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 9 of 32: from “duality” to “emitter”.
- duality noun The mathematical equivalence of two seemingly different theoretical descriptions of a physical system.
- duct noun A layer (as in the atmosphere or the ocean) which occurs under usually abnormal conditions and in which radio or sound waves are confined…
- duplet noun the set of two electrons, with antiparallel spins, in the same orbital
- duplexer noun A device that enables communication in two directions over a single path.
- dusty plasma noun A plasma containing particles larger than the ions of the plasma; typically manufactured plastic microspheres.
- duty cycle noun The ratio between the amount of time in which the clock's signal is high and the clock's period.
- dwell noun A planned delay in a timed control program.
- dwell time noun The amount of time that an antenna beam spends on a target.
- dynamic noun A moving force.
- dynamic pressure noun The pressure exerted upon a body in contact with a fluid due to the relative motion between the two.
- dynamics noun The branch of mechanics that is concerned with the effects of forces on the motion of objects.
- dynamo noun An electricity generator; a dynamo-electric machine.
- dynamo theory noun A proposed mechanism, involving a rotating, convecting, and electrically conducting fluid, by which a celestial body generates and…
- e- prefix Used to prefix items that are embedded into devices, instead of being discrete or removable elements.
- Early effect noun The variation in the effective width of the base in a bipolar junction transistor due to a variation in the applied base-to-collector…
- Eddington luminosity noun The maximum luminosity of a source where the continuum radiation force outwards balances the gravitational force inwards in hydrostatic…
- eddy current noun An induced electric current formed within the body of a conductor when it is exposed to a time varying magnetic field; used in induction…
- edge-triggered adj Describing a circuit or component which is either positive-edge-triggered or negative-edge-triggered.
- effective adj approximate; Not describing the fundamental dynamic changes in some system as they happen.
- efficiency noun The ratio of useful work to energy expended. Often given the symbol η.
- effusion noun Process of gases passing through a hole or holes considerably smaller than the mean free path of the gas molecules.
- effusivity noun A measure of a material's ability to exchange thermal energy with its surroundings; the square root of the product of its thermal…
- egression noun A calculated version of the wave field that emanated from a specified location at a specified time.
- Ehrenfest model noun A model of diffusion used to explain the second law of thermodynamics, considering a number of particles in two containers, which…
- eigengene noun One of a set of right singular vectors of a genes x samples matrix that tabulates, e.g., the mRNA or gene expression of the genes across…
- eigenobservable noun in atomic physics, a specific set of linear combinations of observables that represents the relaxation of an optically pumped system as a…
- eigenstate noun A dynamic quantum mechanical state whose wave function is an eigenvector that corresponds to a physical quantity.
- eigenvector noun A right eigenvector; given a matrix A, the eigenvector of the transformation "left-side multiplication by A."
- eikonal adj Describing the properties of a class of partial differential equation encountered in descriptions of wave propagation.
- eikonometer noun An instrument for determining the magnifying power of a microscope
- einstein noun A shape that can be repeated to cover a plane with a nonrepeating pattern.
- Einstein cross noun A gravitational lens configuration resulting in four duplicated images of the back ground image around the central gravitationally lensing…
- Einstein–de Haas effect noun A physical phenomenon in which a change in the magnetic moment of a free body causes the body to rotate, as a consequence of the…
- ejectile noun A particle that is emitted during a reaction, typically the lighter reaction product in a two-body reaction.
- elaboration noun The process of taking a parsed tree of an abstract integrated circuit definition in a language such as Verilog and creating a hierarchy of…
- elastance noun An electrical property that is the inverse of capacitance.
- elastic energy noun The potential energy stored in a system when it is distorted or deformed; the classic example is that of a coiled spring
- elastic limit noun The level of stress at which a solid undergoes a greater change in strain than predicted by Hooke's law; often followed by necking and…
- elasticity noun The property by virtue of which a material deformed under load can regain its original dimensions when unloaded
- elastoplasticity noun The condition of showing both elastic and plastic properties, typically as a result of being stretched beyond an elastic limit
- electret noun A solid dielectric having a quasi-permanent charge; usually a metallized film; used in electroacoustic and electromechanical transducers…
- electric charge noun The static electric energy of a charged body.
- electric current noun A net unidirectional movement of electrons, or other charge carriers, caused by a potential difference.
- electric discharge noun The withdraw of electric charge.
- electric energy noun The potential energy of an electric charge in an electric field, or of an electric current in a magnetic field.
- electric field noun A region of space around a charged particle, or between two voltages, which exerts a force on charged objects in its vicinity.
- electric main noun The principal or main electrical supply line that distributes electricity from the utility grid to a building or home.
- electrical bus noun Synonym of bus (“an electrical conductor or interface serving as a common connection for two or more circuits or components”)
- electrical resistance noun The opposition offered by an electrical conductor to the flow of a current through itself, resulting in a conversion of electrical energy…
- electricity noun The study of electrical phenomena; the branch of science dealing with such phenomena.
- electroactive adj describing any material (especially in a cell) that is electrically active or responsive
- electroantennogram noun a display of the electrical activity of the cells of an insect antenna, especially in response to the detection of odour
- electrobiology noun The study of the production and use of electricity by biological organisms.
- electroconvection noun The flow of molecules of a liquid crystal (or other fluid) under the influence of an applied electric field
- electrodecantation noun a technique for the separation of the constituents of colloids (sols) using a combination of electrodialysis and gravity
- electrodynamics noun The phenomena associated with moving electric charges, and their interaction with electric and magnetic fields; the study of these…
- electrogenesis noun The production of electricity (or the transfer of electrons) (typically in the tissues of a living organism)
- electrogyro noun A unit that works first as a motor, taking energy from an electrical supply and converting it into kinetic energy which is stored in…
- electrokinesis noun The transport of particles or fluid by means of an electric field acting on a fluid which has a net mobile charge.
- electrokinetic adj Describing any of several phenomena in which electric charge causes movement
- electroluminescence noun The generation of light by the application of an alternating current to a semiconductor or phosphor, or by an electric discharge through a…
- electromagnetic field noun The field of force that is due to the interaction of electric and magnetic forces of charged bodies.
- electromagnetic force noun A long-range fundamental force that acts between charged bodies, mediated by the exchange of photons.
- electromagnetic spectrum noun The entire range of wavelengths of all known electromagnetic radiations extending from gamma rays, to X-rays through visible light…
- electromagnetism noun A unified fundamental force that combines the aspects of electricity and magnetism and is one of the four fundamental forces.
- electromagnetohydrodynamics noun The study of the interaction of electric and magnetic fields with electrically conducting or magnetic fluids.
- electromigration noun the transport of small particles under the influence of an electric charge; the separation of ions of isotopes by this method
- electromotion noun The motion of electricity in a circuit or cell.
- electromotor noun Any device that generates electricity.
- electron noun The subatomic particle having a negative charge and orbiting the nucleus; the flow of electrons in a conductor constitutes electricity.
- electron affinity noun The energy released when an electron is attached to an atom or molecule; used as a measure of its ability to form an anion
- electron capture noun A nuclear reaction in which an electron (either free, or from the shell of the atom itself) is absorbed into a nucleus, a proton being…
- electron cloud noun A mathematically defined region around an atomic nucleus defined by a high probability that the atom's electrons will be present in that…
- electron density noun A measure of the probability of finding an electron at a specific location within an orbital.
- electron gun noun Any device that produces a stream of electrons, especially a narrow stream that is focused onto a phosphor screen.
- electron pair noun Two electrons having opposite spin but all other quantum numbers the same; i.e. two electrons in the same atomic orbital or molecular…
- electron shell noun The collective states of all electrons in an atom having the same principal quantum number (visualized as an orbit in which the electrons…
- electron spin resonance noun The absorption of radiation by species having unpaired electrons when placed in a magnetic field that is used spectroscopically to detect…
- electron tube noun Any of several electronic devices that control electron current through vacuum, gas or vapor between electrodes within a sealed container…
- electron volt noun A unit for measuring the energy of subatomic particles; the energy equal to that attained by an electron moving through a potential…
- electron wave function noun A function of the position and spin of an electron; related to the probability of finding the electron in a specified position
- electronic adj Of or pertaining to an electron or electrons.
- electronics noun The study and use of electrical devices that operate by controlling the flow of electrons or other electrically charged particles or by…
- electronuclear adj Describing any theory or system that unifies the electromagnetic with the strong nuclear and weak nuclear forces.
- electroosmosis noun the migration of ions in a solvent through the capillaries of a membrane under the influence of an applied electric field
- electrophore noun electrode
- electrophoresis noun The migration of electrically charged molecules through a medium under the influence of an electric field.
- electrophorus noun An early apparatus, consisting of a rubber disk and a metal plate, for generating static electricity.
- electrophysics noun The study of the physics of electrical phenomena, such as the those relating to fusion, electromagnets, etc
- electropositive noun A body which passes to the negative pole in electrolysis.
- electroproduction noun the production of a molecular species (e.g. a radical or ion) by means of electricity (or electrons)
- electropulsation noun The application of pulses of electricity to individual cells in order to make its membrane temporarily permeable
- electroscope noun a simple device that detects the presence of an electric charge by the mutual repulsion of metal foils or pith balls
- electrostatics noun the branch of physics that deals with static electricity; that is, with the force exerted by an unchanging electric field upon a charged…
- electrovalency noun The net electric charge on an ion.
- elementary adj Relating to a subatomic particle.
- elementary particle noun A fundamental particle; any of the subatomic particles that do not consist of other, smaller particles; the gauge bosons, leptons and…
- emission spectrum noun The spectrum of frequencies of electromagnetic radiation emitted due to electrons making a transition from a high energy state to a lower…
- emission theory noun A discredited scientific theory, once considered an alternative to special relativity, proposing that light is emitted at speed c relative…
- emitter noun One terminal of a bipolar transistor (BJT).