Appendix D Glossary of Key Symbols and Notation

Douglas College Physics Department; OpenStax

Appendix D Glossary of Key Symbols and Notation

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

Symbol	Definition
$\overline{\text{any symbol}}$	average (indicated by a bar over a symbol—e.g., $\bar{v}$ is average velocity)
$^{\circ} \text{C}$	Celsius degree
$^{\circ} \text{F}$	Fahrenheit degree
$//$	parallel
$\bot$	perpendicular
$\propto$	proportional to
$\pm$	plus or minus
$_0$	zero as a subscript denotes an initial value
$\alpha$	alpha rays
$\alpha$	angular acceleration
$\alpha$	temperature coefficient(s) of resistivity
$\beta$	beta rays
$\beta$	sound level
$\beta$	volume coefficient of expansion
$\beta ^{-}$	electron emitted in nuclear beta decay
$\beta ^{+}$	positron decay
$\gamma$	gamma rays
$\gamma$	surface tension
$\gamma = 1/ \sqrt{1 - v^2 / c^2}$	a constant used in relativity
$\Delta$	change in whatever quantity follows
$\delta$	uncertainty in whatever quantity follows
$\mathit\Delta E$	change in energy between the initial and final orbits of an electron in an atom
$\mathit\Delta E$	uncertainty in energy
$\mathit\Delta m$	difference in mass between initial and final products
$\mathit\Delta N$	number of decays that occur
$\mathit\Delta p$	change in momentum
$\mathit\Delta p$	uncertainty in momentum
$\mathit\Delta \text{PE}_{\text{g}}$	change in gravitational potential energy
$\mathit\Delta \theta$	rotation angle
$\mathit\Delta s$	distance traveled along a circular path
$\mathit\Delta t$	uncertainty in time
$\mathit\Delta t_0$	proper time as measured by an observer at rest relative to the process
$\mathit\Delta V$	potential difference
$\mathit\Delta x$	uncertainty in position
$\epsilon _0$	permittivity of free space
$\eta$	viscosity
$\theta$	angle between the force vector and the displacement vector
$\theta$	angle between two lines
$\theta$	contact angle
$\theta$	direction of the resultant
$\theta _b$	Brewster’s angle
$\theta _c$	critical angle
$\kappa$	dielectric constant
$\lambda$	decay constant of a nuclide
$\lambda$	wavelength
$\lambda _n$	wavelength in a medium
$\mu _0$	permeability of free space
$\mu _k$	coefficient of kinetic friction
$\mu _s$	coefficient of static friction
$v_e$	electron neutrino
$\pi ^+$	positive pion
$\pi ^-$	negative pion
$\pi ^0$	neutral pion
$\rho$	density
$\rho _{\text{c}}$	critical density, the density needed to just halt universal expansion
$\rho _{\text{fl}}$	fluid density
$\overline{\rho} _{\text{obj}}$	average density of an object
$\rho / \rho _{\text{w}}$	specific gravity
$\tau$	characteristic time constant for a resistance and inductance ( $RL$ ) or resistance and capacitance ( $RC$ ) circuit
$\tau$	characteristic time for a resistor and capacitor ( $RC$ ) circuit
$\tau$	torque
$\Upsilon$	upsilon meson
$\Phi$	magnetic flux
$\phi$	phase angle
$\Omega$	ohm (unit)
$\omega$	angular velocity
$\text{A}$	ampere (current unit)
$A$	area
$A$	cross-sectional area
$A$	total number of nucleons
$a$	acceleration
$a_{\text{B}}$	Bohr radius
$a_{\text{c}}$	centripetal acceleration
$a_{\text{t}}$	tangential acceleration
$\text{AC}$	alternating current
$\text{AM}$	amplitude modulation
$\text{atm}$	atmosphere
$B$	baryon number
$B$	blue quark color
$\overline{B}$	antiblue (yellow) antiquark color
$b$	quark flavor bottom or beauty
$B$	bulk modulus
$B$	magnetic field strength
$B_{\text{int}}$	electron’s intrinsic magnetic field
$B_{\text{orb}}$	orbital magnetic field
$\text{BE}$	binding energy of a nucleus—it is the energy required to completely disassemble it into separate protons and neutrons
$\text{BE/A}$	binding energy per nucleon
$\text{Bq}$	becquerel—one decay per second
$C$	capacitance (amount of charge stored per volt)
$C$	coulomb (a fundamental SI unit of charge)
$C_{\text{p}}$	total capacitance in parallel
$C_{\text{s}}$	total capacitance in series
$\text{CG}$	center of gravity
$\text{CM}$	center of mass
$c$	quark flavor charm
$c$	specific heat
$c$	speed of light
$\text{Cal}$	kilocalorie
$\text{cal}$	calorie
$\textit{\text{COP}}_{\text{hp}}$	heat pump’s coefficient of performance
$\textit{\text{COP}}_{\text{ref}}$	coefficient of performance for refrigerators and air conditioners
$\text{cos} \theta$	cosine
$\text{cot} \theta$	cotangent
$\text{csc} \theta$	cosecant
$D$	diffusion constant
$d$	displacement
$d$	quark flavor down
$\text{dB}$	decibel
$d_i$	distance of an image from the center of a lens
$d_o$	distance of an object from the center of a lens
$\text{DC}$	direct current
$E$	electric field strength
$\epsilon$	emf (voltage) or Hall electromotive force
$\text{emf}$	electromotive force
$E$	energy of a single photon
$E$	nuclear reaction energy
$E$	relativistic total energy
$E$	total energy
$E_0$	ground state energy for hydrogen
$E_0$	rest energy
$\text{EC}$	electron capture
$E_{\text{cap}}$	energy stored in a capacitor
$\textit{\text{Eff}}$	efficiency—the useful work output divided by the energy input
$\textit{\text{Eff}}_{\textit{\text{C}}}$	Carnot efficiency
$E_{\text{in}}$	energy consumed (food digested in humans)
$E_{\text{ind}}$	energy stored in an inductor
$E_{\text{out}}$	energy output
$e$	emissivity of an object
$e^+$	antielectron or positron
$\text{eV}$	electron volt
$\text{F}$	farad (unit of capacitance, a coulomb per volt)
$\text{F}$	focal point of a lens
$\textbf{\text{F}}$	force
$F$	magnitude of a force
$F$	restoring force
$F_{\text{B}}$	buoyant force
$F_{\text{c}}$	centripetal force
$F_{\text{i}}$	force input
$\textbf{F}_{\text{net}}$	net force
$F_{\text{o}}$	force output
$\text{FM}$	frequency modulation
$f$	focal length
$f$	frequency
$f_0$	resonant frequency of a resistance, inductance, and capacitance ( $RLC$ ) series circuit
$f_0$	threshold frequency for a particular material (photoelectric effect)
$f_1$	fundamental
$f_2$	first overtone
$f_3$	second overtone
$f_{\text{B}}$	beat frequency
$f_{\text{k}}$	magnitude of kinetic friction
$f_{\text{s}}$	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
$hf$	photon energy
$h_i$	height of the image
$h_o$	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
$J$	joule
$J / \psi$	Joules/psi meson
$\text{K}$	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
$\text{KE} + \text{PE}$	mechanical energy
$\text{KE}_e$	kinetic energy of an ejected electron
$\text{KE}_{\text{rel}}$	relativistic kinetic energy
$\text{KE}_{\text{rot}}$	rotational kinetic energy
$\overline{\text{KE}}$	thermal energy
$\text{kg}$	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
$L_{\text{f}}$	heat of fusion
$L_{\text{f}}$ and $L_{\text{v}}$	latent heat coefficients
$L_{\text{orb}}$	orbital angular momentum
$L_{\text{s}}$	heat of sublimation
$L_{\text{v}}$	heat of vaporization
$L_z$	z – component of the angular momentum
$M$	angular magnification
$M$	mutual inductance
$\text{m}$	indicates metastable state
$m$	magnification
$m$	mass
$m$	mass of an object as measured by a person at rest relative to the object
$\text{m}$	meter (a fundamental SI unit of length)
$m$	order of interference
$m$	overall magnification (product of the individual magnifications)
$m(^AX)$	atomic mass of a nuclide
$\text{MA}$	mechanical advantage
$m_{\text{e}}$	magnification of the eyepiece
$m_e$	mass of the electron
$m_{\ell}$	angular momentum projection quantum number
$m_n$	mass of a neutron
$m_{\text{o}}$	magnification of the objective lens
$\text{mol}$	mole
$m_p$	mass of a proton
$m_{\text{s}}$	spin projection quantum number
$N$	magnitude of the normal force
$\text{N}$	newton
$\textbf{\text{N}}$	normal force
$N$	number of neutrons
$n$	index of refraction
$n$	number of free charges per unit volume
$N_A$	Avogadro’s number
$N_{\text{r}}$	Reynolds number
$\text{N} \cdot \text{m}$	newton-meter (work-energy unit)
$\text{N} \cdot \text{m}$	newtons times meters (SI unit of torque)
$\text{OE}$	other energy
$P$	power
$P$	power of a lens
$P$	pressure
$\textbf{\text{p}}$	momentum
$p$	momentum magnitude
$p$	relativistic momentum
$\textbf{\text{p}}_{\text{tot}}$	total momentum
$\textbf{\text{p}}^{\prime}_{\text{tot}}$	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
$\text{PE}_{el}$	elastic potential energy
$\text{PE}_{\text{elec}}$	electric potential energy
$\text{PE}_s$	potential energy of a spring
$P_g$	gauge pressure
$P_{in}$	power consumption or input
$P_{out}$	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
$\text{R}$	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
$r_{\bot}$	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
$\text{rad}$	radian
$\text{RBE}$	relative biological effectiveness
$RC$	resistor and capacitor circuit
$\text{rms}$	root mean square
$r_n$	radius of the nth H-atom orbit
$R_p$	total resistance of a parallel connection
$R_s$	total resistance of a series connection
$R_s$	Schwarzschild radius
$S$	entropy
$\textbf{\text{S}}$	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
$\text{s}$	second (fundamental SI unit of time)
$s$	spin quantum number
$\textbf{\text{s}}$	total displacement
$\text{sec} \theta$	secant
$\text{sin} \theta$	sine
$s_z$	z-component of spin angular momentum
$T$	period—time to complete one oscillation
$T$	temperature
$T_c$	critical temperature—temperature below which a material becomes a superconductor
$T$	tension
$\text{T}$	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
$\text{tan} \theta$	tangent
$U$	internal energy
$u$	quark flavor up
$\text{u}$	unified atomic mass unit
$\textbf{\text{u}}$	velocity of an object relative to an observer
$\textbf{\text{u}}^{\prime}$	velocity relative to another observer
$V$	electric potential
$V$	terminal voltage
$\text{V}$	volt (unit)
$V$	volume
$\textbf{\text{v}}$	relative velocity between two observers
$v$	speed of light in a material
$\textbf{\text{v}}$	velocity
$\overline{\textbf{\text{v}}}$	average fluid velocity
$V_B - V_A$	change in potential
$\textbf{\text{v}}_d$	drift velocity
$V_p$	transformer input voltage
$V_{\text{rms}}$	rms voltage
$V_s$	transformer output voltage
$\textbf{\text{v}}_{\text{tot}}$	total velocity
$v_{\text{w}}$	propagation speed of sound or other wave
$\textbf{\text{v}}_{\text{w}}$	wave velocity
$W$	work
$W$	net work done by a system
$\text{W}$	watt
$w$	weight
$w_{\text{fl}}$	weight of the fluid displaced by an object
$W_c$	total work done by all conservative forces
$W_{nc}$	total work done by all nonconservative forces
$W_{out}$	useful work output
$X$	amplitude
$\text{X}$	symbol for an element
$\begin{matrix} Z \\ A \end{matrix} K_N$	notation for a particular nuclide
$x$	deformation or displacement from equilibrium
$x$	displacement of a spring from its undeformed position
$x$	horizontal axis
$X_C$	capacitive reactance
$X_L$	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

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