Physics 2024-03-06

Key Terms
Acceleration

Acceleration pertains to the rate of change of velocity per unit of time. It's a vector, implying it
carries both magnitude and direction.

Acceleration involves change in speed or direction, or both.

It's measured in meters per second squared (m/s^2).
Zero acceleration means constant speed and unchanging direction.
Acceleration due to gravity is approximately 9.8 m/s^2.

Centre of Gravity

The centre of gravity is the point in an object where the weight is evenly distributed and can be
considered the single point where the entire weight of the object can be considered to act.

The centre of gravity of a symmetrical object is located at its geometric centre.

The centre of gravity of an irregular object can be determined experimentally by suspending it
from different points and finding the balance point.
The stability of an object depends on the position of its centre of gravity; a lower centre of
gravity provides greater stability.
The centre of gravity can be affected by the distribution of mass in an object; objects with
uneven mass distribution have a shifted centre of gravity.

Circular Motion

Circular motion refers to the movement of an object along a circular path, where the object
continuously changes its direction.

Circular motion involves both linear speed and angular speed.

The centripetal force is responsible for keeping objects in circular motion.
The force required to maintain circular motion increases with the mass and decreases with
the radius of the circular path.
The period of circular motion is the time taken for one complete revolution around the circle.

Closed System

A closed system is a physical system that does not exchange any matter or energy with its
surroundings.
 A closed system can exchange energy with its surroundings, but not matter.
Closed systems are often used in scientific experiments to study the behavior of certain
substances or processes.
No system in nature is truly closed, as all systems are affected by external factors to some
extent.
The concept of a closed system is useful for simplifying complex systems and analyzing their
internal interactions.

Conservation of momentum

Conservation of momentum states that the total momentum of a system remains constant
unless acted upon by an external force.

Momentum is the product of an object's mass and velocity.

The law of conservation of momentum applies to both elastic and inelastic collisions.
In a closed system, the total momentum before a collision is equal to the total momentum
after the collision.
The principle of conservation of momentum can be used to analyze the motion of objects in
various scenarios.

Density

Density is a measurement of how much mass is contained within a given volume.

Density can be calculated by dividing mass by volume.

It is a property of matter that remains constant regardless of the size or shape of the object.
Objects with higher density will sink in fluids, while objects with lower density will float.
Density is used to determine the purity of substances.

Distance

In the context of measuring space between two points, distance refers to the length of the path
taken to get from one point to another.

Distance is a scalar quantity, meaning it only has magnitude and does not have a specific
direction.
One way to calculate distance is by using the Pythagorean theorem in two or three-
dimensional cases.
Distance can be measured in different units such as meters, kilometers, miles, or light-years.
When an object moves in a straight line, the distance traveled is equal to the magnitude of its
displacement.

Distance-Time Graphs
Distance-Time Graphs show the relationship between the distance an object travels and the time
it takes.

Distance-Time Graphs can be used to determine the object's speed by calculating the slope
of the graph.
A steeper slope indicates a greater speed, while a horizontal line indicates the object is not
moving.
Distance-Time Graphs can also be used to determine if an object is moving with constant
speed or undergoing acceleration.
If the graph is curved, it means the object is accelerating. A straight line indicates constant
speed.

Equilibrium

Equilibrium refers to a state of balance where all forces acting on an object are equal and cancel
each other out.

An object in equilibrium may be at rest or moving with a constant velocity.

Equilibrium can be achieved when an object is experiencing no external forces.
There are three types of equilibrium: stable, unstable, and neutral.
In stable equilibrium, a small displacement from the balanced position results in a force that
brings the object back to equilibrium.

Fluids

Fluids are substances that flow and take the shape of their containers. They can be categorized
as either liquids or gases.

Fluids have the ability to exert pressure in all directions.

Buoyancy is the upward force exerted by a fluid on an object immersed in it.
Fluids can be described by properties such as density, viscosity, and surface tension.
The study of fluid dynamics involves analyzing the motion of fluids and the forces acting on
them.

Force

Force is a push or pull that can cause an object to accelerate, change direction, or deform.

Force is a vector quantity, having both magnitude and direction.

The unit of force is the Newton (N)
Common forces include gravitational force, frictional force, and normal force.
Newton's 2nd law states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net
force applied to it.

Forces
Forces are interactions between objects that cause changes in motion.

Forces can be contact forces or non-contact forces.

Some common contact forces include friction, normal force, and applied force.
Gravity is a non-contact force that acts at a distance.
Forces can either change the speed or direction of an object's motion.

Friction

Friction is a force that opposes the motion of objects in contact with each other.

Friction depends on the nature of the surfaces and the amount of force pushing the surfaces
together.
Friction can be reduced by using lubricants to create a smooth surface.
Increasing the surface area in contact between two objects increases the amount of friction.
Friction can cause wear and tear on surfaces, leading to the need for maintenance or
replacement.

Impulse

Impulse is the product of force and the time interval over which the force is applied.

Impulse can change the momentum of an object.

An impulse can be positive or negative, depending on the direction of the force.
According to the impulse-momentum theorem, the impulse experienced by an object is equal
to the change in momentum.
Impulse is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction.

Moment of a force

The moment of a force is the measure of its tendency to cause an object to rotate about a
specific point.

The moment of a force depends on both its magnitude and the distance from the point of
rotation.
The moment of a force can be calculated using the formula: moment = force x distance.
The direction of the moment depends on the direction of the force and the direction from the
point of rotation.
The moment of a force can be increased by either increasing the force or increasing the
distance from the point of rotation.

Momentum
Momentum is a property of an object that describes its motion. It is a measure of how difficult it
is to stop or change the motion of the object.

Momentum is the product of an object's mass and velocity.

Momentum is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction.
The law of conservation of momentum states that the total momentum of a closed system
remains constant if no external forces act on it.
Momentum plays a crucial role in collisions and is used to analyze and predict the outcomes
of such events.

Net Force

Net force is defined as the vector sum of all forces acting on an object, which triggers
acceleration pursuant to Newton’s second law.

Objects in equilibrium have zero net force.

When multiple forces are applied, net force is determined by vector addition.
Net force determines whether an object will change its state of motion.
Direction of net force is in sync with the object's acceleration direction.

Newton's First Law

Newton's First Law states that an object will remain at rest or move in a straight line at a
constant speed unless acted upon by an external force.

It's also known as the Law of Inertia.

This law explains that an object's motion won't change unless a force changes its speed or
direction.
In the absence of net external forces, an object maintains a steady velocity.
The law applies to objects in any state of motion or at rest.

Newtons First Law

Newton's First Law, also known as the law of inertia, states that an object at rest will stay at rest,
and an object in motion will continue moving with a constant velocity, unless acted upon by an
external force.

The law of inertia explains why objects stay at rest and keep moving without any force
applied.
Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist changes in its motion.
According to Newton's First Law, the net force on an object in equilibrium is zero.
This law provides the basis for understanding the concept of momentum and how it relates
to an object's mass and velocity.

Newtons Second Law

Newton's Second Law states that the force acting on an object is equal to the mass of the object
multiplied by its acceleration.

The force acting on an object is directly proportional to its mass and acceleration.
The acceleration of an object is inversely proportional to its mass and directly proportional to
the force acting on it.
The Second Law can be expressed using the formula F = ma, where F is the force, m is the
mass, and a is the acceleration.
The Second Law explains how objects move and accelerate under the influence of forces.

Pascals

Pascals measure pressure, denoted as force per unit area. It commonly represents stress in solid
materials and fluid pressure in gases or liquids.

1 Pascal is equal to 1 Newton per square meter.

Pressure can be converted between different units such as atm, mmHg, or psi.
Named after Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician and physicist.
Used to quantify internal stresses in materials and forces exerted by fluids.

Plastic Deformation

Plastic deformation is a process in which a material undergoes a permanent change in shape

due to applied stress.

Crystalline materials exhibit plastic deformation through the movement of dislocations within
the crystal structure.
Plastic deformation can occur in both ductile and brittle materials, although ductile materials
generally exhibit more extensive plastic deformation.
The amount of plastic deformation a material can undergo before fracturing is known as its
ductility.
Plastic deformation is irreversible and typically occurs at high temperatures or under high
stress conditions.

Pressure

Pressure is the force exerted per unit area and is calculated by dividing the force applied on a
surface by the area over which it is applied.

Pressure is a scalar quantity and is measured in units of pascal (Pa) or newton per square
meter (N/m²).
Pressure increases with an increase in force and decreases with an increase in area.
Fluid pressure is exerted in all directions equally due to the molecules moving randomly.
Atmospheric pressure is the pressure exerted by the weight of the Earth's atmosphere on any
 given surface.

resultant force

Resultant force is the overall force experienced by an object or point when multiple forces are
acting upon it.

The resultant force can be found by adding up all the individual forces using vector addition.
If the forces are in the same direction, the resultant force is the sum of the magnitudes of the
forces.
If the forces are in opposite directions, the resultant force is the difference between the
magnitudes of the forces.
The resultant force determines the motion of an object according to Newton's second law of
motion.

Resultant Forces

Resultant forces are the combined effect of multiple forces acting on an object.

The resultant force is the vector sum of all the forces acting on the object.
The magnitude of the resultant force can be found using Pythagoras' theorem.
The direction of the resultant force can be found using trigonometry.
If the resultant force is zero, the object is either at rest or moving at a constant velocity.

Speed

Speed is a measure of how quickly an object moves. It is calculated by dividing the distance
traveled by the time taken.

Speed is a scalar quantity, meaning it only has magnitude and no direction.

The SI unit for speed is meters per second (m/s).
Average speed is calculated by dividing the total distance traveled by the total time taken.
Instantaneous speed is the velocity of an object at a specific moment in time.

Speed-Time Graphs

Speed-Time graphs display how an object's speed changes over time. A horizontal line indicates
constant speed, upward slope indicates acceleration, and downward slope indicates
deceleration.

The steeper the slope of a speed-time graph, the faster the object is speeding up or slowing
down.
A horizontal line on a speed-time graph means the object is moving at a constant speed.
An object at rest would be represented on a speed-time graph by a straight line parallel to the
 time axis.
The area under a speed-time graph represents the distance traveled by the object during that
time period.

Spring constant

Spring constant is a measure of how stiff or flexible a spring is, and it determines the amount of
force needed to stretch or compress the spring by a certain amount.

The spring constant is denoted by the letter k.

The higher the spring constant, the stiffer the spring.
The unit of spring constant is N/m (newton per meter).
Hooke's law describes the relationship between the force applied to a spring and the resulting
displacement.

Vector quantity

A vector quantity is a physical quantity with both magnitude and direction, such as velocity or
force.

Scalars only have magnitude, while vectors have magnitude and direction.
Vector quantities can be represented by arrows, with the length of the arrow representing the
magnitude and the direction of the arrow representing the direction.
The sum of two vectors is called the resultant, which can be found using graphical or
algebraic methods.
Vector quantities are often represented using coordinate systems, such as the Cartesian
coordinate system.

Velocity

Velocity is a measure of an object's speed in a given direction and is calculated by dividing the
change in position by the time interval.

Velocity is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude (speed) and direction.
In physics, velocity is often represented by the symbol 'v' or a variable with an arrow on top.
Positive velocity indicates motion in one direction, while negative velocity indicates motion in
the opposite direction.
Velocity can be constant (uniform) if both the speed and direction of motion remain the same
over time.

Weight

Weight is the measure of the force experienced by an object due to gravity.

Weight is a vector quantity that has both magnitude and direction.
Weight is always directed towards the center of the Earth.
Weight is proportional to an object's mass.
Weight can be calculated using the formula W = m * g, where W is the weight, m is the mass,
and g is the acceleration due to gravity.