Glossary of Terms
PHYSICS TERMS
Center of Gravity - point in a body around
which the resultant torque due to gravity forces vanish
Center of Mass - unique point at the center of
a distribution of mass in space where the weighted position
forces relative to this point are in equilibrium
Charge - property of matter that causes it to
experience a force when close to other electrically charged
matter. There are two types of electric charges, positive and
negative. An object will be negatively charged if it has an
excess of electrons, positively charged with an excess of
protons, or otherwise uncharged.
Compression - in mechanics, application
of balanced inward ("pushing") forces to different points on a
material or structure, that is, forces with no net sum,
directed so as to reduce its size in one or more directions
Compressions and Rarefactions - cycles
of higher and lower densities of particles as a wave moves
through a fluid (higher and lower pressure)
Displacement - change of
position from equilibrium or rest, vector quantity
involving length and direction
EEG - (Electroencephalography) - recording of
electrical activity along the scalp by measuring voltage
fluctuations resulting from ionic current flows within brain
neurons
Field - in mathematics, a function that assigns a
vector to every point in space; in physics, the idea that
the physical entity exists in, and alters, every point in
space
Fluid - substance that continually deforms
(flows) under applied stress, subset of phases of matter,
include liquids, gases, plasmas, and sometimes plastic solids
Hooke's Law - model of a restoring force of a spring,
force is equal to negative value of spring constant
multiplied by change in position, law breaks down when
spring is stretched or compressed too far
Ion - atom or molecule in which total number
of electrons is not equal to total number of protons, giving
atom a net positive or negative electrical charge
Mass - amount of matter an object contains,
ability to resist acceleration in response to a force
Monochromatic Radiation - Electromagnetic
radiation, especially visible radiation, of only one frequency
or wavelength. Completely monochromatic radiation cannot be
produced, but lasers produce radiation within a very narrow
frequency band
Net Force - vector sum of all
forces or superposition of all forces
Pressure - ratio of force to
the area over which that force is distributed
Restoring Force - force that restores a system to an
equilibrium position, such systems are elastic
Spring Constant - property that characterizes a spring,
proportionality constant equal to slope of force versus
displacement graph
Stress - pressure or tension exerted on a material
object, expresses internal forces of particles as a
reaction from an external force
Tensile Force - pulling force exerted
by string, cable, chain, or similar solid object on
another object, results from net electrostatic attraction
between particles in a solid when deformed so that
particles are further apart from each other than when at
equilibrium, where this force is balanced by repulsion
Torque - tendency or ability of a force to
rotate an object around a pivot point
Veritable - a measurable energy
field that is physical in nature
Abductors - muscles that move limbs away from the
torso or mid-line of body
Adductors - muscles
that move limbs towards the torso or mid-line of body
Anterior
neck muscles - group of muscles
located along the front of the neck
Asana - Sanskrit
for physical posture of the body, set of poses in yoga
Astanga Yoga - Sanskrit for eight - limbed yoga, a system
of eight steps
Atlas and Axis - the second cervical vertebra (C2) of the
spine is named the axis. It forms the pivot upon which the
first cervical vertebra (the atlas), which carries the
head and rotates.
Cervical spine - section of
spine whose vertebrae are immediately inferior to the
skull, smallest of the true vertebrae
Cranial bones - bones in the
skull or head, facial bones
Eccentric /
Eccentric contraction - muscle
fibers contract and generate less force than the
resistance that is present so that the ends of the muscle
slip apart and the muscle actually lengthens, muscle is
active as it lengthens, so this is not the same as
relaxing
Fascia - layer of fibrous
tissue that surrounds muscles, groups of muscles, blood
vessels, and nerves, binding some structures together,
while permitting others to slide smoothly over each other
Flexion / Flexors - movement in the sagittal plane (vertical
plane which passes from ventral/front to dorsal/rear,
dividing the body into right and left halves) that brings
anterior surfaces of the body toward each other
Femur - the only bone in the
thigh. The two femurs converge medially towards the knees,
where they articulate with the proximal ends of the tibiae
(shin bones).
Gracilis - most superficial muscle on the medial side
of the thigh. It is thin and flattened, broad above,
narrow and tapering below
Hamstrings - group
of tendons contracted by three posterior thigh muscles
(semitendinosus, semimembranosus, biceps femoris) that make up
the borders of the space behind the knee, or their
corresponding tendons
Iliacus - flat, triangular
muscle that fills in the iliac fossa (large, smooth, concave
surface on the hip bone).
Ligand / Receptor interactions
- Receptors are molecules made up of proteins that function as
sensing molecules or scanners in membranes of cells. To
operate, receptors need ligands, substances that bind to
specific receptors on the surface of a cell. Ligands come in
three chemical types, neurotransmitters, steroids, and
peptides.
Lumbar spine - five
vertebrae between the rib cage and the pelvis, largest
segments of the vertebral column designated L1 to L5, starting
at the top, help support the weight of the body, and permit
movement
Mantra - Sanskrit for a sound, syllable, word, or
group of words considered capable of creating spiritual
transformation
Medial femoral condyle
- one of two projections on the lower extremity of thigh bone,
the other being the lateral condyle, medial condyle is larger
than lateral (outer) condyle due to more weight bearing caused
by the center of gravity being medial to the knee
Meniscus - crescent-shaped
fibrocartilaginous structure that partly divides a joint
cavity, refers to either of two specific parts of
cartilage of the knee: lateral and medial menisci
Neuroplasticity - also
known as brain plasticity, is an umbrella term that
encompasses both synaptic plasticity and non-synaptic
plasticity—it refers to changes in neural pathways and
synapses which are due to changes in behavior, environment
and neural processes, as well as changes resulting from
bodily injury
Peroneal - refers to the lateral compartment of the
leg
Psoas major - long fusiform (spindle
shaped) muscle located on the side of the lumbar region of
the vertebral column and brim of the lesser pelvis
Putative - an energy field that cannot be measured,
sensed through intuition
Quadriceps - muscle having four heads, large
extensor at the front of the thigh
Rectus Femoris - one of the four quadriceps muscles of the
human body. The others are the vastus medialis, the vastus
intermedius (deep to the rectus femoris), and the vastus
lateralis. All four parts of the quadriceps muscle attach
to the patella (knee cap) via the quadriceps tendon. The
rectus femoris is situated in the middle of the front of
the thigh.
Satorius -
longest muscle in the human body, long thin muscle that runs
down the length of the thigh in the anterior compartment. Its
upper portion forms the lateral border of the femoral triangle
SI joint - sacroiliac
joint in the bony pelvis between the sacrum and the ilium of
the pelvis, which are joined by strong ligaments, sacrum
supports the spine and is supported in turn by an ilium on
each side. The human body has two sacroiliac joints, one on
the left and one on the right.
Sternocleidomastoid - commonly
abbreviated as SCM, is a paired muscle in the superficial
layers of the anterior portion of the neck; it is one of the
largest and most superficial cervical muscles
Synapses / Synaptic - structure
that permits a neuron (or nerve cell) to pass an electrical or
chemical signal to another cell (neural or otherwise).
Synapses are essential to neuronal function: neurons are cells
that are specialized to pass signals to individual target
cells, and synapses are the means by which they do so. At a
synapse, the plasma membrane of the signal-passing neuron (the
presynaptic neuron) comes into close apposition with the
membrane of the target (postsynaptic) cell.
