physics c: mech flash cards

Inertia

Tendency for an object to resist a change in state of motion

Mass

Measure of an object’s inertia (resistance to acceleration)

Inertial mass

Experimentally identical to gravitational mass

Force

Ability to cause a change in state of motion in an object

Increase in mass means:

More inertia, slower acceleration, but friction causes stoppage

Intrinsic property

Only depends on itself

Extrinsic property

Determined by something external

Center of mass

Location at which all the mass of an object is concentrated

When the mass density is constant,

the center of mass is in the middle

Force normal and force of gravity upon the same object are:

NOT newton’s third law pairs

Tension force

A force transmitted through a rope, cable, string, or wire pulled taut by forces acting on both sides

Equilibrium

An object at rest or at a constant velocity (Zero net force)

Newton’s 3rd law pairs are:

Simultaneous and equal in magnitude

Tension forces are:

Always a pull

The force you feel of “gravity”, or the weight is the:

Force normal pushing against your body

Translational equilibrium

Non-rotational equilibrium

Friction occurs due to:

The rubbing of microscopic, jagged surfaces of two objects

Static friction is:

Stronger than kinetic friction

The coefficient of friction is discovered through:

Experimentation

Anti-lock brakes utilize this type of friction:

Static friction

Anti-lock brakes release pressure after ________ friction is broken and the wheels slip, and then re-establish this friction

Static

The direction of kinetic friction is only determined by:

The motion relative to the surface that the object is touching

Newton’s second law is only valid in:

Inertial reference frames (not accelerating)

When drag and the force of gravity cancel out (net force of 0), the object asymptomatically approaches:

Terminal velocity

Drag changes based on this, which turns motion into a differential equation

Velocity

Work

The transfer of energy that occurs when force acts on an object to cause displacement

Kinetic Energy

Energy of motion of an object

Gravitational potential energy

Energy stored in an object due to that object’s elevation

Elastic potential energy

Potential energy stored as a result of deformation of an elastic object, such as the stretching of a spring.