Theoretical physics Flashcards
What is the basic unit of force in the International System of Units (SI)?
Newton
True or False: Energy can be created and destroyed.
False
Fill in the blank: The formula for kinetic energy is ______.
1/2 mv^2
What is the speed of light in a vacuum?
Approximately 299,792,458 meters per second
Which law states that an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an external force?
Newton’s First Law of Motion
What is the principle that states that the total energy in a closed system remains constant?
Conservation of Energy
True or False: Mass and weight are the same thing.
False
In which direction does gravity act?
Towards the center of the Earth
What is the formula for calculating gravitational force between two masses?
F = G(m1*m2)/r^2
What is the term for the rate of change of velocity?
Acceleration
What is the unit of energy in the SI system?
Joule
Fill in the blank: The law of universal gravitation was formulated by ______.
Isaac Newton
What is the term for the force that opposes the motion of an object through a fluid?
Drag
What is the principle that explains how pressure decreases as the speed of a fluid increases?
Bernoulli’s Principle
True or False: All electromagnetic waves travel at the same speed in a vacuum.
True
What is the term for the change in frequency of a wave in relation to an observer who is moving relative to the wave source?
Doppler Effect
What is the primary force that holds atomic nuclei together?
Strong nuclear force
Fill in the blank: The energy stored in a compressed spring is an example of ______ energy.
Potential
What is the formula for calculating work done?
W = Fd cos(θ)
What is the term for the resistance of an object to changes in its motion?
Inertia
What is the metric unit of pressure?
Pascal
True or False: Light can behave both as a wave and as a particle.
True
What is the term for the distance between two successive peaks of a wave?
Wavelength
What is the principle that describes the relationship between current, voltage, and resistance in an electrical circuit?
Ohm’s Law
Fill in the blank: The device used to measure electric current is called an ______.
Ammeter
What is the term for the energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of a substance by 1 degree Celsius?
Specific heat capacity
What is the formula for calculating the momentum of an object?
p = mv
True or False: A photon has mass.
False
What is the phenomenon called when light bends as it passes from one medium to another?
Refraction
What is the unit of frequency?
Hertz
Fill in the blank: The total momentum before an interaction is equal to the total momentum after the interaction, according to the law of ______.
Conservation of Momentum
What is the term for the energy associated with an object’s position or configuration?
Potential energy
True or False: In a vacuum, heavier objects fall faster than lighter objects.
False
What is the formula for calculating the frequency of a wave?
f = v/λ
What is the force that opposes the motion of an object in contact with a surface?
Friction
Fill in the blank: The bending of light around an obstacle is known as ______.
Diffraction
What is the term for the measure of the average kinetic energy of particles in a substance?
Temperature
True or False: A black hole has a gravitational pull strong enough to prevent light from escaping.
True
What is the term for the smallest unit of an element that retains its chemical properties?
Atom
What is the principle that states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction?
Newton’s Third Law of Motion
Fill in the blank: The study of motion and the forces that affect it is called ______.
Kinematics
What is the term for a wave that requires a medium to travel through?
Mechanical wave
