Coulomb Total charge supplied by a current of one ampere in a time of 1 second
Volt Energy transfer per unit charge of 1 Joule per Coulomb
Ohm A resistance of 1 Volt per Ampere Kilowatt-hour The energy transferred by an appliance of power 1 kW in a time of 1 hour Electronvolt The energy change of an electron when it moves through a potential difference of 1 volt Mean drift velocity The average velocity of current carriers in the direction of the current Transverse wave A wave with oscillations perpendicular to the direction of propagation Longitudinal wave A wave with oscillations in the direction of propagation Reflection A process where waves from a source hit an object and then move back towards the source Refraction A process where a wave changes direction as it passes from one material to another Diffraction A process where a wave spreads out after passing around an object or through a gap Plane polarisation A process that produces a wave that oscillates only in one plane Interference A process of combining multiple waves so that their amplitudes add Coherence Waves are coherent if they have a constant phase difference Path difference The difference in distance along two paths taken by parts of a wave that have split from each other and then re-combined Node A point on a stationary wave that has zero amplitude of oscillation Anti-node A point on a wave that has maximum amplitude of oscillation Fundamental mode of vibration The mode of vibration of a standing wave that gives the lowest possible frequency of vibration Harmonics Modes of vibration of a standing wave that have frequencies that are multiples of the fundamental frequency Electromotive force (e.m.f.) Energy transferred per unit charge when one other type of energy is converted into electrical energy Potential difference (p.d.) The electrical energy transferred per unit charge when electrical energy is converted into another form of energy Resistance Potential difference / current Resistivity Cross-sectional area * resistance per unit length of a wire Power Rate of energy transfer Terminal p.d. The p.d. across the terminals of a battery Displacement The distance of any part of a wave has moved from its mean position Amplitude The maximum displacement Wavelength The shortest distance between 2 points that are in phase Period The time taken for one complete oscillation to take place at any point on the wave Phase difference The relationship between the pattern of vibration at two points on the wave Frequency The number of oscillations per unit time at any point on the wave Intensity The incident power per unit area Work function The minimum energy required to release an electron by the photoelectric effect Threshold frequency The minimum frequency of light that will release an electron by the photoelectric effect QUANTITIES CONCEPTS UNITS