General physics

General physics

Terms realting to physics that are not fit for other subcategories.

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General physics

free-body diagram

Physics; General physics

Illustrates the forces acting on an object, drawn as vectors originating from the center of the object.

frictional force

Physics; General physics

A force caused by the roughness of two materials in contact, deformations in the materials, and a molecular attraction between the materials. Frictional forces are always parallel to the plane of ...

The standing wave with the lowest frequency that is supported by a string with both ends tied down is called the fundamental, or resonance, of the string. The wavelength of the fundamental is twice ...

gamma decay

Physics; General physics

A form of radioactivity where an excited atom releases a photon of gamma radiation, thereby returning to a lower energy state. The atomic structure itself does not change in the course of gamma ...

gold foil experiment

Physics; General physics

An experiment by Ernest Rutherford that proved for the first time that atoms have nuclei.

gravitational constant

Physics; General physics

The constant of proportionality in Newton’s Law of Gravitation. It reflects the proportion of the gravitational force and m 1 m 2 / r 2 , the product of two particles’ masses divided by the ...

harmonic series

Physics; General physics

The series of standing waves supported by a string with both ends tied down. The first member of the series, called the fundamental, has two nodes at the ends and one anti-node in the middle. The ...