Conceptual Physics Vocab (Semester 2)
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41 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Momentum | the quantity mass times velocity |
| (kg)(m/s) | unit for momentum |
| Impulse | the quantity force times time which is equal to the change in momentum |
| Law of Momentum Conservation | in a closed system, momentum cannot be destroyed or created; the sum of momentum in the beginning is the sum of momentum in the end |
| Work | the amount of energy transferred by a force |
| (Newton)(meters) or Joules | units of work |
| Power | the rate at which work is done |
| Watt | unit of power |
| Potential energy | the stored energy of an object's position |
| Kinetic energy | an object's energy of motion |
| Mechanical Energy | the result of an object's motion and/or its stored energy of position |
| Conservative or Internal Force | Type of force that will not change the total mechanical energy of object |
| Non-Conservative or External Force | Type of force that will change the total mechanical energy of object |
| Vector | a quantity with magnitude and direction |
| Scalar | a quantity with magnitude |
| Gravitational constant | the constant gravitational force in the universe |
| Law of Universal Gravitation | every object in the universe attracts every other object with a force which is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them |
| Centripetal force | a force that makes a body follow a curved path |
| Weightlessness | feeling when normal force is less than the force of gravity; not possible because mass and gravity are always present |
| Newton's First Law | An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force |
| Newton's Second Law | the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the magnitude of the net force, in the same direction as the net force, and inversely proportional to the mass of the object |
| Newton's Third Law | The mutual forces of action and reaction between two bodies are equal and opposite |
| Acceleration vector | vector that always points toward the center of the circle |
| Velocity vector | vector that always points tangent to the circle |
| Gravity | the means by which objects with mass attract one another |
| Inverse-Square Law | the gravitational attraction force between two masses is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of their separation distance |
| Buoyancy | an upward acting force, caused by fluid pressure, that keeps things afloat |
| Conduction | the transfer of thermal energy through matter |
| Convection | the movement of heat within fluids |
| Radiation | energy that travels through space and ultimately is absorbed |
| Insulator | a material used to resist the flow of heat |
| Fluids | both gases and liquids |
| Heat capacity | the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of the substance by 1 degree |
| Heat | measure of substance's internal energy |
| Temperature | the quantity that tell how hot or cold something is compared with a standard |
| Thermal energy | total kinetic energy (due to the motion of particles) and potential energy |
| Internal energy | The total kinetic and potential energy from the motions and relative positions of the molecules of an object |
| Thermal contact | the exchange of energy through the process of heat |
| Thermal equilibrium | when thermal contact between two objects reach the same temperature, and heat discontinues to flow between them |
| calorie | the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1⁰ C |
| Newton's Law of Cooling | the rate of heat loss in an object is proportional to the difference in temperatures between the object and its surroundings |
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