Terms to Know—Physics (2012)
Diffraction is the bending of a wave around corners and edges.
Refraction is the bending of a wave as it passes from one medium to another.
Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of the molecules.
Heat is a measure of the total kinetic energy of the molecules.
A decibel (dB) is 1/10th of a Bel.
0 dB is the threshold of hearing, meaning the average person cannot hear a sound with less intensity
than 0 dB.
3 dB is the minimum sound loudness difference which the average person can discern.
When a rope is tied tightly to a pole, it will change phase 180o.
When the rope is tied loosely, it doesn’t change phase.
Memorize Archimedes’ principle and Bernoulli’s principle.
An object sinking still experiences a buoyant force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced.
An object floating experiences a buoyant force equal to its own weight.
Bernoulli’s principle and Newton’s 3rd law are what provide the lift on an airplane wing.
The deeper you go in a liquid, the greater the pressure.
A standing wave is the result of an incident wave and it’s reflected wave interfering with one another.
The speed of sound is about 343 m/s.
The speed of light is 3.0 x 108 m/s.
Gravity is the bending of the space-time continuum, according to Einstein.
Einstein’s two postulates (memorize):
Light travels at the same speed (c) – 3.0 x 108 m/s in every frame of reference.
Hence we can never measure light to travel faster than “c” regardless.
The laws of physics are the same in every frame of reference.
Sound is a mechanical wave and hence cannot travel through a vacuum – it needs a medium.
The density of H2O (memorize): 1 gm/cm3 and 1000 kg/m3.
In our resonance lab with a tuning fork, resonance occurred at ¼ wavelength.
Heat terms to memorize:
adiabatic: no heat gain or loss
isothermal: temperature does not change
Know how the 1st and 2nd laws of thermodynamics relates to evidence for creation.
The speed of a wave is determined solely by the medium.
The frequency of a wave is determined by the source.
(Hence when a sound wave travels from air to water, the frequency remains the same.)
At 4oC water is the most dense.
Be able to recognize pictures of standing waves, transverse waves, longitudinal waves and
electromagnetic waves.
Be able to use v = fand f = 1/T (Be able to convert from frequency [f] to period [T] and vice-versa,
being careful of the units.)
Know the following dates:
1905—Einstein publishes his special theory of relativity
1916—Einstein publishes his general theory of relativity
1919—Sir Arthur Eddington verifies Einstein’s general theory of relativity during an eclipse.
1921—Einstein receives the Noble prize for his explanation of the photoelectric effect.
Recognize the symbols and pictures of several electrical components.
Be able to analyze an electric field based on a positive test charge.
Be able to do calculations using Coulomb’s Law.
Be able to recognize pictures of a Leyden jar (essentially a capacitor), an electroscope and a Van de
Graaff generator.
Be able to recognize conduction, convection and radiation examples and definitions.
Be able to convert oC  oF, oF  oC and oC  K using formulas given to you.
Be able to do a hydraulic jack calculation. (F1/A1 = F2/A2)
Be able to describe how charge moves when a charged rod is brought near or actually touches an
uncharged globe or electroscope.
Be able to recognize charge by conduction, induction and induction by grounding.
Be able to locate nodes (“no displacement”) and antinodes.
Know how to properly jump a stalled automobile battery. (HINT: Do NOT simply connect “-“ to “-“.)
Be able to calculate the equivalent resistance (RT) and draw the equivalent circuit (a battery across
the RT) for a series or parallel circuit.
Be able to determine the voltage drop across each resistor and the current through each resistor in a
series and parallel circuit.
Be able to simplify and draw the equivalent circuit for mixed circuits.
Be able to label a power adapter circuit for charging a battery in a laptop or similar device, indicating
the names of the components and what each portion does.
Be able to explain the twin paradox.
Be able to calculate  (gamma factor) for relativistic speeds using the Lorentz transformation formula.
Be able to calculate time dilation, length contraction and mass expansion using the gamma factor.
Be able to calculate velocities using the relativistic addition of velocities formula.
Be able to calculate the amount of product remaining after a give number of half-lives.
Be able to balance nuclear reactions and label as alpha or beta decay, neutron capture and fusion.