Physics Flashcards
What is a scalar quantity?
A quantity that is fully described by a magnitude (or numerical value) alone.
E.g. length, time, mass volume, density, power, pressure, energy
What is a vector quantity?
a quantity that is fully described by both a magnitude and a direction.
E.g. weight, force
What is distance?
A scalar quantity that refers to “how much ground an object has covered” during its motion.
What is displacement?
A vector quantity that refers to “how far out of place an object is”; it is the object’s overall change in position.
What is speed?
A scalar quantity that refers to “how fast an object is moving”.
What is velocity?
A vector quantity that refers to “the rate at which an object changes its position”.
What is acceleration?
A vector quantity that refers to “the rate at which an object changes its velocity”.
What is a physical quantity?
A property of an object that can be measured with a measuring instrument. Usually expressed as “a magnitude (numerical value) and a physical unit or more”.
What is the formula for force?
mass x acceleration
What are the equipment and units for length?
ruler, tape wheel
meters (m)
What are the equipment and units for time?
stopwatch
seconds
What are the equipment and units for volume?
measuring tube
cm3, m3, or dm3
What are the units for speed and velocity?
m/s
meters/second
What is mass?
The amount of matter in something.
kg
What is weight?
The effect of gravity on a mass.
Newtons (N)
What is density?
The amount of mass in a given volume.
density = mass/volume
measured in g/cm3 or kg/m3
What are all forces measured in?
Newtons
What is the formula for pressure?
Force/Area
measured in pascals (Pa) or N/m2
How do you measure mass?
A top-pan balance.
What is a force?
A push, pull, or twist that can change something about an object.
It can change the object’s speed, direction, or shape.
What are the contact forces?
Friction, normal, applied, air/water resistance, tension, compression.
What are the non-contact forces?
Gravity, electrostatic, magnetic.
What is Newton’s first law of motion?
An object stays at rest or continues to move at a constant speed in a straight line unless a net (resultant) force acts on it.
What is acceleration measured in?
m/s2
How do you find the distance on a speed-time graph?
Measure the area under the graph.
What is the equation for speed?
distance/time