in that medium

Coherence sources Soures that is in constant phaseMonochromatic sources

Sources that have single frequency

Diffraction grating Consists of large number of equally spaced parallel slitsPolarizer A material that allows only light with a specific angle of

vibration to pass through Linear polarization A special case of circularly polarized light

Scattering When light is incident on a system of particles, the electrons in the medium can absorb and reradiate part of the light.

Chapter 4

Blackbody A body that absords and emits all radiant energy falling upon itPhotoelectric effect

The ejection of electrons from metal plate due to photon/light

Work function The minimum energy required for a free elctron i n the metal to escape from the metal surface.

Quantum theory A beam of light is seen as bundlies of discrete energy packages called photon.

Atomic line spectra

The range of characteristic frequencies of electromagnetic radiation that are readily absorbed and emitted by an atom.

Chapter 5Atomic number The number of protons in the nucleus (charge number)Mass number The number of neutrons and protons in the nucleusActivity The decay rate of a sample

Half life Time taken of a given number of radioactive nuclei to decayBinding energy The energy that must be added to anucleus to break it apart into its

componentsFission Process where large nucleus splits into two smaller nucleiFusion Process where two small nucleus fuss to form a larger oneIsotopes Element that have the same atomic number but different neutron

numberRadioactivity the emission of ionizing radiation or particles caused by the

spontaneous disintegration of atomic nuclei.Decay constant Probability of decay per nucleus per secondGeneral rule The sum of the mass number and atomic number must be same on

the both sides of the equationRelativistic energy and momentum must be conserved

Disintegration energy

The energy released during radioactive decay.

Alpha decay The radioactive decay of an atomic nucleus by emission of an alpha particle

Gamma decay The release of energy in the form of gamma raysBeta decay The radioactive decay in which an electron is emitted.

Nuclear reaction Reaction that occurs when nuclei collide and different nuclei are produced

Chapter 6Heat Energy that is transferred from a higher temperature object

to a lower temperature object when there is a difference in temperature

Temperature A relatuve measure or indication of hotness or coldness of n object or a system

Thermal contact Two objects are said to be in thermal contact with each other if heat can be exchanged between them

Thermal equilibrium A situation where two objects in contact with each other but no exchange og heat takes place

Thermometric property A property that changes with temperatureLinear expansion The increase in any one dimension of a solidConduction The process whereby heat is transferred directly through a

material, any bulk motion of the material playing no role in the transfer

Convection The process in which heat is carried from place to place by the bulk movement of a fluid

Radiation The process in which energy is transferred by means of electromagnetic waves

Specific heat capacity The amount of energy required to increase the temperature of 1kg of a substances by 1OC

Latent heat The heat per kilogram that must be added or removed whn a substance changes from one phase to another at a constant temperature

Latent heat of fusion Heat required to change 1kg of solid to liquid while the temperature remains the freezing point

Latent heat of vaporization

Heat required to change 1kg of liquid to steam while the temperature remains at the boiling point

Boyle’s law At a constant temperature, the absolute pressure of a fixed mass (fixed number of mols)of a low density gas is inversely proportional to its volume

Charles’ law At a constant pressure, the volume of a fixed mass (fixed number of mols)of a low density gas is inversely proportional to the Kelvin temperature

Gay-Lussac’s law At a constant volume, the pressure of a gas is directly proportional to the absolute temperature.

Thermodynamic process The procedure that changes the system from its initial state to its final state

First law of thermodynamics

The total energy in a closed system is constant

Absolute zero Temperature at which a thermodynamic system has the lowest energy

Zeroth law If object A and B are each separately in thermal equilibrium with third object, C, then they are in thermal equilibrium with each other if placed in thermal contact.