IIT JAM MA flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Restriction endonuclease

An enzyme that recognizes a specific palindromic DNA sequence and cleaves the phosphodiester backbone, producing sticky or blunt ends used in molecular cloning.

Polymerase chain reaction

An in vitro method that amplifies a DNA segment through repeated cycles of denaturation, primer annealing, and extension by a thermostable DNA polymerase.

Michaelis constant Km

The substrate concentration at which an enzyme-catalyzed reaction reaches half its maximum velocity; a lower Km indicates higher apparent substrate affinity.

Sanger sequencing

A DNA sequencing method that uses dideoxynucleotides to terminate chain elongation at specific bases, producing fragments separated by capillary electrophoresis.

CRISPR-Cas9

A genome-editing system in which a guide RNA directs the Cas9 endonuclease to a complementary DNA target, creating a double-strand break repaired by NHEJ or HDR.

First law of thermodynamics

The principle that the change in internal energy of a system equals the heat added to the system plus the work done on it: ΔU = q + w.

Gibbs free energy

A thermodynamic potential defined as G = H − TS; at constant temperature and pressure, a process is spontaneous when ΔG is negative.

Arrhenius equation

The relation k = A e^(−Ea/RT) describing how the rate constant k depends on activation energy Ea and temperature T, with pre-exponential factor A.

Henderson–Hasselbalch equation

The expression pH = pKa + log([A⁻]/[HA]) used to calculate the pH of a buffer from the acid dissociation constant and conjugate base-to-acid ratio.

Nernst equation

The equation E = E° − (RT/nF) ln Q relating cell potential to standard potential and reaction quotient; at 298 K it becomes E° − (0.0592/n) log Q.

Price elasticity of demand

The percentage change in quantity demanded divided by the percentage change in price; demand is elastic when the absolute value exceeds one.

Lerner index

A measure of monopoly power equal to (P − MC)/P, which equals the reciprocal of the absolute price elasticity of demand at the profit-maximizing output.

GDP expenditure identity

Gross domestic product equals consumption plus investment plus government spending plus net exports (exports minus imports) for a given period.

Quantity theory of money

The relation MV = PY stating that money supply times velocity equals price level times real output; in the long run, money growth tends to raise prices proportionally.

Comparative advantage

The ability of a country to produce a good at a lower opportunity cost than another country, forming the basis for mutually beneficial specialization and trade.

Mohs hardness scale

A relative scale from 1 (talc) to 10 (diamond) ranking minerals by resistance to scratching; a mineral scratches those with lower numbers.

Bowen's reaction series

The sequence in which silicate minerals crystallize from cooling magma, from olivine and pyroxene at high temperature to quartz and muscovite at low temperature.

Seismic P and S waves

Body waves generated by earthquakes: P waves are compressional and travel faster; S waves are shear waves that cannot pass through liquids, revealing a liquid outer core.

Moment magnitude Mw

An earthquake magnitude scale based on seismic moment M₀, defined as Mw = (2/3) log₁₀ M₀ − 6.07, where M₀ is measured in newton-meters.

Isostasy

The state of gravitational balance in which the lithosphere floats on the denser asthenosphere; Airy and Pratt models explain crustal root and density variations.

Rolle's theorem

If a function is continuous on a closed interval, differentiable on the open interval, and equal at the endpoints, then its derivative vanishes somewhere inside.

Mean value theorem

For a function continuous on [a,b] and differentiable on (a,b), there exists a point c where the derivative equals the average rate of change over the interval.

Taylor series

An expansion of a function about a point a as the infinite sum of its derivatives at a multiplied by powers of (x − a) divided by factorials.

Eigenvalue equation

For a square matrix A, a scalar λ and nonzero vector v satisfy Av = λv; λ is found from det(A − λI) = 0.

Cauchy–Riemann equations

The pair u_x = v_y and u_y = −v_x relating real and imaginary parts of a complex function; together with continuity of partials they imply analyticity.

Bayes' theorem

The rule P(A|B) = P(B|A)P(A)/P(B) that updates the probability of an event given new evidence, using prior and conditional probabilities.

Central limit theorem

For independent identically distributed variables with finite mean and variance, the standardized sample mean converges in distribution to a standard normal as sample size grows.

Unbiased estimator

A statistic whose expected value equals the parameter being estimated; for example, the sample variance with denominator n − 1 is unbiased for population variance.

Maximum likelihood estimator

The parameter value that maximizes the likelihood function of the observed sample, often obtained by setting the derivative of the log-likelihood to zero.

Type I and Type II errors

In hypothesis testing, Type I error is rejecting a true null hypothesis with probability α; Type II error is failing to reject a false null with probability β.

Simple harmonic motion

Oscillatory motion described by x(t) = A cos(ωt + φ), where the restoring force is proportional to displacement; angular frequency ω depends on the system.

Photoelectric effect

The emission of electrons from a material when light exceeds a threshold frequency; maximum kinetic energy equals hf minus the work function.