Elementary Physics – Malaysian Flying Academy Revision Notes

Vocabulary flashcards summarising the key definitions, units and principles from the Malaysian Flying Academy’s Elementary Physics revision notes. The set covers fundamental quantities, mechanics, thermodynamics, fluid laws, waves, electricity, magnetism, and basic Earth/time concepts relevant to pilot training.

Mass

Measure of the amount of matter in a body; SI unit kilogram (kg).

Length

Linear dimension or distance between two points; SI unit metre (m).

Time

Interval between events; SI unit second (s).

Nautical Mile (NM)

Arc distance subtending one minute of latitude; 1 NM = 1.852 km = 1.15 SM = 6080 ft.

Statute Mile (SM)

Land mile still used in UK/USA; 1 SM = 1.609 km = 5280 ft.

Kilometre (km)

1/10,000th distance from equator to pole; 1 km = 1000 m ≈ 0.54 NM.

Height (aviation)

Vertical distance above a reference datum; commonly measured in feet, 1 m = 3.28 ft.

Area

Two-dimensional size of a surface; SI unit square metre (m²).

Volume

Three-dimensional space occupied; SI unit cubic metre (m³).

Imperial Gallon

UK volume unit; 1 Imp gal = 4.546 L ≈ 1.2 US gal.

Scalar Quantity

Physical quantity with magnitude only (e.g., mass, pressure).

Vector Quantity

Physical quantity with magnitude and direction (e.g., velocity, force).

Speed

Rate of change of distance; scalar; SI unit m s⁻¹.

Velocity

Speed in a stated direction; vector; SI unit m s⁻¹.

Acceleration

Rate of change of velocity; SI unit m s⁻².

Acceleration due to Gravity (g)

9.81 m s⁻² toward Earth’s centre.

Equation v = u + at

Relates final velocity, initial velocity, acceleration and time for linear motion.

Equation s = ut + ½at²

Gives distance travelled under constant acceleration.

Equation v² = u² + 2as

Links velocities, acceleration and distance without time.

Force

External influence changing motion; SI unit newton (N).

Newton (unit)

Force that gives 1 kg an acceleration of 1 m s⁻².

Weight

Force due to gravity on a mass; W = mg (newtons).

Centre of Gravity (CG)

Point through which total weight of a body acts.

Work

Force × distance moved; SI unit joule (J).

Joule

Work done by 1 N through 1 m (1 N·m).

Energy

Capacity to do work; measured in joules.

Potential Energy

mgh; energy due to height above reference level.

Kinetic Energy

½ mv²; energy due to motion.

Pressure Energy

Energy stored in a fluid by virtue of pressure (P × V).

Heat Energy

Energy associated with temperature of matter.

Power

Rate of doing work; SI unit watt (W).

Watt

1 Joule per second (J s⁻¹).

Horsepower (HP)

Imperial power unit; 1 HP = 746 W (approx. 748 W in notes).

Inertia

Tendency of a body to resist changes in its state of motion; proportional to mass.

Momentum

Product of mass and velocity (kg m s⁻¹).

Pressure

Force per unit area; SI unit pascal (Pa).

Pascal (Pa)

1 N per square metre; in aviation often hectopascal (hPa).

Density

Mass per unit volume; for air at MSL ≈ 1.225 kg m⁻³.

SI Prefix – kilo (k)

10³ times the base unit.

SI Prefix – mega (M)

10⁶ times the base unit.

Compression

External forces tending to shorten or squeeze a material.

Tension

External forces tending to stretch a material.

Torsion

Twisting action on a material.

Moment of a Force

Turning effect; Moment = Force × perpendicular distance; unit N m.

Torque

Twisting moment produced by a force; unit N m.

Bending

Deformation of a beam causing compression on one side and tension on the opposite.

Shearing

Opposing forces causing adjacent layers to slide past each other.

Stress

Internal resistance per unit area; N m⁻².

Strain

Ratio of change in dimension to original dimension; dimensionless.

Stiffness

Ratio of stress to strain; indicates rigidity.

Strength

Ability of a material to withstand load without failure.

Equilibrium (co-planar forces)

Net force and net moment on a body are zero; body neither accelerates nor rotates.

Parallelogram (Vector) Law

Graphical method to obtain resultant of two vectors not in line.

Friction

Force opposing relative motion between surfaces; F = μR.

Newton’s First Law

Body remains at rest or uniform motion unless acted on by a force.

Newton’s Second Law

Force equals rate of change of momentum (F = ma).

Newton’s Third Law

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Circular Motion

Motion along a circular path requiring centripetal force.

Centrifugal Force

Apparent outward force in a rotating frame; mv²/r.

Centripetal Force

Inward force keeping body in circular path; equal and opposite to centrifugal.

Moment of Inertia

Rotational inertia; I = mr² (summed); unit kg m².

Angular Momentum

Iω; conserved quantity of rotating systems.

Relative Velocity (same direction)

Difference between two velocities.

Relative Velocity (opposite)

Sum of the magnitudes of two opposing velocities.

Celsius Scale (°C)

Water freezes at 0 °C, boils at 100 °C.

Fahrenheit Scale (°F)

Water freezes at 32 °F, boils at 212 °F.

Kelvin Scale (K)

Absolute scale; 0 K = −273 °C; K = ° C + 273.

Specific Heat

Heat required to raise 1 g of substance by 1 °C; water = 1 cal g⁻¹ °C⁻¹.

Latent Heat of Fusion

Heat to change solid to liquid at MP without temperature change; water = 80 cal g⁻¹.

Latent Heat of Vaporisation

Heat to change liquid to vapour at BP; water = 540 cal g⁻¹.

Conduction

Heat transfer through a medium without bulk movement.

Convection

Heat transfer by mass movement within a fluid.

Radiation

Heat transfer via electromagnetic waves; no medium required.

Linear Expansion

Increase in length of materials with temperature rise.

Boyle’s Law

For gas at constant T, PV = constant (P ∝ 1/V).

Charles’ Law

For gas at constant P, V ∝ absolute temperature (V/T = constant).

Universal Gas Law

P = 2.872 ρT (with P in mb, ρ in kg m⁻³, T in K).

Compressible Fluid

Fluid whose volume changes significantly with pressure (e.g., air).

Incompressible Fluid

Fluid with negligible volume change under pressure (e.g., liquids).

Static (Atmospheric) Pressure

Pressure exerted by weight of still fluid column above point.

Dynamic Pressure

½ ρV²; pressure due to fluid motion.

Pascal’s Law

Pressure applied to a confined fluid is transmitted equally in all directions.

Hydraulic Multiplication

Force amplification using different piston areas in a closed fluid system.

Isothermal Process

Thermodynamic change at constant temperature.

Adiabatic Process

Process with no heat exchange; temperature changes due to pressure change.

Viscosity

Internal resistance to flow; ‘thickness’ of a fluid.

Specific Gravity

Ratio of fluid’s weight to weight of equal volume of water (dimensionless).

Speed of Sound

≈ 331 m s⁻¹ at 0 °C; increases with temperature.

Subsonic Speed

Velocity less than local speed of sound.

Supersonic Speed

Velocity greater than local speed of sound (Mach > 1).

Hypersonic Speed

Velocity greater than five times speed of sound (Mach > 5).

Speed of Light

3 × 10⁸ m s⁻¹ in vacuum; constant for EM waves.

Visible Spectrum (VIBGYOR)

Sequence of colours from violet to red in white light.

Reflection

Light bouncing off a surface; angle of incidence equals angle of reflection.

Refraction

Light bending when passing between media of different density.

Simple Harmonic Motion

Oscillation where restoring force proportional to displacement; sine wave pattern.

Cycle (SHM)

One complete oscillation from a point back to the same point.

Phase

Angular position within a cycle, measured in degrees or radians.

Amplitude

Maximum displacement from equilibrium in SHM.

Frequency

Number of cycles per second; unit hertz (Hz).