AP Physics 1 Exam Cram Review

AP Physics 1 Exam Review Flashcards

Vectors

Have magnitude and direction.

Scalars

Have magnitude only.

Distance

The length of the path taken between initial and final position.

Displacement

The straight-line distance between the object’s initial and final points.

Average Velocity

Displacement over change in time; a vector.

Average Acceleration

Change in velocity over change in time; a vector.

Uniformly Accelerated Motion (UAM) Equations

Equations used to analyze motion with constant acceleration.

Velocity

The slope of a position vs. time graph

Acceleration

The slope of a velocity vs. time graph

Change in Position

The area between the curve and the time axis on a velocity vs. time graph

Change in Velocity

The area between the curve and the horizontal time axis on an acceleration vs. time graph

Projectile Motion

Motion where the only force acting on an object is gravity near the Earth's surface.

Relative Motion

The description of motion changes depending on the observer's frame of reference.

Free Body Diagram

A diagram showing all the forces acting on an object.

Inertia

The tendency of an object to resist acceleration.

Newton's First Law (Law of Inertia)

An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion with constant velocity unless acted upon by a net external force

Newton's Second Law

The acceleration of a system equals the net force acting on the system divided by the mass of the system.

Newton's Third Law

For every force object one exerts on object two, object two exerts a force on object one that is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.

Force of Friction

Parallel to the surface, opposes sliding motion.

Kinetic Friction

Occurs when two surfaces are sliding relative to one another.

Static Friction

Occurs when two surfaces are not sliding relative to one another.

Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation

The magnitude of the gravitational force between two masses.

Ideal Spring Force (Hooke's Law)

Force proportional to displacement from equilibrium; F = -kx.

Tangential Velocity

Linear velocity of an object moving along a circular path; tangent to the path.

Centripetal Acceleration

Acceleration directed inward toward the center of the circle for an object in circular motion.

Period

Time to complete one circle.

Frequency

Number of revolutions per second.

Centripetal Force

Net force in the in-direction which causes centripetal acceleration.

Translational Kinetic Energy

Energy due to the motion of an object's center of mass.

Work

Mechanical energy transferred into or out of a system.

Conservative Force

Force where work done is independent of the path.

Nonconservative Force

Force where work done depends on the path.

Potential Energy

Energy stored in a system due to the position of objects.

Power

Rate at which energy changes with respect to time.

Linear Momentum

Mass times velocity; a vector.

Newton's Second Law (Momentum Form)

Net force equals change in momentum over change in time.

Impulse

Change in momentum; equals average force times change in time.

Elastic Collisions

Collisions where total kinetic energy is conserved.

Inelastic Collisions

Collisions where total kinetic energy decreases.

Perfectly Inelastic Collisions

Inelastic collisions where objects stick together.

Angular Displacement

Angular position final minus angular position initial.

Average Angular Velocity

Angular displacement over change in time.

Average Angular Acceleration

Change in angular velocity over change in time.

Rigid Object

Defines an object that maintains a constant shape as it rotates.

Angular Velocity

The slope of an angular position as a function of time graph.

Angular Acceleration

The slope of an angular velocity as a function of time graph.

Change in Angular Velocity

The area "under" an angular acceleration as a function of time graph.

Change in Angular Position

The area "under" an angular velocity as a function of time graph.

Torque

Ability of a force to cause angular acceleration.

Rotational Inertia

Measure of how much an object resists angular acceleration.

Parallel Axis Theorem

New rotational inertia equals the rotational inertia of the object about an axis through its center of mass plus the mass of the object times the square of the distance between the two axes.

Newton's First Law in Rotational Form

Object at rest remains at rest, and a rotating object maintains a constant angular velocity, unless acted upon by a net, external torque or the distribution of the mass of the object changes.

Newton's Second Law in Rotational Form

Net torque equals rotational inertia times angular acceleration.

Static Equilibrium

An object which is at rest and is not rotating is in both translational and rotational equilibrium

Rotational Kinetic Energy

Objects that are rotating have this type of energy.

Angular Momentum

Angular momentum of a rigid object with shape equals rotational inertia times angular velocity.

Escape Velocity

This is defined as the initial speed necessary directed away from the surface of a planet such that the final velocity of the object will be zero when the object is an infinite distance from the planet.

Periodic Motion

Motion which is repeated in equal intervals of time.

Simple Harmonic Motion

Is periodic motion which results from a restoring force acting on an object where the magnitude of that force is proportional to the displacement of the object from equilibrium position.

Equilibrium Position

Location where the net force acting on the object is zero.

Restoring Force

Always directed towards equilibrium position.

Period of Simple Harmonic Motion

Defined as the time it takes to go through one full cycle or oscillation.

Amplitude of Simple Harmonic Motion

Defined as the maximum distance from equilibrium position.

Frequency of Simple Harmonic Motion

Number of cycles, or oscillations, per second.

Density

Equals mass divided by volume.

Pressure

Equals the force perpendicular to the surface divided by the surface area. It is also a scalar.

Absolute Pressure

The absolute pressure at any point in a fluid is the sum of the pressure on the top of the fluid and the gauge pressure caused by the weight of the vertical column of fluid above that point.

Gauge Pressure

Equals fluid density times gravitational field strength times fluid depth and gauge pressure does not depend on the cross-sectional area of the container holding the fluid.

Buoyant Force

Is equal in magnitude to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.

Continuity Equation

For ideal fluid flow says that the volumetric flow rate, or cross-sectional area times fluid flow speed, is constant

Bernoulli's Equation

A description of mechanical energy remaining constant in ideal fluid flow.

Bernoulli's Principle

Relates fluid speed and fluid pressure

Torricelli's Theorem

Gives the speed of an ideal fluid exiting a large, open reservoir through a small hole.