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Definitions Flashcards

1
Q

Scalar quantity

A

A physical quantity that has magnitude only

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2
Q

Resultant vector

A

The single vector which has the same effect as the original vectors acting together

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3
Q

Position

A

A location relative to an origin

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4
Q

Distance

A

Length of path travelled

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5
Q

Displacement

A

Change in position

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6
Q

Speed

A

Rate of change of distance

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7
Q

Velocity

A

Rate of change of displacement

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8
Q

Acceleration

A

Rate of change of velocity

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9
Q

Weight

A

The gravitational force which the earth exerts on any object on or near its surface

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10
Q

Normal force

A

The perpendicular force exerted by a surface on an object in contact with it

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11
Q

Frictional force

A

A force that opposes motion

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12
Q

Newton’s First Law

A

An object will remain at rest or continue moving at a constant velocity in a straight line unless a net force acts on it

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13
Q

Inertia

A

The property of a body that causes it to resist change to its state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line

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14
Q

Newton’s Second Law

A

When a net force acts on an object, the object will accelerate in the direction of the net force. The acceleration is directly proportional to the force applied and inversely proportional to the mass of the object.

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15
Q

Newton’s Third Law

A

When object A exerts a force on object B, object B will simultaneously exert a force back on object A that is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.

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16
Q

Momentum

A

The product of mass and the velocity of an object.

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17
Q

Law of conservation of linear momentum

A

The total linear momentum of an isolated system is constant

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18
Q

Elastic collision

A

A collision in which both momentum and kinetic energy are conserved

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19
Q

Inelastic collision

A

A collision in which only momentum is conserved

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20
Q

Impulse

A

Product of net force and contact time

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21
Q

Work done on an object by a force

A

The product of the displacement and the component of the force parallel to the displacement

22
Q

Gravitational potential energy

A

The energy an object possesses due to its position above a reference point

23
Q

Kinetic energy

A

The energy an object possesses as a result of its motion

24
Q

Mechanical energy

A

The sum of gravitational potential and kinetic energy

25
The Law of Conservation of Energy
The total energy in a system cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred from one form to another
26
The Principle of Conservation of Mechanical Energy
In an isolated system, the mechanical energy of an object is constant
27
Work-Energy Theorem
The work done by a net force on an object is equal to the change in the kinetic energy of the object
28
Power
The rate at which work is done / The rate at which energy is transferred
29
Watt
The power when one joule of work is done in one second
30
Efficiency
The ratio of output power to input power
31
Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation
Every object in the universe attracts every other particle of matter in the universe with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centres
32
Coulomb's Law
The force between two charged is directly proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the distance between the charges squared
33
Electric Field
The space in which an electric charge experiences a force
34
The magnitude of the electric field at a point
The force per unit positive charge
35
Potential difference
The work done per unit positive charge
36
Current
Rate of flow of charge
37
Ohm's Law
The current through a conductor is directly proportional to the potential difference across the conductor at a constant temperature
38
Resistance
A material's opposition to the flow of electric current
39
Emf
The total energy supplies per coulomb of charge by the cell
40
Magnetic flux linkage
The product of the number of turns in the coil and the flux through the coil
41
Faraday's Law of Electromagnetic Induction
The emf induced is directly proportional to the rate of change of magnetic flux (flux linkage)
42
Lenz's Law
The induced current flows in a direction so as to set up a magnetic field to oppose the change in magnetic flux
43
Diode
A component that allows current to flow in one direction only
44
Threshold frequency
The minimum frequency of incident radiation at which electrons will be emitted from a particular metal
45
Work function
The minimum amount of energy needed to emit an electron from the surface of a metal
46
Instantaneous velocity
The velocity at a particular instant in time
47
Electric field intensity
The force exerted on a unit positive charge (+1C) placed at a point in a field
48
Energy
The capacity for doing work
49
Field
A modified space in which an object experiences a force
50
Terminal velocity
When the upward force due to air resistance and the downward gravitational force become equal, the net force acting on the object is zero. The object is now moving downwards at a constant velocity called terminal velocity
51
Triangle law for forces in equilibrium
When three forces are in equilibrium, they can be represented by the 3 sides of a triangle taken in order in both magnitude and direction
52
Vector
A physical quantity that has both magnitude and direction

Physics (3 decks)

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