The ACT Science Test: Physics Review

The ACT Science Test will test your understanding of the methods and procedures of scientific experimentation, your ability to analyze scientific information, and your ability to interpret and make inferences about data. The Science Test will not directly test your recall of specific facts or vocabulary. However, familiarity with basic terms and concepts in various scientific disciplines will help ensure that you understand the information presented in passages, charts, and graphs. To help you prepare, we've compiled fundamental terms from each of the major scientific disciplines covered on the exam.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. wave
    (physics) a movement up and down or back and forth
  2. wavelength
    distance between successive crests of a periodic disturbance
  3. magnetism
    attraction for iron
  4. inertia
    the tendency of something to stay in rest or motion
  5. acceleration
    (physics) a rate of increase of velocity
  6. deceleration
    (physics) a rate of decrease in velocity
  7. circuit
    an electrical device providing a path for current to flow
  8. conduction
    the transmission of heat or electricity or sound
  9. convection
    transfer of heat caused by molecular motion in liquid or gas
  10. current
    a flow of electricity through a conductor
  11. diffraction
    process by which light changes passing through a narrow slit
  12. energy
    the capacity of a physical system to do work
  13. force
    influence that results in motion, stress, etc. when applied
  14. entropy
    energy in a system no longer available for mechanical work
  15. equilibrium
    a stable situation in which forces cancel one another
  16. friction
    the resistance when a body is moved in contact with another
  17. insulation
    reduction of the transmission of sound, heat, or electricity
  18. kinetic
    relating to the motion of material bodies and their forces
  19. matter
    that which has mass and occupies space
  20. momentum
    the product of a body's mass and its velocity
  21. refraction
    the change in direction of a propagating wave
  22. spectrum
    an ordered array of the components of an emission or wave
  23. radiation
    energy transmitted in the form of rays or waves or particles
  24. thermal
    relating to or associated with heat
  25. tensile
    of or relating to physical stress or strain
  26. velocity
    distance traveled per unit time in one direction
  27. particle
    a body having finite mass but negligible dimensions
  28. endothermic
    occurring or formed with absorption of heat
  29. exothermic
    occurring or formed with the release of heat
  30. emission
    the act of causing to flow forth
Created on Tue Dec 22 08:55:16 EST 2020 (updated Wed Dec 23 08:39:12 EST 2020)

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