Ampere's LawThe line integral of the magnetic flux around a closed curve is proportional to the algebraic sum of electric currents flowing through that closed curve; or, in differential formcurlB=J.This was latermodified to add a second term when it was incorporated into Maxwell's equations.

Archimedes' PrincipleA body that is submerged in a fluid is buoyed up by a force equal in magnitude to the weight of the fluid that is displaced, and directed upward along a line through the center of gravity of the displaced fluid.

Avogadro's Hypothesis (1811)Equal volumes of all gases at the same temperature and pressure contain equal numbers of molecules. It is, in fact, only true for ideal gases.

Bernoulli's EquationIn an irrotational fluid, the sum of the static pressure, the weight of the fluid per unit mass times the height, and half the density times the velocity squared is constant throughout the fluid.

Biot-Savart LawA law which describes the contributions to a magnetic field by an electric current. It is analogous toCoulomb's law.

Boyle's Law (1662); Mariotte's law (1676)The product of the pressure and the volume of an ideal gas at constant temperature is a constant.

Bragg's Law (1912)When a beam ofX-rays strikes a crystal surface in which the layers of atoms or ions are regularly separated, the maximum intensity of the reflected ray occurs when the complement of the angle of incidence,theta, the wavelength of theX-rays,lambda, and the distance between layers of atoms or ions,d, are related by the equation 2dsintheta=n lambda,

Brownian Motion (1827)The continuous random motion of solid microscopic particles when suspended in a fluid medium due to the consequence of ongoing bombardment by atoms and molecules.

Casimir EffectA quantum mechanical effect, where two very large plates placed close to each other will experience an attractive force, in the absence of other forces. The cause is virtual particle-antiparticle pair creation in the vicinity of the plates. Also, the speed of light will be increased in the region between the two plates, in the direction perpendicular to them.

Causality PrincipleThe principle that cause must always preceed effect. More formally, if an eventA("the cause") somehow influences an eventB("the effect") which occurs later in time, then eventBcannot in turn have an influence on eventA. That is, eventBmust occur at a later timetthan eventA, and further, all frames must agree upon this ordering.

Centrifugal PseudoforceApseudoforceon an object when it is moving in uniform circular motion. The "force" is directed outward from the center of motion.

Charles' Law (1787)The volume of an ideal gas at constant pressure is proportional to the thermodynamic temperature of that gas.

Cherenkov RadiationRadiation emitted by a massive particle which is moving faster than light in the medium through which it is traveling. No particle can travel faster thanlightin vacuum, but the speed of light in other media, such as water, glass, etc., are considerably lower. Cherenkov radiation is the electromagnetic analogue of the sonic boom, though Cherenkov radiation is a shockwave set up in the electromagnetic field.

Complementarity PrincipleThe principle that a given system cannot exhibit bothwave-like behaviorandparticle-like behaviorat the same time. That is, certain experiments will reveal the wave-like nature of a system, and certain experiments will reveal the particle-like nature of a system, but no experiment will reveal both simultaneously.

Compton Effect (1923)An effect that demonstrates that photons (the quantum of electromagnetic radiation) have momentum. A photon fired at a stationary particle, such as an electron, will impart momentum to the electron and, since its energy has been decreased, will experience a corresponding decrease in frequency.

Conservation LawsConservation of mass-energyThe total mass-energy of a closed system remains constant.Conservation of electric chargeThe total electric charge of a closed system remains constant.Conservation of linear momentumThe total linear momentum of a closed system remains constant.Conservation of angular momentumThe total angular momentum of a closed system remains constant.There are several other laws that deal with particle physics, such as conservation of baryon number, of strangeness, etc., which are conserved in some fundamental interactions (such as the electromagnetic interaction) but not others (such as the weak interaction).

Constancy PrincipleOne of the postulates of A. Einstein's special theory of relativity, which puts forth that thespeed of light in vacuumis measured as the same speed to all observers, regardless of their relative motion.ContinuityEquationAn equation which states that a fluid flowing through a pipe flows at a rate which is inversely proportional to the cross-sectional area of the pipe. It is in essence a restatement of the conservation of mass during constant flow.

Copernican Principle (1624)The idea, suggested by Copernicus, that the Sun, not the Earth, is at the center of the Universe. We now know that neither idea is correct.

Coriolis Pseudoforce (1835)Apseudoforcewhich arises because of motion relative to a frame of reference which is itself rotating relative to a second, inertial frame. The magnitude of the Coriolis "force" is dependent on the speed of the object relative to the noninertial frame, and the direction of the "force" is orthogonal to the object's velocity.

Correspondence PrincipleThe principle that when a new, more general theory is put forth, it must reduce to the more specialized (and usually simpler) theory under normal circumstances. There are correspondence principles for general relativity to special relativity and special relativity to Newtonian mechanics, but the most widely known correspondence principle is that of quantum mechanics to classical mechanics.

Coulomb's LawThe primary law for electrostatics, analogous toNewton's law of universal gravitation. It states that the force between two point charges is proportional to the algebraic product of their respective charges as well as proportional to the inverse square of the distance between them.

Curie's LawThe susceptibility of an isotropic paramagnetic substance is related to its thermodynamic temperatureTby the equation KHI =C/T.

Curie-Weiss LawA more general form ofCurie's Law, which states that the susceptibility of a paramagnetic substance is related to its thermodynamic temperatureTby the equationKHI =C/T -W, where W is the Weiss constant.Dalton's Law of partial pressuresThe total pressure of a mixture of ideal gases is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of its components; that is, the sum of the pressures that each component would exert if it were present alone and occupied the same volume as the mixture.

Doppler EffectWaves emitted by a moving object as received by an observer will be blueshifted (compressed) if approaching, redshifted (elongated) if receding. It occurs both in sound as well as electromagnetic phenomena.

Dulong-Petit Law (1819)The molar heat capacity is approximately equal to the three times theideal gas constant:Einstein Field EquationThe cornerstone of Einstein's general theory of relativity, relating the gravitational tensor G to thestress-energy tensor T by the simple equation G = 8piT.

Einstein's Mass-Energy EquationThe energy E of a particle is equal to its mass M times the square of the speed of light c, giving rise to the best known physics equation in the Universe: E = M c2.

Equivalence PrincipleThe basic postulate of A. Einstein's general theory of relativity, which posits that an acceleration is fundamentally indistinguishable from a gravitational field.Faraday's LawThe line integral of the electric field around a closed curve is proportional to the instantaneous time rate of change of the magnetic flux through a surface bounded by that closed curve; in differential formcurlE= -dB/dt,where here d/dtrepresents partial differentiation.

Faraday's Laws of electrolysisFaraday's first law of electrolysisThe amount of chemical change during electrolysis is proportional to the charge passed.Faraday's second law of electrolysisThe chargeQrequired to deposit or liberate a massmis proportional to the chargezof the ion, the mass, and inversely proportional to the relative ionic massM; mathematicallyQ=Fm z/M,

Faraday's first law of electromagnetic inductionAn electromotive force is induced in a conductor when the magnetic field surrounding it changes.

Faraday's second law of electromagnetic inductionThe magnitude of the electromotive force is proportional to the rate of change of the field.

Faraday's third law of electromagnetic inductionThe sense of the induced electromotive force depends on the direction of the rate of the change of the field.

Fermat's PrincipleThe principle states that the path taken by a ray of light between any two points in a system is always the path that takes the least time.Gauss' LawThe electric flux through a closed surface is proportional to the algebraic sum of electric charges contained within that closed surface; in differential formdivE=rho,whererhois the charge density.

Gauss' Law for magnetic fieldsThe magnetic flux through a closed surface is zero; no magnetic charges exist; in differential formdivB= 0.

Hall EffectWhen charged particles flow through a tube which has both an electric field and a magnetic field (perpendicular to the electric field) present in it, only certain velocities of the charged particles are preferred, and will make it un-deviated through the tube; the rest will be deflected into the sides.

Hooke's LawThe stress applied to any solid is proportional to the strain it produces within the elastic limit for that solid. The constant of that proportionality is the Young modulus of elasticity for that substance.

Huygens' PrincipleThe mechanical propagation of a wave (specifically, of light) is equivalent to assuming that every point on the wavefront acts as point source of wave emissionIdeal Gas LawAn equation which sums up theideal gas lawsin one simple equationP V=n R T,Joule-Thomson Effect; Joule-Kelvin EffectThe change in temperature that occurs when a gas expands into a region of lower pressure.

Joule's LawsJoule's first lawThe heatQproduced when a currentIflows through a resistanceRfor a specified timetis given byQ=I2R t.

Kirchhoff's Rulesloop ruleThe sum of the potential differences encountered in a round trip around any closed loop in a circuit is zero.point ruleThe sum of the currents toward a branch point is equal to the sum of the currents away from the same branch point.Kohlrausch's LawIf a salt is dissolved in water, the conductivity of the solution is the sum of two values -- one depending on the positive ions and the other on the negative ions

Lambert's LawsLambert's first lawThe illuminance on a surface illuminated by light falling on it perpendicularly from a point source is proportional to the inverse square of the distance between the surface and the source.Lambert's second lawIf the rays meet the surface at an angle, then the illuminance is proportional to the cosine of the angle with the normal.Lambert's third lawThe luminous intensity of light decreases exponentially with distance as it travels through an absorbing medium.

Laplace EquationFor steady-state heat conduction in one dimension, the temperature distribution is the solution to Laplace's equation, which states that the second derivative of temperature with respect to displacement is zero.

Lenz's Law (1835)An induced electric current always flows in such a direction that it opposes the change producing it.Mach NumberThe ratio of the speed of an object in a given medium to the speed of sound in that medium.

Mach's Principle (1870)The inertia of any particular particle or particles of matter is attributable to the interaction between that piece of matter and the rest of the Universe. Thus, a body in isolation would have no inertia.

Maxwell's Equations (1864)Gauss' lawThe electric flux through a closed surface is proportional to the algebraic sum of electric charges contained within that closed surface; in differential formdivE=rho,whererhois the charge density.Gauss' law for magnetic fieldsThe magnetic flux through a closed surface is zero; no magnetic charges exist. In differential formdivB= 0.Faraday's lawThe line integral of the electric field around a closed curve is proportional to the instantaneous time rate of change of the magnetic flux through a surface bounded by that closed curve; in differential formcurlE= -dB/dt,..Ampere's law, modified formThe line integral of the magnetic field around a closed curve is proportional to the sum of two terms: first, the algebraic sum of electric currents flowing through that closed curve; and second, the instantaneous time rate of change of the electric flux through a surface bounded by that closed curve; in differential formcurlH=J+ dD/dt,.In addition to describing electromagnetism, his equations also predict that waves can propagate through the electromagnetic field, and would always propagate at the the speed of light in vacuum.

Murphy's Law(1942)If anything can go wrong, it will.

Newton's Law of universal gravitationTwo bodies attract each other with equal and opposite forces; the magnitude of this force is proportional to the product of the two masses and is also proportional to the inverse square of the distance between the centers of mass of the two bodies;F= (Gm M/r2) e,wheremandMare the masses of the two bodies,ris the distance between. the two, and e is a unit vector directed from the test mass to the second.

Newton's Laws of motionNewton's first law of motionA body continues in its state of constant velocity (which may be zero) unless it is acted upon by an external force.Newton's second law of motionFor an unbalanced force acting on a body, the acceleration produced is proportional to the force impressed; the constant of proportionality is the inertial mass of the body.Newton's third law of motionIn a system where no external forces are present, every action force is always opposed by an equal and opposite reaction force.Occam's Razor (1340)If two theories predict phenomena to the same accuracy, then the one which is simpler is the better one. Moreover, additional aspects of a theory which do not lend it more powerful predicting ability are unnecessary and should be stripped away.

Ohm's Law (1827)The ratio of the potential difference between the ends of a conductor to the current flowing through it is constant; the constant of proportionality is called the resistance, and is different for different materials.Pascal's PrinciplePressure applied to an enclosed incompressible static fluid is transmitted undiminished to all parts of the fluid.

Peter PrincipleIn a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.

Planck EquationThe quantum mechanical equation relating the energy of a photonEto its frequencynu:E=hnu.Reflection Law,Snell's LawFor a wavefront intersecting a reflecting surface, the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection, in the same plane defined by the ray of incidence and the normal.Refraction LawFor a wavefront traveling through a boundary between two media, the first with a refractive index ofn1, and the other with one ofn2, the angle of incidencethetais related to the angle of refractionphibyn1sintheta=n2sinphi.Relativity PrincipleThe principle, employed by Einstein's relativity theories, that the laws of physics are the same, at least qualitatively, in all frames. That is, there is no frame that is better (or qualitatively any different) from any other. This principle, along with theconstancy principle, constitute the founding principles of special relativity.Stefan-Boltzmann LawThe radiated powerP(rate of emission of electromagnetic energy) of a hot body is proportional to the radiating surface area,A, and the fourth power of the thermodynamic temperature,T. The constant of proportionality is theStefan-Boltzmann constant. MathematicallyP=e sigma A T4,.where the efficiency ratingeis called the emissivity of the object.Superposition PrincipleThe general idea that, when a number of influences are acting on a system, the total influence on that system is merely the sum of the individual influences; that is, influences governed by the superposition principle add linearly.Thermodynamic LawsFirst law of thermodynamicsThe change in internal energy of a system is the sum of the heat transferred to or from the system and the work done on or by the system.Second law of thermodynamicsThe entropy -- a measure of the unavailability of a system's energy to do useful work -- of a closed system tends to increase with time.Third law of thermodynamicsFor changes involving only perfect crystalline solids at absolute zero, the change of the total entropy is zero.Zeroth law of thermodynamicsIf two bodies are each in thermal equilibrium with a third body, then all three bodies are in thermal equilibrium with each other.Uncertainty Principle (1927)A principle, central to quantum mechanics, which states that two complementary parameters (such as position and momentum, energy and time, or angular momentum and angular displacement) cannot both be known to infinite accuracy; the more you know about one, the less you know about the other.van der Waals forceForces responsible for the non-ideal behavior of gases, and for the lattice energy of molecular crystals. There are three causes: dipole-dipole interaction; dipole-induced dipole moments; and dispersion forces arising because of small instantaneous dipoles in atoms.

Wave-Particle DualityThe principle of quantum mechanics which implies that light (and, indeed, all other subatomic particles) sometimes act like a wave, and sometime act like a particle, depending on the experiment you are performing. For instance, low frequency electromagnetic radiation tends to act more like a wave than a particle; high frequency electromagnetic radiation tends to act more like a particle than a wave.Wiedemann-Franz LawThe ratio of the thermal conductivity of any pure metal to its electrical conductivity is approximately constant for any given temperature. This law holds fairly well except at low temperatures.