Physics Vocabulary Review

These flashcards cover key terms and definitions relevant to the physics concepts discussed in the lecture notes.

Velocity-Time Graph

A graph that shows how the velocity of an object changes over time.

Acceleration

The rate of change of velocity of an object.

Density

The mass per unit volume of a substance, typically expressed in kilograms per cubic meter.

Pressure

The force applied per unit area in a fluid, measured in pascals (Pa).

Simple Harmonic Motion

A type of periodic motion where the restoring force is directly proportional to the displacement.

Angular Momentum

The product of an object's moment of inertia and its angular velocity.

Buoyant Force

The upward force exerted by a fluid on an object that is submerged in it.

Torque

A measure of the force that can cause an object to rotate about an axis.

Free Body Diagram

A graphical representation used to visualize the forces acting on an object.

Equilibrium

A state where all forces acting on an object are balanced, resulting in no acceleration.

Momentum

The quantity of motion an object has, calculated as the product of its mass and velocity.

Impulse

The change in momentum that occurs when a force is applied over a period of time.

Mechanical Energy

The sum of kinetic and potential energy in a system.

Kinetic Energy

The energy an object possesses due to its motion.

Gravitational Potential Energy

The potential energy of an object due to its height above a reference point.

Coefficient of Friction

A dimensionless scalar quantity that represents the frictional force between two surfaces.

Continuity Principle

A principle that states that the mass flow rate must remain constant from one cross-section of a flow to another.

Bernoulli's Equation

An equation that describes the conservation of energy in fluid flow.

Center of Mass

The point at which the mass of an object is concentrated, and about which all mass is evenly distributed.

Acceleration due to Gravity

The acceleration of an object in free fall towards the Earth, approximately 9.81 m/s².