Defintions 3 Flashcards
Gravitational potential energy
The energy an object possesses due to its position relative to a reference point.
Kinetic energy
The energy an object has as a result of the object’s motion.
Work-energy theorem
The work done by a net force on an object is equal to the change in the kinetic energy of the object.
Mechanical energy
The sum of the gravitational potential and kinetic energy at a point.
Law of conservation of energy
The total energy in a system cannot be created nor destroyed: only transformed from one form to another.
Principle of conservation of mechanical energy
In the absence of air resistance or any external forces, the mechanical energy of an object is constant.
Power
The rate at which work is done OR the rate at which energy is transferred.
Watt
One watt is defined as the power when one joule of work is done in one second.
Efficiency
The ratio of output power to intput power.
Coulomb’s law
Two point charges in free space or air exert forces on each other. The force is directly proprotional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the charges.
Magnitude of the electric field at a point
The force per unit positive charge (E=F/q) where E and F are vectors.
Potential difference
The work done per unit positive charge (V=W/Q).
Current
The rate of flow of charge (I=q/t).
Ohm’s law
Current through a conductor is directly proportional to the potential difference across the conductor at a constant temperature.
