Physics Lecture Notes: Linear Motion to Gas Laws

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering Linear Motion, Refraction, Newton's Laws, Energy, Electricity, Waves, Electrostatics, Thermal Physics, and Gas Laws.

Kinematics

The study of motion where forces causing the motion are disregarded.

Dynamics

The branch of mechanics that deals with the motion of objects and the forces causing them.

Displacement

A vector quantity representing the distance moved by a body in a specified direction, denoted by the letter $s$.

Speed

The scalar quantity defined as the distance covered per unit time.

Velocity

The vector quantity defined as the change of displacement per unit time.

Acceleration

The change of velocity per unit time, symbolized by the letter $a$ and measured in $m/s^2$.

Retardation

Negative acceleration produced when a body slows down, such as a car being brought to rest.

Tick

The time interval between two consecutive dots on a ticker-timer, equal to $0.02$ seconds at a frequency of $50\,Hz$.

Trajectory

The path followed by a body or projectile during its motion.

Range

The maximum horizontal distance covered by a projectile.

Refraction

The change of direction of light rays as they pass at an angle from one medium to another of different optical densities.

Law of Reversibility

A law stating that if a ray of light is reversed, it always travels along its original path.

Lateral Displacement

The sideways displacement (denoted by $d$) of an emergent ray from its original path after passing through a parallel-sided glass block.

Critical Angle

The angle of incidence in an optically denser medium for which the angle of refraction in the less dense medium is $90^{\circ}$.

Mirage

An effect of total internal reflection seen as 'pools of water' on tarmac roads during hot days or inverted images in cold regions.

Dispersion

The splitting of white light into its constituent colours as it passes through a medium like a prism.

Newton’s First Law (Law of Inertia)

A law stating that a body continues in its state of rest or uniform motion unless an unbalanced force acts on it.

Momentum

The product of a body's mass and its velocity, expressed as $p = mv$ with units of $kg\,m/s$ or $Ns$.

Impulse

The product of the applied force and the time interval ($F\Delta t$), which is equal to the change of momentum of a body.

Newton’s Third Law

A law stating that for every action or force, there is an equal and opposite force or reaction.

Inelastic Collision

A type of collision where two bodies stick together after impact; momentum is conserved but kinetic energy is not.

Elastic Collision

A collision where bodies bounce off each other and both momentum and kinetic energy are conserved.

Law of Conservation of Linear Momentum

States that when no outside forces act on a system of moving objects, the total momentum of the system stays constant.

Viscosity

The internal friction of a fluid that decreases as temperature increases.

Terminal Velocity

The steady velocity attained by a body in a viscous fluid when viscous force plus upthrust equals weight ($F + U = mg$).

Mechanical Energy

A form of energy divided into potential energy (due to relative position or state) and kinetic energy (due to motion).

Transducer

Any device that facilitates the transformation of energy from one form to another.

Work

The product of force and distance moved in the direction of the force ($W = F \times d$), measured in Joules ($J$).

Power

The time rate of doing work or the rate of energy conversion, measured in Watts ($W$).

Mechanical Advantage (M.A.)

The ratio of the load to the effort in a machine.

Velocity Ratio (V.R.)

The ratio of the distance moved by the effort to the distance moved by the load.

Pitch

The distance between two successive threads on a screw.

Electric Potential Difference

The work done per unit charge in moving charge from one point to another, measured in Volts ($V$).

Electric Current

The rate of flow of charge, measured in Amperes ($A$).

Ohm’s Law

States that current through a metal conductor is directly proportional to the potential difference across it, provided temperature and physical conditions are constant.

Resistivity

A property symbolized by $\rho$ that is numerically equal to the resistance of a material of unit length and unit cross-sectional area.

Electromotive Force (e.m.f.)

The potential difference across a cell when no current is being drawn from it.

Diffraction

The bending and spreading out of waves as they pass the edge of an obstacle or a narrow gap.

Destructive Interference

Occurs when two waves meet out of phase and cancel each other out.

Electric Field

The space around a charged body where another charged body would be acted on by a force.

Capacitor

A device consisting of two or more plates separated by a dielectric used for storing charge.

Capacitance

The ratio of charge to voltage stored in a capacitor ($C = Q / V$), measured in Farads ($F$).

Heat Capacity

The quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of a given mass of a substance by one degree Celsius or one Kelvin ($C = Q / \theta$).

Specific Heat Capacity

The quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of $1\,kg$ of a substance by $1\,^{\circ}C$ or $1\,K$, measured in $J\,kg^{-1}\,K^{-1}$.

Specific Latent Heat of Fusion

The heat required to change $1\,kg$ of a substance from solid to liquid at its melting point without a change in temperature.

Specific Latent Heat of Vaporization

The heat required to change $1\,kg$ of a liquid to vapour at its normal boiling point without a change in temperature.

Pressure Law

States that the pressure of a fixed mass of gas is directly proportional to its absolute temperature if the volume is kept constant.

Charles Law

States that the volume of a fixed mass of gas is directly proportional to its absolute temperature ($V \propto T$) provided pressure is constant.

Boyle’s Law

States that the pressure of a fixed mass of gas is inversely proportional to its volume ($P \propto 1/V$) provided temperature is constant.