Physics MCAT Preparation Flashcards

Practice flashcards for key concepts in physics relevant for the MCAT exam.

G - universal gravitational constant

6.67 x 10^{-11} ext{ N.m²/kg²}.

g - acceleration due to gravity

9.8 ext{ m/s²}.

R - ideal gas constant

8.3145 ext{ J mol}^{-1} ext{ K}^{-1} or 0.082 ext{ L.atm.K}^{-1} ext{mol}^{-1}.

k - Boltzmann constant

1.38 x 10^{-23} ext{ J/K}.

P_{water} - density of water

1 ext{ g/cm³} = 1 ext{ g/ml} = 1000 ext{ kg/m³}.

k - Coulomb's constant

8.99 x 10^{9} ext{ N.m²/C²}.

ε - permittivity of free space

8.85 x 10^{-12} ext{ C²/N.m²}.

H₀ - permeability of free space

4 ext{π} x 10^{-7} ext{ N/A²}.

c - speed of light in a vacuum

3 x 10^{8} ext{ m/s}.

h - Planck's constant

6.63 x 10^{-34} ext{ m² kg/s}.

R - Rydberg constant

1.097 x 10^{7} ext{ m}^{-1}.

a² + b² = c²

Pythagorean theorem relating the lengths of the sides of a right triangle.

d = ½ (v₁ + v₁)t

Kinematic equation for displacement.

V₁ = v₁ + at

Kinematic equation relating final velocity, initial velocity, acceleration, and time.

A_{x} = v_{1}t + rac{1}{2} at²

Kinematic equation for displacement with acceleration.

v² = v₁² + 2aA_{x}

Kinematic equation for relating final and initial velocities.

Newton's 1st law

An object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by a net force.

Newton's 2nd law

F_{net} = ma, where F is net force, m is mass, and a is acceleration.

Newton's 3rd law

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

F_{max static}

Maximum static friction force.

N - normal force

The perpendicular force exerted by a surface on an object.

μ - coefficient of static friction

Ratio that represents the frictional properties between two surfaces.

F_{kinetic}

Kinetic friction force.

μ_{k} - coefficient of kinetic friction

Frictional force in motion between two moving surfaces.

F_{grav} = G rac{m_1 m_2}{r²}

Gravitational force between two masses.

a_{c} - centripetal acceleration

Acceleration directed towards the center of a circular path.

F_{c} - centripetal force

Force required to keep an object moving in a circular path.

T - torque

Rotational force causing an object to rotate around an axis.

W - work

Energy transferred by a force over a distance.

P - power

Rate of doing work or change in energy over time.

KE - kinetic energy

Energy possessed due to motion, given by rac{1}{2}mv².

PE - potential energy

Energy stored due to position or configuration, such as mgh.

Elastic potential energy

Energy stored in a spring when it is compressed or stretched, given by rac{1}{2} kx².

Conservation of energy

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.

m - mass

Amount of matter in an object, measured in kilograms.

v - velocity

Rate of change of displacement.

h - height

Vertical distance above a reference level.

d - displacement

Change in position of an object.

e - angle

Angle between two forces or between a force and direction of displacement.

x - deformation distance

Distance a spring is stretched or compressed from its equilibrium position.

F_{spring} = -kx

Force exerted by a spring, following Hooke's law.

CD - center of mass

Point where the mass of a system is concentrated.

mx_{k}

Mass multiplied by position in center of mass calculations.

m₁ + m₂

Total mass of the system in center of mass calculations.

F_{hooke}

Force exerted by a spring based on its deformation.