Astronomy Chapter 4
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23 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 momentum = | mass x velocity |
| astrophysics | applies physical laws discovered on earth to phenomena through the cosmos |
| Newtons second law | force = mass x acceleration; amount of acceleration depends on the objects mass and the strength of the net force |
| Newtons first law | an object moves at constant velocity if there is no net force acting upon it; object at rest remains at rest, object in motion stay in motion unless acted upon by another outside force |
| Newtons third law | for any force there is an equal and opposite reaction force |
| conservation of momentum | total momentum of all interacting objects always stay the same |
| angular momentum | "circular momentum" momentum attributable to rotation or revolution. = m x v x r |
| law of conservation of angular momentum | an objects angular momentum cannot change unless it transfers angular momentum to or from another object |
| law of conservation of energy | like momentum and angular momentum energy cannot appear out of nowhere or disappear into nothingness |
| kinetic energy | energy in motion; falling rocks, orbiting planets |
| radiative energy | energy carried by light |
| potential energy | stored energy which might later be converted into kinetic or radioactive energy; rock on edge of cliff |
| joule | standard unit of energy |
| thermal energy | kinetic energy of many particles; collective kinetic energy of the many individual particles moving randomly within substances like a rock or the air or the gas within a distant star |
| gravitational potential energy | depends on its mass and how far it can fall as a result of gravity (more when higher less when lower) (kinetic increases as GPE decrease) |
| mass energy | mass itself is a form of potential energy, e = mc^2 (e potential energy and c speed of light) |
| Unbound orbits | found by newton; paths that bring an object close to another object just once |
| orbital energy | sum of its kinetic energy and gravitational potential energies (always stays the same) |
| gravitational encounter | one way that two objects can exchange orbital energy; they pass near enough so that each can feel the effects of the others gravity |
| atmospheric drag | friction can cause lose of orbital energy |
| escape velocity | speed necessary for an object to completely escape the gravity of a large body such as a moon planet or star; depends on where you start from |
| spring tides | sun and moon tides work together (spring up) |
| neap tides | sun and moon counteract eachother (small) |
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