Semester 1 A-K Flashcards
acceleration
Changing velocity; the rate at which an objects velocity is changing.
accuracy
The degree to which a measurement is free of error.
acoustic energy
Energy transported by sound waves
base unit
One of the seven fundamental units of measure in the SI System of units. the base units are meter (length), kilogram (mass), second (time), ampere (electric current), candela (luminous intensity), kelvin (temperature), and mole (amount of substance).
Big Bang
The theoretical origin of the universe as an immense explosion of energy from a single point; occurred 13.8 billion years ago according to widely accepted theory.
chemical potential energy
the energy stored in the bonds between atoms in compounds.
conservation of energy
The principle that energy is never created or destroyed, only changed from one form to another.
conservation of momentum
The principle that momentum is conserved in any interaction.
Cycle of Scientific Enterprise
The process of forming a theory to account for a body of facts, then formulating testable hypotheses from the theory, then testing the hypothesis experimentally and analyzing the results. if a hypothesis is confirmed, the theory it came from is strengthened; otherwise the theory is weakened.
derived unit
A unit of measure in the SI system of units based on a combination of various of the seven base units.
distance
The length traveled by an object
efficiency
In any system or process, the ratio of usable energy out to energy in.
elastic potential energy
Energy stored in a stretched or compressed object or substance.
electrical energy
Energy flowing in electrical conductors.
elastic collision
a collision in which kinetic energy is conserved
Empyrean
In the Ptolemaic model of the heavens, the region beyond the spheres where God or the gods dwell.
energy
One of the basic constituents of the universe, the others being matter and intelligence.
epicycle
A mathematical idea in obsolete planetary models in which a planet moves in an orbit (the epicycle) around a point which in turn circles another heavenly body.
experiment
A scientific test of a hypothesis.
explanatory variable
A variable manipulated by researchers in an experiment that produces variation in the response variable.
faith-science debate
A conflict in contemporary Western culture fueled on one hand by those who incorrectly claim that science shows there is no God and on the other hand by Christians whose interpretations of the Bible lead them to reject widely accepted scientific theories
Firmament
The sphere containing the fixed stars in the Ptolemaic of the heavens.
force
A push or a pull.
friction
A force that converts kinetic energy of motion into heat.
general theory of relativity
Albert Einstein’s theory (1915) of gravity; an explanation of gravity in terms of acceleration, and of the curvature of the space time around a massive object.
geocentric system
A solar system model in which the sun, moon, and planets all orbit the earth.
gravitational potential energy
Stored energy due to an objects location in a gravitational field.
heliocentric system
A solar system model in which the earth and other planets all orbits the sun and the moon orbits the earth.
hypothesis
A testable, informed prediction based on a theory, or what will happen in certain circumstances.
inelastic collision
A collision in which some of the initial kinetic energy is converted into other forms of energy, and thus kinetic energy is not conserved.
inertia
A property of all matter that causes matter to prefer its present state of motion, quantified by the variable mass.
internal energy
the sum of all the kinetic energies possessed by all the particles in a substance
International System of Units
The system of units of measure administered in France and accepted by most of the countries in the world; the SI or metric system.
kilogram
The unit for mass in the SI system; one of the seven base units.
kinetic energy
Energy an object possesses by virtue of its motion.
