Physics Flashcards
How do you calculate an objects average speed?
Divide the distance traveled by the time elapsed.
What is uniform motion?
A term used to describe an object that is traveling at a constant rate of motion in a straight line.
What is a scaler quantity?
A scaler quantity is one that only indicates the magnitude of the quantity.
What is a vector quantity?
A vector quantity indicates the magnitude and direction of the quantity.
Categorize these quantities as vector or scaler;
- Displacement -Energy
- Time -Velocity
- Force -Acceleration
- Distance -Speed
Scaler Vector
- Energy -Displacement
- Time -Velocity
- Distance -Force
- Speed -Acceleration
What are the two kinds of vector diagrams we are studying?
The Cartesian Plane Method and the Navigator Method
What is the difference between the Cartesian Plane Method and the Navigator Method?
The Cartesian Plane Method begins at 0 degrees on the X axis and goes counterclockwise. The Navigator Method begins at 0 degrees on the Y axis and goes clockwise.
What are the 4 main significant digit rules?
- Leading zero’s don’t count
- Middle and ending zero’s count
- When adding and subtracting, round sig. digs. to the lowest decimal place.
- When multiplying and dividing, round to the lowest sig. dig.
What is the definition of force?
A push or pull on an object
Important note:
Objects that have unbalanced forces acting upon them will undergo non-uniform motion.
Why is the idea of a perpetual motion machine impossible according to the laws of thermodynamics?
Not everything is 100% efficient. The machine will lose energy due to friction until it eventually stops.
The efficiency of a device is the…
a. difference between the useful work output and total work input
b. ratio of the useful work output to the total input energy
c. ratio of the total input energy to the useful work output
d. sum of the waste energy and the useful work output
b. ratio of the useful work output to the total input work
How do you calculate efficiency?
Energy output divided by energy input multiplied by 100 = Efficiency
What is the unit for work and energy?
Joules
What three things must happen for work to be done?
- There must be movement
- There must be a force
- The force and the distance the object is traveling must be in the same direction
What equation is equivalent to W=Fd?
J=N*m
How would you convert 129562.49 into scientific notation?(Assuming there are 3 sig. digs)
1.30 * 10 to the power of 5
What are the five main types of solar energy?
- Solar Radiation
- Wind Energy
- Water Energy
- Biomass
- Fossil Fuels
What are the three main types of non-solar energy?
- Nuclear Energy
- Geothermal Energy
- Tidal Energy
What is potential energy?
Stored energy that can be converted into other forms
What is kinetic energy?
Energy due to motion
Who was Count Rumford? What was his hypothesis?
He was the minster of war in Bavaria in 1800. The first to disprove the caloric theory, Count Rumford did experiments as to why heat was created when holes were bore in cannons.
How do you calculate gravitational potential energy?
Multiply the mass of the object by the gravitational acceleration rate (9.81), then multiply the total by the height of the object.
Name two of the four theories of heat.
Possible answers;
- Theory of the 4 elements
- Phlogiston theory
- Caloric theory
- Kinetic motion theory