A Glossary of Frequently Misused or Misunderstood Physics Terms and Concepts

This glossary is not intended to be complete. It focuses on those terms which give students particular difficulties. Some words have subtle and intricate meanings which cannot be encapsulated in a short definition. That's why textbooks exist. A good glossary for elementary physics may be found in Appendix G-1 of Kirkpatrick & Wheeler, Physics, A World View, Saunders, 1992.