Physics Textbook Flashcards
What is Hooke’s Law?
F = kΔx
F = force
k = spring constant
Δx = change in length of spring
What is the equation for angular acceleration?
α = Δω / Δt
What conditions must be true in order for Kepler’s laws to hold true?
- The smaller body must have a much smaller mass than the larger body that it orbits.
- The system must be isolated from other masses (must be far away from other planets).
What is the equation that relates acceleration to displacement?
Δx = ½at2 + v0t
Define displacement.
It is a vector quantity that includes distance AND direction.
Example = When a brick is moved 5 meters to the right, it was displaced 5 meters to the right.
What condition is required in order for angular momentum to be conserved in a system?
The net external torque on the system must be zero.
What is Kepler’s second law?
Each planet moves so that an imaginary line drawn from the Sun to the planet sweeps out equal areas in equal times.
What is the equation for mechanical advantage?
MA = Fout / Fin
What is the equation that relates torque to angular momentum?
τnet = ΔL / Δt
L = angular momentum
Name the 3 criteria that must be met in order for the laws of classical physics to apply.
- Matter must be moving at speeds < ~1% of the speed of light.
- The objects dealt with must be large enough to be seen with a microscope.
- Only weak gravitational fields (such as the field generated by the Earth) can be involved.
What is Kepler’s first law?
The orbit of each planet about the Sun is an ellipse with the Sun at one focus.
What is 180° in radians?
π
What is the equation for rotational work?
Wnet = τnetθ
What is the equation for efficiency?
Eff = Wout / Ein
Efficiency = Useful work output, divided by energy consumed.
Define bulk modulus. What is the equation for it?
The change in volume due to an evenly-applied force on all sides of an object.
ΔV = (FV0) / (BA)
F / A = force per area, applied uniformly inward on all surfaces
B = bulk modulus (unique for each material)
How do you determine the mechanical advantage of a pulley system?
The number of cables pulling directly upward on the system of interest is approximately equal to the MA of the pulley system.
What units can Newtons be broken down into? In other words, what are the “components” of 1 Newton?
1 N = 1 kg m / sec2
Define shear deformation. What is the equation for it?
Change in shape of an object, due to a perpendicular (sideways) force.
Δx = (FL0) / (SA)
Δx = change in sideways shape of object, perpendicular to L
F = applied force (perpendicular to L)
L0 = length of object
S = Shear modulus
A = cross-sectional area
On a plot of velocity vs time, the slope of the curve represents what value?
The acceleration at a given point in time.
What is the equation for gravitational potential energy?
ΔPEg = mgh
What is the equation for the optimum angle of an ideally banked curve (one in which you can still make the turn, even in a frictionless environment).
θ = tan−1 (v2 / (rg))
What is the right-hand rule, as it applies to angular momentum?
Take your right hand, and curl your fingers in the direction of rotation. Your outstretched thumb points in the same direction as the vectors for L and ω.
Define neutral equilibrium, and give an example.
A system is in neutral equilibrium if its equilibrium is independent of displacements from its original position.
Example = A marble on a flat horizontal surface.
Name the 4 basic forces.
For each one, state whether it is attractive, repulsive, or both.
- Gravitational (attractive only).
- Electromagnetic (both).
- Weak nuclear (both).
- Strong nuclear (both).
What are the 2 equations that let you calculate the magnitude of centripetal acceleration?
ac = v2 / r
ac = r ω2
What is the equation that relates angular acceleration to tangential acceleration?
at = r α
at = tangential acceleration
r = radius
α = angular acceleration
What are the unit vectors? What letters are used to represent them?
i represents the unit vector in the x direction (it is 1 unit long).
j represents the unit vector in the y direction (it is 1 unit long).
What is 60° in radians?
π / 3
What is 90° in radians?
π / 2
What is the definition of power?
Power = Work / Time
What is the equation that relates linear velocity to angular velocity?
v = r ω
v is the linear velocity
ω is the angular velocity
r is the radius (length from center to point where v is being measured)
What is the work-energy theorem?
Wnet = ½mvf2 − ½mvi2
The net work done is equal to the change in kinetic energy.
What is the definition of a Watt?
1 W = 1 J / sec
The Watt is a unit of power.
Define moment of inertia.
I = ∑mr2
Moment of inertia (I) is the sum of mr2 for all the point masses that it is composed of.
I is analogous to m in translational motion.
What is Newton’s Second Law?
F=ma
F and a are vector quantities, so they have arrows over the letters.
Define normal force.
Normal force = the force that acts on a resting object, which acts perpendicular to the surface that the object is resting on.
Example = if a block is resting on a ramp, the normal force points in a direction perpendicular to the ramp, NOT straight up.
Describe inelastic collisions. What is conserved?
The two objects that have collided are not stuck together, but some deformation / loss of energy has occurred.
Momentum is conserved.
Kinetic energy is not conserved.
Explain the example about rolling soup cans down a ramp, and give the equation for it.
If the soup is very thick, the can will not roll as quickly as a can that has thinner soup, even if the total masses are equal. This is because the thick soup rotates inside the can (it gains translational and rotational KE), but the thin soup does not rotate inside the can (it gains translational KE only).
PEgrav = KEtrans + KErot
What quantity is represented by the area under the curve in a graph of spring force vs distance?
The work done to displace the spring.