AP Physics Unit 1 and 2 summer prep

distance

The total length of the path traveled by an object, regardless of direction, measured in units such as meters. scalar

displacement

the shortest path between two points, with direction. vector

scalar

quantity that has magnitude only, without direction.

vector

a quantity that has both magnitude and direction, often represented as an arrow.

magnitude

a quantity that describes the size or length of a vector, without regard to its direction.

direction

the orientation of a vector in space, indicating the path along which it acts or points.

speed

the rate at which an object covers distance, regardless of its direction. It is a scalar quantity.

velocity

the rate at which an object changes its position, taking both magnitude and direction into account.

acceleration

The rate of change of velocity of an object over time, indicating how quickly an object is speeding up or slowing down.

positive acceleration

occurs when an object's velocity increases over time.

negative acceleration

A decrease in velocity over time, often referred to as deceleration, where an object slows down.

non uniform acceleration

Acceleration that varies over time, resulting in changes in magnitude and direction.

uniform acceleration

occurs when an object's velocity changes at a constant rate over time.

free fall

The motion of an object falling solely under the influence of gravity, with no air resistance or other forces acting on it.

projectile motion

The motion of an object that is thrown or projected into the air and is influenced by the force of gravity, resulting in a curved path.

angled motion

The motion of an object that is thrown or projected into the air at an angle, subject to the acceleration due to gravity.

dynamics

The branch of physics that studies the forces and their effects on the motion of objects. It includes the concepts of force, mass, and acceleration.

Law of Inertia

An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion at constant velocity unless acted upon by a net external force.

gravitational mass

The measure of the amount of matter in an object, which determines the strength of the gravitational force acting on it.

inertial mass

The mass of an object measured by its resistance to acceleration when a force is applied. It is equivalent to gravitational mass under standard conditions.

inertia

the tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion

law of acceleration

predicts what will happen if an unbalanced force does not act on an object which is that the object will accelerate

law of action reaction

for every interaction between forces, there is always a pair of forces action on the same object

circular motion

the motion of an object that moves in a circular path

friction

two surfaces rubbing against each other exert a force that resists relative motion

tension

a rope or string pulled tight exerts a force on connected objects

gravity

two bodies with mass attract each other and exert gravitational forces

normal force

a surface exerts an upward force on a body to balance the downward force of gravity

applied force

a force applied to a body causes the body to exert a force in the opposite direction