Memorize these and you could recognize 25.0% of all Physics clues.
| # | Answer | Appearances | Sample Clue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | gravity | 9 | It was the first of the fundamental forces to be systematically described |
| 2 | light | 6 | Neutrinos travel at the speed of this & most pass right through the earth |
| 3 | angular momentum | 5 | Get up in the "A.M." & learn that an orbiting body's this is the product of mass, velocity & distance from an axis |
| 4 | torque | 4 | From Latin for "twist", the term for a turning or twisting force |
| 5 | thermodynamics | 4 | Carnot's theory that heat is interchangeable with work formed the basis for this branch of physics |
| 6 | plasma | 4 | Sometimes called the fourth state of matter, it's a mixture of ions & free electrons |
| 7 | inertia | 4 | Pulling the cloth off a table without disturbing the dishes is the principle of this |
| 8 | entropy | 4 | It's the measure of the randomness, or molecular disorder, of a system; the universe's is said to be increasing |
| 9 | relativity | 4 | Einstein published his theory of special relativity in 1905; in 1915, he issued this broader one that accounts for gravity |
| 10 | the speed of light | 3 | 186,000 miles per second |
| 11 | quarks | 3 | It's suspected these particles, some of which are charmed, are held together by gluons |
| 12 | hydrogen | 3 | Deuterium is a heavy isotope of this element |
| 13 | friction | 3 | A machine developed by Sidney James measures slippery surfaces' COF, coefficient of this |
| 14 | equilibrium | 3 | (Jon of the Clue Crew indicates a balance on a monitor.) With the torque pushing the bar clockwise equal to the torque pushing it counterclockwise, th... |
| 15 | diffraction | 3 | In refraction, radiation passes from one medium into another; this is when radiation bends around an obstacle's edge |
| 16 | a proton | 3 | Stable subatomic particle whose name is from the Greek for first |
| 17 | a pole | 3 | The point at which lines of magnetic flux seem to converge is called this |
| 18 | water | 3 | Deuterium is called heavy hydrogen, & deuterium oxide is called this |
| 19 | Poles | 3 | In a magnet flux lines converge at these points |
| 20 | optics | 3 | The use of transparent strands of glass to transmit light |
| 21 | mechanics | 3 | Type of mechanics illustrated here |
| 22 | fission | 3 | Of the 2 types of nuclear reactions, the one that can develop into a chain reaction |
| 23 | Einstein | 3 | His 1921 Nobel Prize was primarily for his photoelectric effect; he was light years ahead of others |
| 24 | Brownian motion | 3 | It's the colorful name for the random movement of microscopic particles in a liquid |
| 25 | a photon | 3 | This elementary particle that makes up light has no mass or electric charge |
| 26 | a linear accelerator | 3 | Also called a "linac", it's an apparatus for accelerating ions to high energies |
| 27 | a breeder reactor | 3 | This type of reactor gets its name from producing more fissionable material than it consumes |
| 28 | (Max) Planck | 3 | The fundamental constant of quantum physics is named for this German who originated the quantum theory |
| 29 | the uranium atom | 3 | With 92 protons, 146 neutrons, & 92 electrons, it's the heaviest atom found in nature |
| 30 | electric current | 3 | An ammeter is used to measure this |
| 31 | work | 2 | This common 4-letter word has a more specific meaning in physics: change in kinetic energy |
| 32 | uranium | 2 | Isotopes of this element are the most commonly used nuclear fuel in reactors |
| 33 | spin | 2 | Term for the intrisnic angular momentum of a particle, or more simply, rapid rotation |
| 34 | refraction | 2 | It's the bending of a beam of light as it passes at an angle from one medium into another |
| 35 | radioactivity | 2 | It's the property of some unstable atoms that causes them to give off ionizing radiation |
| 36 | neutrons | 2 | Isotopes are atoms having the same number of protons by different numbers of these |
| 37 | mercury | 2 | The torr is a unit of pressure equal to the mm Hg, or millimeter of this metal |
| 38 | longitudinal | 2 | (Jon of the Clue Crew demonstrates with a spring and a monitor.) A spring & earthquakes generate these waves with a geographic-sounding name in which ... |
| 39 | horsepower | 2 | Term first used by James Watt for a unit equivalent to 550 foot-pounds of work per second |
| 40 | Hertz | 2 | Not only a car rental agency, but also a unit of frequency equal to 1 cycle per second |
| 41 | half-life | 2 | This measure is used for radioactive decay because the time for all atoms to break down is unknowable |
| 42 | gamma rays | 2 | The brightest explosions ever observed, GRBs are mysterious "burst"s of these |
| 43 | electron volt | 2 | In some particle accelerators, particles can reach energies of over a trillion eV, which stands for this |
| 44 | elasticity | 2 | The term for the tendency of a material to return to its original shape after being deformed |
| 45 | Archimedes | 2 | In the 2nd cent. B.C., he found the weight of a floating body equals that of the water it displaces |
| 46 | antimatter | 2 | Antiprotons, antineutrons, & positrons combine to form this negative substance |
| 47 | a superfluid | 2 | When helium-4 is cooled below 2.17 K, it becomes a "super" this, able to comb walls & flow frictionlessly |
| 48 | a pulley | 2 | Class of machine that transfers power through the tension of a rope wound over a wheel |
| 49 | a black hole | 2 | The universe could end with the Big Crunch, meaning it collapses into one of these |
| 50 | X-rays | 2 | Paper can stop alpha particles, a thin piece of aluminum, beta particles, & a sheet of lead, these rays |