PHYSICS I

Physics

The study of the interaction of matter, force, and energy.

Standard

• Level of quantity/attainment

• Reference to calibrate measurements

Classical Physics

The branch of physics concerned with mechanics, heat, thermodynamics, optics, electricity, magnetism, and wave motion before 1900.

Mechanics

The area of physics focused on motion, force, work, energy, and fluids.

Heat and Thermodynamics

Effect of heat when added or removed

Optics

The study of how light moves and it’s properties.

Electricity and Magnetism

The study of the phenomena with electrical charges.

Wave Motion and Sounds

The study of properties, transmission, and perception of waves.

Modern Physics

The branch of physics that deals with concepts developed after 1900, including nuclear physics, relativity, and quantum mechanics.

Nuclear Physics

The study of the properties and reactions within atomic nucleus.

General Relativity

Studies how matter curved space and time

Special Relativity

Phenomenon associated with gore objects move with speed approaching the speed of light.

Quantum Mechanics

Nature and behavior on atomic levels

Particle Physics

Deals with the building blocks of matter

Measurement

The process of comparing a quantity with a standard.

Metric System

A system of measurement based on meters, kilograms, and seconds (MKS) or centimeters, grams, and seconds (CGS).

English or Imperial System

A system of measurement based on feet, pounds, and seconds (FPS).

Fundamental Units

Units that are independent of one another, such as mass and length.

Derived Units

Units that are combinations of fundamental units, such as weight and density.

Scientific Notation

A method of expressing large and small numbers conveniently, e.g., 5,000,000,000 = 5.00 × 10^9.

Unit Conversion

The process of converting one unit of measurement to another.

Uncertainty

The degree of doubt in a measurement, expressed as a range of values.

Error

The deviation of a measured value from the true value.

Precision

The closeness of a measurement to other measurements.

Accuracy

The closeness of a measurement to the expected value of a physical quantity.

Random Error

Errors that arise from unpredictable changes during measurement.

Systematic Errors

Errors that arise from consistent inaccuracies in measurement tools or methods.

Percent Error

A calculation to express the error as a percentage of the true value.

Variance

A measure of how much values in a set differ from the mean.

Standard Deviation

A measure of the spread of values around the mean.

Least Count

The smallest value that can be read from a measuring device.

Vector Quantity

A quantity that has both magnitude and direction.

Scalar Quantity

A quantity that has only magnitude.

Resultant Vector

The vector sum of two or more vectors.

Commutative Property

The property that allows the order of addition of vectors to be changed without affecting the result.

Associative Property

The property that allows the grouping of vectors to be changed without affecting the result.

Parallelogram Method

A graphical method for finding the resultant of two vectors.

Head-to-Tail Method

A graphical method for adding three or more vectors.

Kinematics

The study of motion in terms of displacement, velocity, and acceleration.

Dynamics

The study of the relationship between force and motion.

Distance

The total length of the path traveled by an object.

Displacement

The change in position of an object relative to its starting point.

Speed

The rate of change of distance.

Velocity

The rate of change of displacement.

Average Speed

Total distance traveled divided by total time elapsed.

Instantaneous Speed

The speed of an object at a specific moment in time.

Average Velocity

Displacement divided by total time elapsed.

Instantaneous Velocity

The velocity of an object at a specific point in time.

Acceleration

The rate of change of velocity.

Free Fall

The motion of an object under the influence of gravity alone.

Terminal Velocity

The constant speed reached by an object when the force of gravity is balanced by air resistance.

Projectile Motion

The motion of an object that is thrown or projected into the air, influenced only by gravity.