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842 terms · page 18 of 36
Length Contraction
The relativistic effect where an object's length in the direction of motion is measured shorter by a stationary observer than its proper…
OpticsLens Maker's Formula
An equation relating a thin lens's focal length to its material refractive index and the radii of curvature of its two spherical surfaces.
Electromagnetism & ElectronicsLenz's Law
A physical law asserting that the direction of an induced current always produces a magnetic field that opposes the change in magnetic flux…
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsLeptons
A family of elementary spin-1/2 fermions that do not experience the strong nuclear interaction.
Astrophysics, Cosmology & RelativityLight Year
An astronomical unit of length equal to the distance light travels in a vacuum in one Julian year (365.25 days).
Mathematical & Computational PhysicsLinear Algebra
The mathematical discipline studying vector spaces, linear transformations, matrices, and systems of linear equations.
Biophysics & Medical PhysicsLinear Energy Transfer (LET)
A measure of the rate at which an ionizing radiation particle deposits ionization energy along its path length through biological tissue.
Thermodynamics & Statistical PhysicsLinear Thermal Expansion
The fractional change in length of a solid material per degree change in temperature.
Condensed Matter & Materials PhysicsLiquid Crystals
States of matter possessing physical properties intermediate between conventional isotropic liquids and ordered crystalline solids.
Nuclear & Particle PhysicsLiquid Drop Model
A classical nuclear model treating the atomic nucleus as an incompressible liquid droplet of dense nuclear fluid bound by short-range…
Waves, Oscillations & AcousticsLissajous Figures
Complex geometric curves traced by combining two perpendicular simple harmonic oscillations.
Geophysics & Environmental PhysicsLithosphere
The rigid, brittle outermost mechanical shell of Earth comprising the entire crust and uppermost solid mantle.
Astrophysics, Cosmology & RelativityLocal Group
The small galaxy cluster group comprising the Milky Way, Andromeda (M31), Triangulum (M33), and over 80 dwarf satellite galaxies.
Electromagnetism & ElectronicsLogic Gates
Elementary digital electronic building blocks that perform Boolean logical operations on one or more binary inputs to yield a single binary…
Waves, Oscillations & AcousticsLongitudinal Wave
A wave in which medium particles oscillate parallel to the direction of wave energy propagation.
Astrophysics, Cosmology & RelativityLorentz Factor
The fundamental relativistic factor by which time dilation, length contraction, and relativistic mass scale for objects moving at velocity…
Electromagnetism & ElectronicsLorentz Force
The combined force exerted on a charged particle moving through electromagnetic fields containing both electric and magnetic field…
Waves, Oscillations & AcousticsLoudness
The subjective human psychological sensation of sound strength, depending on physical intensity and ear frequency response.
OpticsLuminous Flux
A photometric quantity measuring total perceived power of light emitted by a source, weighted by human eye spectral sensitivity.
Quantum & Atomic PhysicsLyman Series
The hydrogen spectral series resulting from electron transitions dropping from higher excited states down to the ground state (n=1).
Waves, Oscillations & AcousticsMach Number
A dimensionless speed ratio equal to the speed of an object or fluid divided by local speed of sound in the surrounding medium.
Mathematical & Computational PhysicsMachine Learning in Physics
The application of artificial intelligence, neural networks, and statistical learning models to solve complex physical equations and…
Thermodynamics & Statistical PhysicsMacrostate
The macroscopic state of a thermodynamic system defined by observable thermodynamic variables like pressure, volume, temperature, and total…
Plasma PhysicsMagnetic Confinement
The trapping of high-temperature fusion plasma using intense magnetic fields that exert Lorentz forces to prevent plasma particles from…