A.1 Kinematics - Key terms

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46 Terms

1

kinematics

study of motion

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2

classical physics

physics theories that pre-dated the paradigm shifts introduced by quantum physics and relativity

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3

uniform

unchanging

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4

magnitude

size

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5

scalars

quantities that have only magnitude (no direction)

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6

vector

a quantity that has both magnitude and direction

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7

distance

total length travelled, without consideration of directions

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8

displacement, linear

distance in a straight line from a fixed reference point in a specified direction

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9

metre, m

SI unit of length (fundamental)

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10

speed, v

average speed = distance travelled/time taken, instantaneous speed is determined over a very short time interval, during which it is assumed that the speed does not change

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11

reaction time

the time delay between an event occurring and a response, for example, the delay that occurs when using a stopwatch

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12

sensor

an electrical component that responds to a change in a physical property with a corresponding change in an electrical property (usually resistance), also called a transducer

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13

light gate

electronic sensor used to detect motion when an object interrupts a beam of light

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14

second, s

SI unit of time (fundamental)

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15

at rest

stays stationary in the same position

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16

milky way

the galaxy in which our solar system is located

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17

velocity, v

rate of change of position

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18

acceleration, a

rate of change of velocity with time, acceleration is a vector quantity

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19

deceleration

term commonly used to describe a decreasing speed

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20

linear relationship

one which produces a straight line graph

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21

gradient

the rate at which one physical quantity changes in response to changes in another physical quantity, commonly, for an y-x graph, gradient = Δy / Δx

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22

integration

mathematical process used to determine the area under a graph

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23

spreadsheet (computer)

electronic document in which data is arranged in rows and columns of a grid, and can be manipulated and used in calculations

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24

calculus

branch of mathematics which deals with continuous change

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25

differentiate

mathematically determine an equation for a rate of change

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26

equations of motion

equations that can be used to make calculations about objects that are moving with uniform acceleration

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27

air resistance

resistive force opposing the motion of an object through air, a type of drag force

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28

acceleration due to gravity, g

acceleration of a mass falling freely towards earth, on, or near the earth’s surface, g = 9.8 ≈ 10 m/s², also called acceleration of free fall

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29

free fall

motion through the air under the effects of gravity but without air resistance

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30

negligible

too small to be significant

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31

projectile

an object that has been projected through the air and which then moves only under the action of the forces gravity and air resistance

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32

resolve (a vector)

to express a single vector as components (usually two components which are perpendicular to each other)

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33

stroboscope

apparatus used for observing rapid motions, it produces regular flashes of light at an appropriate frequency chosen by the user

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34

trajectory

path followed by a projectile

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35

parabolic

in the shape of a parabola, the trajectory of a projectile is parabolic in a gravitational field if air resistance is negligible

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36

range (of a projectile)

horizontal distance travelled before impact with the ground

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37

impact

collision involving relatively large forces over a short time

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38

imagination

formation of new ideas that are not related to direct sense perception or experimental results

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39

intuition

immediate understanding, without reasoning

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40

inspiration

stimulation (usually to be creative)

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41

drag

force(s) opposing motion through a fluid; sometimes called fluid resistance

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42

fluid

liquid or gas

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43

fluid resistance (friction)

force(s) opposing motion through a fluid; sometimes called drag

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44

terminal speed (velocity)

the greatest downards speed of a falling object that is experiencing resistive forces (for example, air resistance), it occurs when the object’s weight is equal to the sum of resistive forces (+ upthrust)

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45

video analysis

analysis of motion by freeze-frame or slow-motion video replay

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46

thought experiment

an experiment that is carried out in the mind, rather than actually being done, normally because it is otherwise impossible

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