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"Mind Maps: Physics: How to Navigate the World of Science - Vocabulary" > Basic Physics Vocabulary > Flashcards

Basic Physics Vocabulary Flashcards

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1
Q

What is precision?

A

The closeness of measurements to each other when repeated under the same conditions.

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2
Q

What is accuracy?

A

The closeness of a measurement to the true or accepted value.

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3
Q

What is the definition of space?

A

The vast expanse in which all things in our universe exist, move, and occur.

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4
Q

What is position?

A

A point or place in physical space.

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5
Q

Define what distance is.

A

A measure of how far something travels through space no matter the direction.

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6
Q

Define what displacement is.

A

A measure of the separation between two positions in space with a linear direction.

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7
Q

What is a scalar quantity?

A

A quantity that only has magnitude and no direction/orientation.

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8
Q

What is a vector quantity?

A

A quantity that has both magnitude and direction/orientation.

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9
Q

What is time?

A

A dimension that measures the progression of events and experiences.

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10
Q

What is the definition of kinematics?

A

The branch of mechanics that deals with the motion of objects without consideration of the forces that cause the motion.

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11
Q

Define speed.

A

The rate at which an object changes its position.

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12
Q

_____ is the measure of the rate of change of position in a particular direction.

A

Velocity.

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13
Q

What’s momentum?

A

A vector quantity that measures the product of an object’s mass and velocity.

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14
Q

A change in direction or speed of an object is the result of _____.

A

Acceleration.

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15
Q

What is linear motion?

A

The movement of an object in a straight line, covering equal distances in equal intervals of time.

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16
Q

Define circular motion.

A

The movement of an object in a circular path around a fixed point.

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17
Q

The change in angle of an object when moving around a circle is known as the _____.

A

Angular displacement.

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18
Q

_____ is the rate of change of an angle in circular motion; it is a vector as it also has a direction (clockwise or anticlockwise) associated with it.

A

Angular velocity.

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19
Q

What is the motion of inertia?

A

A measure of how difficult or easy it is to change the angular motion of an object.

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20
Q

_____ is the rate of change of angular velocity.

A

Angular acceleration.

21
Q

Define angular momentum.

A

The product of an object’s angular velocity and its moment of inertia.

22
Q

A _____ is one type of interaction that can occur between any two objects, one that changes the motion of an object if unopposed by another _____.

A

Force.

23
Q

What’s electromagnetism?

A

The phenomenon of magnetism produced by electric current.

24
Q

What is a strong interaction?

A

The fundamental force that binds quarks together within protons and neutrons.

25
Q

What is a weak interaction?

A

A fundamental force in particle physics responsible for processes like beta decay (brings about transformation).

26
Q

Define what a residual interaction is.

A

An interaction that remains after the main effects have been considered.

27
Q

What is nuclear force?

A

The fundamental force that holds protons and neutrons together in the nucleus of an atom.

28
Q

What is normal force?

A

The force that surfaces exert to prevent solid objects from passing through each other.

29
Q

What is the exclusion principle?

A

The exclusion principle is a principle that states that no two electrons in an atom can be found in the same space.

30
Q

What is friction?

A

The force that opposes the motion of objects in contact with each other.

31
Q

Define static friction.

A

The frictional force that prevents an object from sliding when it is at rest.

32
Q

What is kinetic friction?

A

The frictional force experienced by two surfaces already in motion over each other.

33
Q

Provide the correct definition of gravity.

A

The force of attraction between objects with mass.

34
Q

What is gravitational mass?

A

A measure of the amount of matter in an object and determines the strength of its gravitational attraction to other objects.

35
Q

What is inertial mass?

A

The resistance of an object to changes in its state of motion.

36
Q

What is Newton’s gravity?

A

The force that causes objects to fall toward the Earth.

37
Q

What’s a force field?

A

A vector field corresponding with a non-contact force acting on a particle at various positions in space.

38
Q

What are field lines?

A

Imaginary lines that represent the direction a positive test charge would follow in an electric or magnetic field.

39
Q

The strength of a force at any given point in the field is given by the _____.

A

Field strength.

40
Q

Define energy.

A

The capacity to do work or the ability to cause a change in matter.

41
Q

What’s work?

A

The transfer of energy that occurs when a force is applied to an object, and the object moves in the direction of the force.

42
Q

What is Newton’s first law?

A

An object will remain in the same motion unless acted upon by some force.

43
Q

What is Newton’s second law?

A

Force equals mass times acceleration.

44
Q

What is Newton’s third law?

A

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction (or the symmetry of force when two objects interact).

45
Q

Define kinetic energy.

A

The energy stored in the speed of an object.

46
Q

What is potential energy?

A

The energy associated with the position of an object in a gravitational field.

47
Q

What is a centripetal force?

A

The resultant force that always acts toward a central point at right angles to an object’s motion.

48
Q

What are fictitious forces?

A

Forces that arise due to the acceleration of an object and are not caused by direction physical interactions.

48
Q

What is a torque?

A

The force that causes an object to rotate around an axis.

"Mind Maps: Physics: How to Navigate the World of Science - Vocabulary" (1 decks)

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