Newton's Laws, Gravitation, and Buoyancy Vocabulary

Flashcards defining key vocabulary terms, laws, and historical figures from the lecture on forces, universal gravitation, and buoyancy.

Newton's Third Law

The law stating that whenever an object exerts a force on another, the second object exerts a force of equal magnitude but opposite direction on the first.

Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation

The principle stating that every object attracts every other object with a force proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them ($F = G \frac{m_1 m_2}{r^2}$).

Universal Gravitational Constant ($G$)

The proportionality constant in Newton's law of universal gravitation, which was measured at the end of the eighteenth century by Henry Cavendish.

Henry Cavendish

The scientist who measured the universal gravitational constant ($G$) using a torsion balance experiment to calculate the mass of the Earth.

Eratosthenes

The ancient scholar who calculated the radius of the Earth within 1\text{\text{%}} to 10\text{\text{%}} of the currently accepted value by measuring shadow angles on the summer solstice.

Buoyant Force

The upward force exerted on an object submerged in a fluid, equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.

Density

The mass of an object divided by its volume, denoted by the symbol $\rho$, which determines whether an object will sink or float in a given fluid.