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Chapter 18: Glossary of Key Symbols and Notation

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In this glossary, key symbols and notation are briefly defined.

Table Chapter18.1
Symbol Definition

¯ any symbol 

average (indicated by a bar over a symbol—e.g., ˉv is average velocity)

C

Celsius degree

F

Fahrenheit degree
 //  parallel
perpendicular

proportional to

±

plus or minus

0

zero as a subscript denotes an initial value

α

alpha rays

α

angular acceleration

α

temperature coefficient(s) of resistivity

β

beta rays

β

sound level

β

volume coefficient of expansion

β

electron emitted in nuclear beta decay

β+

positron decay

γ

gamma rays

γ

surface tension

γ=1/1v2/c2

a constant used in relativity

Δ

change in whatever quantity follows

δ

uncertainty in whatever quantity follows

ΔE

change in energy between the initial and final orbits of an electron in an atom

ΔE

uncertainty in energy

Δm

difference in mass between initial and final products

ΔN

number of decays that occur

Δp

change in momentum

Δp

uncertainty in momentum

ΔPEg

change in gravitational potential energy

Δθ

rotation angle

Δs

distance traveled along a circular path

Δt

uncertainty in time

Δt0

proper time as measured by an observer at rest relative to the process

ΔV

potential difference

Δx

uncertainty in position

ε0

permittivity of free space

η

viscosity

θ

angle between the force vector and the displacement vector

θ

angle between two lines

θ

contact angle

θ

direction of the resultant

θb

Brewster's angle

θc

critical angle

κ

dielectric constant

λ

decay constant of a nuclide

λ

wavelength

λn

wavelength in a medium

μ0

permeability of free space

μk

coefficient of kinetic friction

μs

coefficient of static friction

ve

electron neutrino

π+

positive pion

π

negative pion

π0

neutral pion

ρ

density

ρc

critical density, the density needed to just halt universal expansion

ρfl

fluid density

ˉρobj 

average density of an object

ρ/ρw

specific gravity

τ

characteristic time constant for a resistance and inductance (RL) or resistance and capacitance (RC) circuit

τ

characteristic time for a resistor and capacitor (RC) circuit

τ

torque

Υ

upsilon meson

Φ

magnetic flux

ϕ

phase angle

Ω

ohm (unit)

ω

angular velocity

 A 

ampere (current unit)

A

area
A cross-sectional area
A total number of nucleons

a

acceleration

aB

Bohr radius

ac

centripetal acceleration

at

tangential acceleration

AC

alternating current

 AM 

amplitude modulation

 atm 

atmosphere

B

baryon number

B

blue quark color

¯B

antiblue (yellow) antiquark color

b

quark flavor bottom or beauty

B

bulk modulus

B

magnetic field strength

Bint 

electron’s intrinsic magnetic field

Borb

orbital magnetic field

 BE 

binding energy of a nucleus—it is the energy required to completely disassemble it into separate protons and neutrons

BE/A

binding energy per nucleon

Bq

becquerel—one decay per second

C

capacitance (amount of charge stored per volt)

C

coulomb (a fundamental SI unit of charge)

Cp

total capacitance in parallel

Cs

total capacitance in series

CG

center of gravity

 CM 

center of mass

c

quark flavor charm

c

specific heat

c

speed of light

 Cal 

kilocalorie

 cal 

calorie

COPhp

heat pump’s coefficient of performance

COPref 

coefficient of performance for refrigerators and air conditioners

cosθ

cosine

cotθ

cotangent

cscθ

cosecant

D

diffusion constant

d

displacement
d quark flavor down

dB

decibel

di

distance of an image from the center of a lens

do

distance of an object from the center of a lens

 DC 

direct current

E

electric field strength

ε

emf (voltage) or Hall electromotive force

 emf 

electromotive force

E

energy of a single photon

E

nuclear reaction energy

E

relativistic total energy

E

total energy

E0

ground state energy for hydrogen

E0

rest energy

EC

electron capture

Ecap 

energy stored in a capacitor

Eff

efficiency—the useful work output divided by the energy input

EffC

Carnot efficiency

Ein 

energy consumed (food digested in humans)

Eind 

energy stored in an inductor

Eout 

energy output

e

emissivity of an object

e+

antielectron or positron

eV

electron volt

F

farad (unit of capacitance, a coulomb per volt)

F

focal point of a lens

F

force

F

magnitude of a force

F

restoring force

FB

buoyant force

Fc

centripetal force

Fi

force input

Fnet 

net force

F

force output

 FM 

frequency modulation

f

focal length

f

frequency

f0

resonant frequency of a resistance, inductance, and capacitance (RLC) series circuit

f0

threshold frequency for a particular material (photoelectric effect)

f1

fundamental

f2

first overtone

f3

second overtone

f_{\mathrm{B}}

beat frequency

f_{\mathrm{k}}

magnitude of kinetic friction

f_{\mathrm{s}}

magnitude of static friction

G

gravitational constant

G

green quark color

\overline{G}

antigreen (magenta) antiquark color

g

acceleration due to gravity

g

gluons (carrier particles for strong nuclear force)

h

change in vertical position

h

height above some reference point

h

maximum height of a projectile

h

Planck's constant

h f

photon energy

h_{\mathrm{i}}

height of the image

h_{\mathrm{o}}

height of the object

I

electric current

I

intensity

I

intensity of a transmitted wave

I

moment of inertia (also called rotational inertia)

I_{0}

intensity of a polarized wave before passing through a filter

I_{\text {ave }}

average intensity for a continuous sinusoidal electromagnetic wave

I_{\text {rms }}

average current

\mathrm{J}

joule

J / \Psi

Joules/psi meson

\mathrm{K}

kelvin

k

Boltzmann constant
k force constant of a spring

K_{\alpha}

x rays created when an electron falls into an n=1 shell vacancy from the n=3 shell

K_{\beta}

x rays created when an electron falls into an n=2 shell vacancy from the n=3 shell

\text { kcal }

kilocalorie

\text { KE }

translational kinetic energy

\mathrm{KE}+\mathrm{PE}

mechanical energy

\mathrm{KE}_{e}

kinetic energy of an ejected electron

\mathrm{KE}_{\mathrm{rel}}

relativistic kinetic energy

\mathrm{KE}_{\mathrm{rot}}

rotational kinetic energy

\overline{\mathrm{KE}}

thermal energy

\mathrm{kg}

kilogram (a fundamental SI unit of mass)

L

angular momentum

\text { L }

liter
L magnitude of angular momentum
L self-inductance

\ell

angular momentum quantum number

L_{\alpha}

x rays created when an electron falls into an n=2 shell from the n=3 shell

L_{e}

electron total family number

L_{\mu}

muon family total number

L_{\tau}

tau family total number

L_{\mathrm{f}}

heat of fusion

L_{\mathrm{f}} \text { and } L_{\mathrm{v}}

latent heat coefficients

\mathrm{L}_{\text {orb }}

orbital angular momentum

L_{\mathrm{s}}

heat of sublimation

L_{\mathrm{v}}

heat of vaporization

L_{z}

z - component of the angular momentum

M

angular magnification

M

mutual inductance

\mathrm{m}

indicates metastable state

m

magnification

m

mass

m

mass of an object as measured by a person at rest relative to the object

\mathrm{m}

meter (a fundamental SI unit of length)

m

order of interference

m

overall magnification (product of the individual magnifications)

m\left({ }^{A} \mathrm{X}\right)

atomic mass of a nuclide

\text { MA }

mechanical advantage

m_{\mathrm{e}}

magnification of the eyepiece

m_{\mathrm{e}}

mass of the electron

m_{\ell}

angular momentum projection quantum number

m_{n}

mass of a neutron

m_{\mathrm{o}}

magnification of the objective lens

\mathrm{mol}

mole

m_{p}

mass of a proton

m_{\mathrm{s}}

spin projection quantum number

N

magnitude of the normal force

\mathrm{N}

newton

\mathbf{N}

normal force

N

number of neutrons

n

index of refraction
n number of free charges per unit volume

N_{\mathrm{A}}

Avogadro's number

N_{\mathrm{r}}

Reynolds number

\mathrm{N} \cdot \mathrm{m}

newton-meter (work-energy unit)

\mathrm{N} \cdot \mathrm{m}

newtons times meters (SI unit of torque)

\text { OE }

other energy

P

power
P power of a lens
P pressure

\mathbf{p}

momentum

p

momentum magnitude

p

relativistic momentum

\mathbf{p}_{\text {tot }}

total momentum

\mathbf{p}_{\text {tot }}^{\prime}

total momentum some time later

P_{\text {abs }}

absolute pressure

P_{\text {atm }}

atmospheric pressure

P_{\text {atm }}

standard atmospheric pressure

\text { PE }

potential energy

\mathrm{PE}_{\mathrm{el}}

elastic potential energy

\mathrm{PE}_{\text {elec }}

electric potential energy

\mathrm{PE}_{\mathrm{s}}

potential energy of a spring

P_{\mathrm{g}}

gauge pressure

P_{\text {in }}

power consumption or input

P_{\text {out }}

useful power output going into useful work or a desired, form of energy

Q

latent heat

Q

net heat transferred into a system

Q

flow rate—volume per unit time flowing past a point

+Q

positive charge

-Q

negative charge

q

electron charge

q_{p}

charge of a proton

q

test charge

\text { QF }

quality factor

R

activity, the rate of decay

R

radius of curvature of a spherical mirror

R

red quark color

\overline{R}

antired (cyan) quark color

R

resistance

\mathrm{R}

resultant or total displacement

R

Rydberg constant

R

universal gas constant

r

distance from pivot point to the point where a force is applied

r

internal resistance

r_{\perp}

perpendicular lever arm

r

radius of a nucleus

r

radius of curvature

r

resistivity

\text { r or rad }

radiation dose unit

\text { rem }

roentgen equivalent man

\mathrm{rad}

radian

\text { RBE }

relative biological effectiveness

R C

resistor and capacitor circuit

\text { rms }

root mean square

r_{n}

radius of the nth H-atom orbit

R_{\mathrm{p}}

total resistance of a parallel connection

R_{\mathrm{s}}

total resistance of a series connection

R_{\mathrm{s}}

Schwarzschild radius

S

entropy

\mathbf{S}

intrinsic spin (intrinsic angular momentum)
S magnitude of the intrinsic (internal) spin angular momentum
S shear modulus
S strangeness quantum number

s

quark flavor strange

s

second (fundamental SI unit of time)

s

spin quantum number

s

total displacement

\sec \theta

secant

\sin \theta

sine

s_{z}

z-component of spin angular momentum

T

period—time to complete one oscillation

T

temperature

T_{\mathrm{c}}

critical temperature—temperature below which a material becomes a superconductor

T

tension

T

tesla (magnetic field strength B)

t

quark flavor top or truth

t

time

t_{1 / 2}

half-life—the time in which half of the original nuclei decay

\tan \theta

tangent

U

internal energy

u

quark flavor up

\mathrm{u}

unified atomic mass unit

\mathbf{u}

velocity of an object relative to an observer

\mathbf{u}^{\prime}

velocity relative to another observer

V

electric potential

V

terminal voltage

\mathrm{V}

volt (unit)

V

volume

\mathbf{v}

relative velocity between two observers

v

speed of light in a material

\mathbf{v}

velocity

\overline{\mathbf{v}}

average fluid velocity

V_{\mathrm{B}}-V_{\mathrm{A}}

change in potential

\mathbf{v}_{\mathrm{d}}

drift velocity

V_{\mathrm{p}}

transformer input voltage

V_{\text {rms }}

rms voltage

V_{\mathrm{s}}

transformer output voltage

\mathbf{v}_{\text {tot }}

total velocity

v_{\mathrm{w}}

propagation speed of sound or other wave

\mathbf{v}_{\mathrm{w}}

wave velocity

W

work
W net work done by a system

\text { W }

watt

w

weight

w_{\mathrm{fl}}

weight of the fluid displaced by an object

W_{\mathrm{c}}

total work done by all conservative forces

W_{\mathrm{nc}}

total work done by all nonconservative forces

W_{\text {out }}

useful work output

X

amplitude

\mathrm{X}

symbol for an element

{ }_{A}^{Z} X_{N}

notation for a particular nuclide

x

deformation or displacement from equilibrium

x

displacement of a spring from its undeformed position

x

horizontal axis

X_{\mathrm{C}}

capacitive reactance

X_{\mathrm{L}}

inductive reactance

x_{\text {rms }}

root mean square diffusion distance

y

vertical axis

Y

elastic modulus or Young's modulus

Z

atomic number (number of protons in a nucleus)

Z

impedance

This page titled Chapter 18: Glossary of Key Symbols and Notation is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by OpenStax.

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