Lecture Notes: Relativity, Quantum Physics, Aristophanes, and Newtonian Mechanics Flashcards

Fill-in-the-blank flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture notes on relativity, quantum physics, Aristophanes' measurement of Earth's radius, and Newtonian mechanics.

The speed of light, c, is about __ meters per second.

3 × 10^8 m/s

Light travels about __ meters in one second.

3 × 10^8 m

Large objects moving very fast near the speed of light are studied under __.

relativity

Small objects that move relatively slowly compared to c fall under __ physics.

quantum physics

Relativistic quantum physics describes small objects that move near the speed of light, sometimes called __.

relativistic quantum physics

Aristophanes deduced the Earth's __ using measurements of shadows between Syene and Alexandria.

radius

The distance between Alexandria and Syene used in his measurement was about __ kilometers.

800

The angle Aristophanes found between the two locations was about __ degrees.

7

If seven degrees corresponds to a distance of 800 km, then 360 degrees corresponds to the Earth's __.

circumference

The circumference of a circle is given by __.

C = 2πr

Radians are another way to measure angles; 360 degrees equals __ radians.

2π radians

The Earth is __.

round

On June 22 at noon, the Syene column cast no __ shadow, indicating the sun's rays were parallel to the column.

shadow

Newton's first law: an object at rest remains at rest unless acted on by a __ force.

net

An object in motion remains in motion in a straight line at a constant speed forever unless acted on by a net external __.

force

Inertia is defined as resistance to __.

change

Mass measures __ and is the property that causes inertia.

inertia

Mass is measured in kilograms or __.

grams

In this course we will switch from the English system to the __ system for the rest of the semester.

metric

In the Beetle vs dump truck example, the Beetle has __ mass and less inertia, making it easier to stop.

less

Knowing the __ between radius and circumference lets you compute the circumference using C = 2πr.

radius

Chapter two in the notes introduces __ mechanics, i.e., Newton's first law of motion.

Newtonian

The metric system will be used for the rest of the semester; this replaces the __ system.

English