Semester 1: Questions Flashcards
Define unit vector
A vector of unit length in a given direction.
How can plane polar coordinates be written in terms of Cartesian coordinates?
How can Cartesian coordinates be written in terms of plane polar coordinates?
Describe the diagram that represents plane polar coordinates
What are the unit vectors for plane polar coordinates in Cartesian coordinates?
How can cylindrical coordinates be written in terms of Cartesian coordinates?
How can Cartesian coordinates be written in terms of cylindrical coordinates?
Describe the diagram that represents cylindrical coordinates
What are the unit vectors for cylindrical coordinates in Cartesian coordinates?
How can spherical polar coordinates be written in terms of Cartesian coordinates?
How can Cartesian coordinates be written in terms of spherical polar coordinates?
Describe the diagram that represents spherical polar coordinates
What are the unit vectors for spherical polar coordinates in Cartesian coordinates?
What is a field?
A quantity defined at all positions in space.
What is the difference between a scalar and a vector field?
A scalar field only has magnitude whilst a vector field has both direction and magnitude.
Give 3 examples of scalar fields in Physics
- Temperature
- Pressure
- Density
Give 3 examples of vector fields in Physics
- Velocity
- Electric field
- Magnetic field
Define fluid mechanics
Mechanics concerned with the behaviour of liquids and gases at rest or in motion.
Give 3 examples of fields in fluid mechanics
- Pressure (scalar)
- Density (scalar)
- Velocity (vector)
Define electromagnetism
The interaction that occurs between particles with electric charge via electromagnetic fields.
Give 2 examples of fields in electromagnetism
- Electric field (vector)
- Magnetic field (vector)
Define streamline
A line tangential to the velocity vector, known as field lines in electromagnetism.
What is the equation for the dot product?
What is the equation for the cross product?