Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

X Flashcards > Physics Terms > Flashcards

Physics Terms Flashcards

1
Q

The study of the fundamental laws of nature and many of their applications

A

Physics

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

The internationally adopted standard system of units for quantitively measuring quantities

A

SI units

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

The fundamental type of a quantity such as length, mass, or time

A

Dimension of a quantity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

A type of calculation that checks the dimensional consistency of an equation

A

Dimensional analysis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

A value that is purely numerical, or a quantity, define such as that all dimensional factors cancel

A

Dimensionless quantity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

The digit in the numerical value of a quantity that are known with certainty

A

Significant figures

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

A method of writing numbers that consists of a number of order unity times 10 to the appropriate power

A

Scientific notation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

The power of 10 characterizing the size of a quantity

A

Order of magnitude

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

A factor that multiplies a quantity to convert its value to another unit

A

Conversion factor

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

A numerical value with appropriate unit

A

Scalar

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

A mathematical quantity having a numerical value and direction

A

Vector

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

The study of how objects move in the forces that cause motion

A

Mechanics

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

The branch of physics that describes the motion

A

Kinematics

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

The total length of travel

A

Distance

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

The change in position of an object

A

Displacement

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Distance divided by elapsed time

A

Average speed

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

The rate of change of displacement with time

A

Velocity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

The rate of change of velocity with time

A

Acceleration

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

The acceleration that results from earths gravitational pull

A

The acceleration of gravity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

The motion of an object subject only to the influence of gravity

A

Freefall

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

A straight line that intersects a curve at a point P as the result of a limiting process of secant line through points surrounding P

A

Tangent line

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

A mathematical quantity, having both magnitude and direction (with appropriate units)

A

Vector

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

The full numerical value of the quantity being represented

A

Magnitude of a vector

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

The orientation with an a coordinate system of the quantity being represented

A

Direction of a vector

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

The part of a vector associated with a specific direction

A

Component of a vector

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

A dimensionless vector of unit magnitude

A

Unit vector

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

The motion of an object that is projected with an initial velocity, and then moves under the influence of gravity only

A

Projectile motion

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

The angle of the initial velocity of a projectile measured relative to the horizontal

A

Launch angle

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

The horizontal distance traveled by a projectile before it lands

A

Range

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

An object, moving with a constant velocity continues to do so unless acted upon by a nonzero net force

A

Newtons first law

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

The acceleration of an object equals the ratio of the net force on the object to its mass

A

Newton second law

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

For every force that an agent applies to an object, there is a reaction force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction applied by the object to the original agent

A

Newtons third law

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

The branch of physics that studies force in the causes of various types of motion

A

Dynamics

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

A push, or a pull applied to an object

A

Force

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

A measure of an objects inertia

A

Mass

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

An object natural tendency to move with constant velocity

A

Inertia

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

A frame of reference in which the law of inertia hold

A

Inertial reference frame

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

A diagram of an isolated object showing all the force factors acting on the object

A

Free body diagram

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
39
Q

The downward force due to gravity

A

Weight

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
40
Q

The perceived weight of an object as its force of contact with the ground or a scale

A

Apparent weight

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
41
Q

The component of the contact force on the surface that is perpendicular to the surface

A

Normal force

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
42
Q

A contact force between two sliding surfaces that opposes the motion

A

Kinetic friction

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
43
Q

The contact force between two non-sliding services that opposes their attempt to slide

A

Static friction

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
44
Q

The force transmitted through a string or taut wire

A

Tension

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
45
Q

The force law for an ideal spring

A

Hookes law

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
46
Q

The proportionality factor between the force and the deformation in Hooke’s law

A

Force constant

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
47
Q

The situation in which the net force on an object is zero

A

Translational equilibrium

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
48
Q

The center-pointing acceleration of objects in circular motion

A

Centripetal acceleration

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
49
Q

The center pointing force on objects in circular motion

A

Centripetal force

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
50
Q

Work is done when a force acts through a displacement

A

Work

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
51
Q

SI unit of work and energy

A

Joule

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
52
Q

The rate at which work is done

A

Power

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
53
Q

The SI unit of power equal to 1 Joule per second

A

Watt

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
54
Q

Any force for which the work done is independent of path

A

Conservative force

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
55
Q

Any force that is not a conservative force

A

Nonconservative force

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
56
Q

The representation of the extent to which work is stored in the configuration of a system

A

Potential energy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
57
Q

The sum of the kinetic and potential energy in a system

A

Mechanical energy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
58
Q

The position on a potential energy curve at which an object will stop and reverse directions

A

Turning point

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
59
Q

A region in which every point has an equal value of potential energy

A

Equipotential

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
60
Q

The product of the mass and velocity of an object

A

Linear momentum

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
61
Q

The product of force in the amount of time the force acts

A

Impulse

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
62
Q

And interaction in which forces are exerted for a finite period of time

A

Collision

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
63
Q

The principle that the total linear momentum of a system remains constant unless a nonzero external net force is applied

A

Conservation of linear momentum

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
64
Q

A collision in which kinetic energy is not conserved

A

Inelastic collision

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
65
Q

A collision in which kinetic energy is conserved

A

Elastic collision

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
66
Q

The average location of mass within a system

A

Center of mass

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
67
Q

The forward force exerted by the expelled mass in rocket exhaust

A

Thrust

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
68
Q

The angle measured from a chosen reference line

A

Angular position

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
69
Q

The rate of change of angular position

A

Angular velocity

70
Q

A form of rolling motion in which the point of contact between the rolling object and the surface is instantaneously at rest

A

Rolling without slipping

71
Q

A quantity that represents the inertial property of a rotating object or system

A

Moment of inertia

72
Q

The combination of a force in the distance at which it is applied from an axis that causes angular acceleration

A

Torque

73
Q

The perpendicular distance from an axis to the line of force for calculating torque

A

Moment arm

74
Q

The state of motion in which an object neither translates nor rotates

A

Static equilibrium

75
Q

The principle that the total angular momentum of a system remains constant, unless a nonzero external net torque is applied

A

Angular momentum conservation

76
Q

The rules for determining the direction of rotation of vector quantities

A

Right hand rule

77
Q

The fundamental force of nature that represents the attraction between objects with mass

A

Gravity

78
Q

Between any two point masses there is an attractive force directly proportional to the product of the masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them

A

Newtons law of universal gravitation

79
Q

The net result of gravitational interaction with an a system of particles is the sum of the results for interactions between each pair of particles in the system

A

Principle of superposition

80
Q

The amount of time it takes an object to execute one complete orbit

A

Orbit period

81
Q

The speed at which a moving object can just barely get infinitely far away from another object ; at the speed, the mechanical energy of the system is zero

A

Escape speed

82
Q

Motion that repeats itself

A

Periodic motion

83
Q

When the position, velocity, and acceleration of an oscillatory motion repeat themselves between two successive passes

A

Complete cycle

84
Q

The amount of time for one complete cycle

A

Period

85
Q

The number of cycles per unit of time

A

Frequency

86
Q

The oscillatory motion that results from a force that obeys Hookes law

A

Simple harmonic motion

87
Q

The maximum displacement from equilibrium

A

Amplitude

88
Q

2 pi x the frequency

A

Angular frequency

89
Q

A mass suspended by a cord or rod of negligible mass

A

simple pendulum

90
Q

A mass distribution that is suspended and free to oscillate

A

Physical pendulum

91
Q

When an oscillating system loses energy

A

Damped oscillation

92
Q

A small damping constant causes oscillatory motion of decreasing amplitude

A

Underdamped oscillation

93
Q

When the damping constant is just large enough to prevent oscillations

A

Critically damped oscillation

94
Q

The damping constant is more than just large enough to prevent oscillations

A

Overdamped oscillation

95
Q

When an external agent forces a system to oscillate

A

Driven oscillation

96
Q

A frequency at which a system of oscillate if no driving force is applied

A

Natural frequency

97
Q

That large-amplitude oscillations occur when a system is driven at a natural frequency

A

Resonance

98
Q

Results from the connection of a series of oscillators

A

Wave

99
Q

Waves for which the oscillators move with simple harmonic motion

A

Harmonic waves

100
Q

Waves for which the isolation is perpendicular to the direction of propagation

A

Transverse waves

101
Q

Waves for which the oscillation is along the direction of propagation

A

Longitudinal waves

102
Q

The minimum amount of time it takes for a wave to repeat

A

Period

103
Q

The number of cycles of a waves oscillations per unit of time

A

Frequency

104
Q

The minimum repeat length of a wave

A

Wavelength

105
Q

The amount of energy per unit area per unit time

A

Intensity

106
Q

A measure of a sounds loudness relative to a standard reference

A

Intensity level

107
Q

The shift in frequency due to relative motion between the source in the observer

A

Doppler effect

108
Q

The addition of two or more waves

A

Superposition

109
Q

The wave pattern that results from the super position of two or more waves

A

Interference pattern

110
Q

When the crests and/or troughs of different waves occur at the same time

A

In phase

111
Q

When the crest of a wave occur at the same time as the troughs of another wave

A

Opposite phase

112
Q

When waves superimpose in phase, resulting in a wave of larger amplitude

A

Constructive interference

113
Q

When waves superimpose out of phase, resulting in a wave of smaller amplitude

A

Destructive interference

114
Q

Hey stationary wave from the superposition of two waves traveling in opposite directions

A

Standing wave

115
Q

Positions on a standing wave that do not oscillate.

A

Node

116
Q

Positions on a standing wave that oscillate with maximum amplitude

A

Antinode

117
Q

The longest wavelength standing wave

A

Fundamental mode

118
Q

Variations in the intensity of a wave, resulting from the superposition of waves of different frequency

A

Beats

119
Q

The frequency of successful intensity maximum of a wave that exhibits beats

A

Beat frequency

120
Q

A liquid or a gas

A

Fluid

121
Q

A measure of the compactness of an object or substance, given by its mass per unit volume

A

Density

122
Q

The normal force per unit area, acting on an object or within a fluid

A

Pressure

123
Q

The measure of pressure that excludes the atmospheric pressure

A

Gauge pressure

124
Q

The principle that an external pressure is transmitted undiminished throughout a fluid

A

Pascals principle

125
Q

The phenomenon that fluid pressure applies an upward force on immersed objects

A

Buoyancy

126
Q

The buoyant force equals the weight of the fluid displaced by immersed object

A

Archimedes principle

127
Q

Occurs when the buoyant force equals an objects weight

A

Flotation

128
Q

The equation that expresses the constant mass flow rate within a fluid

A

Equation of continuity

129
Q

The application of the work energy theorem to fluid flow

A

Bernoulli’s equation

130
Q

The equation that determines the speed with which a fluid will flow from an aperture below the surface of a fluid in an open container

A

Torricelli’s law

131
Q

Resistance to fluid flow

A

Viscosity

132
Q

The surface of fluids often behave in a way similar to an elastic membrane

A

Surface tension

133
Q

The property of systems that determines the existence and direction of the heat flow between them when they are in thermal contact

A

Temperature

134
Q

The energy that is transferred between systems because of a temperature difference

A

Heat

135
Q

Exists between systems when it is possible for heat to flow between them

A

Thermal contact

136
Q

Exists when systems are brought into thermal contact, and no heat transfer occurs

A

Thermal equilibrium

137
Q

The fundamental law that allows a working definition of temperature

A

Zeroth law of thermodynamics

138
Q

The lower limit on physical attainable temperatures

A

Absolute zero

139
Q

The substance dependent proportionality factor that determines how much an object will expand as the result of a temperature change

A

Coefficient of expansion

140
Q

The heat needed to change the temperature of 1 g of water by 1 Celsius degree

A

Calorie

141
Q

A quantity that determines how much heat is needed to change the temperature of an object by a certain amount

A

Specific heat

142
Q

Heat transfer by direct flow through an object due to a temperature difference across it

A

Conduction

143
Q

A quantity that determines the rate at which heat conducts through a specific object

A

Thermoconductivity

144
Q

Heat transfer by direct movement of matter from one place to another

A

Convection

145
Q

Heat transfer by a mission or absorption of electromagnetic waves

A

Radiation

146
Q

Determines the rate at which an object emits or absorbs radiation

A

Stefan Boltzmann constant

147
Q

A number between zero and one that measures how effectively and object radiate heat

A

Emissivity

148
Q

A gas in which the gas particles do not interact, except for elastic collisions.

A

Ideal gas

149
Q

An equation that relates the temperature, pressure, volume, and number of particles of the gas

A

Equation of state, for ideal gases

150
Q

The amount of a substance that contains 6.022×10^23 entities

A

Mole

151
Q

The number of entities in a hole, equal to 6.022×10^23

A

Avogadro’s number

152
Q

The mass of one mole of atoms

A

Atomic mass

153
Q

Pressure-versus-volume curves, plotted for fixed temperature and number of particles

A

Isotherms

154
Q

Relates the motion of the microscopic particles of a system to its macroscopic properties

A

Kinetic theory

155
Q

The applied force per unit area that deforms a substance

A

Stress

156
Q

The deformation that results from a stress applied to an object

A

Strain

157
Q

The release of molecules from the liquid phase to the gaseous phase

A

Evaporation

158
Q

The freezing of a fluid to a solid

A

Fusion

159
Q

The direct transformation between the solid and gas phases

A

Sublimation

160
Q

A graph that shows the conditions under which a substance will exist in different phases (often of temperature and pressure)

A

Phase diagram

161
Q

Heat required to completely change the face of 1 kg of a substance

A

Latent heat

162
Q

A quantity that only depends on the thermodynamics state of a system (from P, V, & T)

A

State function

163
Q

A process that allows a system to return precisely to a previous state

A

Reversible process

164
Q

A process that is not reversible

A

Irreversible process

165
Q

A process that takes place at constant temperature

A

Isothermal process

166
Q

A process during which no heat is transferred

A

Adiabatic process

167
Q

The heat needed to change the temperature of 1 mol of a substance by 1 degree Celsius

A

Molar specific heat

168
Q

A device that converts heat into work

A

Heat engine

169
Q

States the conditions that give the maximum efficiency of a heat engine

A

Carnot’s theorem

170
Q

A device that uses work to cause heat to flow from a cooler region to a warmer region

A

Refrigerator

171
Q

The ratio of the heat that flows at a fixed temperature to the temperature for a reversible process (measures the amount of disorder in a system)

A

Entropy

X Flashcards (6 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions