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All Key Terms
Physical Science

🫴Physical Science
Key Terms

145 essential vocabulary terms and definitions to know for your Physical Science exam

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A

Atomic Force Microscopy

B

Big Bang Theory

Buffer solutions

C

Catalytic behavior

Cathode ray experiment

Celestial Objects

Charge-coupled devices

Chemical Physics

Chemical potential energy

Chemical reactivity

Colligative properties

Compound microscope

Conjugate acid-base pair

Conservation of mass-energy

Control Variables

Controlled Experiment

D

E

Electric field lines

Electric Field Strength

Electrical power

Electrochemical reactions

Electromagnetic energy

Electromagnetic force

Electromagnetic theory

Electron domain

Electron Dot Diagrams

Electron microscope

Electron shells

Endothermic process

Energy transformation

F

Fermat's Principle

Fluorinated gases

G

Gauss's Law for Magnetism

General circulation models

General Relativity

Geological Formations

Grams per cubic centimeter

H

Heat Exchangers

Heterogeneous equilibrium

Homogeneous equilibrium

Huygens' Principle

I

Input/output work

J

K

Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion

Kilogram meter per second (kg·m/s)

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© 2026 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.

AP^®, PSAT/NMSQT^®, and SAT^®are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website or Fiveable's products and services.

every AP^® exam is fiveable

Study Content & Tools

Study Guides FRQs + AI Scoring AP Essay Grader for Students AI Grading for Teachers Practice Questions Glossary Score Calculators

Company

What's New?Pricing Bulk Discounts Testimonials FAQs Email us

Resources

AP Exam Schedule 2027 AP Exam Accommodations AP Classes AP Classroom Easiest AP Classes Hardest AP Classes AP vs IB AP vs Dual Enrollment AP vs Honors Classes AP Scholar Awards

history

🌎 ap world history 🇺🇸 ap us history 🇪🇺 ap european history

social science

✊🏿 ap african american studies 🗳️ ap comparative government 🚜 ap human geography 💶 ap macroeconomics 🤑 ap microeconomics 🧠 ap psychology 👩🏾‍⚖️ ap us government

english & capstone

✍🏽 ap english language 📚 ap english literature 🔍 ap research 💬 ap seminar

arts

🎨 ap art & design 🖼️ ap art history 🎵 ap music theory

science

🧬 ap biology 🧪 ap chemistry ♻️ ap environmental science 🎡 ap physics 1 🧲 ap physics 2 💡 ap physics c: e&m ⚙️ ap physics c: mechanics

math & computer science

🧮 ap calculus ab ♾️ ap calculus bc 📐 ap precalculus 📊 ap statistics 💻 ap computer science a ⌨️ ap computer science p

world languages

🇨🇳 ap chinese 🇫🇷 ap french 🇩🇪 ap german 🇮🇹 ap italian 🇯🇵 ap japanese 🏛️ ap latin 🇪🇸 ap spanish language 💃🏽 ap spanish literature

career kickstart

💼 ap business with personal finance 🔒 ap cybersecurity

go beyond AP^®

high school exams

✏️ PSAT/NMSQT^®🎓 Digital SAT^®🎒 ACT

honors classes

🍬 honors algebra II 🫀 honors anatomy 🐇 honors biology 👩🏽‍🔬 honors chemistry 💲 honors economics 📐 honors geometry ⚾️ honors physics 📏 honors pre-calculus 📊 honors statistics 🗳️ honors us government 🇺🇸 honors us history 🌎 honors world history

college classes

👩🏽‍🎤 arts 👔 business 🎤 communications 🏗️ engineering 📓 humanities ➗ math 🧑🏽‍🔬 science 💶 social science

hs classes

🏛️ alabama history ⛰️ appalachian studies 🌴 california history 🌍 earth science 🌐 ethnic studies 🐊 florida history 🍑 georgia history 🌎 global studies 🌺 hawaiian studies 📰 journalism 🪶 native american studies 🌵 new mexico history 🤠 oklahoma history ⚗️ physical science 🎙️ speech and debate 🤝 texas government 🤠 texas history 🌲 washington state history 🕊️ world religions

Refunds Terms Privacy CCPA AI Transparency School Data Privacy

© 2026 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.

AP^®, PSAT/NMSQT^®, and SAT^®are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website or Fiveable's products and services.