Newton's Laws of Motion and Electricity

Vocabulary flashcards generated from lecture notes covering Newton's three laws of motion, force and mass relationships, electrical circuit components, electric current, and resistance.

Force

A push or pull applied to an object that can change its motion or shape.

Balanced Forces

Equal forces acting on an object in opposite directions, resulting in a net force of $0$ and no change in motion.

Unbalanced Forces

Unequal forces acting on an object, resulting in a net force not equal to $0$ and causing a change in motion.

Law of Inertia

Newton's 1st Law of Motion, stating that an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force; it describes the tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of rest or motion.

Acceleration

The rate at which velocity changes, represented mathematically as $a = \frac{v_f - v_i}{t}$.

Law of Acceleration

Newton's 2nd Law of Motion, stating that the acceleration of an object depends on the net force acting on it and its mass, calculated using $F = m \times a$.

Law of Action-Reaction Force

Newton's 3rd Law of Motion, stating that for every action force, there is an opposite reaction force.

Electric Current

The continuous movement or rate of flow of electric charge through a conductor, calculated as $I = \frac{q}{t}$ and measured in Amperes ($A$).

Electrical Circuit

A complete, closed path through which electric current flows.

Open Circuit

An electrical circuit with an incomplete path where an open switch creates a gap, stopping current flow and leaving the load (bulb) off.

Battery

The source of energy in an electrical circuit that pushes the electric charge through the conductor.

Resistance

The opposition to the flow of electric charge through a conductor, which serves to control current, prevent overheating, and protect electrical devices.

Elementary Charge ($e$)

The constant value representing the electrical charge of an electron, equal to $-1.6 \times 10^{-19}\,C$.

Electromotive Force (EMF)

The total voltage supplied by a source, given by the formula $V_{\text{EMF}} = I(R + r)$, where $I$ is current, $R$ is load resistance, and $r$ is internal resistance.