Physics Flashcards
Laws of Thermodynamics
Thermodynamics is the branch of physics that has to do with heat and temperature and their relation to energy and work. The behavior of these quantities is governed by the four laws of thermodynamics which amongst other things state that:
1) energy can be transformed (changed from one form to another), but cannot be created or destroyed.
2) differences in temperature, pressure, and chemical potential tend to even out in a physical system that is isolated from the outside world.
Velocity vs. Speed
Velocity is not the same as speed; While speed is the distance traveled over time, velocity is speed plus vector: how fast something gets somewhere. An object that moves two steps forward and then two steps back has moved at a certain speed but shows no velocity.
Example of velocity: 60 km/h to the north
As a change of direction occurs while race cars turn on a curved track, their velocity is not constant.
Sometimes in life, e.g. while working, it’s not only about the speed at which things are done but rather the speed of accomplishment of those things moving you in a certain direction (towards the same goal).
Activation Energy
In chemistry and physics, this is the energy which must be provided to a chemical or nuclear system with potential reactants to result in a chemical or nuclear reaction. Without this energy, no reaction would takes place; e.g. matches don’t burn unluss you rub them.
Usually, it takes a lot more energy to induce a reaction than to keep it going and human behavior works much the same way. This is where the saying “Getting started is the hardest part.” comes from.
Catalysts
Catalysts are substances which reduce the activation energy required to induce reactions.
Attempting to light a large log with a match can be difficult, adding some paper or gasolene will provide an alternative pathway and serve as a catalyst.
Identifying and using catalysts can be very useful in our daily lives to get projects and processes started.
Levers
A lever is a device which amplifies an input force to provide a greater output force, which is said to provide leverage. Levers can be used to exert a large force over a small distance at one end while exerting only a small force over a greater distance at the other. Bottle openers and wheelbarrows are perfect examples.
Leverage is built on the notion that small, well-focused actions can sometimes produce significant, enduring improvements if they are applied in the right place. Tacking a difficult problem is often a matter of seeing where the high leverage lies.
Inertia
An object in motion with a certain vector wants to continue moving in that direction unless acted upon. This is a fundamental physical principle of motion; however, individuals, systems, and organizations display the same effect. It allows them to minimize the use of energy, but can cause them to be destroyed or eroded.
Inertia is the reason implementing change can be difficult, bad habits are not easy to quit and opinions are not easily changed.
Alloying
Alloying refers to the combination of one thing plus another (often metals in science). In the physical world, when you add two metals together, you might reach a compound strength far greater than either metal alone. In the world of business, we might not be adding metals together to create an alloy, but let’s say that you’re a business of 1. If you add another employee, that doesn’t mean your business will be twice as strong as before. It might be 5 times stronger, for all we know, based on the properties of the person you’ve combined yourself with.
Criticality
A system becomes critical when it is about to jump discretely from one phase to another. The marginal utility of the last unit before the phase change is wildly higher than any unit before it. A frequently cited example is water turning from a liquid to a vapor when heated to a specific temperature. “Critical mass” refers to the mass needed to have the critical event occur, most commonly in a nuclear system. Other examples from the business world are critical points related to customers, costs, production volumes etc. that must exist in order for the operation to be executed or an investment to be made.
Renormalization Group
The renormalization group technique allows us to think about physical and social systems at different scales. An idea from physics, this framework examines how systems work on different scales by modifying them. In chemistry and physics, a multi-scale description is often necessary to understand how systems react under different circumstances which can be used to find critical points. This, for instance, allows us to understand why a small number of stubborn individuals can have a disproportionate impact if those around them follow suit on increasingly large scales.
