Foundations of Physics
63 terms · page 2 of 3
Independent Variable
The experimental condition or factor intentionally manipulated by the researcher to observe its effect on an outcome.
Foundations of PhysicsInertial Mass
A measure of an object's intrinsic resistance to changes in its velocity when subjected to a net force.
Foundations of PhysicsKelvin
The SI base unit of thermodynamic temperature, defined by fixing the Boltzmann constant to k = 1.380649 × 10⁻²³ J/K.
Foundations of PhysicsLeast Count
The smallest scale division or magnitude that can be measured directly using a given instrument.
Foundations of PhysicsLeast Squares Method
A statistical technique used to determine the line or curve of best fit through experimental data points by minimizing the sum of squared…
Foundations of PhysicsLength
The spatial extent or distance between two points measured along a specified path.
Foundations of PhysicsMass
A fundamental intrinsic property of matter that quantifies both the amount of substance in an object and its inertia (resistance to…
Foundations of PhysicsMatter
Anything that possesses mass, occupies volume, and is composed of fundamental particles such as quarks and leptons.
Foundations of PhysicsMicrometer Screw Gauge
An ultra-precise measuring tool that uses a calibrated screw thread mechanism to measure microscopic thicknesses or diameters.
Foundations of PhysicsMole
The SI base unit for amount of substance, containing exactly 6.02214076 × 10²³ elementary entities.
Foundations of PhysicsNull Vector
A vector having zero magnitude and an arbitrary or indeterminate direction.
Foundations of PhysicsOrder of Magnitude
An exponential estimate of the size of a quantity, expressed as the power of ten closest to the numerical value.
Foundations of PhysicsPercentage Uncertainty
The absolute uncertainty of a measurement divided by the measured value, expressed as a percentage.
Foundations of PhysicsPhysical Quantity
A quantifiable property of a physical system or phenomenon that can be measured and expressed as a numerical value multiplied by a unit.
Foundations of PhysicsPlanck's Constant
A fundamental physical constant that sets the scale for quantum mechanical phenomena, relating photon energy to its frequency.
Foundations of PhysicsPolar Coordinates
A 2D coordinate system specifying point location by radial distance r from the origin and angular displacement θ from a reference axis.
Foundations of PhysicsPrecision
The degree of agreement or repeatability among independent measurements of the same quantity taken under identical conditions.
Foundations of PhysicsPressure
The perpendicular force exerted per unit surface area over which that force is distributed.
Foundations of PhysicsRandom Error
Unpredictable, non-repeatable fluctuations in experimental measurements that occur with equal probability in either direction.
Foundations of PhysicsReproducibility
The requirement that an experimental finding can be independently duplicated by other researchers using the same procedures.
Foundations of PhysicsResultant Vector
The single combined vector that produces the exact same net physical effect as two or more individual vectors acting simultaneously.
Foundations of PhysicsScalar
A physical quantity that is completely specified by its magnitude (value and unit) alone, possessing no direction.
Foundations of PhysicsScalar Product
An algebraic vector operation that multiplies two vectors to yield a scalar equal to the product of their magnitudes and the cosine of the…
Foundations of PhysicsScientific Law
A concise verbal or mathematical statement that describes a universal, consistently observed relationship in nature under specified…