PHYSICS DICTIONARY

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Polarization Index

It is the ratio of the Insulation Resistance measured pertaining to an insulator for 10 minutes to the insulation resistance value measured after 1 minute. The Polarization Index should be above 2.0 to be permissible.

Polarization (Dielectric)

The total electric dipole moment per unit volume of dielectric material is called as polarization. It is also a measure of contribution to total electric displacement by a dielectric material.

or

For an atom, the displacement of center of negatively charged electron cloud relative to the positive nucleus is called as polarization. This is induced by an electric field. A phenomenon observed in dielectrics.

Polarization

The property of acquiring one sidedness by a wave is known as “Polarization”. The wave unsymmetrical about a direction is called polarized wave while that symmetrical is called unpolarized wave. The “Polarization” is phenomenon which shows that electromagnetic waves are transverse in nature.

Polaroid

It is a simple and cheap device to obtain the plane polarized light. It consists of tiny crystals of quinine idosulphate in a film of nitro cellulose with their optic axis parallel to each other. When an un polarized light is incident on it, each ray splits into two polarized refracted rays, out of which one of the refracted ray, having the vibrations perpendicular to principal section is completely absorbed, while other refracted ray having vibrations parallel to principal section, is transmitted. Each polarized film has a characteristic direction which is called as direction of polarization.

Polyatomic Molecule

It is a molecule containing more than two atoms.

Polycrystal

 It is a substance in which crystal structure is a collection of many small crystals or grains.

Polygon

 A closed plane geometrical figure (2 D) having 3 or more straight sides that meet in pairs in same number of vertices, and do not intersect other than at these vertices. The sum of interior angles is (n-2)×180o for n-sides; sum of exterior angles is 360o.

Polymer

 A solid, non-metallic, normally organic compound of high molecular weight; the structure of which is composed of small repeating units is called as polymer.

 

Polymorphism

The property exhibited by some crystals according to which they exist at different crystal structures at different temperatures.

Polytropic Process

Any thermodynamic process represented by PVn =const is known as polytropic process.

Population Inversion

Process by which number of atoms in excited state (meta-stable) is made higher compared to atoms in ground state which increases stimulation probability high in LASER, is called population inversion.

Positive Feedback

When the feedback energy is in phase with input signal and thus aids it is called “positive feedback”. This mechanism increases gain of amplifier.

Positron

The positron is anti particle of an electron with same mass and spin as electron and charge equal in magnitude but opposite in sign to that of electron. In 1928, Paul Dirac was first to postulate Positrons existence and in 1932 Carl D. Anderson discovered it as the first evidence of anti-matter in his experimental study of cosmic rays.

Positronium

Positronium is a semistable, Hydrogen like atomic configuration consisting of a positron and electron revolving about their common center of mass before the process of annihilation occurs. Because it consists of two particles of equal mass. Positronium is sometimes considered to be the lightest atom. Its life time is of order of 10-7 sec and its reduced mass equals 0.5Me. Croation physicist Stjepan Mohorovicic predicted the existence of Positronium in 1934 and the Austrian American physicist Martin Deutsch discovered it in 1951.

Potential Energy

Energy possessed by a body by virtue of its state or position is called as potential energy. In fact it is referred as stored energy of body. 

Powder Metallurgy

 The fabrication of metal pieces having intricate and precise shapes by the compaction of metal powders, followed by densification heat treatment is called as powder metallurgy.

Powder Method of X-rays

Physical technique used for the identification of substances, and for other types of analyses, principally for crystalline materials in the solid state. In these techniques, a monochromatic beam of x-rays is directed onto a  polycrystalline (powder) specimen, producing a diffraction pattern that is recorded on film or with a diffractometer. This x-ray pattern is a fundamental and unique property resulting from the atomic arrangement of the diffracting substance. Different substances have different atomic arrangements or crystal structures, and hence no two chemically distinct substances give identical diffraction patterns. Identification may be made by comparing the pattern of the unknown substance with patterns of known substances in a manner analogous to the identification of people by their fingerprints.

The x-ray powder method is widely used in fundamental and applied research; for instance, it is used in the analysis of raw materials and finished products, in phase-diagram investigations, in following the course of solid-state chemical reactions, and in the study of minerals, ores, rocks, metals, chemicals, and many other types of material. The use of x-ray powder diffraction methods to determine the actual atomic arrangement, which has been important in the study of chemical bonds, crystal physics, and crystal chemistry. 

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