Momentum and Collisions Overview

These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to momentum, collisions, and thermal energy.

momentum

A quantity defined as the product of the mass and velocity of an object.

impulse

The product of the average force applied to an object and the time interval over which the force acts.

Conservation of Momentum

The principle stating that in an isolated system, the total momentum before and after a collision remains constant.

elastic collision

A collision in which both momentum and kinetic energy are conserved.

inelastic collision

A collision in which momentum is conserved but kinetic energy is not.

perfectly inelastic collision

A collision in which two objects stick together after colliding, moving as one mass.

Impulse-Momentum Theorem

An equation that relates the change in momentum of an object to the impulse applied to it.

Hooke's Law

A law stating that the force exerted by a spring is proportional to its displacement from its equilibrium position.

damping

The reduction of amplitude of oscillations in a physical system, due to the loss of energy.

restoring force

The force that acts to bring a system back to its equilibrium position.

thermal equilibrium

The state in which two bodies in contact with each other have identical temperatures.

specific heat capacity

The amount of heat required to change the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one degree Celsius.

calorimetry

An experimental procedure used to measure the energy transferred from one substance to another as heat.

latent heat

The energy absorbed or released during a phase change of a substance.

phase change

The physical change of a substance from one state to another at constant temperature and pressure.