Physics Concepts and Fundamental Principles

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers fundamental introductory concepts in physics, including natural laws, branches of study, four fundamental forces, and measurement units.

Science

A systematic attempt to understand natural phenomena in depth, using observations, experiments, and mathematical modeling to predict and control phenomena.

Physics

A basic discipline of natural science involving the study of the basic laws of nature and their manifestation in different natural phenomena.

Unification

The effort in physics to explain diverse physical phenomena in terms of a few fundamental concepts and universal laws.

Reductionism

The approach of deriving the properties of a complex system from the properties and interactions of its constituent parts.

Classical Physics

The branch of physics dealing with macroscopic phenomena, including mechanics, electrodynamics, optics, and thermodynamics.

Quantum Mechanics

The framework developed to deal with microscopic phenomena at the atomic and molecular levels where classical physics fails.

Mechanics

The study of the motion and equilibrium of particles, rigid bodies, and systems based on Newton's laws and gravitation.

Electrodynamics

The study of electric and magnetic phenomena associated with charged and magnetic bodies.

Thermodynamics

The study of systems in macroscopic equilibrium focusing on changes in internal energy, temperature, and entropy via heat transfer.

Gravitational Force

The universal force of mutual attraction between any two objects by virtue of their masses; the magnitude is given by F = G imes rac{m_1 imes m_2}{r^2}.

Electromagnetic Force

The force between charged particles; it is much stronger than gravity and can be either attractive or repulsive.

Strong Nuclear Force

The force that binds protons and neutrons together in a nucleus; it is the strongest fundamental force but has a very short range ($ext{10}^{-15}$ m).

Weak Nuclear Force

A force that appears in certain nuclear processes like beta decay, with a range of approximately $ext{10}^{-16}$ m.

Law of Conservation of Energy

A fundamental principle stating that the total energy of an isolated system remains constant; energy can be transformed but not created or destroyed.

Inertia

The inherent property of a body by which it resists any change in its state of rest or uniform motion.

SI Units

The International System of Units (Le Système International d'Unités), which includes seven base units: meter, kilogram, second, ampere, kelvin, mole, and candela.

Radian

The SI unit for plane angle, defined as the ratio of arc length to radius.

Parallax

The apparent shift in the position of an object relative to a background when viewed from two different locations.

Electron Volt (eV)

A unit of energy equal to the work done on an electron in accelerating it through a potential difference of 1 volt ($1.602 imes 10^{-19} ext{J}$).

Mass-Energy Equivalence

The concept proposed by Einstein that mass is a form of energy, expressed by the equation $E = m imes c^2$.