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MCAT Physics and Math > Physics and Math Basics > Flashcards

Physics and Math Basics Flashcards

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1
Q

What are two different groups of units?

A

MKS: meters, kilograms and seconds

CGS (SI): centimeters, grams, and seconds

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2
Q

What are the units in a newton?

A

1 kg . m / s^2

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3
Q

What are the two units of force?

A

Dyne and newton

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4
Q

What are the units in a dyne?

A

1 g . cm / s^2

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5
Q

What are the two units of work and energy?

A

Erg and joule

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6
Q

What are the units of an erg?

A

1 g . cm^2 / s^2

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7
Q

What are the units of a joule?

A
  1. kg . m^2 / s^2
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8
Q

What are the two units for power?

A

erg/s and watt

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9
Q

What are the units of a watt?

A
  1. kg . m^2 / s^3
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10
Q

What is an angstrom?

A

10^-10 meters

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11
Q

What are 4 vector quantities?

A
  1. Displacement
  2. Velocity
  3. Acceleration
  4. Force
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12
Q

How do you apply the right hand rule when multiplying vectors?

A
  1. Point your thumb in the direction of A
  2. Extend your fingers in the direction of B
  3. Your palm is in the direction of the product C = AB
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13
Q

What is displacement?

A

The vector representation of a change in position

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14
Q

What is distance?

A

Scalar quantity that reflects the path traveled

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15
Q

What is velocity?

A

The vector representation of the change in displacement with respect to time

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16
Q

What is the average velocity?

A

Total displacement / total time

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17
Q

What is the average speed?

A

Total distance / total time

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18
Q

What is the instantaneous velocity?

A

Limit of the change in displacement over time as the change in time approaches 0

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19
Q

What is the instantaneous speed?

A

The magnitude of the instantaneous velocity vector

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20
Q

What is a force?

A

Any push or pull that has the potential to result in an acceleration

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21
Q

What is gravity?

A

The attractive force that opposes motion as a function of electrostatic interactions at the surface between objects

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22
Q

What is static friction?

A

Exists between two objects that are not in motion relative to each other

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23
Q

What is kinetic friction?

A

Exists between two objects that are in motion relative to each other

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24
Q

How many values can static friction take on? Depending on what?

A

Many depending on on the magnitude of the applied force

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25
Q

How many values can kinetic friction take on?

A

One; constant value

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26
Q

What does the coefficient of friction depend on?

A

The two materials in contact

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27
Q

Which is larger: the coefficient of static friction or the coefficient of kinetic friction? What does this mean?

A

The coefficient of static friction

It means it always requires more force to get an object to start sliding than it takes to keep an object sliding

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28
Q

What is mass a measure of?

A

The inertia of an object = its amount of material

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29
Q

What is weight?

A

The force experienced by a given mass due to the gravitational attraction of the earth

30
Q

What is acceleration?

A

The vector representation of the change in velocity over time

31
Q

Where is the center of mass of a uniform object?

A

At the geometric center of the object

32
Q

What is the direction of frictional forces?

A

Opposite that of the movement

33
Q

When no force is being applied, the velocity must be…

A

Constant

34
Q

What does Newton’s first law state?

A

An object will remain at rest or move with a constant velocity if there is no net force on the object

35
Q

What is another name for Newton’s first law?

A

Law of inertia

36
Q

What does Newton’s second law state?

A

Any acceleration is the result of the sum of the forces acting on the object and its mass

37
Q

What does Newton’s third law state?

A

Any 2 objects interacting with one another experience equal and opposite forces as a result of their interaction

38
Q

What does linear motion include? (2)

A
  1. Free fall

2. Motion in which the velocity and acceleration are parallel or antiparallel

39
Q

What does projectile motion contain?

A

x and y components

40
Q

Assuming negligible air resistance, what is the only force acting on an object during projectile motion?

A

Gravity

41
Q

What are inclined planes an example of?

A

Two-dimensional movement: parallel and perpendicular

42
Q

What are the 3 dimensions of circular motion?

A

Radial and tangential dimensions

43
Q

What is the only force acting in uniform circular motion?

A

Centripetal force

44
Q

Where does centripetal force point?

A

Radially inward

45
Q

Where does the instantaneous velocity vector point in circular motion?

A

Tangentially

46
Q

What is the velocity when an object is at its maximum height in a parabolic pathway?

A

0

47
Q

What happens in free fall when air resistance is not negligible?

A

Air resistance will increase as the velocity of the object increases and will eventually be equal to the weight of the object. This means the object will fall with constant velocity: terminal velocity

48
Q

How long does it take for an object an max height to get back to original height?

A

The same time it took to get to max height

49
Q

At what launch angle is an object going to have the greatest horizontal and vertical displacement?

A

45 degrees

50
Q

What are free body diagrams?

A

Representations of the forces acting on an object

51
Q

When does translational equilibrium occur?

A

In the absence of any net forces acting on an object

52
Q

What is the velocity of an object in translational equilibrium?

A

Constant

53
Q

Can an object in translational equilibrium also be in rotational equilibrium?

A

Yes

54
Q

When does rotational equilibrium occur?

A

In the absence of any net torques on an object

55
Q

What is the angular velocity of an object in rotational equilibrium?

A

Constant

56
Q

What is angular velocity?

A

The rate of change of angular position of a rotating body

57
Q

What is torque?

A

Moment of force created by the application of force at a distance from the fixed pivot point of an object in rotational motion
It is a measure of how much a force acting on an object causes that object to rotate

58
Q

On the MCAT, what is the angular velocity usually when an object is in rotational equilibrium?

A

0

59
Q

If there is no acceleretation…

A

There is no net force on the object

60
Q

What is the lever arm?

A

The distance between the applied force on an object in rotational motion and the fixed pivot point

61
Q

What is the fixed pivot point of an object in rotational motion called?

A

The fulcrum

62
Q

Is a torque generating clockwise rotation negative or positive?

A

Negative

63
Q

Is a torque generating counterclockwise rotation negative or positive?

A

Positive

64
Q

Where does centrifugal force point?

A

Anti-parallel to the centripetal force

65
Q

How to convert between cubic units?

A

Raise the usual factor by ^3

Ex: 1 m^3 = (10^2)^3 cm^3 = 10^6 cm^3

66
Q

How to convert between liters and m^3?

A

1 m^3 = 10^3 L

1 L = 10^-3 m^3

67
Q

How to convert eV to Joules?

A

1 eV = 1.6 x 10^-19 J

68
Q

What does 1 eV represent?

A

the amount of energy gained (or lost) by the charge of a single electron (1.6×10^−19 Coulomb) moved across an electric potential difference of one Volt.

69
Q

What do to if asked what a graph between 2 units looks like?

A

Look at the differences between one unit and the differences between the others over time (can also graph it)

70
Q
  • log A/B = ?
A

= log B/A

MCAT Physics and Math (8 decks)

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