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MCAT > Physics > Flashcards

Physics Flashcards

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MCAT flashcards
1
Q

Scalar

A

a physical quantity that has a magnitude but no direction

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2
Q

Vector

A

a physical quantity with both magnitude and direction

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3
Q

Instantaneous speed/velocity

A

speed/velocity at any one point in time

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4
Q

Acceleration

A

the rate of change in velocity

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5
Q

Positive slope displacement vs time

A

object is moving toward the positive direction

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6
Q

Negative slop displacement vs time

A

object is moving toward the negative direction

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7
Q

Flat slope displacement vs time

A

object is at rest

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8
Q

Positive slope velocity vs time

A

object is accelerating in the positive direction

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9
Q

Negative slope velocity vs time

A

object is accelerating in the negative direction

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10
Q

Flat slope velocity vs time

A

object maintains a constant velocity

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11
Q

Area velocity vs time

A

distance/displacement the object has traveled

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12
Q

Flat slope acceleration vs time

A

constant/uniform acceleration

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13
Q

Area acceleration vs time

A

change in velocity of an object

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14
Q

Mass

A

quantitative measure of an object’s inertia; tells us how much that object will resist a change in motion

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15
Q

Weight

A

gravitational force that an object experiences when it it close to a much larger body

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16
Q

Center of mass

A

the single point at which all of the system’s mass can be considered to be concentrated; if a force is applied to an object beyond its center of mass, the object will rotate

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17
Q

Newton’s first law of motion

A

the law of inertia, an object in a state of rest or motion will tend to remain that state unless it is acted upon by a net force

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18
Q

Newton’s second law of motion

A

when a net force acts on an object, the change in that object’s state of motion will be inversely proportional to the mass of the object and directly proportional to the net force

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19
Q

Newton’s third law of motion

A

for every action, there exists an equal and opposite reaction

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20
Q

Normal force

A

always perpendicular to the force that applies it

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21
Q

Friction

A

force that opposes slipping/relative motion that is caused by attractive molecular forces between surfaces that are in contact

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22
Q

Static friction

A

occurs when a contact force is applied to an object and the surfaces do not slide past one another; object is not in motion relative to its surface; increases proportionally with the magnitude of the contact force until the object begins moving

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23
Q

Kinetic friction

A

friction experience when object begins moving and remains constant in magnitude, weaker than static friction

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24
Q

Air resistance

A

results from an object’s collisions with air molecules which impede relative motion between the object and the air; dependent on surface air, velocity of object, and shape

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25
Q

Hooke’s law

A

descries the force that most objects apply against a deforming force

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26
Q

Yield point

A

the point of violation in which solids do not follow Hooke’s law; when an object is deformed beyond its yield point it loses the ability to regain its original shape

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27
Q

Fracture point

A

the objects breaks (hooke’s law)

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28
Q

Torque

A

the measure of a force’s ability to cause rotational acceleration

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29
Q

Equilibrium

A

a state in which there is no net force and no net torque

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30
Q

Static equiibrium

A

equilibrium when all velocities are zero

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31
Q

Dynamic equiliobrum

A

equilibrium when velocities are nonzero but all velocities are constant

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32
Q

Mechanical energy

A

energy of a macroscopic system ie. kinetic and potential energy

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33
Q

Kinetic energy

A

energy of motion

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34
Q

Potential energy

A

energy of position

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35
Q

Gravitational potential energy

A

potential energy created by the force of gravity

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36
Q

Elastic potential energy

A

when a restorative elastic force acts on an object

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37
Q

Work

A

energy transferred for any reason other than a temperature difference

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38
Q

Heat

A

energy that is transferred between a system and its surroundings due to a temperature difference between them

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39
Q

First Law of Thermodynamics

A

any change in the total energy of a system is due to work or heat

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40
Q

Work-Kinetic Energy Theorem

A

work is equal to the change in kinetic energy in the absence of heat and change in potential energy

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41
Q

Sign conventions for work

A

work by the system (-); work on the system (+)

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42
Q

Power

A

rate of energy transfer

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43
Q

Law of Conservation of Mechanical Energy

A

when only conservative forces are acting, the sum of mechanical energies remains sconstant

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44
Q

Conservative forces

A

have associated potential energy and system experiences no change in total mechanical energy ie. gravitational forces and Hooke’s law forces

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45
Q

Non-conservative forces

A

the mechanical energy of the system changes ie. friction

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46
Q

Machine

A

reduces the force required to do a given amount of work but does not change work

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47
Q

Mechanical advantage

A

the ability to reduce applied force

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48
Q

Ramp

A

an inclined plane that reduces the force needed to do work by increasing the distance over which the force is applied

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49
Q

Lever

A

a beam attached to a fulcrum and reduces the force needed to do a given amount of work by increasing the distance over which the force is applied

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50
Q

Non-ideal machine

A

a system in which some of the energy transferred as work done on the machine is lost to friction ,deformation etc. so more work is required than would be in the absence of the machine (force is still reduced)

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51
Q

Fluid

A

liquid or gas; molecular bonds are constantly breaking and reforming due to the high kinetic energy of the molecules

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52
Q

Density

A

heaviness of a fluid; mass/volume

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53
Q

Specific gravity

A

the ratio of the density of an object to the density of water

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54
Q

Density of water

A

1000 kg/m3 or 1 g/cm3

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55
Q

Fluid pressure

A

pressure experienced by the object as a result of the impulse of molecular collisions

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56
Q

Atmospheric pressure

A

101,000 Pa

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57
Q

Pascal’s principle

A

states that pressure applied anywhere to an enclosed incompressible fluid will be distributed undiminished throughout the fluid

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58
Q

Absolute pressure

A

pressure of a system relative to a vacuum

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59
Q

Gauge pressure

A

amount by which a system’s pressure deviates from atmospheric pressure

60
Q

Hydraulic lift

A

simple machine that works via Pascal’s principle; piston 1 has a much smaller area than piston 2; both pistons must exert the same pressure at the point of contact with the liquid; the ratio of force to area will stay the same for piston 2 so with a large area, it will be subject to an even greater force

61
Q

Buoyant force

A

a standing fluid force which results from a pressure difference between the top of an object and the bottom of it

62
Q

Floating object

A

density of object is less than density of fluid; displaces a volume of fluid with mass equal to its own mass; Fb = Fg

63
Q

Submerged object

A

density of object is equal to the density of the fluid; displaces volume fluid with mass equal to its own mass and equal to its own volume; Fb = Fg

64
Q

Sunk object

A

density of object greater than density of fluid; displaces volume of fluid equal to its own volume; Fb < Fg

65
Q

Random translational motion

A

contributes to fluid pressure as in a fluid at rest

66
Q

Uniform translational motion

A

shared equally by all the molecules at a given location in a fluid

67
Q

Characteristics of ideal fluid

A

no viscosity, incompressible/uniform density, no turbulence, irrotational flow

68
Q

Viscosity

A

a measure of a fluid’s temporal resistance to forces that are not perpendicular to its surface

69
Q

Turbulence

A

the velocity at any fixed point in the fluid may vary with time

70
Q

Laminar flow

A

all fluid flowing through any fixed point has the same velocity

71
Q

Irrotational flow

A

any object moving with an ideal fluid will not rotate about its axis as it flows but will continue to point in one direction regardless of the direction of flow

72
Q

Continuity equation

A

Q =Av

73
Q

Streamlines

A

velocity of a party is tangent to its curve; magnitude of velocity is inversely related to the distance between streamlines

74
Q

Bernoulli’s equation

A

restates conservation of energy in terms of densities and pressures; the sum o f the pressure, kinetic energy per unit volume, and potential energy per unit volume of a fluid remains constant throughout that fluid

75
Q

Pitot tube

A

horizontal tube that contains a U-shaped tube which provides pressure measurements of the velocity of a fluid flowing past it

76
Q

Venturi tube

A

horizontal tube with a constricted region in the middle.; provides measurements that can be used to calculate the velocity of a fluid flowing within it

77
Q

Venturi effect

A

the decrease in pressure that occurs when a fluid flows into a constricted region of a pipe

78
Q

Surface tension

A

describes the intensity of the intermolecular forces per unit length

79
Q

Capillary action

A

a fluid is pulled up a thin tube due to adhesive forces

80
Q

Adhesive force

A

forces between the molecules of the tube and the fluid molecules; if adhesive forces are stronger than cohesive, the fluid is pulled upward by the vertical component of the surface tension and a concave surface is formed

81
Q

Cohesive forces

A

forces between the fluid molecules of a tube; if cohesive forces are stronger, a convex surface is formed as the fluid is pulled downward by the vertical component of surface tension

82
Q

Field

A

some type of distortion or condition in space that creates a force on a charge

83
Q

Lines of force

A

point in the direction of the field (positive to negative for electric fields)

84
Q

Electric field

A

defined as the electrostatic force per unit charge (N/C or V/m)

85
Q

Voltage

A

the potential for work by an electric field in moving any charge from one point to another; units of volts (J/C)

86
Q

Equipotential surfaces

A

all points on an equipotential surface are at the same voltage

87
Q

Conductors

A

allow electrons to flow relatively freely

88
Q

Resistors

A

hold electrons tightly in place

89
Q

Metallic conductors

A

conduct a charge through the transfer of electrons and no chemical change occurs as the result of that flow

90
Q

Electrolytic conductor

A

characterized by a flow of ions in a membrane which entails a transfer of matter

91
Q

Current

A

moving charge (A or C/s)

92
Q

Drift speed

A

uniform translational movement

93
Q

Circuit

A

cyclical pathway for moving charge where a battery provides the potential difference needed to maintain charge flow

94
Q

Resistance

A

the quantitative measure of an object of a particular shape and size to resist the flow of charge (measured in ohms); increases with length and temperature

95
Q

Electromotive force (EMF)

A

fancy word for voltage

96
Q

Capacitor

A

temporarily stores energy in a circuit in the form of separated charge ; capacitance increases as plates’ surface area increases

97
Q

Parallel plate capacitor

A

2 plates made from conductive material are separated by a very small distance

98
Q

Dielectric constant

A

refers to the substance between the plates of a capacitor; acts to resist the creation of an electric field, allowing the capacitor to store more energy (constant of air = 1)

99
Q

Dielectric strength

A

at some maximum voltage, the dielectric will break down and conduct electricity

100
Q

Ammeter

A

instrument that measures the current flowing through a circuit; connected in series with a circuit so that all current flowing through the circuit also flows through the meter; the resistance within the ammeter is almost zero so it does not affect the current through the circuit

101
Q

Voltmeter

A

instrument that measures the potential difference between any 2 points on a circuit; attached to 2 separate points on a circuit, often on either side of a circuit element; always attached in parallel so it does not affect the voltage of the circuit and should not draw current so the resistance if functionally infinite within a voltmeter

102
Q

Multimeter

A

can serve as both an ammeter and a voltmeter; a switch determines whether current or voltage is measured

103
Q

Production of sound

A

occurs via the vibration of a source such as the vocal chords

104
Q

Wave

A

the propagation of some vibration from one point to another

105
Q

Mechanical waves

A

obey the laws of classical mechanics and require a medium through which to travel ie. sound or waves on a string

106
Q

Electromagnetic waves

A

do not require a medium through which to travel; they can propagate in vacuo or in a vacuum ie. light

107
Q

Transverse wave

A

medium is displaced perpendicularly to the direction of wave propogation

108
Q

Longitudinal wave

A

one in which the medium is displaced parallel to the direction of wave propagation

109
Q

Nondispersive wave

A

wave maintains its shape and does not disperse as it travels

110
Q

Wavelength

A

the distance from any point in the wave to the point where the wave begins to repeat itself

111
Q

Frequency

A

the number of wavelengths that pass a fixed point in one second

112
Q

Period

A

the time it takes the wave to travel the distance of one wavelength

113
Q

Characteristics of medium that determine velocity of a wave

A

elasticity (resistance to change in shape) and inertia (resistance to change in motion)

114
Q

Amplitude of a wave

A

the distance between the x-axis and either the top of a crest or bottom of a trough

115
Q

Constructive interference

A

when the superposition of waves results in a greater displacement

116
Q

Destructive interference

A

when the superposition of waves results in lesser displacement

117
Q

Sound

A

transfer of energy through oscillations between high and low pressure

118
Q

Pitch

A

a measure of how high or how low a note sounds

119
Q

Intensity level

A

measure of loudness; describes how intense a sound seems to be

120
Q

Relationship between intensity and decibel

A

if the intensity is increased by a factor of 10, the decibels increase by the addition of 10 decibels

121
Q

Wave pulse

A

single wavelength

122
Q

Resonance

A

the condition where the natural frequency and the driving frequency are equal

123
Q

Attenuation (damping)

A

the decrease in the intensity of a wave propagating through a medium; due to reflection, spreading, absorption

124
Q

Doppler effects

A

when the source or observer is moving toward the other, the observed frequency is higher than the source frequency; when the source or observer is moving away from each other, the observed frequency is lower than the source frequency

125
Q

Beats

A

occur when 2 waves with slightly different frequencies are superimposed; at some points they will be nearly in phase and other points they will be out of phase

126
Q

Shock wave

A

a conical wave front produced when the velocity of the sound source exceeds the velocity of the sound wave ; when the source moves faster than the speed of sound, many wave fronts overlap generating a region of very low pressure, air moves in response to this gradient creating a loud sonic boom

127
Q

Mach number

A

the ratio of the velocity of the source to the velocity of the wave

128
Q

Light

A

transfer of energy through alternating electric and magnetic fields

129
Q

Photons

A

pulses of electromagnetic radiation that can be thought of as localized particles of energy

130
Q

Absorption

A

the waves most likely to be absorbed are those whose frequencies most likely match the resonant frequencies of the medium

131
Q

Polarized light

A

light with its electric and magnetic fields oriented in a particular, rather than random, way

132
Q

Circularly polarized light

A

consists of electric fields of constant magnitude that change direction in a rotary manner in a clockwise or counterclockwise manner

133
Q

Reflection

A

at the boundary between media, a wave bounces back and returns into the medium from which it came

134
Q

Refraction

A

a wave bends as it continues from one medium to the next

135
Q

Angle of incidence

A

the angle at which a wave strikes an interface

136
Q

Angle of reflection

A

angle at which a wave reflects

137
Q

Plane surface reflection

A

angle of incidence is equal to angle of reflection

138
Q

Index of refraction

A

the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to the speed of light in a particular medium; air =1; water = 1.3; glass = 1.5

139
Q

Total internal reflection

A

when light is coming from a medium with a higher index of refraction, the angle of incidence can be so great that all photons will be reflected and none will refract (this angle is called the critical angle)

140
Q

Dispersion

A

the separation of light into different frequencies due to their different indices of refraction in a medium

141
Q

Chromatic dispersion

A

white light (which is made up of all light frequencies in the visible spectrum) is split by a prism

142
Q

Thin film interference

A

occurs when a thin layer of a substance is placed between 2 layers of another substance that has a different index of refraction; at each interface light can either reflect or refract; if it refracts, it changes wavelengths but not phase; if it reflects off a medium that is denser, it changes phase but not wavelength; if it reflects off a medium that is less dense, it changes neither wavelength nor phase

143
Q

Diffraction

A

the spreading of light that occurs when a wave bends around the edges of an object or opening; significant diffraction occurs when the size of the object or opening is on the order of the wavelength or smaller

144
Q

Young’s double-slit experiment

A

light is projected onto a screen with 2 small slits, the light waves diffracting through the two slits interfere with one another and produce a predictable pattern of alternating light and dark bands (maxima and minima)

145
Q

Diffraction grating

A

a series of many small slits that diffracts a light source into its component colors; spread out from shorter wavelengths to longer wavelengths; the more rulings (slits) a grating has, the narrower and more defined each maximum and the wider the dark regions between the maxima

146
Q

X-ray diffraction

A

x-rays that are projected at a crystal scatter and create regular interference patterns unique to the structure of the crystal

MCAT (5 decks)

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