Physics and Meteorology Principles

Vocabulary flashcards covering planetary motion history, Newton's Laws, atmospheric pressure, the Coriolis effect, and free body mechanics based on the lecture material.

Planētēs

The Greek word meaning "wanderer," from which the modern word "planet" is derived.

Asteres Planetai

The Greek phrase meaning "wandering stars," used by ancient observers to describe planets due to their noticeable motion across the sky.

Ptolemaic System

An astronomical model that placed the Earth at the center of the Universe.

Newton's First Law of Motion

States that an object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion unless acted on by an unbalanced external force.

Newton's Second Law of Motion

States that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass, represented as $F = m \times a$ or $a = \frac{F}{m}$ with acceleration units of $\text{m/s}^2$.

Newton's Third Law of Motion

States that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Pressure

A measure of force applied per unit area, expressed in units such as pounds per square inch and Pascals.

Blacksod Point

A site in Ireland that provided crucial weather reports to Allied meteorologist Stagg, giving him an accurate Atlantic weather picture for the D-Day invasion.

Jean Léon Foucault

The French physicist who suspended a $67\text{ meter}$ pendulum from the dome of the Panthéon in 1851 to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth for the first time.

Gaspard Gustave de Coriolis

The French scientist (1792–1843) who mathematically formulated the Coriolis force acting on objects in rotating reference frames.

Coriolis Force (Northern Hemisphere)

Deflects and accelerates moving objects to the RIGHT of their direction of motion, associated with a positive Coriolis frequency.

Coriolis Force (Southern Hemisphere)

Deflects and accelerates moving particles to the LEFT of their direction of motion, associated with a negative Coriolis frequency.

Coriolis Frequency ($f$)

A parameter with units of $\text{s}^{-1}$ that determines Coriolis acceleration ($\text{Acceleration} = f \times \text{velocity}$); it is zero at the equator and reaches its maximum absolute value at the poles ($-90^{\text{o}}$, $90^{\text{o}}$).

Inertial Frame vs. Rotating Frame

A contrast in reference frames where a body moving along a straight path in an unaccelerated inertial system appears to curve when viewed from a rotating system.

Terminal Velocity

The constant velocity reached by a falling object when the downward gravitational force ($F = m \times g$) is exactly balanced by the upward frictional drag, resulting in zero net acceleration.

At what poles is the is the Coriolis the strongest?

(-90,90) and 0 at the equator

What latitude and direction is the coriolis in the Northern Hemisphere

IT is positive and acceleration objects to the Right of the direction they are moving

What latitude and direction is the coriolis in the Southern Hemisphere

IT is negative and acceleration objects to the LEFT of the direction they are moving