Basic Facts – Physics 133/134

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering fundamental physical constants, conversions, metric prefixes, geometric formulas, and mathematical rules required for Physics 133/134.

1 mile (in feet)

$$5280\,\text{ft}$$

Weight of 1 kg on Earth

$1\,\text{kg}$ weighs $2.2\,\text{lb}$ on the Earth.

1 minute (in seconds)

$$60\,\text{s}$$

2pie rad

$$360^\circ$$

1 hour (in minutes)

$$60\,\text{min}$$

Density of water

$$1\,\text{g/cm}^3 = 1000\,\text{kg/m}^3$$

1 mph (in meters per second)

$$0.45\,\text{m/s}$$

1 revolution (in degrees)

$$360^\circ$$

Boiling point of water

$$212^\circ\text{F} = 100^\circ\text{C} = 373\,\text{K}$$

Atomic size

$$\approx 10^{-10}\,\text{m}$$

Area of a circle

$$\pi r^2 = \pi \left(\frac{d}{2}\right)^2$$

Freezing point of water

$$32^\circ\text{F} = 0^\circ\text{C} = 273\,\text{K}$$

Speed of sound

$$1100\,\text{ft/s} = 340\,\text{m/s}$$

Area of a rectangle with sides $a$ and $b$

$$ab$$

Speed of light

$3 \times 10^8\,\text{m/s}$ (symbol: $c$)

1 ton (in pounds)

$$2000\,\text{lb}$$

Avogadro's number

$$6.02 \times 10^{23}$$

1 metric ton (in kilograms)

$$1000\,\text{kg}$$

Earth to Moon distance

$3.8 \times 10^8\,\text{m}$ (or about $250{,}000\,\text{miles}$)

Radius of the Earth ($R_{\text{earth}}$)

$$6378\,\text{km}$$

$\pi$ (pi)

$$3.14$$

Earth to Sun distance

$1.5 \times 10^{11}\,\text{m}$ ($150$ million kilometers)

$$e$$

$$2.71$$

1 meter (English unit equivalents)

$$\approx 1\,\text{yard} = 3\,\text{feet}$$

1 foot (in inches)

$$12\,\text{inches}$$

1 inch (in centimeters)

$$2.54\,\text{cm}$$

1 mile (in kilometers)

$$1.6\,\text{km}$$

Derivative of a function

The derivative of a function is its slope.

Degree size comparison: Kelvin vs. Celsius

The degree is the same size on the Kelvin and Celsius scales.

Room temperature

$$20^\circ\text{C} = 293\,\text{K}$$

kilo ($k$)

$$10^3$$

mega ($M$)

$$10^6$$

giga ($G$)

$$10^9$$

tera ($T$)

$$10^{12}$$

milli ($m$)

$$10^{-3}$$

micro ($\mu$)

$$10^{-6}$$

nano ($n$)

$$10^{-9}$$

pico ($p$)

$$10^{-12}$$

Rule for canceling a constant or variable in an equation

You cannot cancel a constant or variable out of an equation unless it is present in every term on both sides.

Rule for moving a term to the other side of an equation

When you move a term from one side of an equation to the other, the term you move changes sign.