This page gathers the 3,177 dictionary entries belonging to the domain “Physics”, as labelled by Wiktionary. Each word leads to its full entry: definitions, etymology, pronunciation, examples. Page 26 of 32: from “semi-period” to “southpole”.
- semi-period noun Half of the period of a wave etc; typically the time taken for part of a wave to be replaced by a similar part that is out of phase.
- semiclassical adj Of, pertaining to, or being a theory that describes a physical system by dividing it into two parts, one described by classical physics and…
- semiconductance noun The conductance of a semiconductor.
- semiconductor noun A substance with electrical properties intermediate between a good conductor and a good insulator.
- semigrand adj Pertaining to a distribution of species that holds the number of particles, pressure, and temperature fixed but allows mole fractions of…
- semileptonic adj Of or pertaining to the decay of a hadron through the weak nuclear force in which one lepton (and the corresponding neutrino) is produced…
- semiorthogonal adj Orthogonal to the corresponding approximation space.
- semipolar adj Partially polar
- semivacancy noun A vacancy defect in which two adjacent lattice sites are unoccupied and an atom occupies the interstitial site between the two vacant sites.
- sensitivity noun The degree of response of an instrument to a change in an input signal.
- separatrix noun The line between regions having different magnetic fields.
- sequential logic noun A form of digital circuit logic where the current outputs depend not only on the current inputs, but also on a memory of past inputs and…
- setup time noun The minimum amount of time for which the data input should be held steady before the clock event for reliable sampling.
- sextate adj sixfold degenerate
- sextupole noun a distribution of either electric charge or magnetization equivalent to three dipoles that point in different directions
- sfermion noun A sparticle of the class of spin-0 superpartners of ordinary fermions appearing in supersymmetric extensions to the Standard Model.
- SGM noun Initialism of spherical grating monochromator.
- shadowgraph noun An optical technique of visualizing patterns of fluid flow by using differences in refractive index
- shear verb To deform because of forces pushing in opposite directions.
- shear stress noun The component of stress that causes parallel layers of a material to move relative to each other in their own planes.
- shear wave noun A wave that changes the medium through which it travels to change its shape but not its volume or density.
- sheath noun The insulating outer cover of an electrical cable.
- shield verb To protect from the influence of.
- shielded twisted pair noun A pair of twisted wires which is surrounded by a metal shield in order to protect from EMI.
- shock noun A shock wave.
- shock wave noun A powerful compression wave produced by the movement of a body through a fluid or gas at a velocity greater than the local speed of sound.
- shocked adj Affected, altered, or transformed by one or more shock waves.
- shockfront noun the leading edge of a shock wave; the rapidly expanding interface between a pressure disturbance created, for example, by an explosion and…
- short circuit noun A usually unintentional connection of low resistance or impedance in a circuit such that excessive and often damaging current flows in it.
- short wave noun Alternative form of shortwave.
- shortwave noun An electromagnetic wave with a relatively short wavelength; specifically, one with a wavelength generally between 10 and 100 metres…
- Shubnikov-de Haas effect noun An oscillation in the conductivity of a material that occurs at low temperatures in the presence of very intense magnetic fields.
- shunt noun A connection used as an alternative path between parts of an electrical circuit.
- sidemode noun Any of a series of frequencies (usually observed as small peaks) regularly spaced each side of a main frequency
- signal processing noun A subfield of electrical engineering focusing on analyzing, modifying and synthesizing signals, such as sound, images, potential fields…
- silicon burning noun the nucleosynthesis process, in stars where temperatures exceed 3x10⁹K, in which silicon undergoes photodisintegration to form fragments…
- silicon-28 noun The major stable isotope of silicon, 2814Si, having fourteen protons and fourteen neutrons; it amounts to over 92% of the element in nature
- silicon-29 noun A minor stable isotope of silicon, 2914Si, having fourteen protons and fifteen neutrons; it amounts to almost 5% of the element in nature
- silicon-30 noun A minor stable isotope of silicon, 3014Si, having fourteen protons and sixteen neutrons; it amounts to 3% of the element in nature
- simple machine noun A device that only requires the application of a single force to work.
- single data rate noun A communication signaling technique that transfers data on either the rising edge or the falling edge of the clock signal.
- single-molecule magnet noun A complex compound, typically containing clusters of transition elements, each molecule of which acts as a small magnet.
- single-phase adj Using an alternating current in which all voltages supplied are in the same phase.
- single-phasing noun The abnormal operation of a three-phase machine when its supply is changed by the accidental opening of one conductor.
- singlet noun A multiplet having a single member, especially a single spectroscopic peak.
- singlet oxygen noun A metastable state of molecular oxygen that has a slightly higher energy than normal triplet oxygen and is more chemically reactive.
- singleworld adj Relating to the form of the universe in which the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics is rejected.
- singularity noun Ellipsis of gravitational singularity (“a point or region in spacetime in which gravitational forces cause matter to have an infinite…
- Sisyphus cooling noun The use of specially selected laser light, hitting atoms from various angles to both cool and trap them in a potential well, effectively…
- skew noun A phenomenon in synchronous digital circuit systems (such as computers) in which the same sourced clock signal arrives at different…
- skim pit noun An open-air pit into which a mixture of oil and water is pumped and left to separate so that the oil can be extracted.
- skin effect noun The tendency of an alternating current to distribute itself in a conductor such that the current density is greater near the surface than…
- skylight noun Diffuse sky radiation—solar radiation reaching the earth's surface after having been scattered from the direct solar beam by molecules or…
- skyrmion noun Any of a particular class of topological soliton that can be used to model certain properties of a nucleon.
- skyrmionic adj Relating to skyrmionics.
- slab line noun A central conductor surrounded by two planar ground slabs.
- slapdown noun The impact of a layer of earth falling after having been lifted by an explosion or an earthquake or similar large-scale disturbance.
- sleeve noun A double tube of copper into which the ends of bare wires are pushed so that when the tube is twisted an electrical connection is made. The…
- slick noun A rapidly-expanding ring of dark water, resembling an oil slick, around the site of a large underwater explosion at shallow depth, marking…
- slinch noun An English unit of mass equal to 12 slugs (386.088 pounds-mass), that accelerates by 1 inch per second squared (1 in/s²) when a force of…
- slip noun The difference between the actual and synchronous speeds of an induction motor.
- slot noun A channel opening in the stator or rotor of a rotating machine for ventilation and insertion of windings.
- slow light noun The propagation of an optical pulse or other modulation of an optical carrier at a very low group velocity.
- slowness noun A unit, the reciprocal of velocity, that delineates the amount of time required for an object to travel a given distance.
- slug noun The imperial (English) unit of mass that accelerates by 1 foot per second squared (1 ft/s²) when a force of one pound-force (lbf) is…
- small appliance noun A portable or semiportable machine, generally used on tabletops, countertops or other platforms, to accomplish a household task.
- Small Scale Integration noun an integration type for digital circuits that contain transistors numbering in the tens providing a few logic gates per chip
- SMD noun Initialism of surface-mount(ed) device.
- smearer noun A circuit used to eliminate the overshoot of a pulse.
- smectic adj Whose molecules are aligned in layers, with the molecules lying perpendicular to the plane of the layers.
- SMF noun single-mode fibre; a type of an optical fibre which is designed to carry only a single ray of light.
- snap noun jounce (the fourth derivative of the position vector with respect to time), followed by crackle and pop
- snark noun A fluke or unrepeatable result or detection in an experiment.
- SNR noun signal-to-noise ratio
- sociophysics noun The study of social and political behavior using tools and concepts from physics and physical chemistry
- socket noun An opening into which a plug or other connecting part is designed to fit (e.g. a light bulb socket).
- sofar channel noun The depth in the oceans, usually around 750 m below the surface, where the speed of sound is the lowest, causing it to transmit sound waves…
- soft adj Of a ferromagnetic material; a material that becomes essentially non-magnetic when an external magnetic field is removed, a material with a…
- soft error noun A type of transient error where a signal or datum is momentarily wrong, caused for example by an ionizing particle striking a chip.
- soft key noun A button, located along a display device, which performs whatever function is shown near it on the display.
- soft photon noun A photon, whose energy is too small to be detected, that is one of a cloud associated with a charged particle.
- solar generator noun A battery box, capable of providing power in amounts like a generator. It is not a generator, not generating any electricity from fuel…
- solar power noun The conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics, indirectly using concentrated solar power, or…
- solder mask noun A thin lacquer-like layer of polymer that is usually applied to the copper traces of a printed circuit board for protection against…
- solder stop noun Synonym of solder mask.
- solenoid noun A coil of wire that acts as a magnet when an electric current flows through it.
- solid phase noun One of the three fundamental structural phases of matter in which the cohesive force of matter is strong enough to keep the molecules or…
- solid solution noun Any homogenous crystalline solid, consisting of more than one type of molecule or atom randomly dispersed, in which the structure is…
- solid-state adj Having or relating to the physical properties of solid materials, especially electromagnetic, thermodynamic or structural properties of…
- solid-state battery noun An electrical battery that uses a solid electrolyte to conduct ions between the electrodes, instead of the liquid or gel polymer…
- solid-state physics noun The study of the physical properties of solid materials, focusing on the processes that their atomic and subatomic interactions give rise…
- solidus noun The line in a phase diagram marking the temperatures and pressures below which a given substance is a stable solid.
- solion noun An electrochemical device of the 1950s, intended to replace the transistor in certain situations, and using ions rather than electrons to…
- solitary wave noun A self-reinforcing pulse or travelling wave caused by any non-linear effect (found in many physical systems).
- Sommerfeld parameter noun A dimensionless quantity, denoted by η, used in nuclear astrophysics in the calculation of reaction rates between two nuclei and in the…
- sonic boom noun The audible effect of a shock wave in the air, especially one caused by an aircraft flying faster than the speed of sound.
- source noun The name of one terminal of a field effect transistor (FET).
- south noun The negative or south pole of a magnet
- south pole noun The negative pole of a magnetic dipole that seeks geographic south.
- southpole noun Dated form of south pole (“one of the two poles of a magnet”).