Thermal physics and gravitational fields

Specific latent heat of fusion

The thermal energy required per unit mass to change solid to liquid at constant temperature

Root mean square

The square root of the mean of the squares of the molecular speeds in a gas

Boltzmann constant

The gas constant per particle

Avogadros constant

The number of particles per mole of substance

Pressure law

For a fixed mass of gas at constant volume, pressure is directly proportional to absolute temperature

Charles’s law

For a fixed mass of gas at constant pressure, volume is directly proportional to absolute temperature

Boyle’s law

For a fixed mass of gas at constant temperature, pressure is inversely proportional to volume

Specific latent heat

The energy required to change the phase of 1kg of a substance without a change in temperature

Specific heat capacity

The energy required to raise the temperature of 1kg of a substance by 1K

Absolute zero

The temperature at which a system has minimum internal energy, particles have zero kinetic energy

Internal energy

The sum of the random distribution of kinetic and potential energies of all the particles in a system

Orbital period

The time taken for one complete orbit

Escape velocity

The minimum speed needed for an object to escape a planet’s gravitational field without further propulsion.

Equipotential surface

A surface on which the gravitational potential is constant; no work is done when moving along it

Gravitational potential energy

The work done to move a mass from infinity to a point in the field

Gravitational potential

The work done per unit mass to move a small test mass from infinity to a point in the field

Newtons law of gravitation

The gravitational force between two masses is directly proportional to the sum of the masses and inversely proportional to the square of their separation

Gravitational field strength

The force per unit mass experienced by a small test mass placed in the field

Gravitational field

A region of space where a mass experiences a force due to its mass