physics final terms and def 2025

Strong nuclear force

Holds protons and neutrons together to form atomic nuclei

Weak nuclear force

Allows radioactive decay of certain nuclei

Electromagnetic force

The forces that electrically charged particles exert on each other

Gravitational force

The attractive force that every particle exerts on every other particle

Conservation laws

The total amount of these quantities will not change over time in an isolated system

The 4 conservation laws

1. Conservation of energy

2. Conservation of linear momentum

3. Conservation of angular momentum

4. Conservation of electric charge

Scalars

A quantity having only magnitude (A number with units).

-Ex. mass, time, temperature

Vectors

An arrow having both magnitude and direction

-Ex. Displacement, velocity, force, acceleration

Projectile motion

An object that moves in a parabolic curve while only being acted on by the gravitational force

Newton's 3 laws of motion

1. Inertia

2.Fn=ma

3. For every action there is equal and opposite reaction

Uniform circular motion

An object traveling in a circular path (r held constant) at a constant speed

Kinetic energy

Energy of motion

Potential energy

Energy of position relative to other objects

Linear momentum

The product of an object's mass and velocity (m v)

Simple harmonic motion

The oscillatory motion of a mass on the spring that follows Hooke's Law: F= - k x

Period (T)

The time for one complete oscillation

Frequency (f)

The number of oscillation per second

Mechanical waves

Waves that need a medium (substance) to travel through

-Ex. sound: a longitudinal mechanical wave

Electromagnetic waves

Waves that can travel through empty space (a vacuum).

-Ex. radio, microwave, infrared, visible light, UV, x-rays, gamma rays