operatorIn mathematics, “operator” has two main definitions. 1) An operator is a mathematical symbol, for example +, that represents(...) Read More
orbitalIn the early 1900's, when physicists were first probing the insides of the atom, they thought that electrons might travel(...) Read More
orbital angular momentum(Symbol: ɭ or L). Electrons have two types of rotational motion: orbital angular momentum and spin. Orbital angular momentum(...) Read More
ordinary matterScientists call the everyday matter of our world, such as tables and chairs, “ordinary matter.” Ordinary matter is made up(...) Read More
oscillationDefinition (1): An oscillation is a repetitive back-and-forth motion. A pendulum swinging back and forth is an everyday(...) Read More
oscillatorAn oscillator is something that oscillates. Something that vibrates. See oscillation for more information.
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particleIn everyday speech, a particle is a bit of matter. I might say that there is particle of dirt on the lens of my glasses.(...) Read More
particle-wave dualityWhen a photon hits your eye, it’s a particle. When it hits your eye, it interacts with a particular electron in the retina(...) Read More
periodIf you were standing on a dock and water waves were coming at you, the period would be the time interval between waves. In(...) Read More
Periodic Table of the ElementsThe Periodic Table of the Elements lists all the elements, over 100 of them, in a specific sequence. This includes the(...) Read More
physical constantThe constant c, the speed of light in a vacuum, is an example of a physical constant. It is a constant of nature, always(...) Read More
piPi is symbolized π and pronounced like "pie." It is the mathematical symbol for the number 3.14159…, which goes on(...) Read More
probability amplitude“Probability amplitude” is a term used in quantum physics. It’s a number that appears in Schrodinger’s Wave Equation. Let’s(...) Read More
probability waveMax Born, one of the early quantum physicists in the 1920's and '30s, proposed that between detections, quantum particles(...) Read More
quantum entanglementIn quantum physics, if two particles are entangled, their behavior is correlated. In addition, if a physicist obtains(...) Read More
Quantum Field TheoryQuantum Field Theory (QFT) is the current theory of how atomic and subatomic particles behave. It is the most up-to-date(...) Read More
quantum mechanicsIn quantum mechanics, physicists study how tiny particles behave. These include atoms, the components of atoms like(...) Read More
quantum numberElectrons have a few handfuls of properties. Four have been selected as the electron’s “quantum numbers.” The quantum(...) Read More
quantum physicsFor an understanding of quantum physics, see the definition of "quantum mechanics." Often, the two terms are used to mean(...) Read More
quantum randomnessMany quantum physicists view quantum mechanics as differing from classical physics in a fundamental way—quantum mechanics is(...) Read More
quantum realmA number of interpretations of quantum mechanics postulate a “quantum realm.” These include the Transactional(...) Read More
