26.16. P http://www.ck12.org
26.16 P
parallel circuit
Electric circuit that has two (or more) loops through which current can flow.
pascal (Pa)
SI unit for pressure, equal to 1 newton per square meter (N/m^2 ).
Pascal’s law
Law stating that a change in pressure at any point in an enclosed fluid is transmitted equally throughout the
fluid.
period
Row of the periodic table that contains elements ranging from metals on the left to metalloids and then
nonmetals on the right.
periodic table
Table of elements arranged by increasing atomic number (modern periodic table) or by increasing atomic mass
(Mendeleev’s periodic table).
pH
Measure of the acidity or hydrogen ion (H+) concentration, of a substance.
photon
Tiny “packet” of electromagnetic radiation that is released when an electron returns to a lower energy level.
photosynthesis
Process in which plants and certain other organisms use light energy to synthesize glucose from carbon dioxide
and water and release oxygen.
physical change
Change in one or more of matter’s physical properties.
physical property
Property of matter that can be measured or observed without matter changing to a different substance.
physical science
Study of matter and energy.
physics
Study of energy and how it interacts with matter.
pigment
Substance that colors materials by reflecting light of certain wavelengths and absorbing light of all other
wavelengths.
pitch
How high or low a sound seems to a listener.
plasma
State of matter lacking a fixed volume and fixed shape that contains ions so it can conduct electricity and
respond to magnetism.
polar
Having oppositely charged ends, as in polar covalent bond or polar covalent compound.
polymer
Large molecule that consists of many smaller molecules, called monomers, joined together by covalent bonds.
potential energy
Stored energy an object has because of its position or shape.
power
Measure of the amount of work that can be done in a given amount of time.
precision